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

10 September, 2018 Sean 0 Comments 1 category

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.

UK Press Book for TIMES SQUARE, page 2 Text: THE CAST Johnny LaGuardia.. ..................TIM CURRY Pamela Peart..............................TRINI ALVARADO Nicky Marotta.............................ROBIN JOHNSON David Pearl...............................PETER COFFIELD Dr. Huber.....................HERBERT BERGHOF Dr. Zymansky..............................DAVID MARGULIES Rosie Washington........ANNA MARIA HORSFORD JoJo........................MICHAEL MARGOTTA Simon......................................J.C. QUINN Roberto..................................MIGUEL PINERO Heavy ...............RONALD “SMOKEY” STEVENS Blondell...................................BILLY MERNIT Blondell.............................PAUL SASS Blondell....................................ARTI WEINSTEIN Eastman.............................TIM CHOATE Disco Hostess.................ELIZABETH PENA Nurse Joan... .....................KATHY LOJAC Nurse May.....................SUSAN MERSON Don Dowd ....................GEORGE MORFOGEN Speaker.....................CHARLES BLACKWELL Stuntplayer.... .................BILL ANAGNOS Stuntplayer................ TAMMAS J. HAMILTON Stuntplayer................... FRANKLYN SCOTT Stuntplayer................................JANE SOLAR Stuntplayer.............VICTORIA VANDERKLOOT Dude.............................STEVE W. JAMES Plainclothes Cop.................JAY ACOVONE Magda..............................ALICE SPIVAK George........................... CALVIN ANDER Plainclothes Cop ..............PETER IACANGELO Young DJ.........................MICHAEL RINEY Policeman 1......................LOUIS BELERO Policeman 2......................GERALD KLINE Hold-Up Man............. ...........BEN SLACK Beer Vendor......................AARON HURST Beer Vendor ........................SEAN HUST Shop Owner...M............................PETER LOP1CCOLO T.V. Drop Kid ................ ROGER CAMACHO T.V. Drop Kid .....................STEVE PABON Daughter..........DANIELLE TILETNICK Daughter’s Friend ................ DONNA SIROTA Movie Theater Reactor......... TULANE HOWARD II Waitress.......................,.KAREN EVANS Cigarette Girl.................RODI ALEXANDER Sleez Bag Vendor 1 ............RAMON FRANCO Sleez Bag Vendor 2.........................RIKI COLON Renaissance AKIDE.......MELANIE HENDERSON Cop On Marquee................ LARRY SILVESTRI Beer Buyers....... PAULA NAPLES, MANDY CAMERON Intern........................ SCOTT P. SANDERS Andy.............................TIGER HAYNES Sleez Girls.............CAMMI LYNN BUTTNER SARAH DOUGHERTY, AMY GABRIEL SANDRA LEE GOGA, PAMELA GOTLIN SHUNA LYDON, KELLY McCLORY MARLENA SEDA THE CREDITS Produced by ROBERT STIGWOOD, JACOB BRACKMAN Directed by....................ALAN MOYLE Executive Producers.........KEVIN McCORMICK JOHN NICOLELLA Screenplay by...............JACOB BRACKMAN Story by........ALAN MOYLE and LEANNE UNGER Associate Producer.............BILL OAKES Director of Photography...JAMES A CONTNER THE CREDITS (cont’d) Edited by........................................TOM PRIESTLEY Casting ..................BARBARA CLAMAN for BCI Special Casting......................MARGIE SIMKIN Extras Casting.......................LOUIS Di GIAIMO Production Manager ..............JUDITH STEVENS Assistant Director...................... ALAN HOPKINS 2nd Assistant Director........................ROBERT WARREN 2nd Unit Directors............................EDWARD BIANCHI JOHN NICOLELLA Unit Manager............................LOUFUSARO Location Manager.....................RON STIGWOOD Camera Operator......................ENRIQUE BRAVO Assistant Cameraman....... ..........HANK MULLER Script Supervisor....................SANDY McLEOD Makeup Artist....................PETER WRONA, JR. Hair Stylist.........................JUDI GOODMAN Wardrobe Supervisor..................KAREN EIFERT Stunt Coordinators.. JAMES LOVELETT, ALEX STEVENS Titles Design...........................DAN PERRI Opticals by.............................MOVIE MAGIC Filmed in PANAVISION and TECHNICOLOR and DOLBY STEREO On Locations in New York City THE MUSIC THE “TIMES SQUARE” SOUNDTRACK ALBUM ROCK HARD......................Performed by SUZI QUATRO Composed by MIKE CHAPMAN & NICKY CHINN TALK OF THE TOWN..........Performed by THE PRETENDERS Composed by CHRISSIE HYNDE SAME OLD SCENE.................Performed by ROXY MUSIC Composed by BRYAN FERRY DOWN IN THE PARK .... Performed & Composed by GARY NUMAN HELP ME!............Performed by MARCY LEVY & ROBIN GIBB Composed by ROBIN GIBB & BLUE WEAVER LIFE DURING WARTIME.......Performed by TALKING HEADS Composed by DAVID BYRNE PRETTY BOYS.........Performed & Composed by JOE JACKSON TAKE THIS TOWN.......................Performed by XTC Composed by ANDY PARTRIDGE I WANNA BE SEDATED ............Performed & Composed by The RAMONES DAMN DOG..................Performed by ROBIN JOHNSON Composed by BILLY MERNIT and JACOB BRACKMAN YOUR DAUGHTER IS ONE ....... Performed by ROBIN JOHNSON & TRINI ALVARADO Composed by BILLY MERNIT, NORMAN ROSS & JACOB BRACKMAN BABYLON’S BURNING................Performed by THE RUTS Composed by JOHN JENNINGS, DAVE RUFFY MALCOLM OWEN, PAUL FOX YOU CANT HURRY LOVE............Performed by D. L BYRON Composed by HOLLAND, DOZIER, HOLLAND WALK ON THE WILD SIDE Performed & Composed by LOU REED THE NIGHT WAS NOT Performed by DESMOND CHILD, & ROUGE Composed by DESMOND CHILD INNOCENT, NOT GUILTY...........Performed & Composed by GARLAND JEFFREYS GRINDING HALT............. ...... Performed by THE CURE Composed by TOLHURST DEMPSEY SMITH PISSING IN THE RIVER .... Performed & Composed by PATTI SMITH FLOWERS IN THE CITY.......Performed by DAVID JOHANSEN & ROBIN JOHNSON Composed by DAVID JOHANSEN & RONNIE GUY Additional Music by BLUE WEAVER Special thanks to JIMMY IOVINE, JOHN PACE, and D.L BYRON BAND (FOR “DAMN DOG”) Original Soundtrack Album Available On RSO RECORDS AND TAPES

