This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/28/2022
John Lennon's personally owned and used working copy of his script for the film 'How I Won the War' in which he played the character 'Gripweed.' The 128-page, single-sided manuscript, 8.5” x 11,” has been two-hole punched and bound in a soft-covered folder, and exhibits annotations made by John in pen for his parts and also his initials in the top corner. Much of the dialogue and scene-setting for his character "Gripweed" is underlined, circled, or crossed through. It also has with it the call sheet "Call Sheet No. 51" dated October 24, 1966, outlining a day of shooting at Almeria in Spain for the movie with Lennon’s name highlighted. The script shows signs of heavy use, but is in good condition. This was first auctioned at Christie's in New York in 1987 and includes a copy of the Christie's brochure. After the Beatles finished their final concert tour, they parted ways to work on individual projects—this here-offered script representing Lennon’s chosen activity. The musician participated in this odd anti-war movie's filming during September-November 1966 at the behest of the director Richard Lester. Soon after filming, The Fab Four reunited to begin work on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. In his last major interview in 1980 with David Sheff, Lennon spoke of 'How I Won the War' and its relation to the major track: "Dick Lester offered me the part in this movie, which gave me time to think without going home. We were in Almeria, and it took me six weeks to write the song. I was writing it all the time I was making the film. And as anybody knows about film work, there's a lot of hanging around. I have an original tape of it somewhere. Of how it sounded before it became the sort of psychedelic-sounding song it became on record." An interesting piece of Beatles history, most especially since it was during the off-time of filming this movie that Lennon composed the iconic Beatles song “Strawberry Fields Forever.” Comes with a Gotta Have Rock & Roll® Certificate of Authenticity.