Fab Four Blog

Twickenham Film Studios, St. Margaret's, Twickenham

One of the most remarkable scenes in "HELP!" was that in which, heavily disguised, the Beatles are seen at an airport terminal (actually a film set, shot this day), prior to flying out to the Bahamas. It was remarkable because, as the years passed, three of the Beatles assumed his make-believe disguise in real life. With his long flowing beard and granny glasses, John was anticipating his summer-1969 look. Bewhiskered George looked this way again in Spring 1967 (Sgt. Pepper sleeve era) and Ringo's tight-cropped hair and thin beard was his mid-1970 image.

Also shot this day, preceding the imminent visit to Salisbury Plain, the Beatles filmed a scene with Ahme atop a tank turret.

Source: The Complete Beatles Chronicle - Mark Lewisohn

In between filming today

City Barge, Strand-on-the-Green, Chiswick, London

The Beatles went out on location this day, shooting the sequence that precedes the one in which Ringo is trapped in a cellar with a man-eating tiger (shot April 7th). They filmed in the tiny Chiswick hamlet of Strand-on-the-Green, walking down the narrow Post Office Alley and out onto the River Thames towpath. Then, as they realize their life is in danger (from marauding "thugs" dressed as bagpipe players), they seek shelter inside the City Barge public house (interior City Barge footage was shot on a set at Twickenham). They then re-emerged onto the towpath without Ringo (trapped in the cellar) by diving straight through the pub's glass window frontage.

John and Paul weren't needed after this filming. George and Ringo went elsewhere (not used in the finished film, and location not documented) to shoot a street and telephone-box scene, and then an additional item was filmed, without any of the Beatles, inside the food department at Harrods in Knightsbridge. (Again, not used in the finished film) There was no shooting on Monday, filming commencing again on Tuesday.

Twickenham Film Studios, St. Margaret's, Twickenham

More filming of the drama-school sequence with Frankie Howerd and Wendy Richard. Clang and Ahme joined the sequence this time.

Twickenham Film Studios, St. Margaret's, Twickenham

One of the first sequences in "Help!" has the Beatles performing the title song in what is supposed to be a television appearance (hence the black and white footage: British TV did not begin color transmissions until December 1967). It was also shown being projected onto a home-movie screen at which Clang, filmed in color, threw darts. The scene was shot this day at Twickenham.

The untouched B&W footage (that is, without McKern and his darts), as supplied to them by United Artists, was distributed to TV companies by NEMS to promote "Help!" when it was released as a single on July 23rd. BBC1's Top Of The Pops, for example, showed the clip in the programs on July 29th (7:30-8:00 pm) and August 19th (7:25-8:00 pm). (This latter edition also included UA-supplied movie footage of "Another Girl".) On commercial television, what has come to be known as "dartless" clip was included in the 200th edition of Thank Your Lucky Stars, this time titled Lucky Stars Anniversary Show, networked by ABC on Saturday, July 15th (5:50-6:30 pm), and on TWW's Discs A Gogo on Monday, July 26th.

Later in the day, the Beatles began shooting a long scene which did not make the finished print, in which they were joined by British comedian Frankie Howerd, playing the part of Sam Ahab, teacher of dramtic art, and - as Lady Macbeth, one of Ahab's pupils, - the then unknown actress Wendy Richard (later to play Miss Brahms in the BBC sitcom Are You Being Served? and more recently appearing as Pauline Fowler in the BBC soap EastEnders).

Twickenham Film Studios, St. Margaret's, Twickenham

Filming of the scene, supposedly set inside Scotland Yard, in which the Beatles visit the office of Superintendent Gluck.

Twickenham Film Studios, St. Margaret's, Twickenham

The resumption of shooting after the Easter break. Among the scenes shot today was the one in which a "thug" attempts to remove Ringo's "Sacrificifial Ring" as he puts his hand into a mailbox to post a letter. (The location element of this sequence was filmed on May 9).

Ticket To Ride, The Beatles' ninth Capitol Records single, was the first release from the Help! album sessions. It was issued as Capitol 5407, with Yes It Is on the b-side.

