Ballyhoo (Nov 18, 1955)

Page scan 0004 from Ballyhoo

Record Details:

Title:
Ballyhoo
Date:
Nov 18, 1955
Volume:
Ballyhoo (Nov 18, 1955) Profit Blitz for 'Fitz'
Leaf #:
0004
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 ship 7 with showmes SERVE with showmanship showmanship howmanship PROF! SAV E with SEPT. 5th TO DEC. 3rd 1955 HONOURING 25 YEARS OF INSPIRED LEADERSHIP IN FAMOUS PLAYERS National Drive Captain DAN KRENDEL IT PAYS AND PAYS AND PAYS ... A buck saved is an even dollar earned ... and if applied to every one of our theatres ... that dollar becomes a very important one, and suddenly reads, $400.00. That's exactly what happens when an idea which works for one manager is adopted by the rest of our gang ... but, read what Jackie Fine of the B & F circuit in Toronto has to say on the subject ... "JT just want to let you know how much we value your weekly BLITZ FOR FITZ bulletin, and to bring to your attention one money-saving idea which is saving us plenty of dollars ..." "I'm referring to George Walters! suggestion for making our own ice. We have put this plan into effect and are saving many, many dollars each and every week in our Toronto theatres," "To more tangibly show our appreciation to George, we here at B & F are pleased to match the prize he has won for the idea, and are sending along our cheque for an equal amount ..." "Keep coming up with money-saving ideas $} We can certainly use them in our business at the present time." J.F, oXeXeoXoXeXo There you are fellows ... a man came up with an idea to save two or three hundred dollars a year ... Several others have already picked it up and put it into effect ... If every one of four hundred theatres uses it .., well, it looks to me like somewhere in the neighbourhood of $80,000.00 on the profit side. Are YOU making your own ice? aXeXaXeXe PUSH THOSE BOOKS OF TICKETS There's more than one way to skin a cat .., and a couple of our managers are doing more than just sitting around waiting for customers to ASK for books of tickets. Jack Ward contacted his Lion's Club and sold them $40.00 worth of tickets for use as prizes in their annual kids! Hallowe'en party ... and George Walters sells blocks of tickets to all money-raising agencies in his city, for use as prizes to the winning canvassers, It's money in the bank, guys.