I suppose people my age in the UK know Freda Kelly. She certainly seems to have received a lot of publicity as "the luckiest girl in the world" when she not only headed The Beatles Fan Club but worked for Brian Epstein.
Why Epstein chose her during the time she was hanging out at the Cavern listening to the group, she has no idea. But given his belief in the talent of the Beatles, I think he just had good intuition. I don't think he could have found anyone as discreet or as loyal as Freda.
Freda not only became friends with John, Paul, George, and Ringo, but also with their families and became a member of the Beatles family herself. They would come in for meetings with Brian Epstein and while they sat talking with him, Freda would come in with photos and autograph books for them to sign. She said none of them ever complained about any of it.
She was young and cute, so the interviewer (who was only heard once or twice) asked her if she had a more than friendly relationship with any of the guys. She wouldn't answer. "That's personal," she said. In fact she has never written a book or sold her story to a tabloid.
Freda made this documentary for her grandson, Niall. For so many years, as a secretary, wife, and mother, she never told anyone about her past life. With her son now passed away, she says she would like little Niall to be proud of her and to know she had done something exciting.
It's not everyday that a girl from Liverpool had Paul McCartney walking her to the bus, George Harrison driving her home, was able to attend formal events, and could refer to Ringo as "Ritchie". Quite a whirlwind - plus the fan club.
Friends would come over to visit and she'd give them a pile of fan letters to work on. She once fired a bunch of young women she had helping her with fan mail when one of them put her own hair in an envelope when a fan requested Paul's hair. "I can't trust any of you now," she announced. As a fan herself, she wanted to be honest with anyone who wrote to them.
She stayed with the Beatles until they broke up, working with them for a total of 10 years. At the end of the documentary, Ringo Starr spoke to and about Freda to the camera.
Interspersed with Freda's interview are interviews with her daughter, as well as Angie McCartney, author Tony Barrow, Billy Hatton, and others.
I have had the privilege of working with well-known people. And it is strange. To you, they're just people, and it can be a shock to have someone groveling at your feet because you know them.
Freda had no idea how big the Beatles would be, but she always knew they would be famous. I don't suppose she could have imagined what that experience would bring to her life. It sounds like it was a thrilling time for a teenager. Or anyone else.