UK Press Book for TIMES SQUARE, p. 4 (cast and filmmakers part 1) Text: ABOUT THE CAST... ROBIN JOHNSON, who makes her film debut as the explosive Nicky Marotta, was discovered outside her high school, Brooklyn Tech. That chance happening concluded a five-month nationwide talent hunt to find the dynamic, young singing actress for the demanding role. Robin had never acted previously. The 15-year-old New Yoiker lives at home with her mother and a sister, Cindy. Her audition, both singing and reading script, overwhelmed everyone within hearing. Robin Johnson was Nicky Marotta. TRINI ALVARADO, who portrays Nicky’s friend Pamela, is twelve years old and the daughter of professional performers. Trini has been in show-business since she was seven. On Broadway, she was featured in the hit musical “Runaways”, and performed the play’s theme song on the 1978 Tony Awards television show. She made her film debut to sensational reviews in the Robert Altman production of “Rich Kids”. TIM CURRY, who plays disco jockey Johnny LaGuardia, has been acclaimed internationally for his starring role in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”. He is a classically trained British actor who has performed with the Royal Court Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company, and was seen on Broadway in Tom Stoppard’s “Travesties”. Curry also has appeared on several major British television productions, and in the Jerry Skolimowski film “The Shout". He has recorded two rock albums and performed on a concert tour of the U.S. ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS... ALAN MOYLE, the director of “Times Square”, is a native of Quebec. As both actor and director, Moyle has emerged as a major discovery in Canadian cinema. Following portrayals in the critically-acclaimed films “Outrageous” and “Montreal Main”, Moyle directed and starred in “The Rubber Gun”, a perceptive, unsentimental study of the disintegration of a Montreal communal family. His research often takes him into the environments where he films and imparts to the fictional content a sense of the semi-documentary. For the year prior to filming “Times Square”, for instance, Moyle and Leanne Unger (with whom he developed the original story) lived in a loft on 42nd Street’s famed “Deuce”. To make his mark in show business, Moyle supported himself by holding down a wide range of jobs. They included working in the psychiatric departments of St Vincent’s and Beth Israel hospitals (Moyle started the first role-playing group at the former), and teaching at a primary school for a year on a small island in Canada’s north countiy. His early acting credits include the off-Broadway production of Jean-Claude Van Italie’s “America Hurrah”, where Moyle played the female rubber mannequin, and John Avildsen’s “Joe”, in which he portrayed one of the hippies who was shot in the film’s climax. Moyle also served as a production assistant on a number of independent New York films and, in the early 1970s he returned to Montreal, where he collaborated on a variety of video tapes, books, documentaries and “events". Moyle now is working with Jacob Brackman on another original screeplay. JACOB BRACKMAN is the screen-writer and co-producer of “Times Square". His previous film associations were as Executive Producer and Second Unit Director on Terence Malick’s “Days of Heaven” in 1978. He previously had written the screenplay for Jack Nicholson’s “The King of Marvin Gardens” in 1972. His original song compositions have been recorded by Dionne Warwicke, Fred Astaire, Dr. John, and Carly Simon. With Carly Simon, Brackman wrote the hit singles “That’s The Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be” and “Haven’t Got Time for the Pain”, and was the lyricist of the Broadway musical "King of Hearts”. He also co-wrote new songs for the ‘Times Square” soundtrack. The author of “The Put-On”, a book about American popular culture in the ’60s, Brackman also has written stories and essays for The New Yorker, Playboy, and other magazines, and from 1969 to 1972 was the Film Critic for Esquire magazine. KEVIN McCORMICK the Co-Executive Producer of “Times Square", studied theatre in New York, Mexico and London. In London, he also operated a theatre programme at the Institute of Contemporary Arts. In 1973, after working in various capacities on many West End productions, McCormick became entrepreneur Robert Sigwood’s personal assistant and then his executive assistant In that capacity, he was actively involved in the development of the Stigwood films, “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “Tommy". In 1976, as RSO Films’ newly-appointed Executive Vice-President of Film Development, McCormick was instrumental in bringing to Stigwood’s attention a Nik Cohn story that appeared in New York magazine. That story became “Saturday Night Fever”, McCormick’s debut film as an Executive Producer. Currently, in addition to being Executive Producer for “Times Square”, McCormick is Executive Producer for RSO Films’ “The Fan", which stars Lauren Bacall, James Gamer, Maureen Stapleton and Michael Biehn.

