Times Square UK Pressbook, 1980-81, pages 1-5

Posted on 10th September 2018 in "Times Square"

UK Press Book, cover  Text:  "GO SLEAZE!" ... IN TIMES SQUARE  TIMES SQUARE  EMI A Member of the THORN EMI Group.

I’d given up all hope of ever finding one of these when, bam, two of them turn up. It’s the EMI version of the pressbook issued in the USA by AFD. It’s shorter in page count, but larger in size, and printed in color on heavier, glossier paper.

It doesn’t include all the articles suggesting inventive ways to promote the movie at your theater, but does include the articles describing the cast and filmmakers. In fact, it includes more about the producers than the AFD pressbook did (which was nothing at all). Most of the text is directly from the US press kit.

The UK press kit didn’t include a synopsis of the movie, but there was a sheet distributed with the credits and a synopsis that was different from the one in the US press kit and pressbook. That sheet is essentially reproduced on pages 2 and 3 here, with translations of the synopsis into French and Spanish. This synopsis includes the scene of Nicky attacking “roadies” from the disco with her switchblade, which appeared in the May 1979 draft of the screenplay, but was never filmed as the scene and Nicky’s character had changed in the meantime.

On pages 4 and 5, the capsule bios of Robin, Trini, Tim Curry, Allan Moyle, Jacob Brackman, John Nicollela, and Bill Oakes, and the half-page on Robert Stigwood, all come word-for-word from the US press kit. The equivalent bios in the UK press kit are worded differently. None of the text so far, other than the film and music credits, appeared in the US pressbook.

 

The shot of Tim Curry on page 4 is cropped from TS-66-28/8 which was distributed in the US press kit and appeared on page 4 of the US pressbook. The shot of Robin as Nicky is not from the film, but was taken at the time of shooting, and as far as I know never appeared anywhere else. The shot of Trini as Pammy dancing in the Cleo Club looks damned familiar, but I only seem to have this unpublished shot that was taken seconds before or after. There are at least two other shots from this moment but neither are this one. I may have finally accumulated so much Times Square stuff that I just can’t keep track of it all despite my best efforts.

If there’s any huge outcry to read the text, I’ll edit this post to add it.

 

 

Times Square pressbook, pp. 1-5
UK : pressbook (theatre manual) : AAT ID: 300213184 : 35.7 x 27.8 cm. : 1980 (work);

TIMES_SQUARE_UK_Pressbook_p01_1080px.jpg
1080 x 841 px, 96 dpi, 398 kb
TIMES_SQUARE_UK_Pressbook_p02_1080px.jpg
1080 x 830 px, 96 dpi, 472 kb
TIMES_SQUARE_UK_Pressbook_p03_1080px.jpg
1080 x 842 px, 96 dpi, 472 kb
TIMES_SQUARE_UK_Pressbook_p04_1080px.jpg
1080 x 839 px, 96 dpi, 704 kb
TIMES_SQUARE_UK_Pressbook_p05_1080px.jpg
1080 x 836 px, 96 dpi, 680 kb (images)

 
Times Square ©1980 StudioCanal/Canal+

 

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Record World, Vol. 37 No. 1729, September 13, 1980

Posted on 1st May 2018 in "Times Square"

Back cover of Record World Vol. 37 No. 1729, September 13, 1980, p. 126.  Text:  JUST RELEASED The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture TIMES  SQUARE A Robert Stigwood Production A 2-RECORD SET Featuring Music by... SUZI QUATRO, THE PRETENDERS, ROXY MUSIC, GARY NUMAN, MARCY LEVY & ROBIN GIBB, TALKING HEADS, JOE JACKSON, XTC, THE RAMONES, ROBIN JOHNSON & TRINI ALVARADO, THE RUTS, D.L. BYRON, LOU REED, DESMOND CHILD & ROUGE, GARLAND JEFFREYS, THE CURE, PATTI SMITH GROUP, DAVID JOHANSEN RS-4-4203 INCLUDES THE FIRST SINGLE: "Rock Hard" by Suzi Quatro DL-104 RSO Records, Inc. ® ©1980 RSO Records, Inc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Most of the “new” items that turn up now are variations of things we’ve already seen. This Times Square soundtrack ad is identical to the ones shown here, but unlike those two it’s still attached to the magazine it was published in. It’s page 126, the back cover, of Record World Vol. 37 No. 1729 from September 13, 1980, a recording industry trade publication, which also has an announcement of the soundtrack on the front cover…

