Filming “Help!” in Austria • Day 2

Beatles’ Ski Talent “Eager ad Lazy” Instructor Reports

OBERTAUERN, AUSTRIA — Filming another segment of their second movie, “8 Arms to Hold You,” the Beatles have been the center of attention on the ski slopes. How do they rate as skiers? Observers say John Lennon isn’t bad. He’s had private lessons and spends most of his time on the slopes. But George has apparently been having a difficult time. Ski instructors are required to catch or tackle him at the bottom of the hill to keep him from coming to grief. Franz Lang, who has been teaching skiing fundamentals to the Beatles, put it this way: “Some of them are very eager, but others are rather lazy.” He did not name names.

From KRLA Beat – April 14, 1965

Dear Ruthie,

Remember how disappoined I was when my dad was transferred to Austria? You know, a real drag! Well, I ran into four of the cutest boys the other day! Movie stars, too! Their names are John, Paul, George and Ringo. Anyway, they were over here to film a movie and you just can’t believe how much fun they were. I am sending you some pictures taken while the movie was being filmed. I think it’s called “Help.” George asked me for a date, but I don’t know whether I can go because mother says he needs a haircut. Janie

P.S. Maybe this place isn’t so bad, after all.

From KRLA Beat – May 26, 1965

Beatles In Austria – DANGEROUS FILMING IN AUSTRIAN ALPS

(The second and concluding portion of an eyewitness account of the problems, pleasures, thrills and dangers involved in filming the Beatles’ second movie, “Help!” Publicist Tony Howard tells of the drastic change when they left tropical Nassau and moved to the snow-bound Austrian Alps.)

Things were different there. Where the generator had nearly fallen overboard during its journey from the mainland to Paradise Island, in Austria the same massive machine was frequently buried under snow and ice during blizzards. Where Princess Soraya had watched the filming in Nassau, the only visiting celebrity in Austria was Miss Austria, who was promptly engaged by producer and director for a small part opposite the Beatles. Where personnel had plodded ankle deep through silver sands, they were now working knee deep in snow. There was also a very real danger of avalanches. A week before Shenson’s unit arrived an avalanche had swept a bus load of students to their death into a ravine. After this tragedy, the mountain pass to Obertauern was closed by the authorities except for four hours a day.

One situation was common to both locales — lack of hotel accommodation. In Obertauern it was also high season, but camping was out; it was cold outside. The hordes of fans, sightseers and pressmen were sleeping six to a room, utilizing even billiard tables. Many bedded down in chairs in the hotel bars when the bars closed down for the night.

Filming started almost right away. And even the weather went exactly according to schedule even though the script called for tremendous physical feats on the parts of the Beatles and co-stars Leo McKern, Eleanor Bron, Victor Spinetti, Roy Kinnear, John Bluthel and Patrick Cargill. Falls from runaway sleighs, ski jumps, sprints across ice rinks — all this and more was performed by the intrepid cast. The Beatles were even required to do a musical number on a mountain top with a grand piano hauled up by eight men for the occasion, in a freezing gale.

Unlike Nassau, high life after dark in Obertauern was practically non-existent because the extremely high altitude tired people almost to the point of collapse. Towards the end of the two-week stint there was, however, one night to remember. The entire unit met at the Marietta Hotel to celebrate assistant director Clive Reed’s birthday. The Beatles, perhaps tiring of the inevitable Viennesse waltzes in the band’s repertoire, decided to take over. With Dick Laster at the piano, they gave a two-hour impromptu concert that nearly took the roof off.

By the last day no one had managed to get to ski but most had two layers of tan.

Back in London it was spring and the day after the chartered plane landed at London Airport, welcomed by several thousand fans, filming was resumed at Wickenham Studios. […]

From KRLA BEAT – June 9, 1965