Magical Mystery Tour

The Beatles going down the staircase during the Your Mother Should Know segment of Magical Mystery Tour.

Artwork by Cynthia Lennon, year unknown

In 1981, Cynthia donated a print to Scottish Rite Children's Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia and, before she died, Cynthia donated another print of her painting that she signed and framed for auction on behalf of St. Thomas Lupus Foundation for 2016.

Pattie Harrison, Cynthia, Julian, Maureen Starkey, and Jenny Boyd sitting and watching The Beatles rehearse and filming of Magical Mystery Tour on September 24, 1967 in an aircraft hangar in West Malling Airfield, Kent, England.

After Brian Epstein's death and a lecture seminar of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's meditation, The Beatles decided to put their India trip on hold to focus on a television film and album: Magical Mystery Tour. It was a full hands on deck project for them, from writing, casting, locations, permissions, producing, directing… Paul McCartney was more of a leader on the project, overseeing everything. Filming began on September 11 until the 24th in 1967. At some point during the second week of filming, Cynthia and Julian visited. Julian remembers being on the bus and was actually filmed. If you look closely, you can spot Julian in the film on the bus- careful not to blink and miss!

Julian and John in between rehearsals for Magical Mystery Tour on September 24, 1967 in an aircraft hangar in West Malling Airfield, Kent, England.

"You can see me on the coach in the actual film" 

Julian

Honestly… I keep blinking and missing him. I just can't find Julian! Could you? I must have gone through all the bus scenes, slow pacing, pausing, observing each person one by one, and yet! No such luck. If you got lucky spotting Julian in the film, please let me know!

Anyway, Julian made another cameo appearance with Cynthia in with the crowd. 

"If you look very carefully you can see me, Cynthia, little Julian, Big Mal, Neil, and a few others desperately trying to make ourselves look like a crowd." 

Alistair Taylor (Brian Epstein's assistant)

I can't deny that Cynthia and Julian did an excellent job of blending in with the crowd, because I can't find them! The only one that really stood out was Mal Evans. Cynthia barely mentions Magical Mystery Tour filming experiences in anything she'd written other than the dress up party (coming up in a second!). I do believe it was during the marathon scene, where they were all running around the field and were present when The Beatles filmed I Am the Walrus, which was filmed on September 23, 1967.

Paul McCartney and Julian playing in between filming Magical Mystery Tour on September 24, 1967 outside of an aircraft hangar in West Malling Airfield, Kent, England with Paul wearing his Wizard costume.

Photographed by Terry Doran 

On September 24, 1967 was the last day of filming, The Beatles rehearsed and filmed Your Mother Should Know segment of Magical Mystery Tour in an aircraft hangar in West Malling Airfield, Kent, England with Cynthia, Julian, Maureen, Pattie, and her sister Jenny Boyd to watch. 

John at the Magical Mystery Tour fancy dress party at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London, December 21, 1967 with Maureen, Ringo, Paul, and Jane Asher. Unfortunately, no photos of Cynthia were published (as same with George and Pattie Harrison who arrived late to the party).

On December 21, 1967, The Beatles held a celebration launch dress party for the Magical Mystery Tour at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London. 

Ringo… Circus Ringmaster

Maureen… Indian

Paul… Pearly King

Jane… Pearly Queen

John… Teddy Boy 

Cynthia… Quality Street Victorian Lady

George… Errol Flynn

Pattie… Belly Dancer

The party did not go well for John and Cynthia. For starters, John got drunk and spent most of the night ignoring Cynthia. There are stories that John eyed and danced with Pattie, sparking rumors that they had an affair- to which Pattie has vehemently denied (I do believe her, by the way). 

“No way! Cynthia was a very sweet girl. I think when they moved from Liverpool she felt out of her depth. I tried to encourage her to come to London from their home in Surrey but she never really wanted to."