 

 

… and coverage of the soundtrack’s announcement at 1980’s RSO Convention, featuring an appearance by Suzi Quatro.

The most intriguing thing in the article, however, is this:

A forty-minute video presentation highlighting key scenes and music from the motion picture was shown.

There was a promotional video nearly half the length of the entire film!

This was published a month before the movie’s premiere, and only says the event happened “recently.” The five-and-a-half minute in-store soundtrack promo video contains many brief tantalizing clips of footage not in the movie… who knows what lost footage might have appeared in the RSO Convention promo video!

 

 

“Hits of the Week -Albums – “TIMES SQUARE” (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack).” (article, AAT ID: 300048715)
“‘Times Square,’ ‘Shogun’ Soundtracks Previewed at RSO National Convention” (article, AAT ID: 300048715)
[Just released – the original soundtrack from the motion picture Times Square] (advertisement, AAT ID: 300193993)
Record World, Vol. 37, No. 1729, September 13, 1980, pp. 1, 9, 118, 126 (magazine (periodical), AAT ID: 300215389)
32.4 x 24.3 cm., 126 pp (work);
Record World Vol 37 No 1729 p126_back cover manual 2_1080px.jpg
1080 px (H) x 809 px (W), 96 dpi, 656 kb
Record World Vol 37 No 1729 p1_1080px.jpg
1080 px (H) x 808 px (W), 96 dpi, 217 kb
Record World Vol 37 No 1729 p1_detail_800px.jpg
348 px (H) x 800 px (W), 96 dpi, 401 kb
Record World Vol 37 No 1729 p9_1080px.jpg
1080 px (H) x 796 px (W), 96 dpi, 594 kb
Record World Vol 37 No 1729 p118_1080px.jpg
1080 px (H) x 784 px (W), 96 dpi, 563 kb
Record World Vol 37 No 1729 p9_detail_800px.jpg
800 px (H) x 596 px (W), 96 dpi, 401 kb
Record World Vol 37 No 1729 p118_detail_800px.jpg
800 px (H) x 761 px (W), 96 dpi, 409 kb (images)
 
Record World ©1980 RECORD WORLD PUBLISHING CO., INC.
Times Square ©1980 StudioCanal/Canal+

 

I Wanna Be Sedated

Posted on 8th October 2017 in "Times Square"

I made another exception to my vow not to collect any more soundtrack-related items, because this one has a picture of Robin on it.

It’s the UK version of the Ramones’ “I Wanna Be Sedated” single as released by RSO as a Times Square soundtrack tie-in. I might have bought it anyway, just for the fantastic illustration on the front of the picture sleeve. Luckily for me, the back of the sleeve reproduces the soundtrack album cover, so it’s a legitimate Robin Johnson collectible as well as a Ramones collectible.

 

 

The cover reproduced seems to be, however, a variant I don’t have anywhere else, where Nicky’s lapel button, which usually bears a picture of Johnny LaGuardia, is blank red, but not the featureless red of the Canadian version. This one has a light reflection painted along its upper rim, like the one that appears on the versions with Johnny on it, except no Johnny. It’s like an intermediate version that hasn’t been finished. I still don’t understand why there are so many different variant covers, all centered around what if anything is pinned to Nicky’s lapel.

“I Wanna Be Sedated” had been taken from 1978’s Road to Ruin. The b-side of the single, “The Return of Jackie and Judy,” was taken from the Ramones’ current album at the time, End of the Century, and wouldn’t have been entirely out of place itself in the movie’s soundtrack.

