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Ladies and Gentlemen, It is Somewhere in Time's 40th Anniversary today. The film came out in theatres on October 3, 1980. I am humbled to be in the center of the film’s ‘phenomenon,' the only word that adequately describes the loyal, faithful, ardent following the film has garnered for itself worldwide, and all that has transpired…How many films get a 10th Anniversary, let alone a 40th? How many films that are really big hits one year, soon fade from collective memory a short while later? How many people can recall what film won “Best Picture” even last year? But we are STILL talking about, celebrating, Somewhere in Time. The film did its own marketing…the fandom did not originate from the studio PR. In fact, the studio didn’t even know what to do to promote it. Beginning with a trouncing by film critics (except, interestingly, for the trades, Variety and Hollywood Reporter, which gave it favorable, positive reviews) resulting in brief, less than 3-weeks run in theatres, the film would have died an ignominious death and be forever forgotten. But in time, SIT got its second chance, via then-new Cable and Home Video media. Somewhere in Time went on to mine and gather its lovers — lovers everywhere — who “get” what it means to love, to long to find ‘the one’, the thrill of finding 'the one' (even if you lose them) and to love totally, forever. I was one of the very fortunate who was on hand for the making of this film, witnessing it myself, and being cast as a “1912” Extra, in 1979. I worked on the film for 3 glorious weeks, became friends with Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour, and felt like I lived for 3 weeks in 1912. It changed my life, in so many incredible ways, I am still amazed. My story is on the SIT Website, “Barely in Time” and I invite you to read it…it will place you there, back then, and give you a taste of what the filming was like. I was Cinderella (suddenly finding myself in a vintage dress, in a carriage and on my way to the ball) and also a bit like Alice, in Wonderland, getting to watch the symphony of experts making a beautiful masterpiece.
What a journey! I am still here, lauding, promoting and representing this film to the world, as the President of INSITE, the fan society (International Network of Somewhere In Time Enthusiasts) which was founded by Bill Shepard in 1990. INSITE has published over 2,400 pages on this single motion picture, making it one of the most documented films of all time. Bill started the ball rolling, and what an ‘astonishing’ step he took! Ten years after it debuted, he created a pedestal for Somewhere in Time, and began the publication. I’ve been creating the fan magazine for 21 years, 81 of the 116 issues. We have also held 29, soon to be 30, Somewhere in Time Weekends at Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island, MI. The annual event was Bill’s idea. What unquantifiable joy it has brought to the fans for 3 decades! My husband Jim and I authored the SIT Website, in 1997. And we have produced 8 Somewhere in Time Event DVDs, (working on the 9th SIT Event DVD), which serve as fans’ tickets to these glittering, “time travel” experiences, with cast and crew sharing their intimate stories. These chronicle the fascinating legacy of this movie and give those who missed them the chance to feel like they were there. When the film came out 40 years ago today, I was in line for my ticket, although I had already seen it in April of 1980, at the Screening for Cast and Crew at Universal. I saw it in the theatre 17 times, during its run. Everyone who worked on the movie believed in it, and felt like we made something special, a superior type of entertainment. Entertainment that uplifts — and tells the kind of story you can recommend to everyone. We were all dashed when it failed at the box office, because SO MANY people missed it. But Somewhere in Time was revived, and it lives. I am touched that fans all over the world still keep it in their hearts, proclaiming it to be their favorite. Men and women — equally! And when they write the SIT Website contact, it’s me who receives it. I get to read all those moving stories and understand the scope of the film’s deep reach, crossing ethnic, cultural, age and gender ‘divisions'... Besides its telling a story about 'finding the one,' which a lot of movies do, (or try to do), Somewhere in Time goes one step further. It gives people Hope. If they have not yet found “the one” it gives them hope they yet will. If they HAVE found “the one” it makes them realize how special that is, with the hope it will last forever. And if they have lost the one they love, it gives them hope they will find them again. We have Richard Matheson (SIT Writer) to thank, first of all, for this cinematic gift. And then Stephen Simon (Producer), Jeannot Szwarc (Director), Chris Reeve and Jane Seymour, and Christopher Plummer, Isidore Mankofsky (Director of Photography), John Barry, and all the dedicated crew who lent their skills and talents to the film. On this, the 40th Anniversary, let us pause and reflect…and let us remember how we first discovered Somewhere in Time. And how it has affected our lives. It’s more than a film, it’s a living treasure! Please join INSITE…2020 we celebrate the film’s 40th Anniversary all year in our magazine. See the Fan Club section of the SIT Website. You are invited to share your thoughts and feelings on the occasion of SIT’s 40th Anniversary, what it means to you… Email: jo@somewhereintime.tv Thank you all…I very much appreciate your friendship, even if we haven’t met. Kindred spirits… Yours in time, Jo Addie Links: Barely In Time or Confessions of a Somewhere in Time Extra 19 minute Film Week radio program about Somewhere in Time, Excellent Article: Somewhere In Time: How A Time Travel Romance Starring Superman Found Its Fans A film homage made in China, where the film played for 18 months as a blockbuster hit at the Palace Theatre in Hong Kong |
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