North East teens with The Beatles film revealed

May 16 2009 by Tony Henderson, The Journal

FORGOTTEN film of North East teenagers putting questions to The Beatles in 1963 will be revealed tonight.

The clip from a Tyne Tees TV programme is included in a show which is part of this weekend’s Late Shows event.

Venues in Newcastle and Gateshead which are normally closed in the evening will open their doors from 7pm until late, offering a range of free events to visitors.

One happening is at Tyne & Wear Archives, which is based in Blandford House in Blandford Square, which is also home to the Discovery Museum.

A rolling drop-in programme tonight from 7-11pm includes a mix of items from the Northern Region Film and Television Archive.

This is made up of old regional TV material, amateur home movies and promotional films for the North East and its industries.

One of the highlights is footage of the rare interview with The Beatles for Tyne Tees TV.

It was discovered when archives staff were carrying out research for the North East Beat music exhibition, which opens today at Discovery Museum.

Chief archivist Liz Rees said: “The film was made quite early in The Beatles’ career. It will be interesting to see if anyone recognises themselves in the studio.”

The event also includes Pop Girl, a video featuring 1960s singer Valerie Mitchell from Seaham in County Durham, singing and talking about her hopes for the future.

“It was made by the National Coal Board which produced promotional films about the industry but sometimes did quirky items on mining communities,” said Liz.

Valerie was the sister of the notorious Janie Jones – born Marion Mitchell – who had pop hits herself with Witches Brew and Go My Way which will also be shown on the evening. Janie made the news in 1964 when she arrived topless at the premiere of a film in London. She served four years in jail in the 1970s.

Other items in tonight’s show include film of Tyneside band The Junco Partners in the now demolished Handyside Arcade in Newcastle, and inside the city’s New Orleans Jazz Club.

There will also be an airing for one of the oldest clips in the archives – from the Newcastle United v Sunderland derby of 1913, and various offerings from the glory days of shipbuilding and coalmining.

The Archives is also offering visitors tubs of ice cream in the interval, while old adverts for Eldorado ice cream are projected on to the big screen.

The Late Shows project is co-ordinated by the North East Regional Museums Hub as part of the Renaissance programme – a national initiative to transform England’s regional museums.

Other venues which will be a part of The Late Shows 2009 include Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, the Laing Art Gallery, Castle Keep and Seven Stories.

For full details visit www.thelateshows.org.uk or find The Late Shows on Twitter, Flickr or Facebook.

Page 2: Why Paul thought John was the cleverest man in the band