 

 

I’ve previously made mention of the Spanish release of this single, of which I have a photo but not the actual item.

 

 

Ramones “I Wanna Be Sedated” b/w “The Return of Jackie and Judy”, 45 rpm record (AAT ID: 300265800) with picture sleeve (AAT ID: 300266823), England, 1980. RSO 70 (2090 512) ℗1978 Sire Records Inc. ℗1980 Sire Records Inc. © 1980 RSO Records Ltd (work)
Ramones_I_Wanna_Be_Sedated_45_1980_RSO_70_sleeve_front_1080px.jpg, Ramones_I_Wanna_Be_Sedated_45_1980_RSO_70_sleeve_back_1080px.jpg, Ramones_I_Wanna_Be_Sedated_45_1980_RSO_70_side_a_1080px.jpg, Ramones_I_Wanna_Be_Sedated_45_1980_RSO_70_side_b_1080px.jpg (images)

 

Bande Originale du Film Times Square (soundtrack album, French edition)

Posted on 3rd August 2017 in "Times Square"

I made another exception to my decision not to collect any more copies of the soundtrack when I saw the bright red labels on this French edition. Sadly we don’t get all the text in French as well.

It’s pretty much identical to the Canadian version, with the blank red spot in place of Nicky’s Johnny LaGuardia pin on the front, and the copyrights on the back, and throughout, attributed to Multiplier N.V.

The inner sleeves are no longer identical: they’re now labelled Disque 1 and Disque 2 with their catalog numbers, even though the complete track listing for all four sides is on both of them. The printing information “Montreuil Offset / « Imprimé et Fabriqué en France »” is new. And the line “Mastered at STERLING SOUND by George Marino” is back. (If there’s a huge outcry I’ll post the Disque 2 sleeve, but it seems a waste of space since they’re otherwise identical.)

These red labels were what got my attention, and at least we get the album title in French. Otherwise, though, it’s the same as all the other variant editions, and the music is of course unchanged.

Seeing this cover version with the great red spot again made me think, though — the spot is 2½ inches across. The Australian sticker is about 2¼ inches across. Is it possible that the stickers weren’t just a promotional product, but were meant to be pasted over the spot on the Australian edition? Seems logical. But, I’ve never seen an Australian copy so I don’t know if they have a red spot, or a sticker stuck there, or what. I do know that logic has precious little to do with any aspect of Times Square.

 

Bande originale du film Times Square, RSO 2658 145; France, 1980; 2 long-playing records (AAT 300265802) with gatefold picture sleeve (AAT 300266823) and illustrated inner sleeves (work);
 
©1980 Multiplier N.V.

 

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Musica Original de la Pelicula “Times Square”

Posted on 26th April 2017 in "Times Square"

I should have posted this along with the other versions of the soundtrack album I have, but I somehow had it in my head that it was released in 1981. It wasn’t; all the international editions of the soundtrack were released in 1980, with only one exception I know of, and this isn’t it.

This is the Peruvian edition, and cover-wise it’s essentially identical to the Canadian edition, with a blank red spot in place of Tim Curry, and Tim in his rightful place in the center square in the gatefold.

I stopped collecting variants of the soundtrack album once I realized just how much space they would take up for dozens of items that were all pretty much the same. I’ll only pick one up if it has some substantial difference (and is cheap enough), and the title in Spanish on the spine and the Spanish translations of the song titles on the record labels did it for me.

My copy doesn’t have the blue paper inner sleeves with the photos of Nicky and Pammy and the extended song publication information. I don’t know if that’s how it was originally issued or if some previous owner lost them along the way. This may also be different because it’s a white-labeled promotional record. Prohibida su venta.

For comparison, here are the American and the UK editions.

