I thought it was quite sad how George waxed eloquently that Freda had been there from the beginning and now it was over with no severance pay, etc. They should have made her a small partner in Apple or something. Then Paul doesn't even appear even briefly in the movie like Ringo did at the end. She was a class act that did her job because of love for them. Money changes everything.
shareI got the feeling that, despite this being a wonderful documentary about a remarkable lady there was a lot left out. Freda clearly kept to her belief in trust by holding onto everything and anything controversial she may have witnessed during her times in the job....that I can understand....hence all her recollections being nice, charming but not exactly revealing. If she was so beloved and part of the Beatles inner circle why wasnt she financially compensated a bit better. I can only assume she is good to her word about not being financially motivated and rejected any cash from the boys, she seems to enjoy working hard so that would explain her still having a job.
Great to see Ringo at the end, would have been nicer if he had surprised her by visiting her home, imagine the shock if he knocked on the door....that would have been the icing on the cake, and what about McCartney, was he approached also? Did he refuse? If so why? If he was approached and didnt appear that would really disgust me after all that wonderful lady did for him and the others. It would have been nice to have heard if any of the band kept in touch with her after the split.
It would be fair to guess that Freda HAS kept in touch with Ringo and Paul, and therefore, no little cameos were needed.
shareTo the contrary, i'd say that it's likely that they HAVEN'T stayed in contact with her. How many people that you worked with 40 years ago do you stay in touch with? It sure does give a fan a warm, fuzzy feeling inside to believe that they would though, doesn't it?
sharei agree completely with grievousangel09. there's nothing in the story to suggest they're in touch, and why would they be? she worked a job, she enjoyed it, job ended, good memories.
sharerickjmccormack, you wag your finger, saying what they should and shouldn't have done in their private business, but in fact there's almost no details in the film about the business affairs or the way the employees were compensated. Ultimately, Freda didn't think her story was "quite sad" so why should you?
shareCongrats, Rick, you missed the point entirely. Freda was not a person that CARED about such things. She did her job well, she enjoyed it, and then it was off to be a mother. Not EVERYONE is looking for a big payday.
shareWell said, dgates64. According to Freda herself, as a fan of the band she was doing her dream job and had the time of her life. It clearly wasn't about the compensation. If she wanted a big payday at the end she could have sold the memorabilia which she instead gave away to fellow fans.
shareYes, I recall her saying she could have been a multi-millionaire selling off Beatles memorabilia. She was happy that what she gave away ended up in the hands of true Beatles fans, so I don't think money was a motivation for her. If it was, she could very easily have cashed in by writing a "tell all" book which, to her credit, she did not.
I don't think she is bitter about the financial arrangement at all.
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I had exactly these same thoughts after watching. She is so modest and unassuming about her role in their success at that crucial early period of their career. One has to assume Sir Paul was asked to appear and declined, which despite his immense talent and genius, does help bolster the underlying perception that he is to some extent a pompous dick. All that aside, great film and worth viewing.
sharePaul McCartney is a notorious tightwad, bitter jerk... I live in Rye, and a bunch of locals have worked for him at his house over the years- he's a nasty old bugger.
shareI never could stand Paul. How dare he change the writing credits to put his name first when John was killed. What you say about him is what I have always suspected.
shareI just came on here to see if there was any discussion about this very point. Not 5 minutes ago I heard her say that she was 'still working' and I thought 'WHAT ?'.
She is and was a very loyal apparently and obviously a hard working woman. Hopefully she was paid well for this bio - maybe if a little too little too late. Maybe she works at her own leisure, maybe that was a Freudian slip and hint to the boys "I could have sold out you know, still can actually", its hard to say. And for all we know, she may have turned down money from any/all of them as she is an 'old fashioned' lady who has her pride.
What I don't get it why she hasn't held onto the memorabilia for the sake of her kids but no use wondering as we don't know all the details of her personal life.
She spoke of all the friends shes lost from those days but no real mention of a husband(s) which I thought was odd. There really has to be more to her story that she wishes to remain private. In fact, as I type this, it occurs to me that her mention of "I'm still
working' was just her way of saying she has the same work ethic today as she did back then. If I were either Paul or Ringo though, I might be sweatin' a little when hearing about this project. Maybe its why good ol 'Richie' was supportive (obviously), maybe an unsaid quid pro quo ? And maybe not at all. I don't care for gossip and blind speculation, just having a little fun with the idea !
She seemed like the kind of lady anyone would be happy to have in their life, Beatles or not. Miss her already !