Kinejun No. 814, June 15, 1981

Posted on 19th December 2021 in "Times Square"

Kinejun / Kinema Junpo / Motion Picture Times No. 814, June 1981. Japanese movie magazine featuring article on TIMES SQUARE, and advertisement on back cover.

 

 

 

Kinema Junpo (Kinejun, Motion Picture Times) devoted three pages to a promotional Times Square article in its June 15, 1981 issue, for the film’s Japanese opening on June 21. The text would appear to be the usual brief synopsis, with a list of some of the cast and crew. The small inset on page 203 is, I think, an ad with showtimes, though it might be a brief review. Please, as I’ve said before, I don’t speak or read Japanese, and dammit neither does Google Translate, so if anyone wants to contribute a translation, I’ll be here.

The photos used are all also found in the Japanese souvenir program book.

 

The back cover is a reproduction of the first chirashi, with the announcement of one show on 6/20. I don’t know if that’s a special premiere or if I’ve had the opening date wrong this whole time.

TIMES SQUARE advertisement on back cover of Kinejun / Kinema Junpo / Motion Picture Times No. 814, June 1981.
 

 

Kinejun No. 814, June 15 1981, Japan (magazine (periodical) (AAT ID: 300215389))
26 x 18 cm. (work);
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©1981 Kinema Junpo Sha Ltd
Times Square ©1980 StudioCanal/Canal+

 

Jackie No. 884, 13 December 1980

Posted on 25th March 2021 in "Times Square"


 

Join the Professionals…

 

The December 13, 1980 Jackie led off their “Hot Gossip” section on page 36 with a promotional piece for the Times Square soundtrack album, attached at the layout to a promo piece for the debut album by The Professionals, providing the extremely tenuous and only known link between Times Square and Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains.

 

Jackie No. 884, December 13, 1980, p. 26 reviews of the TIMES SQUARE soundtrack and the first Professionals album.  Text:  HOT Gossip More hot news about your pop TV and film favourites.  AHEAD OF OF TIMES  “Times Square" is a double album that will add a bit of everything to any record collection.  The album is the sound track of the movie of the same name, and if the track listing is anything to go by then the film must be dynamite too.  To list all the bands contributing to the album would probably take up the whole Hot Gossip page, but to give you a taste of what’s in store, here’s just some of the top names included: the Pretenders, Roxy Music, Gary Numan, Joe Jackson, XTC, Suzi Quatro and a host of others.  Whetted your appetite? Then get hold of a copy now — it’s on the. RSO label.  [photo caption] Nicky, one of the main characters from the movie.

 

HOT Gossip
More hot news about your pop TV and film favourites.

AHEAD OF OF TIMES

“Times Square” is a double album that will add a bit of everything to any record collection.

The album is the sound track of the movie of the same name, and if the track listing is anything to go by then the film must be dynamite too.

To list all the bands contributing to the album would probably take up the whole Hot Gossip page, but to give you a taste of what’s in store, here’s just some of the top names included: the Pretenders, Roxy Music, Gary Numan, Joe Jackson, XTC, Suzi Quatro and a host of others.

Whetted your appetite? Then get hold of a copy now — it’s on the. RSO label.

[photo caption:] Nicky, one of the main characters from the movie.

There’s nothing here we haven’t seen before. The picture is an edited version of #34 from the UK series of publicity stills.

 

Would you like to know more?
“34”

 

 

Ahead of of times (article (AAT ID: 300048715));
Jackie no. 889, December 13, 1980, p. 26; England (magazine (periodical) (AAT ID: 300215389))
34.5 cm (H) x 26 cm (W) (work);
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©1980 D. C. Thomas & Co., Ltd.
Times Square ©1980 StudioCanal/Canal+

 

Fotogramas No. 1650, March 25, 1981

Posted on 14th January 2021 in "Times Square"

Cover of Fotogramas no. 1650; March 25, 1981; Periodical; 30.2 x 21.5 cm; a Spanish film magazine containing an article on TIMES SQUARE (1980)

 

 

Two months before Times Square opened in Spain, the film magazine Fotogramas ran the same kind of promotional article we’ve seen in Mexico, Thailand, and Germany. The article contains nothing new, but four of the six stills from the film never appeared anywhere else as far as I know, including an almost unrecognizable close-up of Robin. It’s a shame they weren’t printed better.

TIMES SQUARE

EL MUSICAL DE LAS “TEEN-AGERS”

«Times Square» es el corazón de Manhattan, la isla donde se asienta parte de la fantástica urbe neoyorkina. También es el nombre del último musical producido por Robert Stigwood, en cuyo currículum profesional hay títulos teatrales como «Hair», «Jesús Christ Superstar», «Pippin», «Oh! Calcuttal», «Evita» y «Sweeney Todd», y cinematográficos como «Jesús Christ Superstar», «Tommy», «Fiebre del sábado noche», «Grease» y «Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band». Toda una garantía a la hora de presentar este último musical «Times Square».

La historia de la película puede reducirse a unas líneas: Nicky Marotta (Robín Johnson) y Pamela Pearl (Trini Alvarado) son dos adolescentes rebeldes, la primera un producto de la calle y la segunda de una familia influyente. Juntas escapan de sus habitaciones en un hospital psiquiátrico, se hacen con una ambulancia y comienzan una serie de aventuras salvajes en el corazón de Nueva York. Estas tienen su eco en la información que a través de toda una noche va dando el disc jockey Johnny Laguardia (Tim Curry), quien a través de las ondas las va animando convirtiéndolas en pequeñas celebridades de la noche a la mañana. Su escapada tiene una conclusión dramática en la fachada de un cine de Times Square, mientras desde la calle cientos de sus seguidores les rinden, identificados, su tributo.

En estos tiempos en que los «soundtracks» de películas se encuentran entre los discos más populares del mercado, el doble álbum de «Times Square» destaca como una antología de canciones interpretadas por algunos de los mejores artistas del «rock» de nuestros días: Suzi Quatro, The Pretenders, Roxy Music, Gary Numan, The Talkin Heads, Joe Jackson, Patti Smith, Lou Reed, The Ramones, Robín Gibb, etcétera.

A destacar también la presencia en el reparto del film de Trini Alvarado y Tim Curry. La primera, uno de los talentos juveniles a tener en cuenta del cine americano, debutó en «Rich Kids», un film producido por Robert Altman que dirigió Robert M. Young, el autor de «Short Eyes» y «Alambrista». Desgraciadamente y pese a lo interesante de su trabajo, nadie se ha acordado aún de distribuir este largo-metraje de Young en nuestro país. Volviendo a Trini, la chica es de origen portorriqueño, aunque de padre español. Profesionalmente se inició junto a sus padres, él guitarrista y ella bailarina, en una troupe flamenca antes de rebelarse como actriz en la obra «Runaways».

Tim Curry es más conocido entre nosotros. De su breve filmografía nos ha llegado al menos «The Rocky Horror Picture Show», donde interpretaba al protagonista, el loco y travestido «doctor».

Robín Johnson, 16 años, la coprotagonista femenina junto a Trini Alvarado, es una cara totalmente nueva que debuta en este film de Alan Moyle. Fue descubierta por un cazatalentos de la productora de Stigwood en las escalinatas de la Brooklyn Technological High School. Hasta entonces nunca había pasado por su cabeza la idea de dedicarse al cine.

TIMES SQUARE

THE MUSICAL OF THE “TEENAGERS”

“Times Square” is the heart of Manhattan, the island where part of the fantastic New York City sits. It is also the name of the latest musical produced by Robert Stigwood, in whose professional curriculum are theatrical titles such as “Hair”, “Jesus Christ Superstar”, “Pippin”, “Oh! Calcutta!”, “Evita” and “Sweeney Todd”, and movies such as “Jesus Christ Superstar”, “Tommy”, “Saturday Night Fever”, “Grease” and “Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band”. A guarantee when presenting this latest musical “Times Square”.

The story of the film can be reduced to a few lines: Nicky Marotta (Robín Johnson) and Pamela Pearl (Trini Alvarado) are two rebellious teenagers, the first a product of the street and the second from an influential family. Together they escape from their rooms in a psychiatric hospital, steal an ambulance and begin a series of wild adventures in the heart of New York. These are echoed in the information that through the entire night is given by the disc jockey Johnny Laguardia (Tim Curry), who through the airwaves is cheering them on, turning them into little celebrities overnight. Their escape has a dramatic conclusion on the marquee of a cinema in Times Square, while from the street hundreds of their followers pay them, now identified, their tribute.