Pattie Boyd, 2018

But Pattie wasn't the only woman John flirted with- there were many others, much to Cynthia's embarrassment and jealousy. She was the only woman that John didn't dance with. Anyway, John's father Alfred was also there, dressed as a garbage man, and they created some noise. Lulu, dressed as Shirley Temple, was appalled by John's behavior and called him out on the way he was treating his wife. Meanwhile, Cynthia danced with other men, especially Billy J. Kramer, dressed as a soldier from Quality Street, similar to Cynthia's Victorian outfit, Cynthia was dressed in crinoline, bonnets, and bows… Cynthia later wrote in A Twist of Lennon book that she and Billy made a lovely couple, dancing away while full of food, wine, high spirits, and probably an attempt to make John jealous. Instead, while attempting to do a jive rather than waltzing in a material that's not suited for energizing movement, her dress and bonnet pretty much collapsed and ballooned out, leaving Cynthia making a fool of herself in the middle of the dance floor and John being embarrassed.

I Don't Want to Spoil the Party

OK, before we go along with the Lennons to London, we are slightly getting ahead of ourselves here. Two “monumental” things happen in 1963 (besides the birth of Julian).

1) John's fight with Bob Wooler at Paul McCartney's 21st birthday party

2) John and Cynthia's honeymoon in Paris… but honestly I want to use that for a post entry on it's own.

Paul and his new girlfriend, Jane Asher

Photographed by Mike McCartney

Bob Wooler was a local Disc jockey, host announcer at the Cavern Club, and a contributing music writer/journalist who believed in the Beatles. He became a friend, until one night...

On June 18, 1963, Paul turned 21. His Aunt Gin threw a family and friends party in the backyard of her home. I can imagine that it got rowdy with drinks, laughter, and yes, a fight. Before we get into that, let's do the positive side of the party first: at the birthday party, Cynthia met Paul's new girlfriend Jane Asher for the first time. More on Jane in another entry! Cynthia was still a secret wife but since 99% of the party goers knew that John was married, it was hardly a big deal so John took his wife. It was also Cynthia's first outing since giving birth. Pete and Beth Shotton, Ringo's and George's parents were also there. It's a very impressive guest list. I don't know if Maureen Cox was there but I wouldn't be shocked if she was. Anyway, John and Brian Epstein had recently returned from their vacation in Spain and, as Brian's homosexuality was an open secret, there were jokes and gossiping going about.

Cynthia and John along with Louise Harrison (George's Mom) and Harry Graves (Ringo's stepfather)

Photographed by Mike McCartney

At the party, John was getting drunk and had little to eat- poor Cynthia with a difficult drunk on her hands- and then Bob Wooler said something in reference to John and Brian’s Spain vacation that John did not respond well to… John tackled him down, punching and hitting, until he was pulled off and away. Brian drove Bob to the hospital and I am sure he ordered John to go apologize. It did become news, I suppose, John's first controversy scandal. Bob suffered a black eye, bruised ribs, and torn knuckles. John did rough up his finger and hid his injury from his Aunt Mimi so she wouldn't go on and on about it.

“John said: 'He called me a queer so I battered his bloody ribs in.’”

Cynthia, 1985

Right after John was pulled off of Bob, he grabbed a nearby girl to lash out. Billy J. Kramer intervene and John insulted him by saying he was nothing while The Beatles were at the top. Billy got offended and a few days later, John apologized to him. What about the girl John lashed at? Whoever she may be…

"John had really had a skinful, and he grabbed the girl. She shoved him away and he swore at her so I persuaded him to calm down. Cynthia came out and she was in tears and she asked us if we could put John in a taxi. So we did."
Billy J. Kramer, 1989

“By the time we finally left the party at day-break, John appeared to be having the time of his life. He was also so drunk he could barely walk- as, indeed, was I. While we waiting for our long-suffering Beth and Cyn to fetch us, John launched into a discussion of wife-swapping, a phenomenon that we'd only just begun to read about in the tabloids. As he spoke, the concept seemed to excite him more and more.

