The Fab Four star as cheekier versions of themselves in Richard Lester's 1964 mockumentary-style Beatles comedy, A Hard Day's Night, which is presented at Tampa Theatre as part of its Summer Classic Movie Series. A quickie production shot with hand-held cameras during the height of Beatlemania, the film is based on the Beatles' actual fame at the time and fictionally chronicles their hectic lives beginning with a mad dash to catch a train while hordes of screaming fans follow them in hot pursuit, and culminating in a live TV appearance the following day. Along for the ride is Paul's cantankerous "clean" grandpa (played by Wilfrid Brambell), who, among other shenanigans, instigates an argument between the Beatles' manager and his assistant, and tells Ringo the band doesn't give him the respect he deserves and that life is passing him by, prompting the drummer to take an impromptu (and comical) walk around town to find himself less than an hour before showtime. Punctuated by music-video-like montages of classic Beatles songs featuring plenty of fun, witty dialogue, A Hard Day's Night is a rock 'n' roll movie classic and definitely worth checking out on the big screen. Sun., July 29, 3 p.m., 711 N. Franklin St., downtown Tampa, $7.50, 813-274-8981, tampatheatre.org.
This article appears in Jul 25-31, 2007.