In these times when the “soundtracks” of movies are among the most popular albums on the market, the double album of “Times Square” stands out as an anthology of songs interpreted by some of the best artists of current rock: Suzi Quatro, The Pretenders, Roxy Music, Gary Numan, The Talking Heads, Joe Jackson, Patti Smith, Lou Reed, The Ramones, Robin Gibb, and so on.

The cast also includes Trini Alvarado and Tim Curry. The first, one of the young talents to take into account of American cinema, debuted in “Rich Kids, a film produced by Robert Altman, directed by Robert M. Young, the author of “Short Eyes” and “Alambrista”. Unfortunately and despite the interest of his work, no one has yet agreed to distribute this full-length film of youth in our country. Returning to Trini, the girl is of Puerto Rican origin, although with a Spanish father. Professionally she started with her parents, he a guitarist and she a dancer, in a flamenco troupe before breaking out as an actress in the play “Runaways”.

Tim Curry is better known to us. From his brief filmography we have at least “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”, where he played the protagonist, the crazy transvestite “doctor”.

Robín Johnson, 16, the female co-star with Trini Alvarado, is a totally new face who debuts in this film by Alan Moyle. She was discovered by a scout from the Stigwood production company on the steps of Brooklyn Technological High School. Until then, the idea of working in films had never crossed her mind.

 

 

Times Square : el musical de las “teen-agers” (article (AAT ID: 300048715));
Fotogramas No. 1650, March 25, 1981, Spain (monthly (publication) (AAT ID: 300311879))
30 x 21.5 cm; 64 p. (work);
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©1981 FOTOGRAMAS
Times Square ©1980 StudioCanal/Canal+

 

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Star of Pacific, Thailand, September 1981

Posted on 8th March 2020 in "Times Square"

Star of Pacific, Thailand, Sept 1981 cover
Times Square opened in Thailand in August 1981, but here’s a Thai magazine celebrating Robin in September. This was followed by Filmstar Vol. 1 No. 6 that featured a Thai translation of an interview with Robin that had appeared in Seventeen Magazine in October 1980. Did Times Square play in Thailand for three months?
 

Star of Pacific has no article, but page 49 features Robin on one of a number of full-page color celebrity pin-ups.Robin Johnson poster on p. 49 of Thai celebrity magazine "Star of Pacific" Sept. 1981 The main image was used in the first set of UK lobby cards, as the Mexican lobby card, and in the Japanese souvenir program book. The inset was also used in the Japanese program book as well as on a promotional flyer, and was also a UK lobby card, printed in Film Review Vol 31 No 1, in January 1981, and was one of the shots used for the Mexican movie poster.
 

My copy would appear to have been printed at the same facility that produced my copy of the Australian movie poster, in that the color registration is off, producing an annoying out-of-focus effect. Most annoyingly, this is the only page suffering from this defect. Fortunately for us all, there’s been a properly printed copy at DefeatedandGifted’s Times Square Fandom for ten years.

 

Would you like to know more?

Times Square UK Lobby Cards, 1st Set (post 3 of 4)
Times Square UK Lobby Cards, 1st Set (post 4 of 4)
Film Review, Vol. 31 No. 1, January 1981
Times Square Program Book, Japan, June 1981 (post 1 of 5)
Times Square Program Book, Japan, June 1981, pages 20-24 (post 4 of 5)
Times Square promotional flyer, Japan, 1981
Guerreras de Nueva York (Times Square lobby card, Mexico, 1981)
Guerreras de Nueva York (Times Square movie poster, Mexico, 1981)
Times Square movie poster, Australia, February 1981

 

 

Star of Pacific, September 1981, pp. 1 and 49 (magazine (periodical), AAT ID: 300215389)
29 x 21.5 cm. (work);
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Times Square ©1980 StudioCanal/Canal+

 

Cinema, Vol. 49 No. 6, Germany, June 1982

Posted on 17th February 2019 in "Times Square"

German film magazine containing article of TIMES SQUARE (1980)

My apologies to those scandalized by the cover of Germany’s Cinema magazine from June 1982. It might get one banned from Facebook and Tumblr, but the Germans were apparently not so easily embarrassed thirty-six years ago as we are now.

But whatever you may think of the cover, the important thing about this issue is that within are some of the last announcements of an upcoming premiere of Times Square.

 
Page 8 leads off with a capsule review and a one-dot (“above average”) rating.
Blurb for opening of TIMES SQUARE (1980) in a German film magazine.  Relevant text: Programm cinema verleiht Filmen, die nach Meinung der Redaktion qualitativ über dem Durchschnitt liegen, ein Prädikat - kenntlich gemacht durch einen oder mehrere Punkte. •  steht für überdurchschnittlich, •  • steht für überragend und •  • • bedeuten .einsame Spitze’  STARTTERMIN: 21.5.1982 Times Square                 • Die Geschichte einer Freundschaft von zwei völlig verschiedenen Mädchen. Nicky ist zwischen Mülltonnen großgeworden und überzeugter Punk. Pam kommt aus gutem Haus - sie ist Tochter eines Politikers. Durch Zufall lernen sich die beiden kennen und machen gemeinsam die Gegend um den Times Square unsicher.      Seite 66-67 Punk am New York Times Square  [Program  Program  Cinema awards movies that, in the opinion of the editors, are qualitatively above average, a rating - indicated by one or more points. • stands for above average, • • stands for outstanding and • • means 'one of a kind'  START DATE: 21.5.1982 Times Square • The story of a friendship of two totally different girls. Nicky grew up among garbage cans and is a staunch punk. Pam is from a good family - she is the daughter of a politician. By chance, they get to know each other and together they make the area around Times Square unsafe. Page 66-67  Punk in New York's Times Square]

Programm

cinema verleiht Filmen, die nach Meinung der Redaktion qualitativ über dem Durchschnitt liegen, ein Prädikat – kenntlich gemacht durch einen oder mehrere Punkte.
steht für überdurchschnittlich,
• • steht für überragend und
• • • bedeuten .einsame Spitze’

STARTTERMIN: 21.5.1982
Times Square •
Die Geschichte einer Freundschaft von zwei völlig verschiedenen Mädchen. Nicky ist zwischen Mülltonnen großgeworden und überzeugter Punk. Pam kommt aus gutem Haus – sie ist Tochter eines Politikers. Durch Zufall lernen sich die beiden kennen und machen gemeinsam die Gegend um den Times Square unsicher. Seite 66-67

Punk am New York Times Square

 

Program

Cinema awards movies that, in the opinion of the editors, are qualitatively above average, a rating – indicated by one or more points.
stands for above average,
• • stands for outstanding and
• • • means ‘one of a kind’

START DATE: 21.5.1982
Times Square •
The story of a friendship of two totally different girls. Nicky grew up among garbage cans and is a staunch punk. Pam is from a good family – she is the daughter of a politician. By chance, they get to know each other and together they make the area around Times Square unsafe. Page 66-67

Punk in New York’s Times Square

The two-page spread on pages 66 and 67 contains the by-now familiar not-quite-accurate synopsis of the movie.

TIMES SQUARE
Ihr könnt uns alle mal

Zwei New Yorker Kids treten mit hartem Beat gegen die verlogene Erwachsenenwelt an. „Rocky Horror Picture”-Star Tim Curry unterstützt sie dabei. Rock-Film-Tycoon Robert Stigwood („Grease”) hat das ,,little dirty Punk-Picture” mit dem entsprechenden Sound versorgt — von Roxy Music bis Lou Reed

Das gleißende Scheinwerferlicht des Broadway hat schon viele angezogen, die schließlich ihre Show in einer dunklen Ecke der „schmutzigsten Quadratmeile
der Welt” beenden mußten. Das ist die Gegend des Times Square, die 42. Straße New Yorks, wo alles käuflich ist: Rauschgift, Tod und Liebe in sämtlichen Variationen. Reagiert man hier auf entsprechende Angebote nicht, wird man mit einem hochgereckten Zeigefinger in die Flucht geschlagen, dem „go sleaze”. Auf deutsch: mach dich dünn, du kannst mich!

In diesem kaputten Winkel der Welt ist das 15-jährige Sumpfpflänzchen Nicky (Robin Johnson) zu Hause. Sie schaut aus wie ein Punker und sie lebt so konsequent wie die wenigsten Punker: Um jeden Preis will sie Musik machen, gegen die Kaputtheit ihrer Umwelt. Ihr einziger Freund scheint ihre Gitarre zu sein, die sie überall mit sich herumschleppt. Ihre Kleider macht sie aus alten Plastiksäcken. Mit ihrer Stimme könnte sie Kartoffeln reiben.

