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37-631: The film, released by THINKFilm in the United States and Optimum Releasing in the United Kingdom, was produced by Gavin Poolman (son of the original 1970 film shoot's producer, Willem Poolman) together with John Trapman, and directed by double Grammy Award -winner Bob Smeaton, with music produced by Eddie Kramer and featuring original footage shot in 1970 by Academy Award –winning cinematographer Peter Biziou . The original 1970 footage

74-713: A combination of non-stop jam sessions and partying fueled by alcohol. One highlight of the documentary is a drunken jam session featuring The Band's Rick Danko , the Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir , New Riders of the Purple Sage 's John Dawson , as well as Janis Joplin . The event, initially billed as the Transcontinental Pop Festival , was developed and conceived by Ken Walker and promoted by Eaton-Walker Associates (consisting of Thor Eaton, George Eaton , and Ken Walker) and

111-682: A complete appropriation of the Beatles' persona" without their consent. The judge also found that Ely Landau and the This Is The Week That Was Beatlemania Company, which produced the Beatlemania film, were liable $ 2 million and 7% interest, also payable to Apple Corps. The musical numbers in the show (all written by Lennon–McCartney ), based on the Broadway opening, were: Because of

148-537: A diluted security force and the potential for violence. Buses were run from Montreal to the Toronto Festival Express stop and Montreal tickets were honored in Toronto. The Vancouver venue, Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) Empire Stadium, could not be secured as they were scheduled to have artificial turf (Tartan Turf) installed shortly before the scheduled event, and there was concern about damage to

185-411: A film version of the Beatlemania stage show. After a brief contract negotiation, Beatlemania: The Movie began production in late 1980 (shortly before the murder of John Lennon ). Directed by Joseph Manduke, the film's cast featured Mitch Weissman (bass guitar; "Paul"), David Leon (rhythm guitar; "John"), Tom Teeley (lead guitar; "George"), and Ralph Castelli (drums; "Ringo"). Beatlemania: The Movie

222-512: A free concert was also performed on the second day, albeit to a much smaller crowd of about 500, as many of the protesters paid admission to the event on the second day. Many people spent the night and following day sleeping in the park until the second show at CNE Grandstand ended at 12:30am on June 29. On the way to Winnipeg, the second stop on the tour, the train stopped in Chapleau, Ontario , to replenish its dwindling alcohol supply, buying out

259-502: A self-titled original cast album of the show which included contributions from the first and second cast of performers from the show (as well as five additional off-stage musicians — keyboards; violin; cello; sax/flute/recorder; trumpet/piccolo trumpet and oboe). Released on Arista Records in 1978, the album received warm audience reaction, even placing on the Billboard 200 for several weeks, before falling into obscurity. Tracks from

296-404: A terrible stage musical." Other observers criticized the film for being too artsy and not worthy of being associated with the stageshow; plans for a follow-up film were immediately cancelled. In 1979, Apple Corps sued show creator Steve Leber and Beatlemania 's producers, alleging that Apple Corps owned various publicity rights and trademarks, and Leber and others "appropriated to themselves"

333-969: The Colonial Theatre in April 1977. It premiered on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre on May 31, 1977 (after previewing since May 26 — although no critics were invited), with cast members Joe Pecorino (rhythm guitar, John ), Mitch Weissman (bass guitar, Paul ), Les Fradkin (lead guitar, George ), and Justin McNeill (drums, Ringo ) along with an alternating cast: Randy Clark "John", Reed Kailing "Paul", P.M. Howard "George", and Bobby Taylor "Ringo." Quickly achieving sellout status without ever having an official "opening night", Beatlemania saw great success and coverage in Time , People , Us , Newsweek , and Rolling Stone . For

370-720: The IN-EDIT Barcelona International Music Documentary Film Festival , Hohaiyan Music Film Festival , Rio Film Festival , Vienna International Film Festival and the São Paulo International Film Festival . The film was released theatrically on July 23, 2004, in the United States, as well as in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, and Scandinavia. A two-disc DVD for Region 1

407-676: The Palace Theatre . As the show expanded, over 50 cast members formed 10 "bunks" (or casts of a single set of four). As the New York show continued its run, shows were opened in Los Angeles, Chicago, Cincinnati, and London. At its peak, Beatlemania had limited-engagements in many more cities in the U.S. and abroad. After closing on Broadway, the Beatlemania Bus and Truck Tour began, running until 1983 and touring across

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444-467: The May 4, 1970 Kent State shootings . They attempted to crash the gates and scale the fence, and clashed with police, resulting in injuries to both protesters and policemen. To help calm the crowd, Metro Police Inspector Walter Magahay asked the promoter, Ken Walker, to lower ticket prices, but this would have left the promoters unable to pay the musicians. Subsequently, Jerry Garcia, in conjunction with Magahay,

481-405: The United States and worldwide. Short-term tours of Australia, Europe, Asia, and Africa were produced after 1982. A 1986 decision in a lawsuit by the Beatles production company Apple Corps officially ended the show for a period of time, but subsequent revival tours were still produced under such titles as Beatlemania: Yesterday and Today and Beatlemania Now . In 1978, Beatlemania released

