Sunday, May 4, 1969
Paul McCartney joins party to celebrate the completion of “The Magic Christian” film
Last updated on August 30, 2025
Sunday, May 4, 1969
Last updated on August 30, 2025
Location: Les Ambassadeurs club • London • UK
Previous article Wednesday, April 30, 1969 ? • "The Ballad of John and Yoko" photo session
Session May 01, 1969 • Mixing "Oh! Darling"
Session May 02, 1969 • Recording "Something"
Article May 04, 1969 • Paul McCartney joins party to celebrate the completion of "The Magic Christian" film
Session May 05, 1969 • Recording "Something"
Single May 05, 1969 • "Get Back / Don't Let Me Down (US - Stereo)" by The Beatles released in the US
By Badfinger • LP
Officially appears on Come And Get It / Rock Of All Ages
On this day, Paul and Linda McCartney joined a party to celebrate the completion of the filming of “The Magic Christian“, featuring Ringo Starr and Peter Sellers. Among the other attendees were John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Maureen Starr, Richard Harris, Sean Connery, Stanley Baker, Spike Milligan, George Peppard, Roger Moore and Christopher Lee.
The party was filmed by the producers of “The Magic Christian” and 41 seconds of it appeared in a BBC documentary, produced by Dennis O’Dell and directed by Tony Palmer, named “Will The Real Mr. Sellers…” and broadcast in December 1969. We can see Peter Sellers talking to John Lennon, and also a brief interview where Paul McCartney denies his wife Linda is pregnant (even if their daughter Mary was born four months after).
After the completion of the film I arranged a huge publicity party at Les Ambassadeurs Club in London. It was one of the most star-studded parties of the decade, and the guest list read like a who’s who of contemporary pop culture. As well as all the star names featured in the film, a swathe of the most popular celebrities of the era also attended. Among them were Richard Harris, Roger Moore, Stanley Baker, Sean Connery and of course the recently married couples from the Beatles’ camp, John and Yoko and Paul and Linda.
Denis O’Dell – From “At the Apple’s Core: The Beatles from the Inside“, 2002
From Wikipedia:
The Magic Christian is a 1969 British satirical black comedy film directed by Joseph McGrath and starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr, with appearances by John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Raquel Welch, Spike Milligan, Christopher Lee, Richard Attenborough and Roman Polanski. It was loosely adapted from the 1959 comic novel The Magic Christian by the American author Terry Southern, who co-wrote the screenplay adaptation with McGrath. The film also features pre-Monty Python appearances of John Cleese (credited) and an uncredited Graham Chapman, who had jointly written an earlier version of the film script.
Songs by Badfinger, including “Come and Get It” written by Paul McCartney, were used on the soundtrack. The official soundtrack album had other music as well as dialogue from the film. Badfinger released an album, Magic Christian Music, containing their songs for the film.
The film received mostly negative reviews on release, citing its unrelenting and heavy-handed satire of capitalism, greed and human vanities.
The Beatles Diary Volume 1: The Beatles Years
With greatly expanded text, this is the most revealing and frank personal 30-year chronicle of the group ever written. Insider Barry Miles covers the Beatles story from childhood to the break-up of the group.
If we modestly consider the Paul McCartney Project to be the premier online resource for all things Paul McCartney, it is undeniable that The Beatles Bible stands as the definitive online site dedicated to the Beatles. While there is some overlap in content between the two sites, they differ significantly in their approach.
Notice any inaccuracies on this page? Have additional insights or ideas for new content? Or just want to share your thoughts? We value your feedback! Please use the form below to get in touch with us.