 

 

Times Square – Musica Original de la Pelicula, A25 – RSO 2658145.3; Peru, 1980; 2 long-playing records (AAT 300265802) with gatefold picture sleeve (AAT 300266823);

 

©1980 Butterfly Valley NV

 

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Record Mirror, 1980

Posted on 4th April 2017 in "Times Square"

TIMES SQUARE soundtrack album promotional mirror

 

No, not the magazine Record Mirror. This was a promotional item given by an RSO music rep to the music director of WLKI in Angola, Indiana, along with 25 copies of the soundtrack album to give away as contest prizes. It was on display as part of his enormous album collection for over 35 years. (No, he didn’t die! Just decided to whittle his collection down a bit.)

It is indeed a mirror, about license-plate size, with “TIMES SQUARE™ | RSO™ | ©1980 BUTTERFLY VALLEY NV” screen printed on it. The frame is plastic (and slightly warped), and the backing is corrugated cardboard; it is just a promotional freebie, after all. There must have been hundreds of these given out. There were also t-shirts and buttons made; the buttons turn up every so often, the t-shirts less so (and always in “small”), but before finding this I had no idea the mirrors existed.

TIMES SQUARE soundtrack album promotional mirror

 

 

 

 

 

 

It isn’t easy to scan or photograph a mirror.

 

 

[Times Square soundtrack album promotional mirror]
promotional material : AAT ID: 300249572 : 20.5 x 26.8 cm. : 1980 (work);
Times_Square_1980 Promotional Mirror_layers_1080px.jpg
863 x 1080 px, 96 dpi, 491 kb
Times_Square_1980 Promotional Mirror_2_1080px.jpg
1033 x 1080 px, 96 dpi, 553 kb (images)

 

©1980 Butterfly Valley, N.V.
Times Square ©1980 StudioCanal/Canal+

 

“6”

Posted on 24th March 2017 in "Times Square"
Robin Johnson as Nicky Marotta during the filming of TIMES SQUARE (1980). The number and the stamp on the back imply that it was part of the UK Press Kit. The caption for photo 6 in the Press Kit reads:   15-year-old screen newcomer ROBIN JOHNSON stars as Nicky Marotta, a street-wise young runaway who, thanks to a radio DJ's patronage, is able to fulfil her fantasies of becoming a star of the "new wave".

6/7/8. 15-year-old screen newcomer ROBIN JOHNSON stars as Nicky Marotta, a street-wise young runaway who, thanks to a radio DJ’s patronage, is able to fulfil her fantasies of becoming a star of the “new wave”.

 

 

This, I believe, is one of the photos missing from my copy of the UK Press Kit. The photo caption sheet in the press kit lists photos 6, 7, and 8 as pictures of Robin all with the same caption, and my copy only has a 7 and 8. This photo has a tiny “6” inset on the front, and the back has the same black “TIMES SQUARE” stamp as the Press Kit photos. Add in the fact that this came from a memorabilia dealer in England, and I’m satisfied that it was originally part of the Press Kit package.

 

It’s the same image as TS-69-34A/4 from the US Press Material folder, printed with higher contrast and thus losing some detail, but cropped differently so it shows a little more of the area around Robin. We can now see Trini’s arm, the bottom of the guitar, and not quite enough more of the headstock to be sure whether this was before or after the “Rickenbacker” nameplate was removed. The same image was also used by ITC to promote the film, that one being cropped even closer.

 

 

[Times Square UK Press Kit photo 6]
black and white photographic print, 25.3 x 20.2 cm. (work);
1080 px (H) x 865 px (W), 96 dpi, 334 kb (image)

1980
inscription: [front] 6
[back:] [stamped, black:] TIMES SQUARE
[handwritten:] Robin Johnson | 96 | 429

 

Times Square ©1980 StudioCanal/Canal+

Screen International No. 246, June 21-28, 1980

Posted on 2nd March 2017 in "Times Square"

Cover page of a UK movie industry trade publication with two-page ad centerfold announcing TIMES SQUARE in production

This is the fifth appearance Times Square made in the press that I know of. The first was a mention in Radio and Records, the date of which I’m uncertain, but since it describes the movie as coming out in the summer I’m placing it first — possibly even as early as November 1979 when shooting would have started and the big WJAD neon sign hoisted into place on the Candler Building. The second was Screen International No. 231 in March 1980, touting Robin’s unlikely “discovery.” The third was an article about the film’s production in The Aquarian in April 1980 which seems to have been written from interviews conducted in November and December 1979. And the fourth, in May 1980, a quote about the movie from Robert Stigwood in Photoplay.

