When A Hard Day’s Night, The Beatles’ black-and-white comedy, opened in theaters on July 6, 1964, no one expected the 87-minute film to have the impact it did.

Ultimately, it’s because the pseudo-documentary was different than anything we’d ever seen before. The Beatles played themselves, but in a fantasy world, portraying an exaggerated version of a day-in-their-life. And their goofy way of dealing with superstardom was unbelievably delightful!

Now, for the 50th anniversary of its release, A Hard Day’s Night is ready to charm a new generation of music fans. Here are seven facts you may not know about the musical!

  • The title of the film was originally a quip made by Ringo Starr after a long day in the recording studio. Producer Walter Shenson suggested they use it in place of the working title, Beatlemania. John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote the accompanying song in a single night.

  • The screaming fans who chase the Beatles in the opening credits are not actors, but, in fact, real fans.

the beatles

  • John Lennon was absent the day they filmed the song “Can’t Buy Me Love.” A double was used and close-ups of John were later shot and cut into the film.

  • The movie was nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Writing, Story and Screenplay — Written Directly for the Screen and Best Music, Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment. It lost out to Father Goose and My Fair Lady respectively.

the beatles

  • Ringo Starr was praised for a scene in which he portrays a forlorn soul. Truth is, the scene was actually the result of him being severely hung over after a night of heavy drinking.

  • George Harrison’s stumble during the opening sequence wasn’t intentional. He even ripped his suit on the way down!

  • George’s first wife, Pattie Boyd, met the musician on set and appears in several of the film’s scenes, including the musical number “I Should Have Known Better,” where she sits next to Paul McCartney.

Trivia courtesy of Today.com and IMDb.com