On Mondays I recommend a film that may have passed you by.
Good Ol' Freda
Directed by Ryan White
Written by Jessica Lawson and Ryan White
Starring Freda Kelly
A documentary in which Freda Kelly looks back at her career as lifelong secretary for The Beatles.
She lives a quiet life now. Unassuming. Neighbors; coworkers; even family do not know the secrets she keeps. Freda agreed to make this documentary by not telling her secrets about the Beatles but just to document her life as the Beatles secretary.
While watching this you realize that Freda does more than her title,she was the keeper of the machine. Beatles; Rolling Stones; New Kids; Backstreet Boys; One direction; and Taylor Swift all have that one thing in common, they became/become more than their music. Be it due to their looks; talent; or personality they become this machine that steamrolls forward at a high rate of speed, so fast that eventually it has to run out of steam. So as the machine soars somebody has to control the information going out. Today it is more difficult with the internet to control the machine, it takes a team to do so, however for the Beatles...it was Freda.
She took this job having no idea what she was getting into. I mean they were nobodies from Liverpool and during her watch they exploded.
Freda does not give up any secrets in this doc. She still is very loyal to the now defunct band. What makes this interesting is how important she was and what she observed as she watched the boys skyrocket.
Now she is so unassuming it is almost shocking. A small house with a small job. Even her kids do not seem to know much about her past. Up in her attic she sits on boxes of Beatles paraphernalia which is probably worth a ton of money. But it just sits there which makes me worry for her now that she has exposed herself in the doc. I sort of wish the Beatles would have taken care of her financially for her loyalty even now.
Well, the 86 minute doc covers the time and place really well and shows the loyalty and the sweetness of Frida.
Again this has no big revelations, but it is well done. 4 1/2 out of 5 stars for Good Ol' Freda.
It is available for streaming and rent on Netflix.
From the shadows thanks for taking the time as always.
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