Ballyhoo (Feb 25, 1955)

Page scan 0002 from Ballyhoo

Record Details:

Title:
Ballyhoo
Date:
Feb 25, 1955
Volume:
Ballyhoo (Feb 25, 1955) Ontario 'B' District
Leaf #:
0002
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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DOES YOUR GASHZER SELL TICKETS? Sidiy question, what? But maybe At isnt so silly ... listen to this ... I dropped in for a visit with one of my managers One evening a week or ge ago ... and as is my habit, I hang areund outside for a while before going im ... The picture we were playing was real bexeffiee oe. but the boxoffiea was too busy giving a pretty good imitation of a telephone exchange to bother too auch with selling tickets ... and that aia’t funny. faere was & lineeup of petential custemers begging to pay their way im .o. The cashier, a persomable, pleasant young miss undeubtedily would have loved to oblige them oo. BUT .oo what to do? The oid phone kept ringing porsistently, and after al2z, it is simple sourtesy to answer the phone oo. and beaides, Zé%3 pretty nerveowracking te have the thing ringing constantiy in one’s eaF ooo SO°O-O oo. the phone received priority, the would-be customers fumed, and a few simply walked away. They might or might net be back. Let's get smart ... We're in the business of solling tiskets ooo se let us sell them. When business is that good that people fight to got in, fer the luvva Peto let's not drive them away. You or your assistant, er an usherette take over the phone for a while ... oF bring someone in to help for an ovening er twoo The ticket selier has a definite job to do ... Let her do it right. Teday's customers are a strange breed ... they expect service, or they shep elsewhere. Do & make myself cicar? ecscotoXaXowo ACT_ENTHUSIASTIG Dale Carnegio, somewhat ef a specialist im his line, onse said oc. "Act enthusiastic and youll be enthusiastic ..." and that’s a pretty good thing to bear in mind. You cant expect your staf? to go about thelr work with a smile and a cheerful vord for everybody if you yoursolf slouch around with e@ scowl on your face, trying to keep out of people's way oo. You're the boss te those kids ... If yew permeate good wi21 and honest-to-geodness onthusiasm, they'll ape you, and pass that felling of welleboing along te your customers. The keynote of eur business is ENTHUSIASN ... practice it. All the time. ok oXoX oka OPEN HOUSE Whea's the last time you held an "Open House?” ... or haven't you tried one yet? One or two of my lads have, and believe ne, 4% pays dividends. Invite your public into your theatre on one special morning ... show them threugh yeur house. Take them up to your booth and kave your projeationist on hand to explain the mow equipment to them. Show them your new, wide curved BEPEON, explain the stercophonie aound, and demonstrate it with a short subject which XJ am sure you can borrow for the eccasion. "It%s more fun at the Movies ..." and you can gat thas idea acress in @ practical way ... through an open house, try it.