So in mid-June 1980, which, judging by the Radio and Records article, was the originally planned release date for Times Square, EMI plastered a two-page announcement of the film’s impending release in the center spread of this organ aimed at British film exhibitors and producers. Allan Moyle had long since left the project; the spring months had probably been devoted to reshoots and re-editing. The text of the ad, which features a glorious photo of Robin by Mick Rock, places Times Square as the crowning jewel in Robert Stigwood’s crown. Seven months later it would be obvious to all that this was not the case, and the remaining publicity for Times Square would revert to the March Screen International blurb and center around Robin’s discovery and impending stellar career.

 
Two-page centerspread advertisement from a UK movie industry trade publication. Photo by Mick Rock. Text: Saturday Night Fever, Grease, Jesus Christ Superstar, Tommy. The entertainment revolution that Robert Stigwood began, continues with TIMES SQUARE™ AN EMI FILMS PRESENTATION UNITED KINGDOM DISTRIBUTION BY COLUMBIA-EMI-WARNER NORTH AMERICA BY ASSOCIATED FILM DISTRIBUTION AND THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THE WORLD BY EMI FILMS EMI A member of the Thorn EMI Group TIMES SQUARE™ © 1980 Butterfly Valley N.V.

Saturday Night Fever, Grease,
Jesus Christ Superstar, Tommy.
The entertainment revolution
that Robert Stigwood began,
continues with
TIMES SQUARE™
AN EMI FILMS PRESENTATION
UNITED KINGDOM DISTRIBUTION BY COLUMBIA-EMI-WARNER
NORTH AMERICA BY ASSOCIATED FILM DISTRIBUTION AND
THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THE WORLD BY EMI FILMS
EMI
A member of the Thorn EMI Group

TIMES SQUARE™
© 1980 Butterfly Valley N.V.

If you have the feeling you’ve seen this before, or that I’m just vamping here, you’re right: I only just obtained a copy of this magazine, but in December 2015 I posted a link to the copy previously posted by Karen Dean (DefeatedandGifted) and said pretty much all I had to say about it then. At the time I never thought I’d find any copies of Screen International, but I now have three issues in which Robin appears. I’ve been collecting Robin Johnson items for a very long time, and somehow “new” things keep turning up.

 

 


Screen International, No. 246, June 21-28, 1980 (magazine (periodical), AAT ID: 300215389) ; 38.8 x 28.9 cm; (contains:)
[Times Square center spread advertisement] (advertisement, AAT ID: 300193993), pp. 12-13
Screen_International_No_246_1980-06-21_p1_1080px.jpg
777 x 1080 px, 96 dpi, 508 kb
Screen_International_No_246_1980-06-21_pp12-13_1080px.jpg
1080 x 1609 px, 96 dpi, 647 kb (images)

©1980 King Publications Ltd
Times Square ©1980 StudioCanal/Canal+


 

Leader, Winter 1980

Posted on 29th August 2016 in "Times Square"

"The Magazine published by Columbia-EMI-Warner Distributors"

Leader was a vehicle by which Columbia-EMI-Warner film distributors promoted all their new films to UK theater owners. As Times Square was set to open in mid-January, it had a few mentions and an advertisement in the Winter edition, although it looks like the distributors were betting their big money on Flash Gordon, which had already had its premiere.

