0 Comments

“… a pouty thrush named Robin lights up Times Square.”

Detail from start of an article on new celebrities of 1980.  Text:  ARRIVALS A “mogulette” cements her place in Hollywood. A good skate plays Heiden seek. A new Angel sprouts wings and replaces one who couldn’t Hack it. And a pouty thrush named Robin lights up Times Square. They’re just a few of the names who made it in ’80!

Detail from third page of an article about new celebrities of 1980.  Text:  Robin Johnson  Her pouting lips have earned comparisons with Mick Jagger’s. But only a year ago, Times Square bad girl Robin Johnson was just another teen hanging out on the steps of Brooklyn Tech high school with a dangling cigarette. That’s where a talent scout for the Robert Stigwood Organisation spotted her; he encouraged her to audition—and whammo!

RSO’s and AFD’s publicity departments were sure that Times Square would be a hit, and more importantly, that Robin would be the breakout star, and the Hollywood press agreed long enough for US magazine to run her picture as one of the new talents of 1980.

The photo is a crop of Robin from TS-72-8A/14 from the US Press Materials folder, which also appeared in the AFD Campaign Pressbook, on the UK soundtrack sampler, and as the cover of the Japanese soundtrack sampler.

Robin Johnson
Her pouting lips have earned comparisons with Mick Jagger’s. But only a year ago, Times Square bad girl Robin Johnson was just another teen hanging out on the steps of Brooklyn Tech high school with a dangling cigarette. That’s where a talent scout for the Robert Stigwood Organisation spotted her; he encouraged her to audition—and whammo!

The date of this year-end wrap-up issue was December 23. The irony that Times Square had likely already closed across the nation by the time Robin was heralded as an “Arrival,” is far overshadowed by a story on page 62, about the spectacular “Comeback” of John Lennon.

 

 

US, vol. IV no. 18, December 23, 1980
8 1/8 in (W) x 10 3/4 in (H)
(“Arrivals,” pp. 48-50
“Robin Johnson,” p. 50) (work)

 

©1980 Peters Publishing Co.

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Posts

Robin steppin’ out in London, January 1981

  Robin doesn't remember exactly where this photo was taken, but it was during her publicity tour of the UK for Times Square, and probably in London. She also doesn't think much of it as a photograph, but I think there's something enchanting and 1940s-glamorous about it.   It was…

Movie ad from the Trenton Times, October 19, 1980

    Well. This was in the local paper Sunday, October 19, and since I wouldn't have clipped it before I'd seen the movie, Kurt and I must have seen it either opening night or Saturday. I remember we'd been looking forward to the New Tim Curry movie, and I…

Black and white 8x10 transparency containing the poster side of the 2-sided poster foldout promoting TIMES SQUARE (1980) to movie theater bookers. The image measures approximately 9 7/16" x 6 5/16".

Promotional print ad transparency

One problem with collecting this stuff so haphazardly over so many years is that almost none of it has any kind of provenance. I get something from someone who collects all sorts of film memorabilia in order to resell it to the one person who might want a particular item...…