Eleanor Bron

Beatles’ film girl

ELEANOR BRON, near-future leading lady in the Beatles’ film and present rubber-faced, multi-voiced “Not So Much A Programme” star, looked dubiously at the sample square of material pasted on to the costume sketches during her Press reception at producer Walter Shenson’s headquarters.

“This film should be a sensation if that’s all I’m wearing!” she smiled. While she spoke, a battery of photographers flashed on.

Dick Lester, who will again direct the Beatles’ film, entered into the spirit of the Press reception. “Would you mind getting into the lotus position,” he cajoled. “Anything to make you a little more comfortable.“

Eleanor flashed him a beautiful smile (she says she cannot smile) and held aloft the script for the film, which bore the nebulous title of “Beatles II.“

“I thought there were four,” she complained to Dick, and he reassured her that on the last count she was correct. “I’ve only ever bought one pop record in my life—the Beatles’ new LP. I think you hear pop music so often on the radio and TV that you never need to buy them,” she told me.

She thinks that groups such as the Americans’ Crystals make very nostalgic records. “Then I Kissed Ya” is one of her favourites. She also likes Dionne Warwick. “It’s a shame so many singers try to copy her, though,” said Eleanor. “There can be only one.“

Eleanor is the sister of Gerry Bron, a director of London’s Bron Music firm. It was Gerry who handled most of Gene Pitney’s affairs while he was over here recently. “I met Gene one evening at my parents’ house in Edgware,” said Eleanor. “I also talked to his recording manager Jimmy Radcliffe on the telephone. I like them both.“

The new film is to have locations in the Bahamas and Austria and Eleanor is looking forward to seeing both places for the first time. “Do you know, I haven’t even read the script,” she admitted. “But who cares ? It’s such a marvellous chance.“

The only Beatle Eleanor has met so far is Paul McCartney — at the Establishment club one night and only then on shaking hands terms. She’ll have plenty of opportunity to meet the boys from February 22 onwards when the film begins to roll.

I spoke briefly to director Dick Lester before leaving.

“I see the Beatles are going to film in the (censored) area,” I said enticingly. I had sneaked a look at one of the sketches and saw a location scribbled in one corner.

“You go ahead and print that and we’ll go ahead and change the location,” Dick said agreeably.

Apart from the fact that they will be filming in a small village between two mountains in Austria (“We’ll go up one and down the other in glorious colour,” cracked Dick), I could get nothing out of him.

“I suppose John’s been taking skiing lessons for a good reason,” I said.

“No, that’s just part of his death wish,” smiled Dick, winking and walking away before I could get any more information out of him.

From New Musical Express – February 12, 1965

Eleanor Bron Finds Favor With Beatles – Moptops Busy in Bahamas; Pal’s All-Technique Movie

From the hungry i in San Francisco with “The Establishment” to the BBC-TV show “Not So Much a Program More a Way of Life” to Nassau in the Bahamas as new leading lady to the Beatles. That’s the zigzagging course taken by Eleanor Bron.

“Already,” reports a member of the “Beatles Two” (tentative title) company, “she is the envy of every female teen-ager in Britain. Shooting commenced here Feb. 23 with Walter Shenson producing and Richard Lester directing. Shenson has not done a film since ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ but Lester has just completed ‘The Knack,’ which stars Rita Tushingham, in England. All scenes for the two weeks in the Bahamas are of course exterior; we have already shot on Balmoral Island and Huntington Hartford’s Paradise Isle. Also, we have been using the grounds of three of the most prominent hotels. The Nassau police are out in force to stop the traffic when necessary and to restrain crowds who just want to see the Beatles. To those skeptics who think the Beatles are through all I can say is, ‘Watch the tourists coming in from Miami and even New York just for the day…”

Bond Frustrated by Beatles!

“The weather is perfect for us and there is not a hotel room to be had in the island. This has caused the ‘Thunderball’ company to delay its arrival for the fourth James Bond movie until after our company leaves here for Austria March 10. We are using a local movie house to view the Eastman Color rushes arriving daily from the London Technicolor labs which are doing the processing.

“The cast and crew of 80 came here by chartered jet. We are shooting seven days a week so there is no rest for anyone. The Beatles are born actors and director Lester has achieved many shots with only one take. The script by Marc Behm — he was co-scripter on ‘Charade’ — is an original comedy adventure chase which sees Ringo as the target of an eastern sect and Miss Bron as an eastern priestess whose designs on the Beatles are positively outrageous. The remaining three Beatles spend their time trying to save Ringo from a fate worse than death.

“Besides Miss Bron, Victor Spinetti (the TV director in ‘A Hard Day’s Night’) has been set to play a power-drunk scientist and Leo McKern (he just finished ‘Moll Flanders’) the priest of the mythical sect.

“The Beatles already have recorded six songs. We should have a title soon and then John Lennon and Paul McCartney will write the title tune.”

From The Los Angeles Times, March 5, 1965