Ballyhoo (Jan 18, 1957)

Page scan 0003 from Ballyhoo

Record Details:

Title:
Ballyhoo
Date:
Jan 18, 1957
Volume:
Ballyhoo (Jan 18, 1957) National
Leaf #:
0003
Language:
English
Collection:
Canada, Global Cinema, 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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MIDNIGHT SHOWS Tt seems to be getting tougher and tougher to fill our seats on special midnight shows ... and even the one that used to be a cinch ... New Year's Eve, is no cinch any longer. Of oourse if you happen to have GIANT or HOLLYWOOD Ox BUCT booked, it isn't too bad, and you don't: have too much trouble getting the customers out ... but for every GIANT we have to play dozens of just plain good pictures, and that's where your selling will determine how ‘many seats you will sell. The best we could come up with for Harry Wilson at the Capitol in Chatham was OPPOSITE SEX ... a good picture, but perhaps not quite in the holiday midnight show category. Harry knew that it needed help and went to work on it. He contacted every merchant in the down town area and wound up with 9500.00 worth of prizes ... from men's and women's wearing apparel to tons of coal, tires, food packages etc. He raised his admission slightly, and gave the gifts away on a 'lucky ticket' deal. That's good thinking. Lloyd Taylor, at the Palace in Guelph had a similar problem, Instead of accepting the booking we had for him ... which also was a good attraction, but not quite 'holiday' fare, Lloyd asked for a couple of oldie horror pics. We thought the guy'd ‘gone nuts, but decided to go along with him and booked BRIDE OF FRANKENST2SIN and SON OF DRACULA, So ... wha hoppen? Lloyd outgrossed the other two theatres in town. Well, that's Showbusiness. All this just goes to show that YOU have to do a little thinking too, fellows. Don't just leave it all up to your bookers, Bre S028 0esO MEK ABOUT 'GIANT! If you are one of the fortunate ones who will be playing this great attraction, there are certain things you ought to know about it ... First of all, make sure that you have the intermission clip, and use it. I sat through a showing of it at the local Imperial a few days ago ... and was glad to be able to get up and stretch my feet after a couple of hours. AND ... I have never seen such a busy confection bar ... it was so jammed I couldn't get within fifteen feet of it. Secondly ... and this is of the utmost importance ... The recording on all prints has a great many variations in the sound levels, and for thet reason the producers have prepared a special sound cue sheet for your projectionists' use. You must make sure that the lads in the booth familiarize themselves with the cues, and FOLLOW THEM, You must also make sure that YOU PERSONALLY are on hand all of the time to constantly check the sound. This is a truly great picture which will bring the crowds out to your theatre ... but you alone can make sure that they get all the enjoyment they are entitled to out of it. So ... make sure that you have the cue sheet well in advance of your booking, and be sure to sit through the first couple of shows so that you will know what it's all about, and can regulate the sound accordingly. Oh yes ... make sure that you have a good supply of tickets on hand,