advertising – Robin Johnson

Times Square trailer, U.S. version

17 October, 2020 Sean 0 Comments 1 category

“Words cannot express the sheer unbelievability of this …” I’m nowhere near ready to post this. I wanted to have the best possible picture, and a post that had something a little more weighty to say about it… but it’s the 40th anniversary of Times Square’s general release today,

A face of the 80’s

16 August, 2020 Sean 0 Comments 1 category

Most of the Times Square posters have some identifying information on them — a copyright notice, the film’s local distributor, a code number — but not this one, so we have to go on what’s on it. The logo and the artwork are from the UK movie poster, which was

Times Square newspaper movie ad negatives, 1980

22 January, 2019 Sean 0 Comments 1 category

Exactly what it says on the label – four pieces of black-and-white film apparently used to print newspaper ads with, dating from October 1980 or shortly before. The seller of these items thought they were for printing posters, but the images are of such low quality, and black-and-white, that even

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

1 May, 2018 Sean 0 Comments 1 category

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

“… a culture of ‘Rag-Dolls’…” 1981 Press Kit, Denmark

4 January, 2018 Sean 0 Comments 1 category

This was sold to me as a Press Kit, but it looks to me more like the AFD Campaign Pressbook in intent, as it has a list of available promotional materials on the back. Theater owners might have a use for that, the press wouldn’t. The Danish publicity for Times

Movie 81 No. 2, February 1981

1 July, 2017 Sean 0 Comments 1 category

“There’s a hot new talent, Robin Johnson in Robert Stigwood’s Times Square…” Times Square was still in theaters in London when the February Movie 81 came out in Australia and editor John Fraser made the above announcement. The two-page spread later in the issue is comprised of “An

Films Illustrated, Vol. 10 No. 113, February 1981

9 June, 2017 Sean 2 Comments 1 category

“If the story sounds as though it makes sense, it doesn’t…” This was dated February but was probably on the stands while Times Square was still in theaters. EMI certainly expected it to be so, judging by the advertisement that appeared on page 162. It’s almost identical

Screen International No. 276, January 24-31, 1981

18 May, 2017 Sean 0 Comments 1 category

The number one film in mid-January 1981 London was, unsurprisingly, Flash Gordon, which had already been open for six weeks to Times Square’s one. Times Square debuted at number seven and was falling fast, but its “tepid” performance hadn’t yet doomed it to closure when this issue of

Record Mirror, 1980

4 April, 2017 Sean 0 Comments 1 category

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

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

2 March, 2017 Sean 0 Comments 1 category

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

Tag: advertising