UNSEEN photographs of The Beatles taken by a member of a film crew are set to prove a hit at auction in Lichfield.
The snaps feature in an archive compiled by Edward Tucker during his decades working in the movie industry.
He had a ringside seat to some iconic cinematic moments thanks to his role as grip – a technician responsible for building and maintaining equipment supporting cameras and production gear on a film set.
His collection came to light during a Dealer Day for a new series of the hit ITV antiques programme Dickinson’s Real Deal – and it now will go under the hammer with Richard Winterton Auctioneers on Monday (3rd November).
Host David Dickinson will be filming on the day and people are invited to go along and enjoy the auction from 9am.
The archive includes eight never-before-seen behind the scenes Beatles photo – six from A Hard Day’s Night and two from Help. There are also scripts, including one for the 1976 blockbuster The Eagle Has Landed and signed photos by stars such as Sir Michael Caine and Kate Bush.
The collection is being brought to auction by Mr Tucker’s daughter and son Leigh-Anne and Owen following their dad’s death eight years ago aged 83.
Leigh-Anne said:
“Dad lived next door to Twickenham Studios. One day he was digging a hole for the council and someone said ‘hey mate, you want to come and do that for us’. So he started as a set builder and went on to become a much-loved, accredited grip who travelled the world and was highly valued in the film industry.”
Mr Tucker met future wife Sheila in the 1960s, with the couple going on to have two children and enjoy a glamourous social life of wrap parties and first night screenings.
But his camera was never far away and the couple regularly managed to collect autographs of the stars.
The collection includes a signed photo to Sheila from Michael Caine alongside a ticket to the gala world premiere of Alfie at the Plaza Theatre in Piccadilly Circus in 1966.
The spirit of the swinging sixties lives on in countless pictures throughout the collection.
Six of Mr Tucker’s black and white photos from the set of A Hard Day’s Night include ones of Ringo filming in 1964.
Director Richard Lester can also be seen in one of the shots, taken while working out the comedic scene where the hapless drummer is arrested after a woman falls down a hole in the road he covered with his coat.
Other photos show Paul McCartney and George Harrison, as well as stars such as Gerry and the Pacemakers, Lonnie Donegan and Peter Cushing.
Scripts in the collection include The Blockhouse, Siddhartha, The Greek Tycoon, Entertaining Mr Sloane and The Eagle Has Landed, which starred Michael Caine and Donald Sutherland.
Leigh-Anne said:
“Michael Caine knew dad and regarded him highly. Dad used to let us go on set when he was working and one day we visited The Eagle Has Landed when they were filming of the scene of the church siege.
“I remember walking down through the village with mum and a friendly American, who turned out to be Larry Hagman.”
His career later expanded into TV adverts and music video promos, including Queen’s I Want To Break Free, with the move giving his daughter plenty of opportunities to get autographs from music heroes.
Her book of signatures, which is also being auctioned off, includes the likes of Christopher Reeve, Boy George and Culture Club, The Human League, Wham!, the Thompson Twins, actress Rula Lenska and members of the That’s Life TV programme team – Esther Ranzen, Bill Buckley and Michael Groth.
Sadly, many of Mr Tucker’s tales from a life in movies died with him. Leigh-Ann explained:
“Dad wasn’t a gossip and he had quite a bad memory, but if you sat him in front of a film he worked on he would come out with all these stories.
“At the end of dad’s life I called him Uncle Albert because he always started a story with ‘when I was in the film industry’. He was going to write his memoirs but mum got diagnosed with terminal cancer and so everything went into caring for her.
“The auction is a great way to remember dad and everything he accomplished in the film industry. He was so much loved. It makes me emotional at how much loved he was.”
The full catalogue can be viewed at www.richardwinterton.co.uk/auctions/auction-calendar.