"The Magazine published by Columbia-EMI-Warner Distributors", p. 2  Relevant text:  ROYAL   EMI Films makes industry history with it’s turn-of-the-year-releases. Three Royal Premieres in three consecutive months for films from the same company is no mean achievement. “FLASH GORDON” had the Royal treatment on December 10th with a  glittering Charity Premiere at the ABC Shaftesbury Avenue attended by TRH’s Prince and Princess Michael.    “THE JAZZ SINGER” starring Neil Diamond, Sir Laurence Olivier and Lucy Arnaz is premiered on January 29th and the evening  will be graced by the presence of HRH Princess Margaret. This too is a charity premiere.    On February 26th HM Queen Elizabeth and HRH Prince Phillip will attend the British Charity Premiere of Agatha Christie’s  “MIRROR CRACK’D” with its all star international cast.    In addition to these three films EMI will open the Robert Stigwood production “TIMES SQUARE” in the West End in mid-January. “FLASH GORDON” will open in major cities right across Britain over the Christmas period and is being supported by a huge  marketing campaign.    Meanwhile “THE ELEPHANT MAN” starring John Hurt and Anthony Hopkins continues to go from success to success. It quickly  established itself with West End audiences and has triumphed in city after city as it’s release has progressed around the  country.

ROYAL

EMI Films makes industry history with it’s turn-of-the-year-releases. Three Royal Premieres in three consecutive months for films from the same company is no mean achievement. “FLASH GORDON” had the Royal treatment on December 10th with a glittering Charity Premiere at the ABC Shaftesbury Avenue attended by TRH’s Prince and Princess Michael.

“THE JAZZ SINGER” starring Neil Diamond, Sir Laurence Olivier and Lucy Arnaz is premiered on January 29th and the evening will be graced by the presence of HRH Princess Margaret. This too is a charity premiere.

On February 26th HM Queen Elizabeth and HRH Prince Phillip will attend the British Charity Premiere of Agatha Christie’s “MIRROR CRACK’D” with its all star international cast.

In addition to these three films EMI will open the Robert Stigwood production “TIMES SQUARE” in the West End in mid-January.

“FLASH GORDON” will open in major cities right across Britain over the Christmas period and is being supported by a huge marketing campaign.

Times Square was apparently the only winter 1980-81 EMI premiere not to get the royal treatment.

Two-page center spread promoting all the Columbia-Warner-EMI movies opening in the beginning of 1981. Relevant text: THE LINE-UP THAT ENSURES YOUR PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR No company can ever have started a year off in the fashion that EMI Films will start 1981. “THE JAZZ SINGER”, “TIMES SQUARE” and “MIRROR CRACK’D” all bow before British audiences before the year is hardly out of rompers, and whilst “FLASH GORDON” is delighting audiences from north to south and east to west. [photo caption:] "TIMES SQUARE" Two of the young stars featured in the Robert Stigwood production. Another tremendous musical score!

 

The center spread publicized all the films of the season, and again mentioned Times Square along with the the other three EMI films while giving a special shout-out to Flash Gordon.

From the two-page center spread promoting all the Columbia-Warner-EMI movies opening in the beginning of 1981. Text: No company can ever have started a year off in the fashion that EMI Films will start 1981. “THE JAZZ SINGER”, “TIMES SQUARE” and “MIRROR CRACK’D” all bow before British audiences before the year is hardly out of rompers, and whilst “FLASH GORDON” is delighting audiences from north to south and east to west. musical score!

No company can ever have started a year off in the fashion that EMI Films will start 1981. “THE JAZZ SINGER”, “TIMES SQUARE” and “MIRROR CRACK’D” all bow before British audiences before the year is hardly out of rompers, and whilst “FLASH GORDON” is delighting audiences from north to south and east to west.

At least Times Square got a picture… the image used was a cropped version of TS-72-8A/14, also seen in the AFD Campaign Pressbook, on the cover of the UK soundtrack sampler, as the cover of the Japanese soundtrack sampler, and cropped even further in the December 23 US magazine. The caption was a sneaky plug for the soundtrack album.

Image of Trini Alvarado and Robin Johnson from the two-page center spread promoting all the Columbia-Warner-EMI movies opening in the beginning of 1981. [photo caption:] "TIMES SQUARE" Two of the young stars featured in the Robert Stigwood production. Another tremendous musical score!