UK Press Book for TIMES SQUARE, p. 5, filmmaker biograpies continued,. Text: BIOGRAPHY ROBERT STIGWOOD (Presenter of “Times Square”) A man with the reputation for sticking with his hunches and seeing them pay off, Robert Stigwood is the founder of an international show business empire comprised of companies that are active in feature films, legitimate theatre, television, personal management, recordings, concert tours and music publishing. Born in 1934 in Adelaide, Australia, Stigwood began his career as a copy-writer for a local advertising agency. At the age of 21, he left for England, where he opened a theatrical agency, initially casting commercials for television and later producing records for many of his clients. By 1965, Stigwood had become the first independent record producer in Great Britain. Stigwood joined forces in 1967 with Brian Epstein, manager of the Beatles, to become co-manager of NEMS Enterprises. After Epstein’s death, he went on to form his own company and launched the careers of the Bee Gees and Cream, featuring Eric Clapton, among others. Stigwood entered London’s theatre scene in 1968 and immediately conquered the West End by presenting the American rock musical “Hair”. His subsequent West End productions have included “Jesus Christ Superstar”, “Pippin”, “Oh! Calcutta!” and, most recently, “Sweeney Todd”, produced in association with David Land. In June 1978, “Evita”, another Stigwood-Land production, opened in London to rave reviews. Currently, the musical has enjoyed record-breaking runs in London, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Australia. “Evita” has won many top honours, including both the LA and New York Drama Critics Circle awards, and the Tony award for Best Musical of 1980. Stigwood also plans to make a film version of the stage hit In 1973, Stigwood entered film production with the motion picture version of “Jesus Christ Superstar”, directed by Norman Jewison. His next was “Tommy”, introducing The Who and directed by Ken Russell, which became one of 1975’s biggest screen hits and marked the first successful merger of rock music and the film medium. Even greater success followed in 1978 with Stigwood’s "Saturday Night Fever”, which catapulted John Travolta to super-stardom and featured the immensely popular music of the Bee Gees. In 1978, another box-office hit, “Grease”, was produced in association with Allan Carr. Subsequent Stigwood films include “Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, which featured Peter Frampton, the Bee Gees, George Burns and Steve Martin, and “Moment by Moment”, which starred Travolta and Lily Tomlin. Stigwood now has backed the greatest back-to-motion picture programme ever planned in New York City. He intends to produce four major features there -- the first being “Times Square” -- all during 1980 and 1981. The second film, now in post-production, is “The Fan”, based on Bob Randall’s best selling suspense thriller and starring Lauren Bacall, James Gamer, Maureen Stapleton and Michael Biehn. Also backed are “Angel”, to be directed and choreographed by Patricia Birch and set in East Harlem, and "Stayin’ Alive", a contemporary romantic comedy based on a screenplay by Norman Wexler and to be directed by Edward Bianchi. The soundtrack albums for all four films will be released on RSO Records. Founded in 1973, RSO Records' impressive artist roster includes the Bee Gees, Eric Clapton, Andy Gibb, and other top contemporary artists. The RSO label releases all the soundtrack albums of Stigwood’s motion picture productions. “Saturday Night Fever” and “Grease” have become the industry’s all-time best sellers. In fact, in mid-July of 1978, RSO Records held the Number One spot on Billboard’s Top 100 Singles chart for 26 out of 29 weeks. Recently, RSO Records entered into an exclusive, long-term, worldwide agreement to distribute Dreamland Records, a new company formed by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn. RSO also released the soundtrack of the Star Wars” sequel, “The Empire Strikes Back”, beginning a close association with Lucasfilm. Stigwood’s involvement in television has spanned both sides