Book Reviewed: Times Square Style, by Vicki Gold Levi and Steven Heller

Book Reviewed: Times Square Style, by Vicki Gold Levi and Steven Heller

A compendium of the colorful posters and promotion displays of Time Square

This is book is full of colorful posters, promotions, advertisements and billboards that appeared in and around the New York’s famed Times Square right from the Golden age of Broadway. There is energy, glamor and allure in its signs. The burlesques and Ziegfeld follies always had an element of eroticism in its depiction, but then again this is Time Square, ground zero for the promotion of the products of entertainment industry since its beginning. In 1915, D. W. Griffith opened his epic “Birth of a Nation” in Times Square and its success encouraged others to use this spot. The highlights of the book includes; front of Times Square subway station in 1904; the 1937 picture of New Year’s eve celebration; advertisement poster for the Broadway show, “Ghetto” in 1899; still photographs of the 1933 film “42nd Street” filmed at Times Square; song sheets and theatrical posters of “Ziegfeld Follies;” the front pages of Theater Magazine (1931); the front of Elting Burlesque Theater (1931); the 1936 movie poster of “The Great Ziegfeld” and the 1937 movie poster of star-studded “Stage Door;” and the unravelling of 40 feet figure of Elvis Presley for his show, “Love me Tender” (1956). There are quite a few colorful presentations of the posters and billboards that are worth looking into. This book certainly interests any reader interested in the history of Manhattan and Times Square