‘Well, how about it then, Pete!’ he finally exclaimed. ‘Fancy swapping wives tonight?’

‘You mean you want to swap the girls for the night?’ I said incredulously

‘Yeah, yeah,’ John enthused. ‘Great! Let's do it!’

‘Oh, no, John. You can just go on and fuck off. I'm not getting into any of that kind of nonsense.’

‘Oh, O.K. then,’ he laughed. ‘Only kidding, Pete.’

Only he wasn't kidding. John was always read and more than willing to try anything- any new chemical, any new variation of sex, any anything- at least once.”

Pete Shotton, 1983

According to Cynthia in her second book, John, after a day or two John felt remorse and regret and sent Bob a telegram of an apology. Meanwhile, according to Tony Barrow, John muttered he wasn't that sorry, wasn't really that drunk, and Bob deserved it while both Brian and Tony were trying to do damage control. Maybe John did felt remorse, as Cynthia wrote (after all, she lived with him; Tony did not) but whatever Bob told John that night, it rattled John. It's been said that Bob called John a 'queer’ which offended John. I do wonder if John got offended because he was there with Cynthia. Or maybe John was offended simply because he didn't like to be referred as being gay? I doubt Bob knew John was married but at least knew Cynthia. Well, that's something that will never get answered.

“Although Julian was two months old by then, the news that John was married, let alone a father, was still a secret. Some fans in Liverpool knew, but nationally it was still unknown.”

Tony Barrow, 1985

Bob Wooler

Bob died in 2002 and from my perspective, Bob long ago forgave John and continued to help launch the Beatles success from Liverpool.

John Charles Julian Lennon

John - named after John Lennon

Charles - named after Charles Powell

Julian - named after Julia Stanley Lennon

At the time of 1963, I suppose it was difficult to determine the gender of the baby. There were no ultrasounds then until the late 1970s. So, it makes perfect sense to have names for both boy and girl to be prepared for anything. I don't know when John and Cynthia talked about and settled on the names- probably whenever John was home or maybe even their conversations over the phone; it's like any couple expecting a baby to discuss names. It seemed straight off the bat that both wanted family names for their baby. Both Charles and Julia were quickly on the table after their deceased parent. Actually, Julia was going to be named for either girl or boy, no matter what; the name Julian for a boy was the closest they could come to. I am very sure that it was John who wanted his child named after his mother and it was Cynthia who came up with Julian for a boy option. There was a moment worry for John when someone (who? I wonder! This part of the conversation must have been over the phone and it could be either Paul or George who knew for sure that Cynthia was pregnant; Ringo is iffy) thought the name Julian sounded poofy, sissy sounding but John and Cynthia laughed it off. Naming their child after a loved one was more important!

Then there's Charles. Definitely on the table for a boy, but for a girl? I am guessing that the girl would be Julia Lennon, but would she have a middle name? Cynthia didn't have a middle name (I know about this Lillian middle name business and I will rant about that make-believe middle name in another post!) but her mother Lillian Anne did. John's mother Julia and his Aunt Harrie didn't have middle names and yet their older sisters, Mimi, Mater, and Nanny, did. So, let's give the girl middle name a benefit of the doubt… I Googled female names for Charles and here's what popped up: Charlotte, Caroline, Charlie (or Charley), Cara, Charlesa, Charleigh, Charlene, Charlize, Carlotta… you get the idea. I especially like Charlotte and Caroline but who knew how Cynthia and John felt about those options? Julia Charlotte? Julia Caroline? Julia Charlene? Honestly, all those could work with Julia! Or just plain Julia Lennon and save Charles for a second child option (another separate post plan!).

