Ballyhoo (May 1957)

Page scan 00013 from Ballyhoo

Record Details:

Title:
Ballyhoo
Date:
May 1957
Volume:
Ballyhoo (May 1957, no date) National
Leaf #:
00013
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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CAPITOL ~ FORT WILLIAM I have a copy of a letter sent to Johnny Ferguson by Jim Cameron in Connection with his second annual Teeners! Advisory Council fashion show, which he ran in conjunction with his showing of FUNNY FACE, Jimmy mentions a stack of material he had sent on, but I haven't seen any signs of it... so will try to report what I can glean from the letter. Jimmy has no stage ... and the necessary ramp would have cost in the neighbourhood of three hundred bucks ... but... and I don't know how he did it ... he wound up with one at a total outlay of only $30.00. He also promoted the loan of a Hammond Organ ... the thing costs $3,500.00 ... from the Heintzman Company. Radio station C F P A kicked in a total of ten good spots absolutely free. Charles of the Ritz donated fairly costly cosmetic kits to be used as prizes at each show. Flowers were supplied for Epee by a local florist. Jimmy continues ... "and so on, and so on" ,.. and what the So on is I can't imagine. However, what is important is the fact that he sold nearly $1,000.00 worth of tickets ... and that's what counts, isn't it? Sorry James ... but that's all I can do with the info I have on hand, Wish I could have seen your material so I could give you a proper story. Xe Xe XeXXXXL Xe Well fellows ... this winds up another issue, and I hope to get started on the next one in a couple of days. I have some pretty fair material on hand now, and am hoping that the next few days Will bring more. I'll repeat again ... it's entirely up to you as to how often BALLYHOO is published. You've read our list of prize winners, and if you've been following the consistent efforts of the boys as reported in these pages, I know thet you will agree with the prize committee in their choice. I'm only sorry that not everyone who submits an entry isn't automatically a prize winner ... but you know as well as I do ... in every contest there are winners and there are those who come close ... and also, there are losers, For my money ... LVEHY ONE OF YOU who submits entries week after week, IS A WINNER, even though you don't always wind up in the dough. Keep feeding me guys ... and keep selling ... and YOU'LL GiT THERE, So long until next time ... Keep Punchin' ... Keep Bally hooin' ... and keep sending along your material, suprorted by evidence of your activities. Be seein' you in the prize list. Dan Krendel