Filming “Help!” in the Bahamas • Day 12

PRINCESS MEETS THE BEATLES

Princess Soraya, second from left, accompanied by traveling companion (dark glasses), discusses movie making with the Beatles as she visits their location site Tuesday at Nassau, the Bahamas. The Beatles, from left: Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison. (UPI Telephoto)

From The Scranton Tribune – March 10, 1965

Bahamians Are Plagued by Beatles

NASSAU, Bahamas — (UPI) — The Beatles, long-haired darlings of the teen set, were upbraided Saturday by some adults who tried to reach their ears with such mutterings as “Beatles go home.“

Here to make a new movie, the four British entertainers were accused of being rude, disturbing the countryside calm by driving at terrifying speeds and using naughty words. It may be youthful exuberance. But that’s not how many normally placid Bahamians viewed the heroes of millions of teenagers.

Peter Gardner, propietor of the exclusive “Sun and Open” Restaurant, played host to the foursome and held out his hand to greet them. Now he has a blistered palm. Witnesses said the blister was raised by a lighted cigaret, but Gardner isn’t talking.

“It was an accident,” he explained.

Charlie Lehman, who runs the off-beat “La Fin” Bar, claimed Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr visited his establishment and spent most of their time mumbling naughty words.

“They were pretty rude, but I suppose we have to expect that,” he said.

The Beatles also have run into trouble on the roads. Residents along exclusive Eastern Road claim they have driven along the palm-lined shore road at terrifying speeds.

“The Liverpool lads should remember they’re not at home now,” wrote Columnist Robert Miller in The Nassau Guardian.

“They are in another country whose people have done the decent thing by not mobbing them and allowing them to get on with the job of film-making. So please, Merseyside men, try not to upset too many people on this island. And don’t be so blanketyblanket rude. I know what the Beatles’ answer to that will be. And may I say in reply, ‘And the same to you, wack.’“

Wack is Liverpudlian for “buddy.”

Meanwhile, Columnist Nikki Kelly of The Nassau Daily Tribune wrote that a reporter who tried to interview the four was pushed fully clothed into a swimming pool.

From The Miami Herald – March 7, 1965

Beatles Outrage Fans In Bahamas

NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Back home in England the Beatles may be great, but since their arrival here they’ve done little to endear themselves to the press or public. The entertainers got off to a bad start last December when Beatle George Harrison arrived with his girl friend, Patti Boyd, for a hush-hush week’s stay with Dr. W. T. Strach, the Beatles’ business manager. Efforts by local officials then to keep reporters and fans away led to a near-riot at the airport.

When the four mop-tops arrived Feb. 22 to film a movie, they gave local fans the slip by being whisked from their plane in an automobile, not allowing even a glimpse of them. Charges of “ignoring their fans” were denied by Brian Epstein, the Beatles’ personal manager, who claimed this was an arrangement by local authorities.

But the Beatles’ behavior here is generally resented. They’ve refused to pose for any photographers and fans have been unable to get autographs as the entertainers rush back and forth in fast cars and dodge autograph seekers.

Photographers have been subjected to foul language and the public generally has come in for similar treatment.

Tony Howard, their publicity manager, today denied reports that Ringo had burned the hand of Pete Gardner, manager of a restaurant, with a lighted cigarette.

“When I told Ringo about it, he went into a fit of laughter, saying he couldn’t understand how anyone could think he would do such a thing,” Howard said. “The whole thing was just a joke.”

Howard admitted Ringo did gesture toward Gardner’s hand with a cigarette but said he had no intention of burning him. In spite of the bad press they’ve received here, Howard said the Beatles loved the Bahamas and plan to return for a holiday as soon as their schedule permits.

Commenting on adverse publicity, Howard said: “I think they’ve come to expect this kind of thing. It probably happened because the people were getting a bit bored with all the nice things which have been said about the Beatles and the newspapers were just looking for a new angle. The boys feel that recent statements about them in print are quite wrong or vastly exaggerated and as far as they are concerned, they’ve clear consciences and nothing to regret.”