 

“TIMES SQUARE” Two of the young stars featured in the Robert Stigwood production. Another tremendous musical score!

 

 

1/2 page ad for "Times Square" from p. 10 of "Leader", Winter 1980

 

Finally, on page 10, was a half-page ad. After all the work that went into the logo on the cover of the UK Press Kit, it was tossed aside in favor of what you see here. Nearly all the UK advertising materials used this logo and the painted image of a frighteningly skinny Nicky. I’ll gripe more about that when I get to the movie poster.

 

 

Leader, Winter 1980
house organ, AAT ID: 300026662
12 pp., 8.4 ” (W) x 11″ (H) (work)
Leader, Winter 19800001_1080px.jpg
1080 px (H) x 824 px (W), 96 dpi, 416 kb
Leader, Winter 19800002_1080px.jpg
1080 px (H) x 824 px (W), 96 dpi, 490 kb
Leader, Winter 19800003_1080px.jpg
1080 px (W) x 700 px (H), 96 dpi, 483 kb
Leader, Winter 19800003_p6_detail_800px.jpg
634 px (H) x 800 px (W), 96 dpi, 343 kb
Leader, Winter 19800003_p7_detail_800px.jpg
652 px (H) x 800 px (W), 96 dpi, 205 kb
Leader, Winter 19800006_p10_1080px.jpg
1080 px (W) x 706 px (H), 96 dpi, 339 kb (images)

 

 

Times Square UK Press Kit (post 4 of 4)

Posted on 19th August 2016 in "Times Square"

Here are the last photos from my copy of the UK Press Kit. They don’t have numbers that would match them up with the enclosed caption sheet, so I have doubts as to whether they were actually a part of it.

Trini Alvarado and Robin Johnson, in an unnumbered print from the "Times Square" UK press kit.  At first glance this looks like a collage but lightening the image gives the appearance that it is actually the two of them together.  Other photos of Robin in that outfit were taken by Mick Rock, so it's almost certain that this is a Mick Rock photo.  None of the captions on the caption sheet match up with the image.  The caption list omits numbers 9 and 10; however, there are three unidentified photos in this copy of the press kit.

 

This is the Mick Rock photo of Robin that appeared on the contents page of Film Review, Vol. 30 No. 10, October 1980. At first I thought that it was a collage of that and a photo of Trini, but I tried lightening up the background and it does indeed appear that they’re standing in the same room, on the same floor. Also, if you crop the photo to remove Trini, you lose a bit of Robin’s elbow, and that’s exactly how the Film Review version appears. What I’m getting at is, this is apparently a photograph of Trini Alvarado taken by Mick Rock.

 

 

Trini Alvarado and Robin Johnson atop the Times Square Theater marquee at the climax of the film, in an unnumbered print from the "Times Square" UK press kit. None of the captions on the caption sheet match up with the image. The caption list omits numbers 9 and 10; however, there are three unidentified photos in this copy of the press kit.

 

 

Trini and Robin atop the Times Square Theater marquee. This photo is labelled TS-22-32 in the style of the US publicity photos.

 

 

Trini Alvarado, Robin Johnson, and Tim Curry in a rare glamor shot, outside on or near Pier 56, in an unnumbered print from the "Times Square" UK press kit. The photo is identified by a code that matches the US publicity photos style, TS-88-29A. None of the captions on the caption sheet match up with the image. The caption list omits numbers 9 and 10; however, there are three unidentified photos in this copy of the press kit. Two of them (including this one) have US-style code numbers.

TS-88-29A, another of those rare publicity photos that doesn’t try to depict a scene from the film, although it obviously comes from the day they shot the scene where Johnny gets Pammy kicked out of the “hideout”. There was at least one other shot taken that day of these three smiling for the camera, which was printed in color in an Australian magazine in 1981, and later on the sleeve of the Japanese laserdisc in 1986.