Dort, wo es in New York am feinsten zugeht, lebt Pamela (Trini Alvarado). Sie ist 13. Ihr Vater, ein smarter Politiker, will zu Karrierezwecken den Times Square vom lichtscheuen Gesindel säubern. Für seine Kampagne spannt er auch Pam ein. Sie wehrt sich und wird von ihm zur Beobachtung ihres Geisteszustandes in ein Hospital eingeliefert. Hier trifft sie auf Nicky, die aufgegriffen wurde, als sie wütend ein Auto demolierte.

Zu Anfang ist Pam über Nickys zynische Sprüche und ihr unnachgiebiges Verhalten
gegenüber Ärzten und Schwestern entsetzt. Doch allmählich beginnt eine Freundschaft zwischen den beiden ungleichen Mädchen. Sie erkennen, daß die Untersuchung nur eine Schikane der Erwachsenen ist, die sie an ihre Welt anpassen wollen — mit Gewalt. In einem Krankenwagen fliehen sie und tauchen in einem leeren Lagerhaus unter. Nachdem sie Blutsbrüderschaft geschworen haben, nennen sie sich ,,Sleaze Sisters” und werfen sich in grellbunte Klamotten. So „getarnt” gehen sie auf Diebestour, schrecken allerdings vor großen Coups zurück und halten dafür Touristen zum Narren.

Längst sind in allen Zeitungen Berichte über die Teenie- Aussteiger erschienen. Rock- Moderator Johnny La Gardia (Tim Curry) glaubt, kurz zuvor von Pam einen anonymen Brief bekommen zu haben, in dem sie ihre Probleme und ihre Einsamkeit geschildert hat. Über den Sender fordert er sie auf, nicht aufzugeben und ihren eigenen Weg zu gehen, Nicky findet am Times Square einen Job in einer Band, Pam
tritt als Go-Go-Girl auf.

Ihr Vater sucht indessen verzweifelt nach ihr und bedroht den Rock-Moderator Johnny.
Durch Auftritte im Sender werden die „Sleaze Sisters” zu Teenager-Idolen. Ihr Graffiti ist an allen Wänden zu finden, Ihre Habseligkeiten schleppen sie wie Stadtstreicher in Plastikbeuteln mit sich herum, und ihr besonderer Gag ist es,
TV-Geräte von Wolkenkratzern zu werfen, bis das Schmeißen mit den einschläfernden
Mattscheiben zum neuen Youngster-Sport wird. Zum Schluß schafft es Nicky dank
Johnny, der eine Menge Trouble mit seinen Bossen kriegt, auf dem flachen Dach eines Times Square-Kinos aufzutreten, was freilich nicht genehmigt ist, aber die „Sleaze Sisters”-Fans strömen zu Tausenden herbei. Als Nicky stürmisch gefeiert wird, erkennt Pam, daß Nicky es jetzt auch ohne ihre Hilfe zur Rock- Sängerin bringen wird. Pam kehrt zu ihrem Vater zurück, der eines begriffen hat: Er wird jetzt seine Tochter so akzeptieren müssen, wie sie ist.

Originaltitel: Times Square
Herstellungsland: USA, Regie: Alan Moyle, Drehbuch: Jacob Brackman, Kamera: James A. Contner, Schnitt: Tom Priestley, Musik: Suzi Quatro, The Pretenders, Roxy Music, Gary Numan, Lou Reed, Patti Smith u.a., Produzent: Robert Stigwood und Jacob Brack- man, Verleih: Schröder-Film

Besetzung:
Johnny Tim Curry
Pam Trini Alvarado
Nicky Robin Johnson
David Peter Coffield

Start ab: 21.5.1982

Die „Sleaze Sisters”, Nicky und Pam, gehen ihren Weg

„Rocky Horror”-Tim Curry kämpft als Rock-Moderator

 

TIMES SQUARE
You can all suck it

Two New York kids kick the mendacious adult world with a hard beat. “Rocky Horror Picture” star Tim Curry supports them. Rock film tycoon Robert Stigwood (“Grease”) has provided the “little dirty punk picture” with the appropriate sound – from Roxy Music to Lou Reed

Broadway’s gleaming spotlight has already attracted many who finally put their show in a dark corner of the “dirtiest square mile of the world “. This is the area of Times Square, 42nd Street in New York, where everything is for sale: drugs, death and love in all its variations. If you don’t take the deals, you will be sent packng with a raised index finger, the “go sleaze”. In German: make yourself scarce, bite me!

In this broken corner of the world, 15-year-old marsh plant Nicky (Robin Johnson) is at home. She looks like a punk and she lives rigorously as few punks: She wants to make music at all costs, against the brutality of her environment. Her only friend seems to be her guitar, which she carries around with her everywhere. She makes her clothes out of old plastic bags. She could grate potatoes with her voice.

Pamela (Trini Alvarado) lives in the best neighborhood in New York. She is 13. Her father, a smart politician, wants to clean Times Square of its shady characters for career purposes. For his campaign, he also ropes in Pam. She rebels and is taken to a hospital by him to observe her state of mind. Here she meets Nicky, who was picked up when she angrily demolished a car.

In the beginning, Pam is appalled by Nicky’s cynical remarks and her intransigent conduct towards the doctors and nurses. But gradually a friendship begins between the two dissimilar girls. They realize that the examination is just harassment by adults who want to conform them to their world – by force. In an ambulance, they flee and hide in an empty warehouse. After swearing blood brotherhood, they call themselves “Sleaze Sisters” and throw themselves into garish clothes. So “camouflaged” they go on a thieving spree, but shrink back from big crimes, and make fools of tourists.

By now, reports have been published in all the newspapers about the teen dropouts. Disc jockey Johnny La Gardia (Tim Curry) believes he received an anonymous letter from Pam shortly before, describing her problems and loneliness. From the radio station he asks them not to give up and to go their own way, Nicky finds a job in a band in Times Square, Pam becomes a go-go girl.

Meanwhile, her father desperately searches for her and threatens the disc jockey Johnny. Through performances in the station, the “Sleaze Sisters” become teenage idols. Their graffiti can be found on every wall, they carry their belongings around like tramps in plastic bags, and their special gimmick is throwing TV sets off skyscrapers until tossing the boring screens becomes the new youth sport. Finally, thanks to Johnny, who gets in a lot of trouble with his bosses, Nicky manages to perform on the flat roof of a Times Square cinema, which is not authorized, but the “Sleaze Sisters” fans flock by the thousands. When Nicky is wildly celebrated, Pam realizes that Nicky will become a rock singer without her help. Pam returns to her father, who realizes one thing: he will now have to accept his daughter as she is.

Original title: Times Square
Manufacturing country: USA, Director: Alan Moyle, Screenplay: Jacob Brackman, Camera: James A. Contner, Editor: Tom Priestley, Music: Suzi Quatro, The Pretenders, Roxy Music, Gary Numan, Lou Reed, Patti Smith among others, Producer: Robert Stigwood and Jacob Brackman, Distribution (Rental Company): Schröder-Film

Cast:
Johnny Tim Curry
Pam Trini Alvarado
Nicky Robin Johnson
David Peter Coffield

Starts on: 21.5.1982

[photo captions:]

The “Sleaze Sisters”, Nicky and Pam, are on their way

“Rocky Horror” -Tim Curry fights as a disc jockey

And finally, on page 110, we get one final advertisement. Advertisement for opening of TIMES SQUARE in Germany, from Cinema Vol 49 No. 6, June 1982, page 110. Text: Endlich ! Filmstart für "Times Square" am 21.5.'82 Im Verleih der Schröder-Film Aufführungstermine und Kino-Theater entnehmen Sie BITTE DER ÖRTLICHEN TAGESPRESSE. Der Film mit der irren Musik von Roxy Music, Gary Numan, Talking Heads, XTC, Joe Jackson, Lou Reed, The Cure und Patti Smith Doppelalbum TIMES SQUARE LP 2658 145 MC 3524 222 RSO Aus dem Hause Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft · mbH Hohe Bleichen 14—16 2000 Hamburg 36 [Translation: At last! "Times Square" opens 21/5/82 Distributed by Schröder-Film To find showtimes and theaters PLEASE CHECK YOUR LOCAL DAILY NEWSPAPERS. The movie with the crazy music by Roxy Music, Gary Numan, Talking Heads, XTC, Joe Jackson, Lou Reed, and The Cure Patti Smith Double album TIMES SQUARE LP 2658 145 MC 3524 222 RSO From Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft mbH · Hohe Bleichen 14-16 2000 Hamburg 36]

Endlich !
Filmstart für “Times Square” am 21.5.’82

Im Verleih der Schröder-Film

Aufführungstermine und Kino-Theater entnehmen Sie
BITTE DER ÖRTLICHEN TAGESPRESSE.

