A Hard Day's Night/Trivia

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


  • Actor Allusion: Paul's grandfather is frequently referred to as "clean" because the actor played a "dirty old man" in Steptoe and Son (which begat the American version Sanford and Son). These jokes would often go over American fans' heads, but British audiences would've gotten the references immediately.
    • And according to the extras on the DVD, the actor was a meticulously clean and well dressed man in real life.
  • Hey, It's That Guy!: Millie, the stage hand who encounters John, is Baroness Bomburst from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
    • Steptoe and Son's Wilfred Brambell, who was reportedly included because the studio wasn't sure the Beatles could carry a film by themselves.
    • The television director is played by Victor Spinetti, who played the mad scientist Foot in Help!, and also appeared in the Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour.
    • The girl with Paul's Grandfather at the casino is Margaret Nolan, who was Bond's girl Dink at the beginning of Goldfinger.
  • Reality Subtext: Paul's Grandfather's complaint that "So far, I've been in a train and a room, a car and a room, and a room and a room!" is based on actual complaints the Beatles had about touring.
    • And Paul's appearance in disguise may have been based on his tendency, at least in the earlier days of Beatlemania, to do just that so he could wander the streets without being bothered.
  • The Red Stapler: Demand for the Rickenbacker 360/12 12-string guitar skyrocketed after George Harrison used one throughout the movie.
  • Throw It In: John wasn't meant to be in the bathtub when George was teaching Shake how to shave, but when Lester found Lennon already there, they decided to work it in.