I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978)

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PG
1h 44min
Comedy, Music
1978 (UK)
Movie

6.8 (5,613)

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In 1964, six teenagers from New Jersey run off to see The Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show (1948) in the hope of meeting their idols. However, they don't have tickets. Along the way, they learn new things about friendship and... See more »

Director:

Robert Zemeckis

Writers:

Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale

Stars:

Reviews:

Photos and Videos

In 1964, six teenagers from New Jersey run off to see The Beatles perform on Toast of the Town (1948) in the hope of meeting their idols. However, they don't have tickets. Along the way, they learn new things about friendship and growing up.

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114 photos | 1 video

Cast verified as complete

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	Nancy Allen	...	Pam Mitchell
	Bobby Di Cicco	...	Tony Smerko
	Marc McClure	...	Larry Dubois
	Susan Kendall Newman	...	Janis Goldman
	Theresa Saldana	...	Grace Corrigan
	Wendie Jo Sperber	...	Rosie Petrofsky
	Eddie Deezen	...	Richard 'Ringo' Klaus
	Christian Juttner	...	Peter Plimpton
	Will Jordan	...	Ed Sullivan
	Read Morgan	...	Peter's Father
	Claude Earl Jones	...	Al
	James Houghton	...	Eddie
	Michael Hewitson	...	Neil
	Dick Miller	...	Sgt. Bresner
	Vito Carenzo	...	CBS Security Guard
	Luke Andreas	...	Police Officer in Alley
	Roberta Lee Carroll	...	Cafeteria Girl #1
	Sherry Lynn	...	Cafeteria Girl #2
	Irene Arranga	...	Flatbush Club: Sheet Girl
	Carole H. Field	...	Club Leader
	Nancy Osborne	...	Amazon
	Newt Arnold	...	Barber (as Newton Arnold)
	Wil Albert	...	Mr. Goldman
	Troy Melton	...	Hotel Guard-Lobby
	Nick Pellegrino	...	Lou The Guard
	Martin Fiscoe	...	Elevator Operator
	Marilyn Stader	...	Woman in Elevator (as Marilyn Moe)
	Michael Ross Verona	...	TV Reporter
	Marilyn Fox	...	Hysterical Interviewee
	Kristine DeBell	...	Cindy The Hooker
	Gene LeBell	...	Theatre Cop: Reese
	Victor Brandt	...	Theatre Cop: Foley
	Roger Pancake	...	Police Sergeant
	Kimberly Spengel	...	Sheet Girl
	Bob Maroff	...	Bartender
	Ivy Bethune	...	Foreign Woman
	Craig Spengel	...	Beatle Protester #1
	Frankie Verroca	...	Beatle Protester #2 (as Frank Verroca)
	Derek Barton	...	Smerko's Driver
	Ed Call	...	Reporter (as Edward Call)
	John Malloy	...	Reporter
	Larry Pines	...	Reporter
	Dave Adams	...	Reporter
	Poppy Lagos	...	Reporter
	Robyn Petty	...	Autograph Girl #1
	Paula Watson	...	Autograph Girl #2
	The Romanos Dog Act	...	Dog Act (as The Romanos)
	Murray the 'K'	...	Self
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
	The Beatles	...	Themselves (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
	Brian Epstein	...	Self (in New York) (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
	George Harrison	...	Self (in New York) (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
	Leslie Hoffman	...	(uncredited)
	Cary Huff	...	Nightclub Partier (uncredited)
	John Lennon	...	Self (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
	William Malone	...	George Harrison (uncredited)
	Paul McCartney	...	Self (in New York) (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
	Jimmy Nickerson	...	(uncredited)
	Leoda Richards	...	Old Woman Getting Into Cab (uncredited)
	George Sawaya	...	(uncredited)
	Rick Sawaya	...	(uncredited)
	Ringo Starr	...	Self (in New York) (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
	Marty Thomas	...	New York Door Man (uncredited)
	Chuck Waters	...	(uncredited)
	Jeffrey Weissman	...	Ringo Fan (uncredited)