of the Atlantic. He controlled the rights for the original British television series “Till Death Us Do Part” and “Steptoe and Son” upon which the “All in the Family” and “Sanford and Son” series were based, and his award-winning production of “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie”, which starred Geraldine McEwan (“Best Actress of the Year” in the U.K. for her performance), was presented to enthusiastic reviews. That same year, Stigwood, together with the Bee Gees and David Frost, conceived of “Music for UNICEF", a means of providing an ongoing source of financial assistance to needy children throughout the world. To accomplish this, the Bee Gees formed Founder Composers, through which they and other participating composers donate the publishing revenue from one of their songs to the UNICEF fund. On January 10,1979, “Music for GNICEF" officially launched the International Year of the Child with an all-star network television special, “A Gift of Song”, with the total proceeds benefiting the fund. JOHN NICOLELLA, the co-Executive Producer of “Times Square”, knows New York City. In fact, his company, Film Outfitters, has become specialists for filming in “The Big Apple”, as all six of Nicolella’s previous movies, as well as “Times Square", were shot there. They are “Saturday Night Fever”, "Hot Rock”, “Crazy Joe" and Woody Allen’s “Interiors". Nicolella also was the Associate Producer for “The Last Embrace” and Gordon Willis’ “Windows”. Currently, he also is the Associate Producer for RSO Films’ “The Fan” which stars Lauren Bacall, James Gamer, Maureen Stapleton and Michael Biehn, and also was filmed in New York City. BILL OAKES, Associate Producer of “Times Square", is a native of Nottingham, England and has been in the United States with the Robert Stigwood Organisation since 1970. Earlier in his career, Oakes was a newspaper reporter, and then an assistant to the Beatles. His association with Stigwood began with the concert and Broadway productions of “Jesus Christ Superstar”. When RSO Records was formed, Oakes was instrumental in the administration of the division, first from England and then, from 1974, in tiie United States. Oakes also was the music supervisor on both the film productions and record album for “Saturday Night Fever” and “Grease” and was the Associate Producer on “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”. In addition to serving as Associate Producer on “Times Square”, he also developed the exciting, contemporary rock score for the film and for the RSO soundtrack album. Oakes says: “The vitality, the raw energy, the lyrical awareness that pulses through the most contemporaiy music is an accurate reflection of the film’s two runaways. I’ve never found a subject so compatible with a sound, and that’s what I believe we have captured on the soundtrack.” In 1955, the insecurities of youth were personified in James Dean’s portrayal of a mixed-up adolescent in “Rebel Without A Cause". In 1969, Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper and Jack Nicholson summed up the attitudes of the ’60s drop-outs in “Easy Rider". The ’70s produced a new hero for the young when John Travolta made his striking entrance in “Saturday Night Fever”. Now, it is the same filmmaker, Robert Stigwood who is responsible for “Times Square”, the first major film to capture the intense, often anarchic posture of the contemporary sound in music, which has set the pattern for young people in the 1980s. “Times Square" is a Robert Stigwood Presentation, produced by Stigwood and Jacob Brackman, with Kevin McCormick and John Nicolella the Executive Producers and Bill Oakes the Associate Producer. Alan Moyle directed from Jacob Brackman’s screenplay, based on a story by Moyle and Leanne Unger. Jim Contner is the Director of Photography; Stuart Wurtzel is the Production Designer, and Bob DeMora is the Costume Designer.

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);

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Category: "Times Square"

Robin Johnson

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

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