The delightful “Beatles Stories” documentary, which will have its TV premiere in the UK March 22, also happens to contain the final screen appearance of beloved British actor Victor Spinetti, director Seth Swirsky told Beatles Examiner Friday.
“One of the many interviews I did was with Victor Spinetti, the famed British actor who was the only person to appear in all three Beatles movies in the 60s,” he said. “His appearance in 'Beatles Stories' was his last-ever appearance in a movie. How fitting that it was in a movie about The Beatles! I'm thrilled that the British public will get to 'visit' with Victor once again when it airs on television."
The film will have its first UK showings at 7 p.m. March 22 at 7 p.m. on Sky Arts 1 and Sky Arts 1 HD.
Spinetti died in June at age 82. In an exclusive interview with Beatles Examiner, he said George Harrison told him his mother was a big fan of his and was one of the reasons he was in three Beatles movies. “You have to be in all our movies because my mum fancies you,” he quoted Harrison. (You can hear audio from our interview with Spinetti here.)
Swirsky told Beatles Examiner in an interview that he wasn't trying to rewrite Beatles history with the film. “It's the underlying stories in here, the underlying moments.” He also said the film “can be viewed as a cultural piece.”
The list of Beatles storytellers includes Luci Baines Johnson, Ray Manzarek of the Doors, Peter Noone, Graham Nash, Bob Eubanks, Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues, Mark Hudson, Paul Saltzman, Victor Spinetti, Jon Voight, Mitch Weissman, former New York Yankee Bernie Williams, Brian Wilson, Henry Winkler, Denny Laine, Quarryman Rod Davis and Art Garfunkel.
But with all the many Fab stories in “Beatles Stories,” Swirsky didn't include his own personal encounters with George Harrison, and Paul McCartney (who he ran into in a gym) and Ringo Starr, which are equally as charming as those in the film. With all that in mind, British TV viewers have something to really look forward to.
The film, which was #3 in sales on Amazon.com during the holidays, is available in the U.S. on DVD, Netflix and Hulu.com. "Beatles Stories" will also be airing in Brazil in April, Swirsky says, and deals with Japan, Australia, Israel, Scandinavia and Germany are pending.
"All this from a handheld camera and a love of the great Beatles," he says.
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