The single spent a week at number one in the Hot 100. The label stated that it was from the forthcoming United Artists release Eight Arms To Hold You, which had until early April 1965 been the working title for the Help! film.

In the United Kingdom the single had been released by Parlophone on 9 April 1965.

Room 65, EMI Studios, London

An early mono mix of "Help!" and stereo mixes of this and also "The Night Before", made between 10:00 am and 12:30 pm. (Help! would be done again in both mono and stereo on June 18th)

Saturday Brian goes to Spain on vacation and...

Top #5 songs in the USA

• The Supremes - Stop! In The Name Of Love
• Freddie and the Dreamers - I'm Telling You Now
• Wayne Fontana - Game Of Love
• Herman's Hermits - Can't You Hear My Heartbeat
• Petula Clark - I Know A Place

Studio One, Wembley Studios, Wembley

An appearance on Rediffusion's Ready, Steady, Go! was still one of the best ways for an artist/group to promote the release of a new single. The problem was, the Beatles would no longer appear live on the program and they would no longer pre-tape (as they had done on November 23, 1964). A partial solution was effected this evening, when John and George (only) went along to Rediffusion's Wembley Studios to plug "Ticket To Ride" and be interviewed by show host Cathy McGowan in this live Good Friday broadcast, 6:08-7:00 pm. Among the other guests appearing in this edition was Adam Faith, Doris Troy, the Kinks and Herman Hermits.

Source: The Complete Beatles Chronicle - Mark Lewisohn

Appearance on BBC's `Top Of The Pops'.

Alisa Ave. St. Margaret's, Twickenham, Middlesex

The first time the Beatles are seen in "Help!" is when their Rolls Royce pulls up in a suburban residential street, they get out and proceed to enter four adjacent terraced houses here in Ailsa Avenue (located not far from the studio) - Ringo in number 5, John 7, Paul 9, and George 11, while, across the road, two women bystanders (Dandy Nichols, later to star in the BBC sitcom Till Death Us Do Part, and Gretchen Franklin), ponder on the boys' remarkable normality and whether or not they would appreciate a wave.

What neither they nor the world could see was that, on the inside, the four houses had been knocked into one enormous communal area - although this, of course, was shot on a set at Twickenham. While in Ailsa Avenue this day the Beatles also shot some street scenes.

The group were not involved in shooting on the 15th and then they and the crew enjoyed a long Easter weekend break, re-convening a the studio on Tuesday, April 20th.

Twickenham Film Studios, St. Margaret's, Twickenham and Studio Two, EMI Studios, London

In the morning the Beatles completed shooting the "Relativity Cadenza" scene begun the previous day. They weren't required at Twickenham for the rest of the day, however, with studio and location shots involving Professor Foot, Algernon, Clang, Bhuta and their "Thugs" being filmed here and on location through the afternoon and evening. But the group remained at the film studios long enough to give a live interveiw for BBC Radio.

On this day, The Beatles recorded “Help!” -- the song -- during a four-hour session that started around 7 p.m. at Abbey Road Studio Two in London.

It was the title track of the band's fifth album and second film.

Twelve takes were recorded that night; the first eight were rhythm tracks only, with vocals appearing for the first time on take nine. John Lennon -- the song's primary writer -- sang lead vocals, backed by Paul McCartney and George Harrison.

Speaking of Harrison, he had some difficulty playing the descending electric-guitar fills when the band was recording the backing tracks.

The song came to be when someone in The Beatles' camp changed the name of the band's upcoming movie from "Eight Arms to Hold You" to "Help!" Once again, Lennon and McCartney needed to come up with an original song to match the title of a movie. (The same thing happened a year earlier with "A Hard Day's Night.")

Twickenham Film Studios, St. Margaret's, Twickenham

Shooting of the scene, supposedly set inside Buckingham Palace, in which the Beatles, running along a corridor, are triggered into slow motion by Professor Foot's "Relativity Cadenza".

