Ballyhoo (Apr 20, 1956)

Record Details:

Title:
Ballyhoo
Date:
Apr 20, 1956
Volume:
Ballyhoo (Apr 20, 1956) National
Leaf #:
0009
Language:
English
Collection:
Global Cinema, Canada, and Hollywood Studio System
Format:
Periodicals
Contributor:
Media History Digital Library, Greig Dymond in memory of David Dymond, Paul Moore and Jessica Whitehead
Coordinator:
Media History Digital Library
Description:

Ballyhoo

  • Ontario 'B' District Ballyhoo, editor: Dan Krendel (1952-55)
  • Profit Blitz for ‘Fitz’, editor: Dan Krendel (1955)
  • National Ballyhoo, editor: Dan Krendel (1956-57)
  • Time Out for Ticket Talk, editor: Norman Barker (1960-61)

Ballyhoo (1952-61) was published by Famous Players Canadian Corporation as a mimeographed internal sales and theatre managers’ newsletter. Editor, Dan Krendel, had been division manager of the Ontario ‘B’ District since 1942, and initially created Ballyhoo in 1952 to circulate weekly updates for a regional sales contest. Ontario ‘B’ District Ballyhoo continued until 1955 as a tool for sharing and incentivizing new sales techniques and publicity methods as the movie business declined in the face of television and the baby boom.

In Fall 1955, Profit Blitz for ‘Fitz’ was a nationwide sales contest, named for Famous Players’ president J. J. Fitzgibbons, honouring his 25th year as head of the business. Dan Krendel was made National Drive Captain and edited a weekly newsletter for the campaign.

From 1956 until at least 1957, National Ballyhoo was published weekly with Krendel as editor. He continued the style and content developed earlier for his Ontario ‘B’ District, but now extended vastly for a chain-wide coast to coast scale. Ballyhoo’s sharing promotional tools came at a time of contracting box office as television and automobile ownership became prevalent in the mid-1950s.

By 1960 until at least 1961, Time Out for Ticket Talk continued as a mimeographed newsletter, edited by Norman Barker of the head office publicity department. Time Out was compiled on a less ambitious scale than Ballyhoo. Compared to the earlier national compilation of local publicity gimmicks, Time Out often contained only a single memo or reproduced local story, and was often undated and only informally edited.

– Paul Moore, March 2024

Date Added:
April 11, 2024
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INVESTIGATORS! REPORTS Here we go again ... I've just received a batch of reports, and thought I would pass along a few of the more common complaints, which can well be the same complaints your patrons have been, or still are voicing. Read them over carefully .., and decide for yourself whether or not they apply to YOUR operation. CONFECTION SALESGIRLS very uninterested, and unattentive to their jobs, Patrons have to practically beg, to get any kind of service. STARTING TIMES advertised in your boxoffice are not strictly adhered to, In one theatre the boxoffice advertised one time ... the newspaper ad another ... and the boxoffice actually opened half an hour ahead of the earliest starting time advertised, Must be very confusing to someone trying to purchase a ticket. USHERS standing at the head of their aisles ... flashing their lights in all directions, annoying seated patrons, and letting incoming customers find their own seats. REPORTING TICKETS that had been sold after the boxoffice closed on the following day's report, In some theatres this comes to from ten to twenty extra sales, Remember your after-close tickets fellows ... that!s exactly what they're for, CLOSING BOXOFFICEK long before the last feature had even had a chance to hit the screen. That's one good way to discourage theatre attendance, PERFORMANCE INTERRUPTIONS not being reported on the forms provided for that purpose, You're not doing yourself or your projectionist a favour, fellows, This ommission is bound to be caught sooner or later, Well ... any of the above apply to you? Think a little before you come out with a fast answer, It's just as easy ... in fact easier, to get a good report than a bad one, There's only one Cave wee LeU PS LONYOU, oXoXoXeXe SHARE YOUR BULLETIN I have a very nice note from Mr, Fitzgibbons in which he makes reference to the contents of a recent bulletin and suggests that what had been written is of sufficient importance and interest as to warrant making it available to every one of your employees ... We try to touch on every phase of your operation in these bulletins, and many of the items directly refer to various members of your personnel, When you are through with it, why not circulate it among your staff members? They may enjoy reading it, and the constant hammering may create a new awareness of the important part they play ... or can play ..., in the efficient operation of your theatre, Try it, huh?