518-426: The album included most but not all of the original show's song list, and several of the tracks were either re-recorded entirely or partially re-recorded in the studio. Original cast members that appear on the album include Mitch Weissman, Joe Pecorino, Les Fradkin , Justin McNeill, Randy Clark, Reed Kailing, P. M. Howard, and Bobby Taylor. After three years of production USA Video Productions took an interest in making

555-467: The city requested it be held at McMahon Stadium instead, as it would permit better organization and security. The tour ultimately began in Toronto at the CNE Grandstand, which was plagued with about 2,500 protestors who objected to what they viewed as exploitation by promoters charging $ 14 per ticket. The opposition was organized by the May 4th Movement (M4M), the left-rebel group that grew out of

592-540: The concerts were produced and financed together with Industrial and Trade Shows of Canada (ITS) division of MacLean-Hunter Publishing Company and originally included the following cities: The Montreal event was cancelled a few weeks before the scheduled date by Lucien Saulnier , chairman of the City of Montreal Executive Committee (and acting under authority of mayor Jean Drapeau ), because it clashed with St. Jean-Baptiste Day (June 24) celebrations and there were concerns about

629-476: The crowds outside the stadium, though there were many complaints about the ticket prices. It was estimated that about 1,000 people managed to sneak in on Saturday by climbing fences early in the day, but security was tightened, and by the afternoon and Sunday, fewer people managed to breach the fences. However, there was a heated altercation between promoter Ken Walker and Calgary mayor Rod Sykes after Sykes strongly suggested to Walker on Sunday afternoon that he open

666-518: The entire stock of a small liquor store. The Winnipeg show had only a modest turnout of 4,600, partly due to fears about crowd violence based on the events in Toronto and partly due to the Manitoba Centennial appearance by Prime Minister Trudeau . The event was not plagued by protests or violence, however. In Calgary, the third and final stop, the police wished to avoid the protests witnessed in Toronto and their presence seemed to subdue

703-574: The film's reels turned up in the garage of the original producer Willem Poolman, where they had been stored for decades and used at various times as goal posts for ball hockey games played by his son Gavin when he was a teenager. The plan to resurrect the film was started in 1999 by executive producer Garth Douglas and story consultant James Cullingham, who found many more reels in the Canadian National Film Archives vault, where it had been kept in pristine condition, unknown to

740-472: The first six months, every ticket for the show was sold out. The production was nominated for the 1978 Tony Award for Best Lighting Design by designer Jules Fisher . Sound design by Abe Jacob . The Broadway show ran until October 17, 1979, for a total of 1006 performances; grossing more than $ 40 million. During its New York run, the show moved to the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre and finally

777-507: The gates and let the kids in free after the show was well underway. Walker, who was livid about the mayor's intrusion and his reference to Walker as "Eastern scum" "trying to skim" the young people of Calgary, claimed to have punched the mayor in the mouth, and boasted that he still had a scar on his hand to prove it. The tour had an original budget of about $ 900,000 (of which $ 500,000 was for musical talent), but largely due to less than predicted turnout, gross receipts were just over $ 500,000 and

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814-494: The performers." Jerry Garcia later said that what he remembers most about the tour is being "so blisteringly drunk". These festival performers were not featured in the film or DVD extras: Because the Festival Express tour turned out to be a complete financial disaster, the promoters injuncted the film footage and the film project was shelved soon afterwards, as the footage mysteriously disappeared. Some of

851-401: The project ultimately lost between $ 350,000 and $ 500,000 for the promoters. Although the tour was a financial failure, it produced many notable performances, including some of the final performances by Janis Joplin, who would die about three months after the end of the tour. In the film, Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead said, "Woodstock was a treat for the audience, but the train was a treat for

888-803: The show at the CNE Grandstand ended at 12:30am, another 6,000 fans went to the park for the remainder of the free concert, which lasted until about 4:00am on June 28. Playing at Coronation Park were The Grateful Dead, Ian & Sylvia and the Great Speckled Bird, James and the Good Brothers, the New Riders of the Purple Sage (all of whom also performed at the CNE concert). Other local Toronto bands also played, including January, The People's Revolutionary Concert Band, Si Potma and P.M. Howard (of Beatlemania fame). There are some reports indicating

925-553: The show. Other than some unscripted onstage banter, there was very little dialogue during the production, which consisted mostly of exact re-enactments of the Beatles' music. The ground-breaking multimedia production was notable for its extensive use of backdrops, projected images on multiple screens, film, newspaper headlines, and video footage to evoke the 1960s and iconic Beatle moments. Originally conceived and produced by Steve Leber and David Krebs, Beatlemania debuted in Boston at

