 The credits say
"The Beatles -- Yellow Submarine." They do not say "The Beatles' Yellow Submarine" for a very good reason: It isn't.
Incredibly, the 1968 cartoon film that is one of the most cherished pieces of Beatlemania, as well as one of the most unique and best-loved animated films ever made, had little to do with the
Beatles.
John, Paul, George, and Ringo were reluctant to do it, and didn't even see it until it was virtually finished.
"When they finally did see it, they went bananas," says film scholar Bob
Hieronimus.
In the end, the Beatles name, a handful of Beatles songs, and a brief filmed coda of John, Paul, George and Ringo was the sum total of the band's involvement with the
project.
After being deep-sixed for many years by legal hassles, a completely restored
"Yellow Submarine" is now getting its first major theatrical re-release since the early
1970s.
The $600,000 restoration (the original film cost only $1 million to make) contains completely remastered six-track Dolby stereo sound, the better to hear such classic Beatles tunes as
"All Together Now," "Eleanor Rigby," "Nowhere Man," "All You Need is Love," and the title
song.
There's also a bonus: an additional sequence, containing the song "Hey Bulldog," that has never been seen by American audiences.
"We were lucky enough to find a negative of the U.K. version that was stashed away in a vault, actually mislabeled," Markoe says.
"It was in pristine condition.
"Peter Max-like creatures cavort amid melting Dali watches; shimmering dancers whirl against stroboscopic skies; vistas of black dots vanish into
infinity.
And the verbal surrealism matches the visual wildness. "You're advancing the wrong way -- retreat backwards!" screams the chief Blue Meanie to his horde.
"Hey, there's a cyclops," George says, pointing to one outsized monster.
"Can't be -- two eyes," Paul says. "Must be a bicyclops," John chimes
in.
In fact, all this invention was born of necessity.
It was producer Al Brodax, who had made a cheap Saturday morning "Beatles" cartoon for ABC-TV, who came to the rescue: Why not, he said, authorize him to create a full-length Beatles cartoon, and leave the rest to him? Though the Beatles loathed the ABC cartoon ("Makes us look like bloody Flintstones," John Lennon grumbled), they reluctantly agreed to the
idea.
Meanwhile, a dozen writers were tapped for a script that, in the end, was mostly created on the
fly.
Tom Stoppard, Joe Orton, and Joseph Heller all submitted unusable drafts. Five writers, in the end, contributed to the story: Brodax, Lee Minoff, Jack Mendelsohn, Yale classics professor and future writer of
"Love Story" Erich Segal (responsible for the satirical jabs atacademia in the character of Jeremy Hillary Boob, Ph.D.), and poet Roger McGough, an old Liverpool schoolmate of Lennon's, who contributed the Beatles-like puns and
wordplay.
Add to this some improvisation by John Clive, Geoffrey Hughes, Peter Batten, and Paul Angelis, the film's unsung heroes, who provided the voices of John, Paul, George, and Ringo.
"Almost everybody thinks the Beatles did their own voices," says Hieronimus, whose book
"It Was All in the Mind: The Co-Creation of The Beatles' Yellow Submarine" is due out in
January.
In the end, the Beatles were impressed enough by the film to appear in a jaunty live-action epilogue.
"This was a group effort, inspired by what these artists considered the world's greatest rock-and-roll band," Hieronimus says.
Your
Horoscopes for the Month
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Libra
Sept. 23 - Oct. 22
You will meet people who can further your career. Be ready for this
opportunity.
Your numbers: 3, 13, 26 |
Aquarius
Jan. 20 - Feb. 18
Jealousy may cause many nasty situations. Don't be so
suspicious.
Your numbers: 8, 17, 30 |
Gemini
May 21- June 20
Disregard those uncertainties about your emotional partner. Learn to live life
fully.
Your numbers: 20, 22, 45 |
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Scorpio
Oct. 23 - Nov. 21
Be nice to yourself. Go on a mini vacation and forget all of your
troubles.
Your numbers:18, 22, 45 |
Pisces
Feb. 19 - March 20
Perfect time for romance. Just make sure that the object of your love is
unattached.
Your numbers: 4, 15, 41 |
Cancer
June 21- July 22
Problems with some family members can be solved with professional
help.
Your numbers: 2, 13, 38 |
|
Sagittarius
Nov. 22 - Dec. 21
This is the time to channel your energies wisely. Include your partner in your plans.
Your numbers: 7, 10, 29 |
Aries
March 21- April 19
Be careful with those "too friendly" people you meet in your place of work.
Your numbers:11, 19, 24 |
Leo
July 23 - Aug. 22
You have the tendency to spend too much money unwisely. Watch your
wallet.
Your numbers: 9, 21, 48 |
|
Capricorn
Dec. 22 - Jan. 19
You have a lot to offer this year. Let the world know your
ideas.
Your numbers: 1, 33, 37 |
Taurus
April 20 - May 20
Your personal style will attract people of different backgrounds. Enjoy this experience.
Your numbers: 7, 18, 23 |
Virgo
Aug, 23 - Sept. 22
Strive to be diverse to gain the support and respect of people around
you.
Your numbers: 17, 26, 37 |
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