Ballyhoo (Oct 1960)

Page scan 0004 from Ballyhoo

Record Details:

Title:
Ballyhoo
Date:
Oct 1960
Volume:
Time Out for Ticket Talk (Oct 1960, no date)
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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4 morning rental shows, to be sponsored by local merchants in the theatre area only. This was to be a combination "Safety Show and Baby Sitters Party" and was to be advertised, as "Let The Algoma Baby Sit For You While You Shop In The Downtown Area -No Charge To You Whatsoever -Special Kiddies Screen Show and Special Guest Safety Speaker." I arranged with the local Y.M.C.A., and the City Police Department, and the Ontario Provincial Police Department to have officials talk to the children on Water Safety and Safety while on summer holidays and in the playgrounds. Financially, I arranged that twelve local merchants would each pay the theatre $50.00 and the theatre would in return give them newspaper and lobby credits as sponsors. This resulted in a rental of $600.00 for four Friday A.M. shows (2 shows each Friday morning) and no prizes were given out -just the free shows and safety speaker. Well, attendance was very poor for each Friday show, with only about 1,000 kids turning out for both programs. Total attendance was 4,000 children -a far cry from my "Elmer Shows", when I had to turn them away each week -and my candy sales were $375.00. However, this time my rental profit was $350.00 out of $600.00 and candy bar profit was $110.00. It is most interesting to note that on all children promotions, candy sales are very high. My candy bar profits and extra income from special children's shows, have given me a great deal of Satisfaction, and they will do the same for you, if you try them.