Inside Hollywood (1966)

 Inside Hollywood

By Sheilah Graham

The News

April 1, 1966

    "You're a bloody liar," said Beatle Paul McCartney. I looked around to see to whom he was being so rude, and I realized his fury was directed at me. "You said we were married," continued Paul. Girlfriend Jane Asher tossed her long, straight mane of red hair, and I couldn't tell whether she was agreeing or disagreeing. 

    "That was two years ago," I protested. "Then, when you told me you were not mature enough for marriage, I believed you."

     Lately, I've been printing that they are GOING to marry, and that this was based on what Miss Asher told me some months ago, that "We will marry eventually."

     So, with Paul getting his New London home all fixed up and everything, I assume that the nuptials must be near. But to judge by his behavior, this conversation took place in the street in Piccadilly, he is still obviously not mature enough for marriage. 

    Funny thing, their advisors thought that marriage would hurt the Beatles with their fans, but at the Alfie premiere, the three married Beatles, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, when they appeared in a Rolls Royce with their wives, received a much louder scream from the kids outside than when bachelor Paul arrived with Jane.

     It was Ringo's car, and he was pretty peeved when some strong-armed girls tore off the door trying to get at him.

     Having seen Miss Asher's performance in Alfie, I doubt whether she will have much of a future as an actress. She would be smart to marry Paul as soon as he matures.

     None of the women in Alfie could win a beauty contest. Jane is prettier in real life than on screen. Michael Caine gives an ingratiating performance as Alfie, the heel of all time. If he committed an error, it was trying to win sympathy for the nasty little jerk he plays. 

    Shelley Winters is also good in the picture, told me not long ago that actors are so insecure they cannot bear to be hated, and they try to make the worst character sympathetic. There are some very funny lines in Alfie, but the abortion scene is not only crude, but it is also sick-making. Tippi Hedron actually fainted in her seat at the premiere, she told me afterward. Another woman said she threw up. It will be interesting to see what the Legion of Decency has to say.