Finally, John. After the sperm-man. The father. John Winston Lennon. My betting money will go on Cynthia for thinking up with that one for her baby. Although I don't think John wanted his son to be a Junior, as he hated his middle name Winston (after England's Prime Minister, Winston Churchill) and went as far to try to change it in 1969 to Ono but due to unique circumstances in England, John couldn't omit Winston and had to settle as John Winston Ono Lennon instead.

Interestingly enough, in 1975, John had another son with Yoko Ono and they named him Sean Taro Ono Lennon. Why is that interesting? Well… Sean is the Irish version of John; Taro is a Japanese version of John (and Ono is after, you guess it, Yoko!). So, technically speaking, Sean’s name is actually John John Ono Lennon! But since Julian already had a claim of John and there was a baby that Yoko miscarried in 1968 named John Ono Lennon II (Seriously?) John and Yoko settled on Sean Taro. So, John has both (well, three, if you count the deceased baby) of his boys named after him.

Julian and Cynthia in Liverpool, Autumn of 1963

Photographed by David Birch

Now, I don't know when Cynthia decided to nickname her son Julian. It sounded like it happened right away but from what Julian said of the name confusion it may have taken a while. I think it is definitely clear that Julian was Julian by 1964.

“We’d already decided that if the baby was a girl she would be called Julia after John’s late mother. A boy was to be John Charles Julian. In the end, two Johns proved confusing, my eldest brother was already Charles, so the baby became Julian.”

Cynthia, 1994

"When I was a baby and my parents were still together, I was called 'John' and there was always confusion. My mum would say, 'John, come here,' and we wouldn't know which one. So they started calling me Julian to clear up that problem. The name fits me"
Julian, 1985

“I didn't decide. What really happened was Mum shouting, you know, 'John! Come in here, your dinner’s ready!’ We both come running in, so Mum started calling me Julian.”

Julian, 2013

Billy J. Kramer

To mark his son’s birth in a silent clever way, John suggested to Brian Epstein to add a J to another of his client's Billy Kramer and the Dakotas. John thought Billy J. Kramer had a better flow. Brian agreed and I guess Billy was up for it but wasn't too keen on what it really stood for…

“He actually put the J in my name. I went into Brian’s office, and he said, ‘John’s got a suggestion. How about Billy ‘J’ Kramer. It’s American sounding, it’s catchy. It flows.’ And I said, ‘What do I say if someone asks what it stands for?’ And he said, ‘Julian’. Now, I didn’t even know John was married, let alone had a son called Julian, so I said, ‘I don’t like that name, that’s a real poofter’s name!’”

Billy J. Kramer, 1985

“At the time I said, ‘What if anybody asks me what does it stand for,’ and John said, ‘Julian.' I said, ‘I don't really like that name.’ I didn't know that John was married at the time with a son. But that's what I said.”

Billy J. Kramer

“Shortly afterwards I was called into a meeting with Brian at his office and John Lennon was there. Brian said to me: ‘John's come up with an idea. He thinks your name would sound much better if we added the initial 'J' to it. How does Billy J. Kramer sound?’ I said: 'That's okay by me, but what do I say to the press if they ask me what the 'J' stands for?’ John said 'You can tell them it stands for Julian.' To tell you the truth, I thought Julian sounded like a puff's name and I refused to use it. I didn't know at the time that John had a son and had named him Julian in memory of his mother."

Billy J. Kramer

As of 2008 when I met Billy at Beatles Fest in Las Vegas, he had never met Julian. Billy has met Cynthia a few times which will come up as the blog continues on…

For John's part, he did call Julian 'Julian’ so he was all for the nickname. He also never forgot Julian's two names, John and Charles. I have heard from time to time that John called Julian 'J. C. J.’, he even addressed Julian on a postcard as 'J. C. Julian’ as shown on the second postcard below in 1979.

John's postcard to his Aunt Mater and cousin Stan mentioning 'John Charles Julian', May of 1963

John's postcard to 'J. C. Julian' in Ruthin, Wales from New York City, April of 1979