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Today concluded the first week of filming for Magical Mystery Tour. After breakfast, the company boarded the bus and headed back in the general direction of London, intending to stop and do some filming along the way.
In Newquay The Beatles had befriended a couple named Amy and James Smedley, who owned a chip shop in Taunton. The Smedleys, perhaps jokingly, invited the boys to drop by next time they were in the neighborhood. According to an article in The Guardian,
With the group’s fondness for acting on “random” events (partly a result of eastern mysticism, partly drug-induced, partly for the hell of it) they phoned up three days later to say that they would indeed be passing by, and could they shoot some film while they were?
Taunton, it turns out, is nearly on a direct line between Newquay and London, just off the M5. The psychedelic bus rolled up to the Smedleys’ chip shop around lunchtime, and Ringo filmed everyone ordering and eating. As was often the case during this production, the footage ended up on the proverbial cutting room floor.
Well, I’m ready for the weekend, aren’t you? I’ll let The Beatles Bible finish this entry for me.
More filming took place in a country pub, a hall, a hostel and on board the coach. During the latter, accordionist Shirley Evans led the coach party with a number of singalong songs including Toot Toot Tootsie, When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin’ Along and the Can Can.
The coach dropped John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr off in Virginia Water, Surrey. Paul McCartney remained on board until its final destination, Allsop Place in London.