Der Film mit der irren Musik von Roxy Music, Gary Numan,
Talking Heads, XTC, Joe Jackson, Lou Reed, The Cure und
Patti Smith

Doppelalbum
TIMES SQUARE LP 2658 145 MC 3524 222

RSO

Aus dem Hause Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft · mbH Hohe Bleichen 14—16 2000 Hamburg 36

 

At last!
“Times Square” opens 21/5/82

Distributed by Schröder-Film

To find showtimes and theaters
PLEASE CHECK YOUR LOCAL DAILY NEWSPAPERS.

The movie with the crazy music by Roxy Music, Gary Numan,
Talking Heads, XTC, Joe Jackson, Lou Reed, and The Cure
Patti Smith

Double album
TIMES SQUARE LP 2658 145 MC 3524 222

RSO

From Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft mbH · Hohe Bleichen 14-16 2000 Hamburg 36

The photos on pages 66-67 are four of the six published a month before in Bravo No. 21. The shot used on page six is a crop of the center bottom photo in the collage in the center of the UK Pressbook.

Photo accompanying capsule review for opening of TIMES SQUARE (1980) in a German film magazine. Relevant text: STARTTERMIN: 21.5.1982 Times Square • Die Geschichte einer Freundschaft von zwei völlig verschiedenen Mädchen. Nicky ist zwischen Mülltonnen großgeworden und überzeugter Punk. Pam kommt aus gutem Haus - sie ist Tochter eines Politikers. Durch Zufall lernen sich die beiden kennen und machen gemeinsam die Gegend um den Times Square unsicher. Seite 66-67 Punk am New York Times Square [START DATE: 21.5.1982 Times Square • The story of a friendship of two totally different girls. Nicky grew up among garbage cans and is a staunch punk. Pam is from a good family - she is the daughter of a politician. By chance, they get to know each other and together they make the area around Times Square unsafe. Page 66-67 Punk in New York's Times Square]

 

 

Cinema Vol. 49 No. 6, June 1982, Germany (monthly (publication) (AAT ID: 300311879))
28 x 21.2 cm. (work);
Cinema Nr 6 p 1_layers_1080px.jpg
1080 px (H) x 808 px (W), 96 dpi, 535 kb
Cinema_v49_n6_p8_detail_1080.jpg
1080 px (H) x 342 px (W), 96 dpi, 274 kb
Cinema_v49_n6_p66_1080px.jpg
1080 px (H) x 791 px (W), 96 dpi, 569 kb
Cinema_v49_n6_p67_1080px.jpg
1080 px (H) x 798 px (W), 96 dpi, 613 kb
Cinema_v49_n6_p67_1080px.jpg
504 px (H) x 1080 px (W), 96 dpi, 287 kb
Cinema Nr 6 p 8_image_800px.jpg
800 px (H) x 455 px (W), 96 dpi, 299 kb
(images)
 
Cinema ©1982 Kino Verlag GmbH
Times Square ©1980 StudioCanal/Canal+

 

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Bravo, No. 21, Germany, May 19, 1982

Posted on 9th January 2019 in "Times Square"
Bravo No. 21, May 19, 1982, German pop culture magazine
Article promoting TIMES SQUARE in Bravo No. 21, May 19, 1982, a German pop culture magazine. Text: Jetzt im Kino: TIMES SQUARE IHR KONNT UNS ALLE MAL Ein irrer Film mit heißer Musik über die ausgeflipptesten Teenager von New York Die 16jährige Nicky Marotta (Robin Johnson) und die 13jährige Pamela Pearl (Trini Alvarado) liegen zusammen im Zimmer eines New Yorker Krankenhauses. Beide sollen auf ihren Geisteszustand untersucht werden. Nicky, weil sie eine notorische Streunerin ist; Pamela, weil ihr Vater, ein ehrgeiziger Politiker, mit ihr nicht mehr klarkommt. Eines Tages überredet Nicky Pamela zur Flucht. Im Nachthemd entwischen sie aus dem Krankenhaus, schnappen sich einen Krankenwagen und brausen los. In einem alten Schuppen am Times Square, einem der berühmtesten und berüchtigtsten Plätze New Yorks, finden sie Unterschlupf. So beginnt der Film „Times Square“ (in Deutschland hat er noch den Untertitel „Ihr könnt uns alle mal“). Die beiden Mädchen finden ihr „freies“ Leben herrlich. Sie tragen die ausgefallensten Klamotten, hören pausenlos heiße Musik und jobben abends in einer Kneipe. Nicky, die gut Gitarre spielt, singt mit einer Band,| Pamela arbeitet als Go-go-Girl. Natürlich hat Pamelas Vater alle Hebel in Bewegung gesetzt, um seine Tochter zu finden. In den Fall hat sich auch der beliebte Discjockey Johnny LaGuardian (Tim Curry, der Dr. Frank N. Furter aus der „Rocky Horror Picture Show“) eingeschaltet. Er ist so eine Art Thomas Gottschalk. Ihm vertrauen die Teens, wenn er täglich am Mikrofon zu ihnen spricht. Johnny findet die beiden und verspricht, ihnen zu helfen. So dürfen die Mädchen ein von Nicky komponiertes Lied über den Sender singen. Die jugendlichen Hörer sind begeistert. Johnny erzählt ihnen die Geschichte der beiden Ausreißerinnen. Nicky und Pamela werden auf ihre Art zu „Heldinnen“. Einer der Höhepunkte des Films ist die Aufforderung von Nicky und Pamela, dem Götzen „Fernsehen“ abzuschwören. Und Hunderte machen mit: Zum Entsetzen der Eltern werfen die Teenager die Fernseh-Apparate einfach auf die Straße. Doch die beiden Mädchen sehen bald ein, daß ihr Leben so nicht mehr weiterlaufen kann. Und wieder erweist sich der Discjockey Johnny als Retter. Er organisiert für Nicky ein Konzert auf dem Dach eines Kinos. Aus allen Richtungen New Yorks strömen die Kids in gleicher Aufmachung wie Nicky und Pamela zum Times Square. Das Konzert, obwohl von der Polizei nicht genehmigt, wird ein Riesenerfolg. Nicky ist ihrem Traum, ein Rock- Star zu werden, nähergekommen. Pamela kehrt zu ihrem Vater, der eingesehen hat, daß auch er viele Fehler gemacht hat, zurück. Die beiden Hauptdarstellerinnen sind Neulinge. Nicky (Robin Johnson) wurde von der Schule weg engagiert, Pamela (Trini Alvarado) drehte bereits einen Film. Toll natürlich Tim Curry. Die Musik stammt unter anderem von Suzi Quatro, Pretenders, Roxy Music, Gary Numan, XTC, Ramones und Robin Gibb von den Bee Gees. Text: Peter Raschner Auf dem Dach eines Kinos gibt Nicky ihr erstes, umjubeltes Rock-Konzert Wutenbrannt stürzt sich Pamelas Vater auf Disc-jockey Johnny Die 13jährige Pamela Pearl jobbt als Go-go-Girl, nachdem sie zu Hause ausgerissen ist Nicky (rechts) und Pamela träumen von einer Rock-Karriere -- Disc-Jockey Johnny (rechts) hilft ihnen dabei Nicky und Pamela auf dem Times Square. Sie sind in dieser Gegend bekannt wie bunte Hunde

May 1982, and Times Square was about to have its final premiere, in West Germany. Why did it take this long, over a year and a half after its initial premiere, and a year after the rest of Europe had seen it? I have no idea. But someone still had hope for the movie, as shown by the two-page spread in Bravo, featuring the same sort of excited plot synopsis published in Filmstar No. 3, Sonido No. 56 and Film Review Vol. 31 No. 2.

 

 

 

The big picture across the two pages was last seen in the February 1981 Movie 81 and on the Japanese movie poster. The picture on the top left of page 34 was the top middle image on the Mexican movie poster. The center photo on page 34, of Mr. Pearl attacking Johnny, is I think making its first appearance here. We last saw the bottom photo in the Japanese souvenir program book and flyer, and on a British lobby card. On page 35, the shot of Johnny at the mic was also a British lobby card, and appeared in Movie 81. And the bottom photo was also a British lobby card, last seen in Joepie No. 365 in March 1981, and first seen in the “Robert Stigwood Presents Times Square” folder from sometime in 1980 well before the movie’s release.

Here’s the text by Peter Rauscher in German, followed by my attempt at a translation.

Jetzt im Kino: TIMES SQUARE
IHR KONNT UNS ALLE MAL

Ein irrer Film mit heißer
Musik über die ausgeflipptesten
Teenager von New York

Die 16jährige Nicky Marotta (Robin Johnson) und die 13jährige Pamela Pearl (Trini Alvarado) liegen zusammen im Zimmer eines New Yorker Krankenhauses. Beide sollen auf ihren Geisteszustand untersucht werden. Nicky, weil sie eine notorische Streunerin ist; Pamela, weil ihr Vater, ein ehrgeiziger Politiker, mit ihr nicht mehr klarkommt.

