Filming “Help!” in the Bahamas • Day 7

BEATLES PRAISE L.A.! HULL, TAYLOR VISITING SCENE OF BEATLE MOVIE

(KRLA’s Dave Hull and Derek Taylor are on Nassau, guests of the Beatles during filming of their second movie. Their reports and interviews are being broadcast daily over KRLA.)

by Derek Taylor

This is where I came in. Interviewing the Beatles. It’s surprising how soon you can adjust. Three months ago I was sifting through inquiries from people who wanted to meet them. Now I’ve been sifted myself.

The Beatles are fine. They never change. Their millions of dollars, yens, kroners, marks, rupees and pounds — their multi-million fans, their ceaseless success… none of these things alter their basic down-to-earth, rough-and-ready approach to life.

As I was saying, this interview trip takes me back a year or two. They were on the climb which finally took them to unbelievable heights. I first saw them in a cinema in Manchester. I had never seen anything like the audience reaction and I believe that except for the Beatles, we never will again. I wrote in the Daily Express – a London newspaper: “Something wonderful has happened to pop music…” And it had.

It is still happening here in the Bahamas. They have some great new songs, recorded in England the week before they came out here. They are far more mature and ready for filming than they were in “Hard Day’s Night.” As John said last night, “we were doing the unknown then. Now we’ve all our mistakes to learn from.“

What’s the title of the film? Your guess is as good as mine. “Bahama Ball“? Maybe. “Beatles Two“? I doubt it. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the title wasn’t delayed until the film’s completely in the can. Then one of the Beatles will come up with a brainwave. Like Ringo’s “Hard Day’s Night.“

by Dave Hull

Hi, Hullabalooers! Right now Derek and I are relaxing beside the pool here at the beautiful Balmoral Country Club after our first get-together with out hosts — four fellows named George, John, Paul and Ringo. You probably never heard of them, but they’re singers. Also movie actors. Their group is called… let’s see, is it the Bugs? No, that doesn’t sound right. Maybe they’re the Insects. No, that’s not right either. Surely I haven’t forgotten. Here it is… I wrote it down so I wouldn’t forget. THE BEATLES! Isn’t that a funny name? They couldn’t amount to much with a name like that. They’re nice boys, though.

Seriously, it was a great thrill seeing them again after their visits to Los Angeles last summer. They said to tell all of you hello and that they were looking forward to their next trip to Southern California Aug. 29 and 30. They regard last year’s performance at the Hollywood Bowl as the highlight of their tour.

Derek and I saw them for only a few minutes today between scenes for their movie. We have a longer meeting scheduled tomorrow, and at that time we’ll start asking them the questions many of you sent in to us before we left KRLA. It was like old home week when they saw Derek. He had been their long-time press officer before leaving the group to move to Los Angeles, and Paul said things didn’t seem the same without him.

I congratulated Ringo on his marriage and didn’t have the nerve to tell him what a lot of you said about that! Neither Maureen nor John’s wife, Cynthia, came with them to Nasau and they’re razzing Ringo about the nightly calls he makes to her in England. He’s been away from her for more than a week now… almost half their married life.

Everything is so British here in the Bahamas. It’s a British possession, you know, and I feel a little out of place. But Derek feels right at home. In fact, I may have to tie him up to get him back to KRLA.

In next week’s issue of the Beat we’ll have transcripts with our interviews with the Beatles, including their answers to some of the questions you have been asking… such as how the other boys are reacting to Ringo’s mariage… what effect they think it will have on their popularity… any possible wedding plans for the two bachelors — Paul and George — plus more information about the movie and what they are doing in it. We will also have more pictures of the boys here in Nassau.

One other thing… they have promised us some autographed pictures which we will be bringing back to give away as prizes, plus some of the things they have used on their trip. Well, Hullabalooers, Derek and I will soon been calling in some Beatle interviews over KRLA. Hope you get a chance to hear them. And don’t miss our complete report in next week’s KRLA Beat.

From KRLA BEAT, March 10, 1965

SHARKS AND BOMBS

The boys had lots of near escapes while filming in the Bahamas. For one shot the Beatles were standing just off-shore in water up to their waists, Dick Lester and the camera crew were zooming overhead on a big crane, when someone spotted a shark’s fin near the boys. They didn’t turn a hair, but just walked out of the sea remarking that the shark could go and eat someone else for breakfast!

Another time, Ringo got too near a smoke bomb in a scene when he was being chased by the villains in the film. Poor Ringo got a lung full of smoke which made him cough for some time afterwards.

From The Beatles Monthly Book – April 1965

EVENINGS OUT

There were only a couple of clubs featuring Limbo dancers in Nassau. The boys visited them both, but didn’t try to equal the feats of the local Limbomen, who succeed in getting under horizontal poles only a foot off the ground.

American actor, Brandon De Wilde, also called on them. He’s a great friend of Bob Dylan and plays finger-style guitar. He spent a lot of his time with George, who taught him the chords of their songs. In return Brandon taught George how to play them finger-style.

From The Beatles Monthly Book – April 1965