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"Good Ol' Freda" which was launched as a Kickstarter.com campaign, was eventually taken into development and finally production with Tripod Media for the past several years. It is the true story of Beatles secretary Freda Kelly, including her own narrative of The Beatles (as humans) and their families as she knew them, and they knew her. My wife and I saw the film at The Arlington Hotel And Spa, near our home in downtown Hot Springs, Ar. as part of the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival. However it is traveling around the country along with Freda and the producers, and it is very much worth checking out. A half century later, this is the first time she has shared her memories and photos of that amazing time in her life. And though she discusses it in a "matter of fact noncholant manner, within five minutes into the film, you realize this woman is not feigning modesty. She (an the film) are "the real thing". Last night I was given an assignment to review a film at the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival titled, "Good Ol' Freda", and there was a bonus. Freda live in person, honored us with her presence to speak and answer our questions. My wife Lee Hiller-London (Lee Hiller), always my best date, was my date for the movie. The film was loaded with enough pertinent information for any Beatlephile. I noticed something that I'd not put my finger on in the past. Even though most Beatles fans, including me, really didn't like the occasional "juicy stories" from the yellow-journalistic press over the years, or their love lives, or how Yoko didn't get along with someone, or Paul's marriages, we endured it to get to the music and bubbling, creative always-thinking personalities of the four lads from Liverpool. Freda doesn't bring up anything of that nature; or if it evolves, she crushes it like an old cigarette butt. She seems to instinctively know Beatles fans never did like the gossip, just the music and The Beatles and nobody delivers the true stories better than Good Ol' Freda. In many ways, like Freda, we considered The Beatles more than just a band. They were friends, brothers and in some ways confidants. When I say confidants, I don't mean the type we could call at 2 a.m. and unload all our issues. I mean the type of which they already knew, in many ways our mindset and confusion, and had written songs reflecting on how we were thinking at the time. If we sang along, it became therapeutic in many ways. No, we didn't personally get to talk to them, but we knew somehow they approved, maybe from the energy and rhythm of the songs themselves. Though nobody knew exactly what a "Glass Onion" was, for instance (except The Beatles), singing it along with other gems from the White Album seemed to offer a "sacrifice of demons", or whatever was bothering us at the time. I mention the White Album for several reasons. I remember it being released around 1969 when I was at summer camp, and rather than getting involved in the myriad of camp activities, some of us sat in the cabin day after day rehearsing the words, and those of us who had guitars playing it (the best we could, but of course sounding nothing like The Beatles). Our "just reaching puberty voices" didn't help either. But the White Album was rarely if ever mentioned in "Good Ol' Freda". Though I wondered why, I also observed that "Good Ol' Freda" was more about the regular lives of four talented lads from Liverpool. Though major changes and growth were mentioned, they were not the focus of the film. Except for various earlier Beatles tunes, Freda's narration was the bulk of the film (and a few news clips). Freda is likable. Very much so. She is the kind of secretary one wished they had no matter what type of business she was in; and she was not in the "major rock star business" when she was plucked from an office typing pool by Beatles "Boss" the late Brian Epstein. Though most of us (Beatles Fans) knew (or suspected) Brian was gay (and couldn't care less); Freda explains how one of the Beatles explained it to her as a 17 year old naïve girl, "Let me put it this way, if you were stranded on an island with him, you'd have nothing to worry about". Freda gives a surprising chuckle in her explanation. Most of the songs in the film were early ones such as "I Saw Her Standing There", "Love Me Do", and several others. If I'm not mistaken the production company procured rights to four Beatles songs; and they used the music wisely, playing different parts of each song appropriately at various times and segues of the film. Freda was a naïve vivacious 17-year old at the time. She was almost immediately taken in as a baby sister or cousin; particularly by Ringo (and his mom) or "Richie" as she called him. For those who don't remember Ringo's real name is Richard Starkey. Freda discusses her many nights at the Cavern Club and maturing as a young woman; but it was not such an uncomfortable time as the Beatles were maturing as young men too. The film lasted about an hour and fifteen minutes with the bulk of it consisting of Freda's recollections, and at times she climbed the long thin stairwell to the attic to bring out Beatles memorabilia which backed up her own memories. But it's not just "Freda talking about Freda"; many others in the film discuss her work and their own perspective of The Beatles and their families. Some of the mainstays in the film who were close to the Beatles in their early years were such legends as Billy Hatton and Joey Bower from the band "Foremost" and Billy Kinsley from the band The "Merseybeats". Freda's daughter Rachel Norris gives her mom a heartwarming review explaining, "There could be no better Mom. She is simply the best" (not your typical words from the child of a person working in show or the music business). Paul's stepmother Angie McCartney says without a doubt, "This may be the last true story of The Beatles", and you could tell, she meant it. One of my favorite parts of the film was a (longer than a sound-bite) tribute to the film and to Freda from none other than "Richie" (Ringo Star) who cannot speak highly enough of his best and long time friend, Freda. When asked if she'd ever dated any of the Beatles her smiling face created an even bigger smile and a glimmer was squarely within her eye. "That's personal". She did mention going out with several of them but as to what occurred is left to our imagination. But she played it right. Most Beatles fans really don't want to know what happened. As explained by Freda, it was just another part of growing up. Unlike so many who were associates/friends of the rich and famous, it is now 50 years later and Freda has never capitalized on her close relationship with The Beatles. In fact she never changed her profession. She is still a secretary in corporate UK. She looks back at her time as secretary for The Beatles as "another time in my life". Even though Freda showed how the letters were coming in nonstop, especially after rumors that The Beatles had broken up, even in her chirpy personality, one could sense the sadness (and some tears rolled down her cheeks), as she was so much at a loss on how to explain what was happening. She continued to run their fan club for another year; and attempted to comfort the young women who knew the real story. From the beginning, those of you who are jaded about people who make movies or have made them, they may think Freda is feigning modesty, but as time passes, we see Freda is the real thing. And if anyone has any doubts, the real Freda was on-stage and she was twice as real, and humble as her real-self as she was telling her life story in the film. I have to thank producer Jessica Lawson for helping make this happen. Without her, I doubt seriously I would have seen what has turned out to be my favorite documentary ever. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Author Rick London is a writer, designer, cartoonist and songwriter. He is best known for his Google #1 ranked offbeat cartoons Londons Times. He is a cheerleader for his favorite new documentary film Good Ol' Freda coming to a theater near you soon.
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