Eines Tages überredet Nicky Pamela zur Flucht. Im Nachthemd entwischen sie aus dem Krankenhaus, schnappen sich einen Krankenwagen und brausen los. In einem alten Schuppen am Times Square, einem der berühmtesten und berüchtigtsten Plätze New Yorks, finden sie Unterschlupf.

So beginnt der Film „Times Square“ (in Deutschland hat er noch den Untertitel „Ihr könnt uns alle mal“). Die beiden Mädchen finden ihr „freies“ Leben herrlich. Sie tragen die ausgefallensten Klamotten, hören pausenlos heiße Musik und jobben abends in einer Kneipe. Nicky, die gut Gitarre spielt, singt mit einer Band,| Pamela arbeitet als Go-go-Girl.

Natürlich hat Pamelas Vater alle Hebel in Bewegung gesetzt, um seine Tochter zu finden. In den Fall hat sich auch der beliebte Discjockey Johnny LaGuardian (Tim Curry, der Dr. Frank N. Furter aus der „Rocky Horror Picture Show“) eingeschaltet. Er ist so eine Art Thomas Gottschalk. Ihm vertrauen die Teens, wenn er täglich am Mikrofon zu ihnen spricht.

Johnny findet die beiden und verspricht, ihnen zu helfen. So dürfen die Mädchen ein von Nicky komponiertes Lied über den Sender singen. Die jugendlichen Hörer sind begeistert. Johnny erzählt ihnen die Geschichte der beiden Ausreißerinnen.

Nicky und Pamela werden auf ihre Art zu „Heldinnen“. Einer der Höhepunkte des Films ist die Aufforderung von Nicky und Pamela, dem Götzen „Fernsehen“ abzuschwören. Und Hunderte machen mit: Zum Entsetzen der Eltern werfen die Teenager die Fernseh-Apparate einfach auf die Straße.

Doch die beiden Mädchen sehen bald ein, daß ihr Leben so nicht mehr weiterlaufen kann. Und wieder erweist sich der Discjockey Johnny als Retter. Er organisiert für Nicky ein Konzert auf dem Dach eines Kinos.

Aus allen Richtungen New Yorks strömen die Kids in gleicher Aufmachung wie Nicky und Pamela zum Times Square. Das Konzert, obwohl von der Polizei nicht genehmigt, wird ein Riesenerfolg. Nicky ist ihrem Traum, ein Rock- Star zu werden, nähergekommen.

Pamela kehrt zu ihrem Vater, der eingesehen hat, daß auch er viele Fehler gemacht hat, zurück.

Die beiden Hauptdarstellerinnen sind Neulinge. Nicky (Robin Johnson) wurde von der Schule weg engagiert, Pamela (Trini Alvarado) drehte bereits einen Film. Toll natürlich Tim Curry. Die Musik stammt unter anderem von Suzi Quatro, Pretenders, Roxy Music, Gary Numan, XTC, Ramones und Robin Gibb von den Bee Gees.

Text: Peter Raschner

Auf dem Dach eines Kinos gibt Nicky ihr erstes, umjubeltes Rock-Konzert

Wutenbrannt stürzt sich Pamelas Vater auf Disc-jockey Johnny

Die 13jährige Pamela Pearl jobbt als Go-go-Girl, nachdem sie zu Hause ausgerissen ist

Nicky (rechts) und Pamela träumen von einer Rock-Karriere — Disc-Jockey Johnny (rechts) hilft ihnen dabei

Nicky und Pamela auf dem Times Square. Sie sind in dieser Gegend bekannt wie bunte Hunde

In theaters now: TIMES SQUARE
YOU CAN ALL (KISS OUR ASSES)

A crazy film with hot
music about the freaky
teenagers of New York

16-year-old Nicky Marotta (Robin Johnson) and 13-year-old Pamela Pearl (Trini Alvarado) lie together in the room of a New York hospital. Both to have their mental health examined. Nicky because she is a notorious stray; Pamela because her father, an ambitious politician, can’t handle her any more.

One day Nicky persuades Pamela to escape. In their nightgowns they escape from the hospital, steal themselves an ambulance and zoom off. In an old shack in Times Square, one of the most famous and most notorious places in New York, they find shelter.

So begins the film “Times Square” (in Germany it also has the subtitle “You can all […] our […]”). Both girls find their “free” life wonderful. They wear outrageous clothes, listen to hot music nonstop and in the evening work in a bar. Nicky, who plays guitar well, sings with a band; Pamela works as a go-go girl.

Naturally Pamela’s father has pulled out all the stops to find his daughter. On this case the popular disc jockey Johnny LaGuardian (Tim Curry, Dr. Frank N. Furter from “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”) is also involved. He is a Thomas Gottschalk type. The teens trust him when he speaks daily through the microphone to them.

Johnny finds them both and promises to help them. So the girls sing a song composed by Nicky over the radio. The young listeners are inspired. Johnny tells them the story of the runaways.

Nicky and Pamela become in their own way “heroines.” One of the highlights of the film is the call of Nicky and Pamela to renounce the idol “television.” And hundreds join in: to the horror of their parents the teenagers simply throw their television sets to the street. But both girls soon see that their life cannot continue this way. And again Johnny the disc jockey comes to the rescue. He organizes a concert on the roof of a cinema for Nicky.

The Kids stream from all areas of New York to Times Square in outfits identical to Nicky and Pamela. The concert, although not authorized by the police, becomes a huge success. Nicky has come closer to her dream to become a rock star.

Pamela returns to her father who has realized that he also has made many mistakes.

Both leading actresses are newcomers. Nicky (Robin Johnson) was hired away from her school, Pamela (Trini Alvarado) previously made a film. Of course Tim Curry is terrific. The music is by, among others, Suzi Quatro, Pretenders, Roxy Music, Gary Numan, XTC, Ramones and Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees.

Text: Peter Raschner

On the roof of a cinema Nicky gives her first rock concert performance

Pamela’s father falls furiously on disc jockey Johnny

13-year-old Pamela Pearl works as a go-go girl, after she has run away from home

Nicky (right) and Pamela dream of a rock career – disc jockey Johnny helps (right) them at it

Nicky and Pamela in Times Square. They are known in this neighborhood as colorful dogs

I think that last caption might be better translated as “they are well known to the locals,” but I had a hard enough time rendering the German subtitle into colloquial and printable English.  

Would you like to know more?

Movie 81 No. 2, February 1981
Times Square movie poster, Japan, June 1981
Guerreras de Nueva York (Times Square movie poster, Mexico, 1981)
Times Square Program Book, Japan, June 1981, pages 14-19 (post 3 of 5)
U.K. Lobby Cards (post 2 of 3)
U.K. Lobby Cards (post 1 of 3)
Joepie, No. 365, March 15, 1981
Times Square Press Folder

 
 
Bravo No. 21, May 19, 1982, Germany (monthly (publication) (AAT ID: 300311879))
28 x 21.1 cm. (work);
Bravo No 21 p 1_1080px.jpg
1080 px (H) x 797 px (W), 96 dpi, 622 kb
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Times Square ©1980 StudioCanal/Canal+
 

October 1981: Times SquareGreat TV Entertainment…?

Posted on 27th December 2018 in "Times Square"

Cover of October 1981 TV listings magazine for Showtime and The Movie Channel


 
 

 

According to the October 1981 issue of Great TV Entertainment, the official schedule for Showtime and The Movie Channel, Times Square was shown six times on The Movie Channel, on October 25, 27, and 31. I could have sworn it was shown many times more than that; the showings must have continued into November, or perhaps it was also shown on HBO like everybody, including me, remembers.

 

October 1981 TV listings for Showtime and The Movie Channel Relevant text: SHOWTIME THE MOVIE CHANNEL TIMES SQUARE Two misfit teenagers become runaway rebels roaming the streets of New York City. They find fame--and disaster-as the rock ’n’ rolling Sleaze Sisters. Trina Alvarado and Robin Johnson co-star. Language. (R-1:51) Oct.25,27,31-M

TIMES SQUARE
Two misfit teenagers become runaway rebels roaming the streets of New York City. They find fame–and disaster-as the rock ’n’ rolling Sleaze Sisters. Trina Alvarado and Robin Johnson co-star. Language. (R-1:51) Oct.25,27,31-M

 

 

Times Square got a photo and a little blurb, which was more than Let It Be got. Maybe that’s why Let It Be is one of the few movies that’s now harder to see than Times Square. (… Nah.)

