A Hard Day’s Night

How do I survive hours of ironing? The last two times I have ironed(approximately two months apart), I have revisited an old favorite, the Beatles’ quasi-documentary. Filmed in black and white, this hour and a half comedy follows the boys from Liverpool at the height of their boy band heyday. Quirky John, mellow George, sensitive Ringo(always my favorite Beatle since we share a birthday and an underdog complex,) and no-nonsense Paul are headed to a TV variety show concert. They drive their manager Norm crazy with their antics. They alternately dodge and flirt with hordes of fans. They also try, unsuccessfully, to keep Paul’s instigator grandfather(the hilarious Wilfred Bambrell) out of trouble. The high jinks reach their peak when Ringo heads off on a solitary quest—forty minutes before showtime. My favorite scene is the concert performance of “She Loves You,” complete with surprise cameo. The action is broken up by the band performing some of their hits. Not a bad way to spend an evening, especially when faced with a not-so-fun chore.