Before going out there we’d done the special Strip Club sequence with Jan Carson and The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band in Paul Raymond’s Revuebar, Soho. So heavy that, instead of driving 50 miles to and from the location each day, we decided to put up close to Maidstone in a hotel until the end of the week.Īt West Malling all the main scenes were filmed. The weekend break was welcome but on Tuesday it was back to work with a very heavy filming schedule out at West Malling R.A.F. Peter Brown – From “ The Love You Make: An Insider’s Story of the Beatles“, 2002 In desperation they leased an old airfield in West Mailing, Kent, where a huge set was built. Paul had planned to shoot the finale, a top hat and cane dance number, at Shepperton Studios outside of London, but no one had thought of booking time on the sound stage.

Schedule of sequences filmed at West Malling Air Station, based on details given in the 2012 reissue of “Magical Mystery Tour” film Bloodvessel performing “ I’m Going In A Field” at the organ (unused) “Magical Mystery Tour Marathon” scenes, with the cheating vicars, the mini-coopers…

The sequence where Ringo Starr buys his ticket for the Magical Mystery Tour. The sequence where Jolly Jimmy welcomes people who have crawled inside the magic tent to watch “ Blue Jay Way“ “Barking Seargent” sequence with Victor Spinetti. “ I Am The Walrus” sequence and the scenes with the Beatles wearing wizard outfits While the details of which scenes were filmed on each day vary depending on the source, the 2012 reissue of “Magical Mystery Tour” provides a schedule that confirms the first day of filming at West Malling Air Station was dedicated to shooting Aunt Jessie’s dreadful dream sequence, which famously includes John Lennon serving spaghetti using a shovel.įilming at West Malling Air Station continued the following day.Īunt Jessie’s dreadful dream, including the scene where John Lennon serves spaghetti using a shovel. The hotel provided a relaxing retreat for the band and cast, who often gathered in the bar in the evenings to unwind and socialize. To avoid the daily 50-mile commute to and from the location, the band members opted to stay at The Great Danes Hotel in Maidstone, approximately nine miles (14km) from the filming site. NEMS Enterprises, the Beatles’ management company, rented the army base for the week, providing ample space for filming and allowing the band to experiment with different locations and settings. The decision to film at West Malling Air Station was made due to the band’s short notice and their inability to secure available studio space in London. On September 18, filming resumed with the crew choosing the Raymond Revuebar strip club in London’s Soho district as the location for the day’s shoot.įrom September 19 to 24, the Beatles relocated to West Malling Air Station in Maidstone, Kent, where they filmed various interior and exterior scenes for the project. The first leg of filming occurred from September 11 to 15 in and around Newquay, with the band returning to the recording studio on September 16 to continue work on the accompanying soundtrack. I only wish they would now put out a sequel made up from the parts they left on the cutting-room floor.Production of The Beatles’ “ Magical Mystery Tour” TV special took place throughout September 1967, with some additional scenes filmed in late October / early November. But praise to all of them for making a most entertaining film. 'I Am The Walrus' has four of them togged up in animal costumes switching at times to them bobbing across the screen as egg-men.Ī special word of praise for Ringo, who more than the others comes over very, very funnily. It's a pity that most TV viewers will be able to see it only in black and white. For 'Blue Jay Way' George is seen sitting cross-legged in a sweating mist which materialises into a variety of shapes and patterns. The film sequences for the musical numbers are extremely clever. I am convinced they are extremely capable of writing and directing a major movie for release on one of the major cinema circuits. After watching a rough cut of their 'Magical Mystery Tour', which BBC viewers can see on Boxing Day. If they aren't already planning so, the Beatles should start planning their next full-length film immediately.

Magical mystery tour 1967