Quiet on the Set!

 

"I was only four and it's all a bit of a blur- it was a bit crazy. I don't think the Beatles had much of a clue as to what the film was all about!"

Julian, 2010

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.

Put Me in the Movies

I do plan on breaking down each movie in their own posts with behind the scenes and premieres, but this is a list post.

John

A Hard Day's Night (1964)

Help! (1965)

How I Won the War (1967)

Magical Mystery Tour (1967)

Yellow Submarine (1968)... Well John didn't do his own voice other than appearing in person at the end while married to Cynthia before their India meditation trip; Cynthia didn't have anything to do with the film, not even going to the premiere - Yoko went. There won't be a post for Yellow Submarine because of that (there's nothing to share!)

Let It Be (1970)... Another film Cynthia had nothing to do with other than going to the premiere. Unfortunately at this time, no photos of her at the premiere have resurface. Only Jane Asher's picture have been published. I hope one day in my lifetime something of Cynthia will pop up and I can share on this blog. Fingers crossed!

Cynthia

A cameo in Magical Mystery Tour (1967)

Julian

A cameo in Magical Mystery Tour (1967)

A cameo in Leaving Las Vegas (1995)

Julian's cameo in Leaving Las Vegas with Nicolas

Let's briefly discuss Leaving Las Vegas. It started Nicolas Cage; he won an Oscar/Academy Award for the role. Julian appeared as a bartender who broke up a fight and aided Nicolas's nose. That's it. I don't know how Julian got the role or anything like that.

Now, let's list the movies- most of them made for television- of people portraying John, Cynthia, and Julian on movies about the Beatles and John (and yes, I will have posts about them on their own, too):

The Birth of The Beatles (1979)

Backbeat (1994)

In His Life: The John Lennon Story (2000)

Lennon Naked (2010)

And then, there is Nowhere Boy (2009).

I have a bone to pick with Nowhere Boy. It's about John's early years pre-Beatles except there is NO Cynthia whatsoever. No character, no mention, nothing. And yet, the movie does take John in art school. There's Stuart. But no Cynthia. To be honest with you, I refuse to see it because of that. The director, Sam Taylor Wood, now Johnson, as she is now married to it's star lead Aaron Johnson, is a good friend of the McCartney family. Paul mentioned to her on how Aunt Mimi really was but failed to say that Cynthia existed? That broke my heart. Funnily enough, both Aaron and Sam have met Julian (as shown in the photos below) and Julian seemingly supported the movie at the Cannes Film Festival despite a few years earlier in the introduction on Cynthia's book, he pointed out that Cynthia's role in John's life have been treated like a footnote. Obviously this is it on Nowhere Boy as it won't have a post of its own. No Cynthia, no post. Not even a friggin’ mention!

Julian, Sam, and Aaron at the Quintessentially Party for Nowhere Boy at La Plage vitaminwater at the Cannes Film Festival on May 17, 2009

Julian, Sam, and Aaron at Julian's Timeless photography exhibition in New York City on September 16, 2010. Cynthia was there, too.

Magical Mystery Postcard

Postcard for Cynthia and Pete Shotton (who was practically living there) from John in September of 1967. John was in Teignmouth, Devon, England while filming Magical Mystery Tour.
Norman?
Ray? Maybe Coleman? Or is it Roy? Sometimes John's handwriting could be so unintelligible!