The photo, typically, isn’t a frame from the movie. It’s a publicity still shot on set that is making its first appearance in this magazine. The AFD/EMI/RSO promotion people had been sitting on this gem for a year. No wonder the movie flopped.

October 1981 TV listings for Showtime and The Movie Channel, contents page detail

 

 

Great TV Entertainment, October 1981 (monthly (publication) (AAT ID: 300311879))
20.75 x 13.5 cm. (work);
Great TV Entertainment 1981-10 p1_1080px.jpg
1080 px (H) x 69 px (W), 96 dpi, 552 kb
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(images)
 
©1981 TVSM, INC.

 

Times Square ©1980 StudioCanal/Canal+

 

Filmstar, Vol. 1 No. 6, Thailand, October 1981

Posted on 3rd December 2018 in "Times Square"

Cover of a movie magazine from Thailand containing article on Robin Johnson  Text:  Fortnightly Friend of the Film Buff  FILMSTAR Volume 1 No. 6 / October 1, 1981  Special A new Bond girl FOR YOUR EYES ONLY  Free Color Poster  12.

 

 

 

 

I would think that by October of 1981, a year after its initial release in New York, and two or three months after its Thai release, Times Square would have long since closed in Thailand and become a distant memory. But that didn’t stop Filmstar magazine from running an article promoting Robin herself, very much like the interviews with Robin published during her publicity tour nine months previous.

ROBIN JOHNSON
A quick-witted likeable young lady

Do you still remember Nicky, a quick witted rebelliously likable young girl from Times Square? If you are also someone who fell in love with that Nicky, here is a tiny reminiscence that she is happy to share. Even though it is not going to be as exciting as in the film, I bet you wouldn’t mind learning from her.

Nicky is Robin Johnson, 17 year old teenager from Brooklyn. Her accent is clearly a unique and gravelly Brooklynese when she speaks. When we met her, Robin Johnson’s hair was still chopped in a shaggy cut. “It would be too expensive to go to a beauty shop and have it stripped out.” she says, “And it would take hours. I’ll just wait till it grows back in the real way.”

Robin still remembers the role of Nicky so well even though a year has passed by. She and Trini Alvarado are friends on and off screen. Trini wants to be a song-writer. Robin, a rock singer — finally, she does give a street concert in Times Square.

“I love rock.” Robin says. “Van Halen. Led Zeppelin. Music makes you feel good — and sometimes sad. I remember the song called Damn Dog so well. It’s not punk. I hate punk music, the real punk that comes from England—The Clash. Sex Pistols. They’re maniacs: they want to die. I don’t mind New Wave so much. It has the same kind of roots, but it’s mellower.”

Robin starts to giggle when she thinks about one scene in the movie. “I’m really very wild-looking. I wear a mask like the Lone Ranger and a blue turtleneck sweater with blue glitter tights and a plastic-garbage-bag belt!”

Acting in the film was the first job Robin ever had. “That matures you. learning how to work and deal with people. Being street-smart helps in making a movie. There are certain rules you pick up— when to keep your mouth shut, when to do certain things. It’s like being in a different neighborhood — some people might give you a hassle, but if they do. you should keep your mouth shut, even if you get mad, and just walk the other way and get out of there. I learned responsibility. You become more considerate. I liked everybody I worked with except two out of a hundred. One woman really gave me a fit — she was such a big complainer. she must have gotten a B.A. in complaining! After a while. I just avoided her except when I absolutely had to work with her. ‘What am I going to get upset for?’ I asked myself. ‘I’m the one you see on the screen.’”

Robin goes to Brooklyn Tech high school. “I never get along with my teachers,” she says. “I’m rebellious. I don’t like people in authority.”

Robin remembered a casting scout, who arranged for Robin to go to an audition in Manhattan. That audition feels like it wrecks her brains. Back then, in her head she thought “I just wanted to go home to sleep but my friend Cindi was with me, and she says. ‘No. no. no. you’ve got to go. “I had to fill out a sheet with height, weight, eye color, hair color—stuff like that. Then, they’re putting me on tape, inside the studio room I was sitting there like a dummy and read the script. I don’t know why they have chosen me but I got a part in Times Square.”

“It’s a nice feeling to be picked out of so many.” Robin says. “People call me a natural talent, but what I say to that is that the character I play is very close to me so that my actions are natural. It’s easy to play someone like yourself.”

Around her neck, she wears a couple of gold chains. One has her birth sign. Gemini, dangling from it; the other, a tiny round gold circle, contains a diamond chip. “Trini and I were given diamonds by the crew at a party when the movie was finished,” Robin explains, her eyes wide. “When I saw the Tiffany bag it came in. I said. ‘My God!’ I put it on, and I haven’t taken it off since.”

I managed to have this article translated professionally by Joy Busai (whose website, www.thaienglishhq.com, unfortunately seems to be down at the moment), and she noticed that it seemed itself to be an almost word-for-word translation into Thai of Robin’s interview in Seventeen Magazine from October 1980. While it got me a discount on the translation, it was something of a disappointment to find that one of the last contemporary Times Square articles contained absolutely nothing new.

Photo roundup: Page 40 is cropped from the image used most prominently for a UK lobby card.

Bottom left on p. 41 is the shot published in Playboy, Vol. 28 No. 1, January 1981. Top to bottom at right: a shot of the final concert previously used on the UK soundtrack sampler; Nicky cutting Pammy’s hand, with a boom microphone front and center, as seen in the Japanese souvenir program book; a previously-unpublished, as far as I know, full frame from the film showing the extra empty space at the top; and a shot of Robin as Nicky that accompanied her October 1980 interview in Seventeen, which itself was translated into Thai in the issue of Filmstar three months before this one.

Page 41, top left, is the Yoram Kahana shot that first appeared, again as far as I know, in Movie 81 No. 2. Directly below is UK publicity still 21. Below that, captioned “ROBIN”, is TS-69-34A/4. To its right is a shot taken within seconds of the UK lobby card but itself seems to be making its first appearance here. To the right is TS-82-30/4, and finally at the bottom right is another frame from the film with extra space at the top and bottom.

See also:

U.K. Lobby Cards (post 1 of 3)
UK Promo Photos 4, 13, and 21, 1980-81
Times Square Press Material folder (post 4 of 5)
U.K. Lobby Cards (post 3 of 3)
Times Square Press Material folder (post 5 of 5)

 

 

Times Square (article, AAT ID: 300048715)
Filmstar Vol. 1 No. 6, 1 October 1981, pp. 40-42 (magazine (periodical), AAT ID: 300215389)
25.9 x 18.9 cm. (work);
Filmstar_v1_n6_19811001_p 01_layers_1080px.jpg
1080 px (H) x 795 px (W), 96 dpi, 490 kb
Filmstar_v1_n6_19811001_p 40_layers_1080px.jpg
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(images)
 

 

Times Square ©1980 StudioCanal/Canal+

 

Filmstar, Vol 1 No. 3, Thailand, August 1981

Posted on 9th November 2018 in "Times Square"

Cover of movie magazine from Thailand with article about TIMES SQUARE (1980)

 

 

 

By August 1981, Robin might already have figured out that neither she nor Andy Gibb were going to get a call telling them when to report to the Grease 2 set. Most of the world had already forgotten about Times Square. But it wasn’t quite over yet.

 

Thailand’s Filmstar magazine devoted four pages and the back cover to the upcoming release of Times Square. I tried and failed to get a professional translation of the article. Google Translate makes nearly as bad a hash of Thai as it does Japanese, but from what I can make out, this is a purely promotional article summarizing the plot, like the articles in Sonido No. 56 and Film Review Vol. 31 No. 2.

 

The caption and drawing on page 63, the first page of the article, are from the European movie poster, and the photo of Pammy and Nicky is TS-72-8A/14, the most-used photo of the girls together.

The image from the poster also appears on page 64, above UK Press Kit photo #4 of Tim Curry. The large photo of Robin, as far as I know, made its first appearance here. As she’s looking directly into the camera, I suspect it was taken at the same time as this pre-take shot, but since the background is cut out there’s just as good a chance it was taken at Pier 56.

The large image of Trini on page 65 looks to be from the same origin as that photo of Robin. Based on what I can make out of the lighting, I tend to think it’s from the outside location. It’s the only photo I’ve seen of Trini in that costume where she isn’t holding the boom box. The inset of the cops pushing Nicky into the back seat is another previously, and as far as I know, otherwise unpublished publicity still. The only matching shots in the film are from the opposite side of the car, and the film camera’s setup from this reverse angle is several feet to the left.

The shot of Robin as Nicky as Aggie Doone singing “Damn Dog” in the Cleo Club is yet another photo making its first appearance. But not its last… there’s a slightly better version yet to come.

