Catchword: fourwalling

Filed under: English, Entertainment, Jargon

Part of speech: v.

Quotation: Kroger Babb, who billed himself as “America’s Fearless Young Showman,” ruled over a vast army of Mom and Dad “roadshow units” from his headquarters in Worthington, Ohio. He used a form of exhibition that has all but disappeared today, called “fourwalling.” Instead of booking his film into theaters for a percentage of the box office, he would simply rent the theater outright and take it over for the week or, in smaller markets, just one or two days. He would pay for all advertising and promotion, put his own banners and marquees out front, and turn the theater into a midway attraction, complete with lobby curiosities designed to lure customers.

Article or document title:
“Kroger Babb’s Roadshow” (URL)

Author:
Joe Bob Briggs

Article, document, publication, web site:
Reason

Publishing location:
Los Angeles, California

Date of publication:
Nov., 2003

This cite belongs to a full entry for fourwall.