Ballyhoo (Nov 4, 1955)

Record Details:

Title:
Ballyhoo
Date:
Nov 4, 1955
Volume:
Ballyhoo (Nov 4, 1955) Profit Blitz for 'Fitz'
Leaf #:
0002
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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$10,000 IN CASH PRIZES Fit, with showmanship PRO Seo ee aca : SERVE) with showmanship AVE with showma 1955 =P HONOURING 25 YEARS OF INSPIRED LEADERSHIP IN FAMOUS PLAYERS National Drive Captain DAN KRENDEL FREE... FREE... FREE Some of you have used the wallet-sized Fan Photos to good advantage ... to increase confection sales ... to boost juve attendance etc. You've paid for them at the rate of $1.40 per hundred. Jackie Fine, who handles them, informs me that he has 100,000 in stock, and they're yours FOR THE ASKING ... but please fellows, only 500 to a customer ... unless you have in the past purchased some from Jack ... then you can have 800. In the selection are photos of Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Doris Day, John Wayne etc, etc. If you drop Jack Fine a note at 1000 Royal Bank Building in Toronto, your 500 ... or 800 will be on their way to you toot sweet, BUT ... please don't specify any single star ... you'll have to take a mixture of several, Here's a good chance to boost your confection sales some Saturday matinee ... and all it takes is a short note to Jack ... How about it? Remember ... first come, first served. oX.XX.X.X, FILLING SEATS Seems to me that we're in the business of trying to fill as many seats in our theatres as we possibly can ... Some managers however seem to have other ideas, I noticed in one house that no matter what we were playing, or how large a crowd in the lobby ... the front four rows were always empty ... so-o-o ... I did a little investigating,and guess what the answer was ... The manager didnit think it fair to ask customers who had, as he put it ... "Paid a premium admission" ... to sit so close to the screen, Consequently, our seating capacity in that particular theatre was reduced by nearly 200 seats. Some fun, what? Of course he didn't think of suggesting to them that they occupy those seats, and move back at the break, No sir ... he just left the seats empty. Believe me ... that procedure is now a thing of the past, and you know what? By some strange miracle our receipts seem to be much better, and the house is showing greater profits. How wrong can a guy be ...? I often wonder.