Pattie looks so pretty *-*
Lunch break for a Beatle
Clipping from page 2 of the Saturday, March 7, 1964 issue of the London Daily Mirror. Pattie Boyd and Prue Bury with George Harrison during their lunch break in the train dining car while stopped at South Moulton, Devon on Friday, March 6, 1964. There are much better quality versions of this photo available, but this is probably the first time it was published.
Source of scan is the Pattie Boyd’s Sixties Style group at Yahoo!
The Beatles make a girl so happy..
Wednesday March 4, 1964 - Page 7 from the London Daily Mirror. March 4th was the first of five days Pattie Boyd (and Prue Bury) would be filming with the Beatles. This full page from the Daily Mirror also features another article about the Beatles - indeed various tidbits about the Beatles appeared in the Daily Mirror every day that week! Photo of Pattie was taken at her London flat shortly before her first day of filming with and meeting the Beatles.
Source of scan is the Pattie Boyd’s Sixties Style group at Yahoo!
A HARD DAY’S NIGHT CLIP
March 1964 - Prue Bury (as Rita) and Pattie Boyd (as Jean) flee the train dining car after Paul’s grandfather has warned them the boys are “Prisoners!”
John Lennon pretends to cut Prue Bury’s hair aboard the Beatles’ train during filming of A Hard Day’s Night. Photo by Astrid Kirchherr.
Re-scanned for Doug Pratt who left me a message a few days ago. Thank you for the advice on de-screening. It makes such a difference! This new scan is the descreened version.
The book I got it from was Philip Norman’s Days in the Life: John Lennon Remembered. It was only a small picture, I’m afraid.
Hope this helps!
THE GIRLS OF A HARD DAY’S NIGHT
Highlighting the uncredited lucky girls with bit parts in the Beatles’ first film!
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March 12, 1964 was the final working day for the schoolgirl extras of A Hard Day’s Night. Four girls were selected to pose for publicity photos on set at Twickenham Studios with the Beatles sitting in their personalized director’s chairs and the girls standing behind them combing their hair. The lucky four each paired with a Beatle were: Pattie Boyd with George Harrison, Tina Williams with Ringo Starr, Prue Bury with Paul McCartney and Susan Whitman with John Lennon. It was this day that George asked Pattie out for a date again, after her earlier refusal, and she accepted. The couple went out that evening to the Garrick Club accompanied by Brian Epstein.
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Scans from Pattie Boyd’s Sixties Style group at Yahoo!
THE GIRLS OF A HARD DAY’S NIGHT
Highlighting the uncredited lucky girls with bit parts in the Beatles’ first film!
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Prue Bury’s (the pronunciation of her Belguim name rhymes with “blueberry”) career began in her childhood. As a little girl her dream was to become a dancer. At the age of 11 she joined the Royal Ballet School in London. At seventeen, in 1958, she joined the dance company of Covent Garden.
Everyday as she passed the Royal Court Theatre she was fascinated by beautiful portraits of actresses displayed there credited to Antony Armstrong-Jones. Prue plucked up her courage and sent two small photos of herself to the photographer and to her surprise Antony Armstrong-Jones (later First Earl of Snowdon, husband of Princess Margaret), called her for a photo session. Thus began Prue’s new career. In 1959 she left Covent Garden for a more lucrative career in modelling. Photographers loved her beautiful face and she was mainly featured in advertising for cosmetics, shampoo and toothpaste.
On weekends Prue enjoyed the trendy London clubs - going out to the Ad Lib and Saddle Room where she danced the Twist late into the night and crossed paths with celebrities. Among Prue’s fondest memories of the time she remembers an evening spent with Judy Garland, who was recovering from one of her numerous suicide attempts. Prue told Judy, “We need you to stop doing that Judy, we all love you.”
Having switched careers on the cusp of the Swinging London fashion, musical and cultural revolution that was about to captivate the world Prue was at the forefront of the scene. Prior to filming A Hard Day’s Night Prue had already met and modelled for Mary Quant. Vidal Sassoon was her regular hair stylist - not one of his talented staff of stylists, but Vidal Sassoon himself. Prue had acted in a few uncredited roles in movies including the 1960 film, And Women Shall Weep - then in February 1964 her agent sent her to an appointment with director Richard Lester, who was making a film with the Beatles.
To this day Prue remembers arriving at the Park Lane for her casting call where there were hundreds of girls being interviewed. The next day she learned she’d been chosen with three other candidates. Lovely Prudence Bury, the 22 year-old London model, won the role of “Rita” in A Hard Day’s Night. She was the first of the schoolgirl characters seen on screen as she and Pattie Boyd walked into the train dining car where Paul spotted them. Prue sat with her back to the camera, but it was she to whom Paul was directing his pick-up lines. Prue sat with Pattie Boyd, Tina Williams, Susan Whitman and two other unidentified girls in the train compartment scene where John Lennon, accompanied by Paul, bursts in pretending to be a handcuffed prisoner. Prue had a couple of close-ups as she, Tina and Susan watched the Beatles perform “I Should Have Known Better” through the train baggage car cage.