962-619: The turf. In March, 1970, Walker requested use of an alternate venue, Capilano Stadium , for the event, but this was denied by the Vancouver City Council over several concerns, including inadequate sanitary and food facilities, challenges with policing the event, and vagrancy. Therefore, Vancouver was dropped from the tour, and Calgary was subsequently added. The event in Calgary was initially to be held in an open field, Paskapoo Ski Hill (to later become Canada Olympic Park ), but

999-459: The value of those trademarks and the Beatles' goodwill and fame without paying for it. In 1986, Los Angeles Superior Court judge Paul Breckenridge found in favor of Apple Corps, and ordered Leber and Beatlemania Inc. to pay Apple $ 5.6 million, plus 7% interest from September 1979. He also found that Apple was entitled to a court order barring the further unconsented use or exploitation of the Beatles, and that Beatlemania's actions "amounted to virtually

1036-452: The vocal strain (especially for "Paul") involved in doing 8 or more shows per week, each production utilized two casts or "Bunks," as they were dubbed by musical director Sandy Yaguda (after they had dubbed him "Camp Counselor"). The Original Broadway production featured Bunk 1: Mitch Weissman, Joe Pecorino, Les Fradkin and Justin McNeill. and Bunk 2: Randy Clark, Reed Kailing, P.M. Howard, and Bobby Taylor. Subsequent cast members were added as

1073-568: The world. Garth got in touch with Gavin, who had grown up to become a film producer based in London, England. Gavin put the film together with his old high school friend John Trapman, and Bob Smeaton, double Grammy Award-winning director of The Beatles Anthology , was brought on board. The music tracks were mixed at Toronto's MetalWorks Studios and produced by Eddie Kramer , Jimi Hendrix 's producer, and engineer for Led Zeppelin , Woodstock , and Derek & The Dominos Live In Concert . The film

1110-446: Was a Broadway musical revue focused on the music of the Beatles as it related to the events and changing attitudes of the tumultuous 1960s. A " rockumentary ," advertised as " Not the Beatles, but an incredible simulation ," it ran from May 1977 to October 1979 for a total of 1,006 performances. Beatlemania took the form of a roughly chronological history of the Beatles via their music. A total of 29 songs were performed during

1147-513: Was filmed by director Frank Cvitanovich . A DVD release followed the film's 2003 theatrical run. Festival Express was staged in three Canadian cities: Toronto , Winnipeg and Calgary , during the summer of 1970. Rather than flying into each city, the musicians traveled by chartered Canadian National Railways train , in a total of 14 cars (two engines, one diner, five sleepers, two lounge cars, two flat cars, one baggage car, and one staff car). The train journey between cities ultimately became

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1184-410: Was instrumental in calming the unruly crowd by arranging a spontaneous free "rehearsal" concert in nearby Coronation Park upon a flatbed truck, while the scheduled show continued at the stadium. Once the free concert, which began at about 7:00pm on June 27, was announced, most of the ticketless fans dispersed to Coronation Park, with an initial attendance of about 6,000, thereby resolving the protest. Once

1221-710: Was made of the trip and directed by Emmett Malloy, premiered March 2012 at the South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival (SXSW Film) in Austin, Texas . THINKFilm Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.226 via cp1108 cp1108, Varnish XID 223061172 Upstream caches: cp1108 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 07:55:08 GMT Beatlemania (musical) Beatlemania

1258-746: Was produced by London-based Apollo Films (a division of Apollo Media ) together with PeachTree Films in Amsterdam. Festival Express had its world premiere at the 2003 Toronto International Film Festival . Other festival releases included the San Francisco Film Festival , International Film Festival Rotterdam , Bermuda Film Festival , London Film Festival , Miami Film Festival , Wisconsin Film Festival , NatFilm Festival , Karlovy Vary Film Festival , Maine International Film Festival , Flanders International Film Festival ,

1295-525: Was released in the summer of 1981 and received negative reviews. Janet Maslin of The New York Times , " Beatlemania was a horror on the stage, and it's even more of a horror at close range, where the seams really show. This isn't a loving impersonation, or even an honest one. It's cheap, disingenuous and loathsome." Jonathan Rosenbaum of the Chicago Reader wrote, "My idea of hell is being forced at gunpoint to resee this ... atrocity, ... based on

1332-784: Was released on November 2, 2004, by New Line Home Video . A two-disc DVD for Region 4 was released in Australia in 2005 by Magna Pacific . [1] A Blu-ray disc for Region 1 was released in 2014 by Shout Factory. The film earned $ 1.2 million at the US Box Office, and the DVD went straight in at number 1 on the Music Video & Concert DVD top-sellers charts at Amazon.com , Barnes & Noble , Tower Records , etc., and has had an average customer review rating of 4.5 stars out of 5. According to Rotten Tomatoes , Festival Express

1369-528: Was the second most critically acclaimed film released in 2004. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros joined The Railroad Revival Tour in April 2011 with Mumford and Sons and Old Crow Medicine Show . Traveling in vintage rail cars, the three bands performed in six "unique outdoor locations" over the course of a week starting in Oakland, California . The musical documentary Big Easy Express , which

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