“A Talent For Loving” is considered for The Beatles’ third film

… and projected Western film

RINGO has always wanted to be a cowboy — he’ll probably get his chance in a Beatles film (see story below).

THE Beatles are expected to film a famous Western story early next year. It is based on Richard Condon’s novel “A Talent For Loving,” and the story centres on a 1,400-mile horse race which took place in 1871 between the Rio Grande and Mexico City.

Condon, who wrote the “Manchurian Candidate,” the film of which starred Frank Sinatra — is currently working on the screenplay of “A Talent For Loving” at his Geneva home.

The picture is to be made by Pickfair Films — a production company formed by Brian Epstein with former United Artists executive Bud Ornstein. It will be shot on location in England and Spain.

But it is not expected to be the third Beatles film which they will make in the autumn—that is almost certain to be the final one of a three-picture deal with United Artists, of which “A Hard Day’s Night” was the first.

The Beatles fly from London Airport to the Bahamas at 2 pm on Monday, February 22, to begin filming their second picture, which will be premiered shortly before August Bank Holiday and simultaneously released in Britain and the U.S.

After location filming in the Bahamas and Austria has been completed by about March 23, the unit will move to Twickenham studios, where much of “A Hard Day’s Night” was made, for 2-3 weeks. During this time several sequences will be shot in London streets.

The soundtrack album containing the six film songs will be issued in the U.S. on Capitol, cables Nat Hentoff. The album of “A Hard Day’s Night” was released in America on United Artists’ own label.

From New Musical Express – February 12, 1965

FILM PLANS

THE Beatles are due to start recording the new songs for their forthcoming film on February 15th. A week later they fly off to the West Indies for the first scenes. The film will be a thriller and locations will take them to Nassau for two weeks and Austria for one week. And, it will be shot in colour.

The boys say that they have already decided that their third movie will be a cowboy and that they want all the location shots to take place in Mexico.

From The Beatles Monthly Book – February 1965

BEATLES DROP AUTUMN FILM

PLANS for the Beatles to make their third film this autumn are OFF! They were to have made “A Talent For Loving”—a western—as previously disclosed in the NME. But as most of this film has to be shot on location in Spain, it is now felt that the weather would not be reliable.

Alternative plans are being set for John, Paul George and Ringo by their manager Brian Epstein but have not as yet been disclosed.

From New Musical Express – June 18, 1965