Obertauern’s abundance of snow made the winter sports resort in Salzburger Land the location for the second Beatles film “Help”. This year marks 60 years since the four mushroom heads filmed in Obertauern and gave their first and only concert in Austria.
On March 14, 1965, the first take of the Beatles’ second film, “Help”, was shot. The centerpiece of the film is a huge diamond ring that Beatles drummer Ringo Star can no longer get off his finger. As a result, the four mushroom heads are chased from London across the Austrian Alps to the Bahamas.
For the filming in a snow-covered mountain setting, they were looking for a location with a high snow guarantee and which was not yet so well known, as the filming was to take place without a huge fan hype. However, Obertauern was then known all over the world and today three monuments commemorate the musicians: a larger-than-life replica of the record cover for “Help!” stands on the
piste in the Kirchbühellift area, a replica of the Beatles piano stands at the Grünwaldkopf mountain station and the four statues of the musicians stand in front of the Hotel Edelweiss.
“We fly the wing up the mountain by helicopter.”
Contemporary witnesses remember one or two curious stories, such as Gloria “Gigi” Mackh, then reigning Miss Austria, whose father owned the “Marietta” hotel where the film crew stayed: “The director Richard Lester had seen my mother’s grand piano in our hotel, on which she always played for the guests, and said ‘… we need it on the mountain’. My father didn’t want to give it away, the instrument was made of wood and that warps in the snow. But Lester said “… we’ll fly it up in a helicopter and bring it back undamaged”. Of course, we got the piano back completely broken. Four of the Beatles had been standing on my mother’s grand piano and the instrument had sunk knee-deep into the snow.” There was no compensation from the resolute director. Instead, the four gave a small concert for the hotel guests and the party went on until the early hours of the morning. Incidentally, this was the only Beatles concert that ever took place in Austria.
Doubles for the Beatles – the four had never stood on “slats” before
There was one hurdle to overcome during filming – none of the Beatles could ski. But there were talented ski instructors in Obertauern and the surrounding area who took on the roles of the stars from England over the next few days. Herbert Lürzer, hotelier and ski instructor in Obertauern, was one of them: “The Beatles had never stood on ‘slats’ before and then we shot the fast-paced film scenes for the boys. We got on well with them off the slopes. The acclaimed stars liked the fact that we didn’t even know them beforehand and didn’t want anything from them, no autographs, no photos. They just had their peace and quiet with us in Obertauern and really enjoyed it.”
Paul McCartney only ever wanted to ski Schuss (straight line)
Herbert Lürzer still tried to teach Paul McCartney how to ski: “He wasn’t that talented and, above all,
he always just wanted to ski, step on the gas and have fun!” However, Lürzer is sorry about one thing today: “Today I would like an autograph.” Maybe Paul McCartney and Ringo Star will come to Obertauern for the 60th anniversary of the film shoot and then he can make up for it with the autograph.
Beatles anniversary weeks from March 2025
Under the title “Home of Beatles”, the Obertauern Tourist Board is organizing a series of events from 6 March to 1 May 2025 in honour of the mushroom heads: visitors can look forward to highlights such as skiing Beatles doubles and cover band concerts. Of course, the movie “Help” will also be shown. Photographs and original exhibits from the time are on display at an exclusive exhibition in the Obertauern tourist office.
Musical journey to the 60s
A highlight will be the concert “A Symphonic Tribute to the Beatles in Obertauern” on March 28, 2025. The 46-piece orchestra of the renowned Salzburg
Philharmonic Orchestra will perform Beatles classics such as “Hey Jude” and “Let It Be” live together with soloist Monika Ballwein. Tickets are available here.
About Obertauern
The vacation resort of Obertauern in Salzburger Land is located 90 km south of the city of Salzburg between 1,740 and 2,526 meters above sea level in the middle of the Radstädter Tauern. Around 8 km to the north is the village of Untertauern at 1,009 meters. On the south side of the pass lies Tweng at 1,233 meters in Salzburg’s Lungau region. In summer, Obertauern and its surroundings offer ideal conditions for a family vacation with more than 280 kilometers of hiking trails and eight permanently signposted trail running routes, numerous outdoor activities and nature experiences such as eleven mountain lakes. In winter, Obertauern is demonstrably the snowiest winter sports resort in Austria.
