I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Robert Zemeckis

Writers:

Bob Gale (writer)
Robert Zemeckis (writer)

Release Date:

3 July 1985 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Music | Romance

Tagline:

these youngsters are suffering from a highly contagious disease called beatlemania. The symptoms are...screaming hysteria hyperventilation fainting fits seizures and spasmodic convulsions It isn't fatal but it sure is fun.

Plot:

If they missed Beatles' first appearance in the U.S.A. they would hate themselves for the rest of their lives...

Plot Keywords:

New Jersey | Ticket | New York | New York City | Beatlemania

Cast

Nancy Allen	...	Pam Mitchell
Bobby Di Cicco	...	Tony Smerko
Marc McClure	...	Larry Dubois
Susan Kendall Newman	...	Janis Goldman
Theresa Saldana	...	Grace Corrigan
Wendie Jo Sperber	...	Rosie Petrofsky
Eddie Deezen	...	Richard 'Ringo' Klaus
Christian Juttner	...	Peter Plimpton
Will Jordan	...	Ed Sullivan
Read Morgan	...	Peter's Father
Claude Earl Jones	...	Al
James Houghton	...	Eddie
James Hewitson	...	Neil
Dick Miller	...	Sergeant Brenner
Vito Carenzo	...	CBS Security Guard

Also Known As:

Beatlemania (USA) (working title)
Beatles 4-Ever (USA) (original script title)

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Finland:K-12 | USA:PG

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Although the movie takes place in 1964, the titles of three of The Beatles' songs from later on in their career are mentioned: "Helter Skelter" (woman in hotel elevator says, "Things are all Helter Skelter"), "Get Back" (what the police tell the teenagers as they attempt to save Janis and Peter), and "909" (as in "The One After 909") - 909 is the room number of the man who wants a call girl.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Dubois' dashboard reveals a picture of The Beatles in a scene from "A Hard Day's Night" which did not begin filming until March 1964, one month after The Beatles' first appearance on the Sullivan show.

Quotes:

Rosie Petrofsky: [Rosie and "Ringo" are trapped in an elevator, when Ringo discovers the trap door on the top of the elevator] That looks dangerous!
Richard 'Ringo' Klaus: Not really. It's not as dangerous as when I got thrown off the Long Island Rail Road, and this isn't even moving.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Making of '1941' (1996) (V)

It's Better Than You Might Think

I thought that this was one of the most interesting comedies ever! It's hysterically funny from one point to another about these three young girls who are HUGE fans of the Beatles and would do anything just to see them on Ed Sullivan. What a great idea for a movie. It's amazing! It's one of the greatest films I ever saw, and that anyone can enjoy!