The baggage car scene was shot on March 11, 1964 at Twickenham Studios after filming aboard the actual train had been completed. It was a long working day for the Beatles and the schoolgirls who filmed from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm at night. Crewmen shook the studio set baggage carriage to the simulate the movement of a moving train in the scene.
Avid amateur photographer Ringo Starr took lots of photos during filming - many of which were included in a unique special edition Beatles magazine published later in 1964 titled, Ringo’s Photo Album. It included a close-up photo of Prue Bury smoking on board the Beatles train. The caption by Ringo reads: “This gorgeous girl is Pru Berry (sic). She plays my girlfriend in our movie. Too bad it’s only make believe!” Prue didn’t actually have any scenes with Ringo (other than as part of the ensemble in the baggage car), much less play his girlfriend in A Hard Day’s Night. Makes one wonder if perhaps there were additional scenes filmed that were cut in the final edit? Prue commented about “snap-happy” Ringo’s photo of her smoking: “I love it, I look grown up!!”
On March 12, 1964, the final day on set for the schoolgirl extras, Prue Bury posed combing Paul McCartney’s hair for publicity photos along with Pattie Boyd (with George), Tina Williams (with Ringo) and Susan Whitman (with John). The school girls wore their school uniforms in the photos, but on that occasion didn’t wear their white knee socks. Prue asked each of the Beatles to sign her movie script and Paul McCartney wrote a special inscription to her. Many years later, when in need of money, Prue sold her autographed script. Regretable perhaps, but, “That’s Life!” says Prue.
Prue Bury witnessed the blossoming relationship between Pattie Boyd and George Harrison who were falling for each other during filming. On that final day for the schoolgirls on set Pattie, who had just broken things off with her steady boyfriend, finally accepted a date with George for that evening. Prue told Doug Pratt (posted on his blog spot) - that it was obvious to her from the moment George and Pattie met that they only had eyes for one another.
Prue Bury was also part of a publicity shoot for the the film, along with Pattie Boyd and Isla Blair, at the Battersea Fun Park, in which Prue’s previous training in ballet shines through in her poses.
Prue married handsome croupier Terry Hooper in 1965. They’d met in 1958. After attending the audition for A Hard Day’s Night and meeting director Richard Lester and producer Walter Shenson - Prue learned at the beginning of filming they were looking for someone to cast in the role of a croupier for the casino scenes. Since that was his job, Prue suggested her boyfriend Terry Hooper and he was hired.
Prue followed up her uncredited role in The Beatles’ film with another brief uncredited role in the Dave Clark Five’s film, “Catch Us If You Can”, released in the UK in April 1965 (retitled “Having A Wild Weekend” in the its USA release). There are a few brief glimpses of the newly Sassoon bobbed Prue looking rather Goth (ahead of her time!) in her scenes - including one in which she’s dancing at a costume party with a Wolfman character.
Quintessential 60’s designer, Mary Quant, expanded her business into the American market in 1965 when Puritan Fashions contacted her and worked out a deal to distribute her designs to upscale American department stores. Ten days of sales promotional fashion shows featuring four British models began in New York City in May, soon followed by a three week summer fashion show tour across America. Prue Bury had known and worked with Mary Quant for years by this time and it was her new husband, Terence Hooper, 31, who was at the time fashions director of the Youthquake promotion. He was responsible for bringing Mary Quant and Foale & Tuffin’s fashions to America under the Puritan label.
Mary Quant recruited Prue to model in the Youthquake fashion shows in the summer of 1965 and when she arrived in New York Prue felt she was in the middle of Beatlemania once again. The Boyd sisters, Jenny and Pattie, were modelling for Foyle & Tuffin. Photos of Prue from A Hard Day’s Night and the Youthquake phenomena were published in the newspapers and Prue was labelled a “Beatles’ Girl”. Everywhere she went young fans asked for her autograph and were desperate to shake her hand or touch her. Prue found it exhausting. But, there were fun moments too. Prue fondly remembers seeing Russian ballet star, Rudolf Nureyev - whom she’d previously met in London, at a New York party. She jumped into his arms in the middle of the party because she was the only person he knew there. (The last photo above shows Prue’s husband, Terry Hooper, posing with Prue - in two poses, and models Sandie Moss and Sarah Dawson, all wearing Mary Quant dresses, in a park near New York City’s Sutton Place during the 1965 Youthquake fashion promotion.)