UK "Times Square" publicity photo stamp (back of UK Press Kit Photo #7)

Back of UK Press Kit photo #7


The backs of these three photos are blank. The rest of the photos in the UK Press Kit are stamped “TIMES SQUARE” on the back.

An identical stamp is on the back of this photo I posted about previously, which just happens to have a tiny UK Press Kit-style “34” printed into it. It would seem there was a series of UK photos that numbered at least up to 34, and which were stamped on the back with the movie title. This doesn’t mean, however, that they were all used… there’s probably at least a 2 and a 6 floating around somewhere, to match up with the caption sheet, but there’s no reason to think there was ever a 9, 10, or anything between 11 and 34. I can hope, though… it’s been quiet lately but “new” items still turn up from time to time.

One problem with the stamp, though, is that it also appears on the back of the second copy of Photo #1, the one with the US-style number on it. It seems as though it, and the smaller pasted-in number are good indicators that a given print was made and used in the UK, but I don’t think we can conclude anything else from it.

To finish things off, here are the two versions of the shorter profile of Robin. Again, the version on “Times Square” letterhead appears to have been “translated” into British English, “there’s an ad” into “there was an advert” and so on. I doubt Robin has ever said “advert” in her life. (The text below is the “British” version.)

ROBIN JOHNSON (Nicky Marotta)

Before spending twelve weeks in front of the “Times Square” cameras, the closest Robin Johnson ever came to a film set was when “The Wanderers” shot a scene in her Brooklyn neighbourhood. In fact, 15 year-old Robin had had no previous acting experience when, as a result of a five-month nationwide search, she was discovered by a talent scout outside Brooklyn High School. “He told me there was an advert in the paper for a girl about l6, slenderish, blonde hair and street—tough,” Robin recalls. “So he gave me a number to call. I just did it for a kick. I didn’t expect nothin’ out of it.”

A native of Brooklyn, Robin is blessed with an incredible amount of energy, awareness and photogenic appeal – as well as a very distinctive voice. Her “street toughness” is no surprise, since she describes her own Brooklyn neighbourhood as “not rough rough – like you gotta carry a knife on you. You just got to watch out for yourself.”

1.65m (five-feet five inches) and 52kg (115 pounds), Robin has green eyes and naturally blonde hair which was dyed several shades of red for the role. Like her screen counterpart, she is a devout rock enthusiast whose favourites include Led Zeppelin, The Wh0 and The Rolling Stones.

Before filming ”TIMES SQUARE”, Robin’s ambition was to become a commercial artist, but now she is already a seasoned performer and will be featured singing on the soundtrack album released by RSO Records.

TIMES SQUARE is an EMI Films presentation distributed in the United Kingdom by Columbia-EMI-Warner, in North America by AFD (Associated Film Distribution) and throughout the rest of the world by EMI Films Limited.

 

 

TIMES SQUARE UK Press Kit photo_a
1080 px (H) x 864 px (W), 96 dpi, 154 kb (image)
TIMES SQUARE UK Press Kit photo_b_TS-22-32
1080 px (W) x 864 px (H), 96 dpi, 302 kb (image)
TIMES SQUARE UK Press Kit photo_c_TS-88-29A
1080 px (W) x 883 px (H), 96 dpi, 240 kb (image)
black and white photographic prints, 8 in (H) x 10 in (W) (works);

1980
inscriptions: [none]; TS-22-32; TS-88-29A
TIMES SQUARE UK Press Kit photo_7 back
1080 px (H) x 864 px (W), 96 dpi, 44.9 kb (image)

 

ROBIN JOHNSON (Nicky Marotta) p. 1
8.5 in (W) x 11 in (H) (work);
1080 px (H) x 832 px (W), 96 dpi, 210 kb (image)

 

ROBIN JOHNSON (Nicky Marotta) p. 1-2
8.27 in (W) x 11.69 in (H) (works);
1080 px (H) x 755 px (W), 96 dpi, 279 kb (image)
1080 px (H) x 755 px (W), 96 dpi, 59.2 kb (image)

 

Times Square ©1980 StudioCanal/Canal+