Ballyhoo (Mar 25, 1955)

Page scan 0003 from Ballyhoo

Record Details:

Title:
Ballyhoo
Date:
Mar 25, 1955
Volume:
Ballyhoo (Mar 25, 1955) Ontario 'B' District
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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XY paluse Mel Jolley ..0 Ssiméerely,;” completely and uncendi¢iemakly. I salute hia fer his gunption,” nis persistence, his stick-to-it-ivenss3s o> effer his aeconplishment as an object lesson to phe fow smong us whe only tolerate BALLYHOO as a means of aveiding a run in with yours truly. Tf have always said thaS SHOWMANSHIP will out ... and on Mei 4b Looks good. Hiel is somewhat of an idgalist ... but a practical one, Af there is sueh a thing. he spent long hours working out a plan to lure the emall fry bask inte his theatre, not as a favour te the kids oy their parents, cr the Loeal P.T.Ao bUs as a faveur $9 Mel Jolley. He likes the sound of a jingling bexeffice. It took lete of hard work with 2 few heartaches thrown im. Many a week Mel cursed the day he ever embarked on his yvanture. The first feu weeks, to put at charitably, were “stinko® .o.¢ but Mel didn't cuit. The Spec, through she gocg offiees of our oid friend Johnny Robinson went all ont for him. The radio and T.V. atabioens backed bim oo. and Mel sweated 1% out. It took a Low weeks, and then the kids bogan bo catch om. Half the youngsters in Hamilton are now sporting dunier Press Civbh buttonso His Saturday morning shows now play te nearly & thousand admissions oo. and atiil growing. The secret 4s this ... Mel had an idea and decided to give it a fair trial, His enthusiasa aig the vest’, He nursed his baby along, ceddled it, pampered it .o. didnt quit when the going got a 1ittLe rough. Now it’s paying real dividends. My congratulations Mel ... om a torrific job of organization and BALLYHOO. I hepe that sone of our other Lade prefit from your sxperiense>