Prue and her first husband Terry Hooper lived for five years in New York City. In 1970 Prue returned to England. She had one son and another on the way. Prue changed careers again - starting her own business by opening a shop selling dried flowers - which flourished. After ten years back in England, Prue sold everything and moved to France to live under the sun and near the sea.
Prue is now married to Sylvain Fuchs and lives in a comfortable renovated farmhouse in La Caillère-Saint-Hilaire, Vendee, France. She enjoys putting on stage shows, and performed in “Daisy Daisy” in 2009. In early November 2009 Prue was guest of honor at the Beatles Weekend held in Ouistreham, Normandy, France. Prue was thrilled when, much to her complete surprise and delight, many Beatles’ fans wanted her autograph and were interested in her story. Prue charmed the audience with her fluent French.
Today Prue feels lucky to have lived during such a magical time in her youth. Her only regret was in not continuing with her dance career to which she had sacrficed so much of her childhood.
Most of the biographical information about Prue Bury comes the blog of Doug Pratt (dograt.com) who is personally acquainted with Prudence Bury-Fuchs and has posted many interesting photos and updates about her. Additional information comes from a 2008 French article titled: ”In The Sixties I Swung With The Beatles” by Jean-Philippe Gautier. Doug Pratt reports that Prue has been contemplating writing a memoir!
All scans are from the Pattie Boyd’s Sixties Style group @Yahoo! except two from Doug Pratt’s website - Prue being styled by Betty Glasow and the close-up in the baggage cage.
THE GIRLS OF A HARD DAY’S NIGHT
Highlighting the uncredited lucky girls with bit parts in the Beatles’ first film!
This brief article accompanied three of the photos taken at the Battersea Fun Fair of Pattie Boyd, Isla Blair and Prue Bury from the special edition magazine, Beatles Make A Movie, 1964. The article misspelled the names of all three girls and repeats an often published exaggeration made prior to the film’s release about the Beatles having “girlfriends” in the film!
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THE GIRLS OF A HARD DAY’S NIGHT
Highlighting the uncredited lucky girls with bit parts in the Beatles’ first film!
* * * *
PATTIE BOYD
Pattie Boyd and George Harrison had only just met when this article from UK Woman’s Own magazine was published in the May 30, 1964 issue. Much has been written since, but this was many Beatles fan’s introduction to Pattie Boyd:
ME AND THE BEATLES -
Especially The One Who Dated Me
by PATTIE BOYD
our girl in the Beatles film
Who wouldn’t want to be in my shoes… lunching with George and hearing all about his brand new Jag… watching the boys at work… listening-in on an impromptu session… and maybe having the very first hearing of their next hit…
I suppose it’s just possible that when I’m about 35 I’ll look back on life and say: “That was the most exciting thing that ever happened to me”; the day, maybe, when I married a millionaire, won the Monaco Grand Prix, was the first girl on the moon, published the year’s best-seller, won an Oscar as Cleopatra. Yes, I suppose it’s just possible. But highly unlikely.
Because right now I can’t think of anything, anything at all, that could happen to me and be more exciting than spending three whole days working with the Beatles. Except dating one, of course, but that’s not exciting. It’s unbelievable.
That’s why, if you see a girl, medium height, medium face, medium blonde hair, whose most distinguishing feature is that the feet of her white cotton socks are six inches off the ground, you’ll know it’s me, Pattie Boyd. Since this whole fabulous business started I haven’t touched down once.
Well, imagine it. One day, like thousands of others, you’re just a Beatle fan. You own every one of their records (bought 9.2 a.m. the day of release), but your closest contact is their picture on your bedroom wall. Then this voice on the phone says: “How would you like to appear with the Beatles in their film?” Not only seeing them for real, but talking to them, working with them, getting to know them. And getting paid for it.
I’d met film director, Dick Lester, while I was making a crisps commercial for television. “I’m looking for two girls to play in a Beatles film. You’ve lots of expression,” he said suddenly, “are you interested?”
I could hardly believe he meant it - and as the days passed without hearing from him, I stopped trying to! Then my agent, Cherry Marshall, rang, telling me to expect a call from the studio.
I sat alone at home all day waiting for the call, asking myself: Why should they want me, anyway? I’m a photographic model, beginning to do quite well, but not an actress. Suddenly the phone rang shrilly: “This is the studio. Your call is for 6.45 a.m. tomorrow. Don’t be late.”
I shivered as I stood in the early grey light on Paddington Station next morning, and it wasn’t just the cold. With another lucky girl, Prue Bury, I was to play a schoolgirl fan. We were met and ushered aboard the special train where the scenes were to be shot. The Beatles wouldn’t be joining us until we were half an hour out of London.
For the first time, I began seriously to wonder what they would be like and convinced myself they’d be conceited, arrogant and aloof. They wouldn’t even notice me, I decided. Why should they notice a girl of whom famous photographer Norman Parkinson had asked; “Is it fashionable these days to look like a rabbit?”