Directed by

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Robert Zemeckis

Written by

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Robert Zemeckis	...	(written by) &
Bob Gale	...	(written by)

Produced by

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Tamara Asseyev	...	producer (produced by)
Bob Gale	...	associate producer
Alexandra Rose	...	producer (produced by) (as Alex Rose)
Steven Spielberg	...	executive producer

Cinematography by

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Donald M. Morgan

...

director of photography

Editing by

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Frank Morriss

...

film editor

Editorial Department

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Jerry Garcia	...	assistant film editor
Stephen Mark	...	assistant editor (uncredited)

Casting By

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Sally Dennison

...

(casting)

Art Direction by

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Peter Jamison

Set Decoration by

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John M. Dwyer

...

(set decorations) (as John Dwyer)

Costume Design by

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Rosanna Norton

...

(as Roseanna Norton)

Makeup Department

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Don Angier	...	makeup artist
Patricia Burck	...	hair stylist (as Patti Burck)
Barbara Guedel	...	makeup artist
Diane Pepper	...	hair stylist (as Dianne Pepper)

Production Management

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Wallace Worsley Jr.	...	unit production manager (as Wally Worsley)
Charles Clement	...	post production operations head (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

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Newt Arnold	...	first assistant director (as Newton Arnold)
Dan Kolsrud	...	second assistant director
Robert Villar	...	second assistant director

Art Department

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Vic Petrotta Jr.

...

property master

Sound Department

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Charles L. Campbell	...	sound effects editor
Robert Glass	...	rerecording mixer
Robert Knudson	...	rerecording mixer (as Buzz Knudson)
Don MacDougall	...	rerecording mixer
Don Sharpless	...	sound
Allan Bromberg	...	assistant: sound editor (uncredited)
Weldon Brown	...	adr mixer (uncredited)
Don MacDougall	...	sound mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by

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Curtis Dickson

...

special effects

Visual Effects by

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Bill Taylor	...	matte photography
Albert Whitlock	...	special visual effects

Stunts

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Leslie Hoffman	...	stunts
Jimmy Nickerson	...	stunt driver (as Jim Nickerson)
George Sawaya	...	stunt driver
Rick Sawaya	...	stunts
Chuck Waters	...	stunts
Janet Brady	...	stunts (uncredited)
Leslie Hoffman	...	stunt double: Wendie Jo Sperber (uncredited)
Gene LeBell	...	stunts (uncredited)
Rick Sawaya	...	assistant stunt coordinator (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department

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Don Christie	...	stillman
Alan Landaker	...	video supervisor
Christopher Lynch	...	gaffer
Robert D. McBride	...	camera assistant (as Robert McBride)
Bob Mundell	...	best boy (as Robert F. Mundell Jr.)
Michael Nash	...	camera assistant
Chris Schwiebert	...	camera operator
Calvin Sterry	...	key grip (as Cal Sterry)
Joseph A. Unsinn	...	video operator (as Joe Unsinn III)

Casting Department

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Stanzi Stokes	...	casting assistant (as Stanzi Foster)
Barbara Walch	...	extra casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department

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Shari Feldman	...	costumer: women
Kathleen McGregor	...	wardrobe
Paul Moscowitz	...	costumer: men (as Paul Moscovitz)
Chuck Velasco	...	wardrobe

Script and Continuity Department

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Betty A. Griffin

...

script supervisor (as Betty Abbott Griffin)

Transportation Department

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Eugene Schwartz	...	transportation captain (as Gene Schwartz)
Chris Haynes	...	driver (uncredited)

Additional Crew

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Richard Correll	...	technical advisor (as Rich Correll)
Dan Perri	...	title designer
Marianne Porlier	...	production secretary
Dan Price	...	film researcher

Thanks

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Robert Freeman	...	the producers wish to acknowledge the following for their cooperation in supplying various photographic material used in this film:
Dezo Hoffman	...	the producers wish to acknowledge the following for their cooperation in supplying various photographic material used in this film:

Crew believed to be complete

Production Companies

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Distributors

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Universal Pictures (1978) (United States) (theatrical) (as Universal ® An MCA Company)
Cinema International Corporation (CIC) (1978) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
Cinema International Corporation (CIC) (1979) (Sweden) (theatrical)
Universal Pictures (1980) (Mexico) (theatrical)
American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1981) (United States) (tv)
Joy Pack Film (1982) (Japan) (theatrical)
Giangi Film (1983) (Italy) (theatrical)
Warner Home Video (1989) (United States) (VHS) (pan and scan)
Warner Home Video (1996) (United States) (VHS)
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (UPHE) (2004) (United States) (DVD)
Cinemax (2013) (Hungary) (tv)
StudioCanal (2017) (Germany) (DVD)
The Criterion Collection (2019) (United States) (DVD)
The Criterion Collection (2019) (United States) (Blu-ray)

Special Effects

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Other Companies

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Black Star Photo (the producers wish to acknowledge the following for their cooperation in supplying various photographic material used in this film:)
Burbank Studios Production Sound Department (video displays)
Capitol Records (the producers wish to acknowledge the following for their cooperation in supplying various photographic material used in this film:)
International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) (this picture made under the jurisdiction of: affiliated with A. F. L. - C. I. O.)
Neiman-Tillar Associates (music post-production services by)
Neiman-Tillar Associates (sound effects creation by)
Sullivan Productions (videotape segment of The Beatles' performance on The Ed Sullivan Show supplied by)
Universal Title (titles & optical effects)

Storyline

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Plot Summary	If they missed Beatles' first appearance in the U.S.A. they would hate themselves for the rest of their lives! So they (six teenagers from New Jersey) set off even though they don't have tickets for the show! The journey is full of surprises and misfortunes but the young ladies are determined to reach to their idols... Written by Xenophon Tsakanikas Plot Summary Plot Synopsis
Plot Keywords	driving hall hairbrush teenage-boy teenage-girl See All (126) »
Taglines	...the Beatles legend begins See more »
Genres	Comedy Music Romance
Parents Guide	View content advisory »
Certification	Australia:PG Australia:NRC Brazil:Livre Finland:K-12 France:Tous publics Germany:12 Iceland:L India:U Italy:T Sweden:11 United Kingdom:A United Kingdom:12 (video rating) United States:PG

Additional Details

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Also Known As	Beatles 4-Ever (United States) Beatlemania (United States) Crazy Day (France) Locos por ellos (Spain) Quiero estrechar tu mano (Mexico) See more »
Runtime	104 min
Country	United States
Language	English
Color	Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio	1.85 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix	Mono
Filming Locations	Biltmore Hotel - 506 S. Grand Avenue, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA See more »

Box Office

Budget

$2,700,000 (estimated)

Did You Know?

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Trivia	Director Robert Zemeckis' feature debut, as well as his first of many collaborations with producer Steven Spielberg. Despite the film's relatively modest budget (approximately $2.8 million), Universal Studios were uneasy with Spielberg's choice in hiring the unproven director. To prevent Zemeckis from being fired, executive Ned Tanen made Spielberg agree that if Zemeckis was doing a markedly poor job, Spielberg would step in and direct the film himself. This way, Universal could hardly lose: they would either have given a new whiz-kid director his first chance, or they would have gained another Spielberg film to release. See more »
Goofs	The Höfner bass guitar used in the movie was a right handed version. Paul McCartney is left-handed. See more »
Movie Connections	Featured in Back to the Future: The Ride - Part I (2015). See more »
Soundtracks	I Want to Hold Your Hand See more »
Quotes	Ed Sullivan: And so, I want you to be prepared for excessive screaming, hysteria, hyperventilation, fainting, fits, seizures, spasmodic convulsions, even attempted suicides. All perfectly normal. Merely means that these youngsters are enjoying themselves. See more »

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