Ballyhoo (May 1957)

Page scan 0003 from Ballyhoo

Record Details:

Title:
Ballyhoo
Date:
May 1957
Volume:
Ballyhoo (May 1957, no date) 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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LLMER SAFETY SHOWS I keep hammering at these shows for only one reason ... They're vitally important to us ... not only from the Public Relations standpoint, but as proven business-getters, It still continues to amaze me how well these shows do in Some situations, and how poorly in others. Al Hartshorn in Oshawa and Bill Burke in Brantford have just completed their second series of ELMER shows. Both did terrific promotional jobs ... and both wound up with exceptional business ... away up on their results last year ... and, for a very good reason. They really worked at it. By contrast, I visited a theatre a couple of weeks ago ... and if I hadn't known through correspondence that they were running an ELME& series, I never would have guessed it by just visiting the theatre. Sure ... there was one small poster around ... but so well hidden that it was practically an 'I dare you! deal. No copy around the front ... none inside ... and even though there were a couple of bicycles on display in the foyer, there wasn't a stick of copy to suggest what they were doing there. The results of the ELMLA shows in this theatre are, to put it charitably ... NOT GOOD. Fellows ... if a thing is worth doing at all, it is worth. doing well. Don't run an ELMER show just because you feel that you've got to in order to avoid criticism. If you're going into it, Siudyteeeeplan at ... execute your plans. T1-C.L. will give you all the help you need, but you're the guy who has to give the push. There's real gold in them thar ELMER shows ... but you've got to DIG for it. oX.X.X,KX.K,.X. Xe INVESTIGATORS! REPORTS I've just glanced over a stack of recent investigators' reports ... and was struck by three items which recur with aggravating regularity in nearly all of them. This in spite of the fact that the matters had been brought to the attention of the managers concerned many, many times. In some instances they were a repetition of criticisms made over a period of months, sometimes years ... and obviously simply ignored by the manager. Don't let your cashier count her money in plain view of the passing public. As a matter of fact she shouldn't have an accumulat— ion of bills if you clear the boxoffice as often as you should. Number two ... she shouldn't have a typewriter in the boxoffice, and certainly SHOULD NOT be working on the B.O. statement while the box office is still open. As a matter of fact, your cashier should not be permitted to make up the statement. That's your job. If you want her to.type it, that's another matter ... and she should do.it in your office after she balances up. And those After Closing tickets again. Seems that many of you still don't understand the procedure ... and aller can dows refer you to Dick Geering's full page of instructions in the April 26th issue of BALLYHOO. Read it again, guys ... and if you still don't understand it ... drop Dick a line, and I'm sure he'll get you squared away toot sweet. All you have to do to get a perfect Investigator's report is FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS ... that's all.