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Auction: 18002 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 512

‘Well John, how was the trip over, did you all get bored on the flight, or did you have things to keep you entertained, that y’all were doing?’

Reporter upon arrival into Bahamas.

‘Well, err, we all got stoned.’

John Lennon.

An exceptionally rare ‘B.O.A.C. Beatles Bahamas Special Flight’ menu signed by all four Beatles, together with co-stars from the blockbuster ‘Help!’, a gift to the pilot of reputedly ‘the most stoned flight in history’

B.O.A.C. – Cunard Lunch and Afternoon Tea Menu, comprising an outer card menu of colourful and artistic design (274 x 190mm), with inner insert, title page ‘Beatles Bahamas Special. London – New York, February 1965, the inner pages detailing bar, Lunch and Afternoon Tea offering (266 x 188mm), the back cover of outer card cover signed (descending the page) Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Star, George Harrison, together with additional autographs from Eleanor Bron, Roy Kinnear and Billy Wyatt, all signed in black or blue biro with the exception of Ringo Star (black felt tip) and Roy Kinnear (red felt tip), a charming and important item of Beatles memorabilia, generally good very fine

Provenance:
From the Estate of Wing Commander E. E. Rodley, D.S.O., D.F.C., A.F.C., pilot for the flight; see previous Lot for his Honours and Awards.

On 22 February 1965 the Beatles, together with fellow co-stars, departed London Airport aboard a specially chartered Boeing 707 B.O.A.C. – Cunard flight for Bahamas, via New York to film the bands second feature film, Help!

Cheered off by thousands of fans for their long journey, George Harrison gives further insight to their ‘in-flight entertainment’:

‘Brandon De Wilde was an actor, a James Dean type. He liked The Beatles' music and he heard we were going to film in the Bahamas, so he came over from the States with a big bag of reefer.

We smoked on the plane, all the way to the Bahamas. It was a charter flight, with all the film people – the actors and the crew – and we thought, 'No, nobody will notice.'

'We had Mal smoking cigars to drown out the smell.’

Checking into the Balmoral Club near Cable Beach, Nassau for two weeks, the movie grossed over $12,000,000 at the box office upon its release.

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Sold for
£6,500