So, amazingly, the Times Square publicity campaign was nearing its end, yet the places it was being published were being furnished with new material, despite it being highly unlikely that the local audiences would have seen any of the already-used photos. Unless, perhaps, the EMI/AFD publicity departments had decided that what they’d been doing was failing, and if they could only find the right photos, they could turn Times Square into a hit in the next country…

The back cover of Filmstar was a reproduction of the collage first published in Screen International No. 246 in June 1980 and used in February 1981 as the Australian movie poster, with the addition of Robin’s name in English. If there’s one thing all the local contemporary film publicity outlets agreed on, it’s that Robin herself was the most marketable aspect of the movie.
 

TIMES SQUARE Robin Johnson poster on the back cover of a movie magazine from Thailand

Posts mentioned above but not linked to:

Times Square Press Material folder (post 4 of 5)
Times Square UK Press Kit (post 2 of 4)
On Location
Times Square Program Book, Japan, June 1981, pages 20-24 (post 4 of 5)
Times Square Australian Daybill

 

 

Times Square (article, AAT ID: 300048715)
Filmstar Vol. 1 No. 3, 15 August 1981, pp. 63-66 (magazine (periodical), AAT ID: 300215389)
25.9 x 18.9 cm. (work);
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Times Square ©1980 StudioCanal/Canal+

 

JUKE, No. 302, February 7, 1981

Posted on 16th October 2018 in "Times Square"

Cover of an Australian music newspaper weekly containing several stories relating to TIMES SQUARE (1980)  Text:  JUKE  FEBRUARY 7, 1981  Issue No. 302  70 CENTS  "Registered for posting as Publication Category B"  TIMES SQUARE TO  CITY SQUARE  PLUS ROXY MUSIC SPECIALS  WILLIE NELSON  XTC TAYLOR/MANNING  SURFING  RUTS WILLIE NILE  IN CONCERT  Australian Crawl, Flowers, Midnight Oil, Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons, Mondo Rock

The soundtrack album cover image on the cover of Australia’s Juke no. 302 is the only Robin content in the issue, but it’s still a remarkable piece of Times Square history. In Melbourne at least, PolyGram Records promoted the heck out of the film’s premiere for an entire weekend, and the magazine gave away posters and copies of the soundtrack. If there’s anybody reading this who remembers any of this happening, I’d be very interested in hearing about it.

 
Photo of Tim Curry in an Australian music newspaper weekly containing several stories relating to TIMES SQUARE (1980).  Caption:  In the “Times Square” movie, Tim Curry plays an all night disc jockey who gives his listeners a  running account of the two runaway girls’ progress.

BIG PUSH ON ‘TIMES SQUARE’
By Brian Jones

To promote the opening of the Times Square movie in Melbourne this week, PolyGram Records have come up with a unique idea.

To take Time Square to the city square. Over the weekend they hired out the huge video screen at the Melbourne city square where excerpts of the movie were flashed with lots of plugs for the double soundtrack LP and other PolyGram product. If you caught the screening, you’d have noticed that JUKE Magazine got its whack of plugging as well.

To celebrate the release of the movie, not to mention Roxy Music coming into Melbourne (certainly a big plus in their promotion as Roxy are featured on the soundtrack as well!) JUKE is this week giving away 12 copies of the soundtrack LP. Write to “Times Square” competition, care of this magazine, and tell us three of the artists on the LP, with your name and address on the back of the envelope.

And for Melbourne readers, the first 20 to waltz up to the Juke offices during business hours and ask for it gets a special colour poster.

The movie, which premiers on Feb 5, is about two runaways who end up at Times Square in New York, and is produced by Robert Stigwood.

In the “Times Square” movie, Tim Curry plays an all night disc jockey who gives his listeners a running account of the two runaway girls’ progress.

Pages 6, 7, and 13 contained articles on three of the bands with songs on the soundtrack, one of whom (Roxy Music) was playing in Melbourne that week — although the interview with Phil Manzanera had been conducted a week previous, while the band was still in England. The articles are all branded with a big Times Square logo (unique to this magazine), but make absolutely no references to the movie. I’m reproducing the text below because they’re a bit of a window into the world the movie was being released into, but they have nothing to do with Times Square, and even less to do with Robin Johnson.

And note that one of the articles in the magazine was written by “Betty Page,” and another by “Brian Jones.” I don’t know what to make of that.

TIMES SQUARE
XTC in NEW YORK
Betty Page finds them slaving for the Yankee dollar

Once big in trousers, now big in the States? Five minutes into New York and the taxi driver (always good for copy, dese guys) wants to know in his best Brooklynese “are dey like da Beatles?”

Funny he should say that! Here’s the city mourning not only a death but the fact that any Beatles reunion of any sort is over, and you have XTC who have similar characters — Terry Chambers like Ringo (whacky/moody), Colin Moulding is a Paul (pretty bassist), Andy Patridge is a John with pebble specs and aggressive humour and Dave Gregory is George, the strong silent type with a schoolboy’s face.

Four individuals, churning out pop song after commercial pop song, yet experiencing the ultimate frustration of being denied enormous popular acclaim, after so much hard grafting.

Due to some particular warped business logic, XTC have been touring constantly for 20 weeks (although Andy reckons they haven’t stopped since 1977!) the last half of which has been spent in the USA. This tour’s had its peaks and troughs but, with the backing of the big guns at RSO, Black Sea has launched into the Top 100 and a prestigious support for the Cars at Madison Square Gardens.

I arrived to find the boys a bit ruffled (they’d just seen the sleeve of their next single ‘‘Sgt. Rock” botched by the art department into a variation of Corporal Clot) and homesick for home in Swindon. They’d just been to New Orleans and recounted the constant sun, desert and cacti of Arizona, “we’d only seen them drawn in the Beano (a British comic book — ed) and I made up some cactus jokes especially. What’s the difference between a Scotsman and a cactus? At least you can get a drink out of a cactus!”

The show on Long Island was lacklustre. Their superb soundman Steve Warren had quit after an argument with their manager, and it showed. So too did tour exhaustion. There was so much cussing that even the groupies held back! Groupies haven’t been a XTC forte but, for a band that virtually celebrates its ase-xuality, they now attract a particular brand of predatory females.

Andy: “It’s getting worse. Some of them are real elephant dogs! Others just want to show you their portfolios. I’d rather take to my bed with my plastic tanks”.

XTC are clearly very tired. Despite that, they had to fly back to Britain in a few days to start another tour, and they angrily knocked back offers to do a visit to Scandinavia.

“It’s just piled up since ’77” Andy explained. “I refuse to do anything for at least a couple of months. I want to work on some singles, concentrate on that before the next album.”

The next day was concentrated on doing interviews — and the American press still seem preoccupied with Barry Andrews, who left two years ago, and refer to Dave Gregory as “the newcomer”.

Dave takes it all in good humour. He talks about his dreams and nightmare. His nightmare is to come out on stage on day, plug in and “sound like Ted Nugent”. The dream is to own as many perfectly formed guitars as possible — maybe form his own guitar harem with all of them wearing veils! He tells of the time when they did a tour with Police, and manager Copeland ticked off XTC for not giving everything onstage. The talk made them think; now they gyrate onstage.

Andy was lambasted for “not wearing a decent shirt”. Couldn’t he afford one?

“To be frank, no!”

Not even Sting’s cast-offs?

“No! (recoils in horror) I’m living in that man’s shadow. Been in a bloody coach with him for eight weeks. He nicked all my ideas in the first place. All three of the Police used to come down the Fulham Greyhound (pub) and watch us. He said his favourite song was ‘All Along The Watchtower’ so you can see where they’re coming from!”

The Police spectre looms large. When Police travel the world and play exotic places like Bombay and Cairo, they’re huge. When XTC play the same places then they’re just working hard. Could XTC have such a superhero? Men in backrooms have toyed with the idea of making a sex symbol out of Colin Mulding, trundling him forward more often and pinching some limelight from Andy.

But isn’t Colin too passive, isn’t it too late for a change of image into some sort of double-fronted Cheap Trick style combo?

According to Andy, it’s already started to happen. “I think he’s got a lot more teen appeal than I’ll ever have. I always thought I looked like a tortoise who’d just had his shell ripped off! He comes forward already; he sings the singles, it’s him on Top Of The Pops, not me. I think people associate Colin with singing the singles. A lot of people think he’s our lead singer, those that know our singles. There’s a split identity.”

XTC are having a series of hit singles including “General And Majors”, “Living Through Another Cuba” and “Towers Of London” continually increasing their hit records. In England they have a passionate following but really no image except for Patridge’s cynical persona. In America, they can be easily manipulated; in fact, because all five have such strong personalities, a TV series of films could catapault them into the big time. As yet, America hasn’t decided if they’re clever, banal or intriguing; so they just love them!

