Ballyhoo (Mar 12, 1954)

Page scan 00014 from Ballyhoo

Record Details:

Title:
Ballyhoo
Date:
Mar 12, 1954
Volume:
Ballyhoo (Mar 12, 1954) Ontario 'B' District
Leaf #:
00014
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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ORPHEUM = SOO This seems to be the one Olga's been Waiting for ... and she sure gave it both barrels ... BOTANY BAY we're speaking of ... and her bally must have paid off ... The boo. atatement shows packed houses at every performance ooo Three weeks in advance Olga posted a 2h-gsheet on a very conspicuous corner, and four mounted displays in four of the boast locations in the city ... "Wanted" cards were placed in barber shops, pool rooms, cigar stores and sporting goods stores oo». Copy followed this line ... "Wanted, hearty adventurers to join Alan Ladd and James Mason on their perilous voyage to BOTANY BAY"... A very effective method of advertising ooo One of the local radio announcers, and a good friend of Olga's happened to be in the navy, and knows all the actual nautical calls .o. He cut a record for Olga with a background bell effect, Changing his voice to sound like an old sea dog, and shouting out orders to hurry to the Orpheum to seo BOTANY BAY ... This was’ aired every half hour during opening day ooo and a duplicate was played over the p.a. system into the street, Olga borrowed a model ship fron a Captain on one of the Great Lakes freightors ... had the name BOTANY BAY Lettered on it, and placed in the window of a local restaurant ..o. An accompanying poster invited the public to guess the weight of a certain ship of specific dimensions, The ballot box was placed near her eandy bar, and passés to see the feature awarded to the winners. The _ansuer was published in Olga'’s ad at the end of the week .o. The cannon Olga used was deseribed in last weeks ROGES o The local Navy League loaned Olgs flags and bunting which were draped ali around and under her MAPQUGE ooo A big, bold splashy sea front was erected 5.5. On top of the marquee, set between the two Orpheum signs was a huge, well-constructed three sail display. All were suitably inscribed. Olga's staff was the talk of the tow oco She borrowed compiete WREN outfits for her usherettes, eandy girl and cashire, and @ navy captain's uniform for the doorman ... The joint just dripped wlth atmosphore ... The customers loved it. During peak traffie hours, Olga's usher paraded the streets attired as an 18th century sailor ... The Local Sea Cadets were Olga's guests at a performance, and paraded to the theatre stopping traffic along their route ooo : As a special treat, on the last day Olga invited the children from the Shinguauk Indian School as her EvesSts ooo Many of them had nover before seen a movie. Goed P.R, Virenes Ladies Wear gave the Orpheum two full windows. Kleiman Bros., a sporting goods store kicked in a full window, one of the best yet ... The background was a mass of stills and posters on BOTANY BAY. They tiled in their model Ships of course, pail beats, faney ships, bottled ships (not schnapps ooo) eteo Nice going Olge oo, and nica polnts ooo 4700 no lessooo