Times Square Movie Ads, The Automat and Other Signs Of the Time
A frozen moment on a sunny winter day in Times Square.
We are looking north from 46th Street to the west side of Broadway. Before looking at the surroundings, check out the tail fins on the passing 1960 Plymouth Savoy automobile heading east.
You may notice the human scale of what Times Square once was. There are mostly low rise buildings housing classic establishments and billboards with simple advertising. There are no glass monoliths with blinding LED lighting as proliferate the area today.
The popular Horn and Hardart Automat is on the left. To the right of the Automat is Playland a pinball and game amusement center that generations of New Yorkers fondly remember. Atop Playland, a billboard is advertising the hit play The Unsinkable Molly Brown at the Winter Garden Theatre. To the right of Playland, another billboard on top of the Forum Theatre advertises Ronson electric razors.
When Was The Photo Taken
The theatre marquee helps us date the photograph.
Carroll Baker is starring in Bridge To The Sun. Opening in October 1961, by late December this film was no longer playing at the Forum. On the next corner is the key advertisement to knowing it is December 1961. The blockbuster El Cid is playing at the Warner Theatre on 47th Street and Broadway.
El Cid opened on December 14, 1961 and would remain at The Warner until August 1962. For this movie, all seats at the theater were reserved and El Cid would do sellout business for the first four months of its showing.
On January 24, 1962 Sophia Loren, star of El Cid, filed a court injunction against Allied Artists and producer Samuel Bronston over this sign, demanding her name be removed. While it appears nothing is amiss, Loren under the terms of her contract was supposed to receive equal billing in all media. Loren’s name was to appear on the same line and same size as co-star Charlton Heston. On the 40 by 15 foot sign, Heston was receiving top billing. Loren would drop her court case on February 19 after the studio promised Loren equal billing with Heston in all future advertising.
Other ads around Times Square are for Esquire shoe shine products; Johnny Walker Scotch Whisky; Canadian Club Whisky and Admiral Television sets.
