Ballyhoo (Sep 23, 1955)

Page scan 0002 from Ballyhoo

Record Details:

Title:
Ballyhoo
Date:
Sep 23, 1955
Volume:
Ballyhoo (Sep 23, 1955) Profit Blitz for 'Fitz'
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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$10,000 IN CASH PRIZES ] hi ] PROFIT with showmans Pp SERVE with showmanship ota i é 1955 SAVE with showmanship hi SELL with showmanship HONOURING 25 YEARS OF INSPIRED LEADERSHIP IN FAMOUS PLAYERS National Drive Captain DAN KRENDEL A FEW IMPORTANT FACTS There seems to be some confusion as to exactly how our prize money $10,000.00 worth will be distributed. Let me try to clarify this for you. This is a PROFIT Blitz ... but it is also, and please don't forget it, a SHOWMANSHIP drive. Combine the two, and if your sum total of Showmanship and PROFIT is greater than the next fellow's ... well then, you're home free. Please remember, SHOWMANSHIP without PROFIT just ain't Showmanship. Get it? You have profit quotas to top, but you must also submit evidence that you topped them by your own skill and effort, and not just because you happened to be playing a MR. ROBERTS or OKLAHOMA. That's what makes this contest so fair ... Regardless of the type of product you play, you're on an even par with the next fellow. Quoting from your BLITZ brochure ... "Judging will be done on these all-important contributions to increasing profits and patronage ..." Abe Overall SHOWMANSHIP in selling, and patron service. ae Outstanding ENTERPRISE during the drive period. 3. ECONOMY of operation, and COST CONTROL. First and foremost comes PROFIT, and we know just as you do, that increased profits are in direct ratio to the effort and energy and enthusiasm you put into your merchandising job. There are 133 top prizes which will be awarded at the conclusion of the drive, representing $7,625.00 in cash ... to the winners in each group. That leaves a total of $2,375.00 for distribution at the discretion of the judges ... on a spot cash basis ... EVERY WEEK ... and you can take my word for it ... THERE WILL BEa group of winners each and every week ... providing of course, that you send in entries EVERY WEEK. More of that later. So guys ... we're tossing an even TEN G'S your way. You know the rules ... You have a target. Get that bulls-eye in your sights and start banging away. ;