The Beatles’ second film Help! had its royal première at the London Pavilion, Piccadilly Circus, London.
Ten thousand fans gathered outside to see the group arrive in a black Rolls-Royce. Inside the Pavilion they met Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon, who had delayed their summer holiday for the event.
After the screening The Beatles attended a party at the Orchid Room of the Dorchester Hotel.
As the première was taking place Help! went on general release in a number of seaside towns across England, including Barnstaple, Brighton, Clacton, Lowestoft, Plymouth, Ramsgate, Weymouth, and Working.
The BBC television show Top Of The Pops also showed a clip from the film on this evening.
Last updated: 5 July 2022
Also on this day...
- 1969: Recording: Come Together, Sun King, Mean Mr Mustard
- 1968: Recording: Hey Jude
- 1967: George Harrison returns to England from Greece
- 1966: Datebook republishes John Lennon’s ‘Jesus’ comments
- 1964: Live: Johanneshovs Isstadion, Stockholm, Sweden
- 1961: Live: Blair Hall, Liverpool
- 1957: Paul McCartney goes to Scout camp
Want more? Visit the Beatles history section.
In a late (always so painful!) visioning of the movie Help! i noticed it’s filled with little signs of the beatles future. In one scene John Lennon is served with a soup that has in it the glasses that will be Lennon’s personal trademark since 1966. In other scene they’re playing in a military band dressed on uniforms, as they will appear in Sgt Pepper’s cover. In another scene John Lennon appears disguised in a long beard and glasses exactly as he will look in the Abbey Road era. I’m not counting the scene with the sitar in it, because it’s that scene that actually sparked George Harrison’s interest in the sitar, but there’s another little prophetic thing. I’m not keen to look for clues, interpretations and crazy theories, but I think it’s amazing so many premonitions together.