It was 44 years ago today
Feb 14 2006
EXCLUSIVE by Graham Davies, Daily Post Staff
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A frame of colour film footage of The Beatles from February 1962 - believed to be the earliest in existence- Copyright: Best Wishes Productions Ltd.
THIS is the UK's first glimpse of the earliest-known film footage of The Beatles - revealed 44 years to the day it was filmed.
Fresh from Hamburg and still wearing their black leather jackets, the Fab Four are shown performing a Valentine's Day gig at a Wirral church hall in 1962.
In a taster of what was to come, screaming girls are seen surrounding the tiny stage.
Original drummer Pete Best, who was in the band at the time, bought the grainy cine film after a fan found it among his father's belongings.
In the early 1960s, the group was playing up to seven concerts a day, so in 2006 Mr Best and his production company, Best Wishes Productions, had to turn detectives to discover exactly what gig it was.
Alan Humphreys, director of Best Wishes, which is in talks with television companies to use the film in a documentary, said: "We've tried to narrow it down by looking at the finer details.
"Pete is still in the band, while McCartney has a Hofner violin bass and George has a Countryman guitar, which he bought from an ad in the Echo around that time, so we know it is in 1962.
"There are also Valentine hearts on the curtains behind them so we know it has to be either Valentine's Day or February 12 that year, because that was the Saturday."
Mr Humphreys added: "It was strange in that nobody recognised the venue. We asked Allan Williams and The Merseybeats if they could shed any light on it for us. At first it was thought the venue was the Floral Hall in Southport, but after going through it with Pete, we realised the stage was too small.
"The closest date Pete has in his diary at that time was a gig at St Paul's Presbyterian Church in North
Road, Tranmere, which does not exist any more. We're pretty certain that is the venue in the film."
The Best Wishes team was offered the footage by a man whose father had filmed it with a Standard 8 Cine camera.
The men would not reveal how much the film is worth, but it is understood to be a "substantial amount".
They believe the gig was at the time when Brian Epstein had started managing the band, but before he encouraged them to drop their quiffs and leathers for moptops and collarless suits.
Mr Humphreys added: "It is the earliest-known footage of the Beatles by eight or nine months and the only colour footage in existence of them at that time.
"The next known footage is when Granada filmed them in the Cavern, but that was in black and white."
* WERE you at this gig? Call the Daily Post if you can help solve the mysteries behind the film on 0151 282 8123.
graham.davies@liverpool.com
