Lot 539: The Beatles 'Mad Day Out'. A group of twenty six

The Beatles 'Mad Day Out'. A group of twenty six b & w 35mm negatives on five strips, photographs taken at the Mercury Theatre, Notting Hill, Sunday 28 July 1968, the photographs taken by the photographer Frazer Pearce during the 'Mad Day Out' with the Beatles day, one strip of six negatives showing the Beatles holding an "International Theatre Club' sign board while standing outside the theatre and with Mal Evans's son Gary appearing in front in all but one of these negatives, the remaining strips all interior shots, the second strip showing George, John, Paul and Ringo in various combinations in conversation with each other, Mal Evans, Tom Murray(?) and one other unidentified person also visible, the third strip including photographs of George and Ringo in conversation with Don McCullin; John and Yoko Ono seated; George and Ringo; plus George, Ringo and Paul, the two remaining strips partly overexposed due to the poor lighting and showing the Beatles photographed from further away and probably with a different camera, the action largely concerning the Beatles on stage posing for Don McCullin and the other photographers, with Mal and Gary Evans appearing in one negative with Francie Schwartz [McCartney's then girlfriend], the final two images of one strip largely lost through overexposure, (plus two further strips of ten negatives of props relating to the International Theatre Club show "Theatre is dead - We must act!' unconnected to the Beatles but believed to have been photographed on the same day). Known as "Mad Day Out' with the Beatles the photographs taken here are all unpublished and previously unknown. At this point in time the Beatles were in the midst of fractious recording of the "White Album' and at the height of their fame, riding high on the success of their latest album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'. Taking time out from recording for a day's photo shoot at various unusual London locations they took along photographers Don McCullin, Steven Goldblatt, Tom Murray, Tony Bramwell and Ronald Fitzgibbon. Also in the small entourage were Mal and Gary Evans, Yoko Ono, and Francie Schwartz, Paul McCartney's then girlfriend. At each location they were spotted and hunted out by hordes of fans and autograph hunters meaning they had to move on to the next location quickly. It was at the end of this day that Don McCullin took the celebrated photographs of the Beatles looking over the railings that later adorned the red and blue gatefold covers forÊboth "1962-1966' and "1967-1970' double albums. After this day it was increasingly rare for all the Beatles to be found together as relationships within the band began to disintegrate. Frazer Pearce, a photographer for the actors' casting directory Spotlight, was then involved with the Notting Hill Mercury Theatre (the original home of the Ballet Rambert and featured in the Powell & Pressburger film "The Red Shoes', 1948). It was at this time the home of the International Theatre Club run by director Jean Pierre Voos. Frazer was by chance working at the theatre when the Beatles turned up on this impromptu visit as part of the day's photo shoot. As a thank you for the use of the venue, and before fleeing fans to the next location, the Beatles posed for Frazer outside with the Theatre Club sign. Interestingly, the previously known photographs of the same posed situation taken by the other photographers present are from an angle. For these striking photographs Frazer Pearce took centre stage as the primary photographer. Don McCullin recalls this location briefly in the preface to his recently published "A Day in the Life of the Beatles' (2010): "We found ourselves in a strange community hall somewhere in the East End. Somebody produced a parrot. The light was terrible and I was struggling with reloading my cameras. There was an old upright piano and they started fooling around with it.' A letter of transference of full copyright from the photographer will be made available to the buyer of the lot, along with a two-page note with Frazer's memories of the day's events. (7)
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