Empire Pool, Wembley and Studio One, Teddington Studio Centre, Teddington

An appearance in the New Musical Express 1964-65 Annual Poll-Winners' All-Star Concert, the Beatle's third consecutive contribution to this afternoon show presented by the weekly pop paper. In front of a 10,000 audience they performed "I Feel Fine", "She's A Woman", "Baby's In Black", "Ticket To Ride" and "Long Tall Sally".

Highlights of the concert were broadcast in two 85 minute ABC Television specials titled Poll Winners Concert, the first of these, the one including the Beatles' appearance, transmitted on April 18 (Easter Sunday) 3:15-4:40 pm in most of Britain. Viewers also saw the group collect their poll awards from American Singer Tony Bennett.

Immediately after the NME performance, the Beatles left Wembley and drove to ABC'x Teddington studios, arriving at 6:30 pm. After dinner and a change of clothes, they participated in a rehearsal/camera run-through, dress rehearsal, and finally, live transmission of the weekly series The Eamonn Andrews Show.

Studio Two, Riverside Studios, London

With a new single out, another Top Of The Pops television appearance was necessary, and for the last time the group went into BBC studios and shot a mimed performance exclusively for TOTP screening. Video-taping (including rehearsals) took place from 1:30 pm and two songs were shot, the usual A- and B-side formula: "Ticket To Ride" and "Yes It Is". For the first time, the Beatles wore the fawn-colored jackets which they would wear again the next day at the NME concert and then wear for their famous Shea Stadium concert. (In August)

Both song performances were included in Top Of The Pops on Thursday, April 15th, transmitted from 7:30 to 8:00 pm. "Yes It Is" was then repeated the following week (April 22) and "Ticket To Ride" on April 29th and again on May 6th, all (7:30-8:00 pm).

Another unused scene was shot today, set in a warehouse interior with the four Beatles, Superintendent Gluck (Patrick Cargill), seven of his policemen and 12 "thugs" belonging to Clang (Leo McKern).

Four sequences were filmed, only two involving the Beatles, all four of the group took part in a washroom sequence, in which havoc was wreaked by an excessive hot-air hand-drier and then Ringo shot a solo sequence in a bathroom, not in the finished film.

Source: The Complete Beatles Chronicles - Mark Lewisohn

Today the Beatles filmed the "Pub Cellar" sequence, in which Ringo, having fallen through a trap door, is confronted by "Raja, the famous Bengal maneater".

During a break in filming today, the Beatles received a "Bell" award from Radio Caroline, presented to them by disc-jockey Simon Dee and filmed by newsreel cameras, and Dee also took the opportunity to interview the Beatles for a broadcast on the Pirate airwaves.

The first couple of days this week were spent shooting the interior dining area and kitchen sections of the "Rajahama" restaurant sequence, all on a set built at Twickenham.

April 4, 1965: The title “Help!” is confirmed for the Beatles’ second movie.

Today the Beatles took a break from filming "Help".

Twickenham Film Studios, St. Margaret's, Twickenham

While the Beatles were filming at Twickenham George Martin was working at Abbey Road (10:00-11:00 am) producing a stereo mix of "You're Going To Lose That Girl" that incorporated the March 30th overdub. It was never used.

More shooting of "Help" for "Eight Arms To Hold You"

Twickenham Film Studios, St. Margaret's, Twickenham

More shooting for Eight Arms To Hold You

Twickenham Film Studios, St. Margaret's, Twickenham and Studio Two, EMI Studios, London

After today's filming the Beatles returned to London for an unsuccessful evening's recording at Abbey Road. Booked from 7:00 until 9:00 pm - but running over until 10:00, they first attempted a re-make of "That Means A Lot" but abandoned the song again after five more uninspired takes (numbered 20-24). They then recorded some overdubs - of which instrument(s) is not specified on the EMI session documentation - onto the existing "best" take of "You're Going To Lose That Girl", although none was used for the released version.

Source: The Complete Beatles Chronicles - Mark Lewisohn

Twickenham Film Studios, St. Margaret's, Twickenham

The first day of the second week of studio shooting at Twickenham. Sequences such as the long laboratory scene with Professor Foot and Algernon, and the interior railway station scene, were filmed during this week.