First night at Madison Square Gardens. Patridge is nervous and limits his onstage patter. But they go down well. “The next band on is the Cars — don’t be too hard on them”. After a record company guy comes over and ticks them off, in case the Cars feel insulted. Wha-a-t! Come on, oh well, tough shit.

So the struggle goes on. They’re confident that they’ll break through, it takes a bit of time. But at the moment they’re all very tired and very homesick.

Andy: “I just want to re-evaluate our whole position. It may turn out that we may never tour again, hahaha, what a scoop! We’ve been whoring our arses up and down the world too much, it’s obviously, not the way to do it.

“We want to try and be a little bit more exclusive. We were rather lukewarmly received at home last time. We’ll be even more knackered this time. We do need to recharge our batteries, new ideas, new approaches, this really is the end-of-a-long-piece-of-knotted-string tour, the frayed end …”

I’VE GOT ROXY IN MY HEAD
TIMES SQUARE
Roxy Music’s Phil Manzanera Speaks to Vince Lovegrove

“If it weren’t for the Beatles I wouldn’t be playing music”, Phil Manzanera told me by phone one week before Roxy Music arrived in Australia.

“They were a great influence on all of us. You know, when you’re a certain age you really get excited by certain groups. But it’s a bummer about Lennon. A great tragedy. We’ve started doing a tribute to him. Sometimes we do “Jealous Guy”.

Manzanera had just rushed back to his hotel after a sellout concert in Manchester, England. The reason for the rush from the concert hall wasn’t to take my pre-arranged phone call, but to order some food before the hotel kitchen closed.

“It’s the typical rock scenario. Most hotel kitchens close early and then you can only order sandwiches. We have to get back from the gig in a hurry so that we can have a decent meal.

“New York’s different, of course. It’s a twenty four hour city. It’s a bit dangerous, but exciting and stimulating-for a short time”.

Phil Manzanera is an articulate, quietly spoken man … on a Manchester to Sydney telephone call, at least. Although I’m not a diehard Roxyite, I quite like the band, and found myself locked into Manzanera. In fact, as Bert Newton once said to Mohommad Ali, “I like the boy!”

I found his casual thoughts on rock’n’roll and life in general very honest and realistic. Not at all like rock’n’rollers whose conversations begins and ends with the ‘virtues’ of rock music.

In fact, from his early 1970 experimental days in Quiet Sun to his 1976 ‘one off’ album band 801, Manzanera has always seemed to me to be the one who has taken Roxy Music into the provocative areas of rock music. Obviously, Brian Eno added his eccentricity, but he has never really stayed within the confines of Roxy Music like Manzanera.

And it was Manzanera’s honesty that first told us about dissatisfaction within the group after their fourth album, Country Life.

And while it was Ferry who announced in 1976, that Roxy Music were about to enjoy a trial separation, it was Phil Manzanera who immediately rushed headlong into producing 801, ensuring that the genius of Brian Eno would finally be recognised outside the confines of Roxy Music.

“Actually, that was an incredible period. It made me realise just how much the business side of rock’n’roll can ruin the very essence of the music itself.

“It was the business side of it that stopped Roxy moving for three years.

“You get caught on this incredible momentum, that just doesn’t stop. You have to deliver an album, then go on tour to promote it, and by the time you’ve finished you’ve go to deliver another album. Consequently, you don’t get time to write any material.

“You get locked into a cocoon, getting transported around in an unreal world and just don’t get time to develop as a human being.

“We just had to stop the merry-go-round, get off and become human beings again”.

It was during that re-kindling period that Johnny Rotten spearheaded the movement that saved rock’n’roll from a pathetic, self indulgent, financially bloated, slow agonising death. And one of its staunchest supporters was Phil Manzanera.

“I think Johnny Rotten is a very interesting character. He has a great sense of humour. I admire him greatly.

“The entire punk movement was fantastic. It gave rock music a much needed kick in the arse. It provided heaps of enthusiasm, inspired amateurs and showed that anyone could start a group”.

In total contrast, it was the pure jazz/classical influences of English contemporary band Sky that smashed the snob inspired anti rock music feeling that once existed amongst highly trained, technical musicians.

“Rock isn’t about technical prowess, it’s about feel, “Manzanera enthused.

“Sky are great musos, and they smashed that anti rock snobbery”.

Did he know two members of Sky, Kevin Peak and John Williams were Australian?

“No, I didn’t”.

Roxy Music, during their ‘rest periods’ are quite a sporting bunch of fellas, and super whizz kid guitarist Phil Manzanera is no exception. He plays a lot of golf, tennis, and water skis when he can. That is, when he’s not spending time with his two dogs, two cats, several horses, or simply lounging around home with his pregnant wife listening to music.

And what sort of music would Phil Manzanera listen to?

“Well, I love UB40’s. They have great feel, fantastic lyrics, and memorable melodies. Then there’s Steely Dan — I love their new album. Bowie I like, Dire Straits, a band called Black Uhuru, and of course Talking Heads.

“But I think their latest album is more of an Eno album that a Heads set. They seem to have lost some of themselves, and given way to more of Brian”.

Well, I don’t know who’s going to pay for this bloody phone call. Maybe I should finish off.

After all, the group will be in Australia by the time I get off my backside and get it into Juke. And you can bet your last pair of safety pins that Roxy’s record company won’t pay for it. And I just KNOW the promoter won’t pay for it. I better finish. I’ll probably end up footing the bill again.

One last question, Phil. Is there anything special in Roxy Music’s staging this time around?

“As a matter of fact, there is. We have a very interesting stage set… not like anything else around at the moment. It’s electric in a mechanial sort of way. I won’t give it away, let me say that I still like looking at it after six months”.

LONDON CALLING
with Jillian Hughes
TIMES SQUARE
NO RUTS ABOUT IT

Very few bands are willing to carry on when their focal point leaves. When that person dies suddenly in an accident — or a heroin overdose as in the case of Malcolm Owen the lead singer of the Ruts — then it takes awhile to get over the shock.

But the Ruts, one of the original punk bands, came up trumps. Renaming themselves Ruts DC (DC stands for Da Capo which is Latin for “a new beginning”) they went back to their original audiences, tore them apart, and are now off to America to try their luck there. Meantime there’s also a new LP of old material called Grin and Bear It.

“Last summer was probably the worst time for us” says bassist Vince Segs, who has stepped in as their main vocalist. ‘‘We’ve always known that Malcolm was doing heroin. He also had problems with his throat, which just went on him. It was very frustrating for us, because we couldn’t work a lot of the time, and it was very frustrating for Malcolm, which is probably why he went back on the hard stuff again.

“The pressure was on us — everyone was aware that the kids out there wanted to hear us, but we were being held up. We started to drift apart.”

Right after Owen died, the Ruts came up with one of their best singles yet, ‘‘West One (Shine On Me)”. But partly because it was such a change from their rock-reggae, and partly because they made no appearances to promote it, the disc died. Then the Damned stepped in and took the three — the other two are drummer Dave Ruffy and guitarist Paul Fox — on tour with them, just to give them a helping hand. The Ruts re-discovered their audience, and found enough confidence to write new songs.

Grin and Bear It is seen by some as a shoddy cashing in on Malcolm’s death by their record company Virgin, well known for Sid Vicious/-Pistols re-issues.

“It is an album we put together for Malcolm’s memory, that’s all. We wanted it out, not the record company. We didn’t have enough studio material with Malcolm to make up an LP so we put in some live things. Some people say it’s a con because Ruts fans would have all the tracks.

“That’s not so. Fans wouldn’t have the live version of ‘Babylon’s Burning’ or the John Peel (radio) session recording of ‘Demolition Dancing’ — the LP’s not intended to tear about the charts, it’s just there for anyone who wants it. The album we aim for the charts is the one we start work on soon. If anything, we wanted to bring ‘Love in Vein’ back — it was hidden on the b-side of ‘Staring at the Rude Boys’ the first time.”

Ruts DC are touring and recording with a sessions sax/keyboards player called Garry Barnacle who was on their first LP The Crack as well as Grin and Bear It.

 

 

Juke No. 302, February 7, 1981 (weekly (publication) (AAT ID: 300312030))
44 x 28 cm.;
Brian Jones, Big push on ‘Times Square’; p. 5
Betty Page, XTC in New York; p. 6
Vince Lovegrove, I’ve got Roxy in my head; p. 7
Jillian Hughes, No Ruts about it; p. 13 (works);
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©1981 Newspress Pty. Ltd.

 

Times Square ©1980 StudioCanal/Canal+