Filming of the movie, so far unnamed, has proceeded on schedule and the Beatles are due to leave Wednesday. Full preparations are being made to allow fans a good view of the Beatles on their departure. They will arrive at the airport an hour before scheduled takeoff.

During the weekend the Beatles broke their daily “work and to bed” routine and dined with Sir Harold and Lady Christie on Friday and tourist minister Sir Stafford Sands on Saturday when they met the governor of this British Crown Colony, Sir Ralph, and Lady Grey.

From Tallahassee Democrat – March 9, 1965

The Beatles Seem at War With Nassau

NASSAU, Bahamas. — The Beatles have been shooting their second film here in class-conscious Nassau — and some of society has declared that the British boys are “rude.”

“The newspapers say we use four-letter words,” remarked George Harrison.

“What we said, actually, was ‘Gosh,’” observed John Lennon.

“We may have said, also, ‘Heavens!’,” said Paul McCartney.

“Couldn’t have said that, Paul. More than four letters,” drolled John.

Away from his buddies, sitting with characteristic gentle moroseness under a palm tree, was Ringo Starr. Ringo was philosophic about the bad publicity, which has filtered back into the U. S. papers, giving the boys a “bad image.“

“IN THE PAPERS, we get praised one day, and the next day we get knocked,” he said. “There’s always a lot of misquotin’ going on, all over the world, wherever we are. Shouldn’t mind. But I just hate people writing nasty things about us for no reason at all.”

Asked if there, in truth, is “no reason” for the stories of their impoliteness to the local citizenry, Ringo admitted that the Beatles are not invariably polite. “We’re polite when we have to be polite, and rude when we have to be rude,” he explained, simply. “In other words, to change a saying, you can be polite to some of the people some of the time, but you can’t be polite to all of the people all of the time.” He released an unexpected smile. “They don’t all deserve it, y’know.”

IN THREE DAYS of trailing and chatting with the Beatles here, I think I know what Ringo means. The irreverent quartet, who have built a reputation and an image as a result of their very irreverence for established conventions, possibly have never before been submitted to a more socially-selective citizenry than this one.

Here in Nassau, the desperately poor and the incredibly rich live side-by-side — and a psychological world apart. The Beatles, who began poor and today could buy all the greatest manses on the island, must find it hard to take kindly to such inequities. They must find it equally hard not to poke fun at them, as they poke fun at almost everything.

THE LOCAL SOCIALTIES and officials, while not quite approving of Beatlemania, still want to entertain — or be entertained by — the Beatles. This has resulted, I understand, in some outlandish social fiasco. One wife of a tourism official told me that, at a dinner she hosted for them one night recently, all four Beatles sat at her table — and didn’t exchange a word with her the entire evening.

“I realize I made an awful mistake,” she admitted. She used a French word, in conversation, and immediately the Beatles pegged her as “a phony.” Or a “snob.”

AS RINGO explained to me later: “We like people easily, but when they cross us, that’s a blow. When people aren’t straight, when we don’t trust ’em, we don’t talk. Or we ignore ’em. Or we tell ’em a lot of rubbish.”

They are a complex group. Zany, bright, witty, incorrigible and, with their tremendous success, unconcerned with what the society of a tiny island might think.

Perhaps John, Paul, Ringo and George have, indeed, been tossing about four-letter words at the locals. All I know is that, in three days of chatting with them, the only one thrown at me was a word that began with “C,” ended with “P” and is commonly used to describe a certain game of dice.

They’re an awesome group, the Beatles. But in their wild way, they’re honest. I was in their private cottage the other night as they prepared to go out to a highly-social “Do.”

PAUL WALKED IN, properly dressed in white shirt, cufflinks, black suit, black tie… and beach sandals. John said somberly, “You got to wear socks.“

Paul, his baby-face genuinely appalled, remarked, “Why? What’s wrong with no socks?“

From Philadelphia Daily News – March 10, 1965