Ballyhoo (Nov 25, 1955)

Page scan 0000 from Ballyhoo

Record Details:

Title:
Ballyhoo
Date:
Nov 25, 1955
Volume:
Ballyhoo (Nov 25, 1955) Profit Blitz for 'Fitz'
Leaf #:
0000
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 manship iT with show SERVE with showmanship SAVE with showmanship h showmanship PROF wit. da tde HONOURING 25 YEARS OF INSPIRED LEADERSHIP IN FAMOUS PLAYERS National Drive Captain DOAN KRENDEL November 25, 1955 CALCULATED RISK © There is a common saying that if you don't speculate, you simply can't hope to accumulate ... a theory substantially based on the factual evidence of seeming wizardry in the realms of business and finance. Some people have the happy faculty of being able to turn any situation good or bad to their ultimate advantage. Others see-saw between poverty and fortune all their lives, never knowing where they'll wind up. The former are the "speculators," the latter, the "gamblers." There is a difference ... even though the dividing line is infinitesimally fine. A speculator is "One who applies careful thought and reasoning to something that cannot be definitely proven or known,’ while a gambler on the other hand, is "One who throws caution to the winds and risks everything on the chance Ohemaking a fast profit ... or losing all." Every business is a speculation, and ours certainly is no exception. When we buy film ... when we lay out what we feel is a terrific advertising campaign ... even when we set up our bookings to take advantage of season or situation, we are taking a calculated risk, We are speculating. We give careful thought and reasoning to something we hope may happen, but have no way of knowing until it does, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained ..." and to meet with a reasonable modicum of success, we do on occasion have to take certain chances ... calculated risks. You can't operate a successful theatre from a book, or by punching buttons. You must keep trying something new ... something novel .., something that hasn't been tried before, It may work according to plan, or it may not, but one thing is sure, if you exercise a reasonable amount of care ... good judgment and reasoning before you plunge into it ... the chances are all on your side. Don't be gamblers ... Take risks, It's healthy for you and your business, but make sure they are "calculated risks ..." Be speculators ... take a reasonable chance where the anticipated results warrant it. Nothing ventured nothing gained, fellows ... A good rule to follow. D.E.K.