John Lennon at war
An interesting article about John Lennon in the Calgary Herald, written by Ivor Davies, features one piece of information that I can’t remember having heard before. Davies claims that John Lennon took an uncredited role in Richard Attenborough’s movie musical about the First World War, Oh! What a Lovely War. Lennon played an anonymous soldier opposite Laurence Olivier. The film is not to be confused with the 1967 Richard Lester movie How I Won the War.
The article also tells of several meetings Davies had with Lennon, and you can read the full article here.
I’m still worried that there may be a mixup of some sorts here. As you know, John Lennon and George Harrison saw Victor Spinetti in the musical “”Oh! What A Lovely War” in 1963, and subsequently recruited the actor for their first film adventure, “A Hard Day’s Night”. Attenborough’s movie adaption of “Oh! What A Lovely War” is from 1969 (it was shot in the Brighton, East Sussex area in the summer of 1968), and the film was released on DVD in 2006.
This is Ivor Davis, writing July 26, 2022. Now you have me confused. Someone told me John had the uncredited role in Dickie Attenborough’s Oh What a Lovely War. So I am checking it out. I could not find my article in the Calgary Herald which originally distributed by the New York Times Syndicate. But will advise once I get to the bottom of this. I am writing a chapter in my new book about my meetings with John Lennon…and am in the process of bring out an updated version of my 2014 book, “The Beatles and Me On Tour.” .hence renewed double check.