—My first glimpse of the real live Beatles. They appeared, rushing madly alongside the train!
Suddenly the train jolted to a stop. So did my heart. Through the window I saw four fabulous boys running alongside the train, shouting; “Wait for us!” Then they burst into the compartment, and I found myself shaking hands, saying ‘hello’ and laughing.
“Hi, you’re famous,” said George, with a grin, “I saw your pictures in the papers.”
As they joked and teased us, Prue and I began to feel as though we had known them for years. Conceited? Aloof? Big-headed? How off-beam I was. They were so sweet, so nice, so funny.
All that day, and the next, until 9.30 at night Prue and I were kept busy rehearshing and filming our roles. Actually, all I have to say is: “Prisoners!” … “There he is!”… and “Ringo!”* Not the most dramatic part in the world, nor the longest. But I must say I found it pretty shattering.
(*Pattie’s last two lines were cut from the film.)
The Beatles are terrific workers, full of of energy and enthusiasm, and when you’re with them you know just why they’re great. But the most marvellous thing about them is their friendliness; they don’t behave like would-famous stars at all.
Although they’re a perfect team, the boys are very different individually. Ringo is a born clown, and top favourite in America. He has everybody rolling at his antics. But for all his fooling, I think he has basically a very strong, serious character.
John seems to be the leader, somehow. He’s the married Beatle, thoughtful and serious. He doesn’t talk as much as the others, but when he does everyone listens. I think his book, John Lennon In His Own Write is just marvellous.
Paul is serious, too, especially when he’s working. He’s conscientious about everything and has a great sense of responsibility towards his fans.
My favourite is George. Why? I’m not sure. I think he’s the best looking for one thing. Also, he’s shy, and so am I. He’s interesting to talk to- sometimes serious, often very amusing. And that’s the way he made me feel. Interesting. I felt he really wanted to listen to what I had to say. Perhaps that’s why I found myself singling him out, thinking of him as George Harrison not George Beatle.
But I nearly died when he asked me out. My instant reaction was: ‘How super, I like him so much, he’s so nice.’ Then immediately it hit me. “But goodness, he’s a Beatle- one of the Beatles is asking me for a date!’
I can’t remember exactly what I said, but I must have stammered out some sort of
acceptance because I found myself, Pattie Boyd, dating my favourite Beatle, George Harrison.
Fortunately, I soon got over the shock and found myself thinking of George as George. When he turned up on my parents doorstep in Wimbledon, my young sister opened the door and when she saw who it was, she nearly fainted with astonishment!
My Dates With George-
Aside from being a Beatle, though, George is the sort of boy any girl would be happy - and lucky - to have as a boy friend. Yes, he’s good-looking and charming and polite. But he so lively, too - full of go, enthusiastic about life. We laugh a lot, and talk and argue, but mostly we laugh.
It is difficult, though, almost impossible in fact, to forget you’re out with a Beatle. People just don’t let you. Everywhere, in restaurants, clubs or the street, they come up and ask for autographs, or just introduce themselves, saying things like: “You’re George Beatle aren’t you? I come from Liverpool, too.”
And it’s not just the kids, either. Lots and lots of older women rush up waving pieces of paper for signatures. I often think they would condemn it as the worst of bad manners if someone rudely interrupted them while they were having dinner, or dancing, or just having a talk with friends. But George never seems to mind. Non of the boys do, in fact, and I think this is one of the nicest things about them.
And this fan worship, I didn’t realize how tough it is. They can’t get in or out of their flat at any time of the day or night without calling the police for a safe passage. There are always fans waiting.
The Future? Just Fab! -
They can’t even use the telephone properly, because no matter how often and secretly they change the number, within hours the fans have it and it starts and never stops ringing. They just have to leave it off the hook.
But I have never seen one of the boys lose his temper. They are always polite and patient and friendly. They don’t even complain privately.
Yes, they’re wonderful. And meeting them is the most wonderful of the many exciting things that have happened since I made that television commercial. I’ve appeared in a film, which was fun, but I don’t particularly want to do it again. I like modelling better (and between you and me, I think I’m better at it).
And, of course, I’ve not only met the Beatles, I know them now. I’ve even holidayed in a fairytale castle in Ireland with George and John and his wife Cynthia - something I wouldn’t have dared dream about a few months ago.
What of the future? Who knows? Who cares? People say to me: ‘What do you want to do with your life? Get married? Have children.’ But I never look ahead. I just live for each day. I think you should let the future take care of itself. It will, you know.
THE END
Copyright George Newnes
Scans from the Something About Pattie Boyd group @Yahoo! and Pattie Boyd’s Sixties Style group @Yahoo!
