Ballyhoo (Oct 22, 1954)

Page scan 0004 from Ballyhoo

Record Details:

Title:
Ballyhoo
Date:
Oct 22, 1954
Volume:
Ballyhoo (Oct 22, 1954) Ontario 'B' District
Leaf #:
0004
Language:
English
Collection:
Hollywood Studio System, Global Cinema, and Canada
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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STERBOPEONTG SOUND I have montioned the need for constant supervision of your auditorium Speaker sound levels ... Did you know that your "surround" speakers ¢an be used for other purposes besides the fourth track? ... Ask your Operators to show you how you can play your intermission music thru those speakers ... It gives a startling and very novel effect ... and your customers will talk about it. BUT make sure that your sound is just right, or you'll blow them right out of their seats. One manager has developed the idea of using tapes, instead of standard records ... and what a terrific field that opens up to you oo. Not only can you tailoremake your musical arrangements, but, it's a simple matter to announce what the music is ... from which ef your coming attractions ... AND ... what a simple way to cut in an announcement. You'll hear more about this tape businesa ... We are now checking into the practicability of purchasing a number of recorders, and also a reproducer for such of our theatres as can and will make the proper use of it. Watch for an announcement, and if it isn't forthcoming pretty soon ... ASK ABOUT IT. SERVICE MANUALS When is the last time you looked at one of the many service manuals prepared by several of our home office departments? Taking a quick count I can remember ... 1. SERVICE STAPF MANUAL 2. GONFECTION SALES MANUAL 3. ADVERTISING AND LAY-OUT MANUAL 4. DICK GEERING'S RED BOOK Dig them out fellows .., and keep them real handy ... and keep referring to them ... and FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS contained in them, If you do that, it may eliminate many unnecessary phone calls and much correspondence. WE HAVE NO MONOPOLY ON ENTERTAINMENT ... WE HAVE TO PROVIDE MORE AND DO IT BETTER THAN OUR COMPETITORS ... J.J.F. PRODUG?? In a matter of about fifteen minutes, Ben Geldsaler in his quict, reserved manner went through something Like fifty million dollars’ worth of attractions being made available to us during the next several months. The majority of the pictures he outlined look like really big stuff ... A few ave ordinary ... that is to say, just plein, good pictures. Don't undersell them, fellews. We want to keep the flow ef product from the studies constant. The only way we can assure this is by treating each available property as being responsible for providing us with our bread and butter. Don't just sell the BIG ONES ... Any school kid can do that, SELL THEM ALL. eee ae