Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band, Hordern Pavilion, Sydney. Photo: Eva Rinaldi from Sydney, Australia, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Beatles’ first film took its name from something Ringo said. He came off a long day’s work and called it a hard day’s night, one of those slightly wonky phrases John Lennon called a “Ringo-ism”. Paul McCartney’s version of the story has Ringo saying it at Twickenham while they were trying to come up with a title. Either way, it stuck.
It’s a fair place to start, because Ringo was the Beatle who looked most at home in front of a film camera. Sad eyes, dry Liverpool wit, perfect timing. He kept getting film work for the next 20 years.
The Beatles films
A hard day’s night premiered in London on 6 July 1964, directed by Richard Lester. The part fans always bring up is Ringo’s solo stretch. He’s been talked into minding Paul’s “grandfather” (Wilfrid Brambell, from Steptoe and son), wanders off on his own, takes photos, walks by the River Thames and has a chat with a boy wagging school.
Help! had its royal premiere on 29 July 1965, and this time the whole plot hangs on him. A sacrificial ring gets stuck on his finger and a cult led by the high priest Clang chases the band around London, the Austrian Alps and the Bahamas trying to get it back. Which is funny when you remember he got his stage name from the rings he wore. Yellow submarine (1968) was a cartoon, and the real Beatles only appear briefly at the end.
Ringo Starr’s movies after the Beatles
He didn’t wait for the band to split before going solo on screen. His filmography has him as Emmanuel, a Mexican gardener, in Candy (1968) and as Youngman Grand opposite Peter Sellers in The magic Christian (1969).
The seventies got stranger. He was Larry the Dwarf in Frank Zappa’s 200 motels (1971) and turned up in the spaghetti western Blindman the same year. He directed Born to boogie (1972), the concert film about Marc Bolan and T. Rex. In That’ll be the day (1973) he played Mike, a teddy boy, next to David Essex, and a lot of fans rate it his best straight acting. After that came Merlin in Son of Dracula (1974), which he also produced, and the Pope in Ken Russell’s Lisztomania (1975). Yes, the Pope. He was in Sextette (1978) with Mae West as well.
Caveman (1981) is the one many of us rented on VHS. Ringo plays Atouk in a comedy with hardly any real dialogue. He met Barbara Bach on the set in 1980, and they married at Marylebone Town Hall on 27 April 1981. His last big-screen role of the era was playing himself in Paul McCartney’s Give my regards to Broad Street (1984).
Thomas the Tank Engine and other TV
If you had little kids in the mid-eighties, you probably know Ringo best as a voice. He narrated the first two series of Thomas the Tank Engine and friends, which went to air in Britain from 1984 to 1986, and in 1989 he played Mr Conductor in the American spin-off Shining time station. In 1991 he voiced himself on The Simpsons in the episode ‘Brush with greatness’.
Ringo in the 1970s: the hits
From 1971 to 1975 he was hardly off the radio. His chart record for the period:
- ‘It don’t come easy’ (1971), No. 4 in both the US and UK
- ‘Back off boogaloo’ (1972), No. 2 in the UK and No. 9 in the US
- ‘Photograph’ (1973), written with George Harrison, a US No. 1
- ‘You’re sixteen’ (1974), a Johnny Burnette cover and his second US No. 1
- ‘Oh my my’ (1974), No. 5 in the US
- ‘Only you’ (1974), The Platters’ song, No. 6 in the US
- ‘No no song’ (1975), No. 3 in the US
The 1973 album Ringo reached No. 2 in America and has all four former Beatles on it. Throw in his Beatles vocals, ‘Yellow submarine’, ‘With a little help from my friends’, ‘Act naturally’ and ‘Octopus’s garden’, which he wrote himself after a chat with a ship’s captain about octopuses. For a deeper cut, find ‘Early 1970’, a gentle B-side about his three bandmates. It all sits nicely next to our seventies jukebox, and collectors should have a look at our Beatles memorabilia guide.
The Australian tour Ringo nearly missed
Older readers will remember this. At the start of the 1964 world tour Ringo came down with a high fever, pharyngitis and tonsillitis and ended up in hospital. A 24-year-old session drummer, Jimmie Nicol, filled in for five concerts. Ringo was let out of hospital and rejoined the band in Melbourne on 15 June 1964.
It took him a long while to come back with his own band. The All Starr Band’s 2013 shows were his first ever in Australia and New Zealand as a solo act.
Ringo Starr today
Sir Richard Starkey was knighted in the 2018 New Year Honours and has been in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist since 2015. He turned 86 on 7 July 2026. Every birthday at noon he asks fans to say or post “peace and love”, a habit that started in 2008. His country album Long long road came out in April 2026, and the All Starr Band is touring North America through September and October.
What’s your favourite Ringo film, or the one you’d happily never sit through again? Tell us in the comments.
Frequently asked questions
What movies has Ringo Starr been in?
Besides A hard day’s night (1964) and Help! (1965), Ringo appeared in Candy (1968), The magic Christian (1969), 200 motels (1971), Blindman (1971), That’ll be the day (1973), Son of Dracula (1974), Lisztomania (1975), Sextette (1978), Caveman (1981) and Give my regards to Broad Street (1984).
Where did the title A Hard Day’s Night come from?
From Ringo. After a long day he described it as a hard day’s night, one of his slightly skewed phrases that John Lennon called a “Ringo-ism”. Paul McCartney later recalled Ringo saying it at Twickenham studios while they were searching for a film title.
Why is he called Ringo Starr?
He was born Richard Starkey. He took the stage name in his early Liverpool days, from the rings he wore and because it had a country and western ring to it. Starkey became Starr.
Did Ringo Starr narrate Thomas the Tank Engine?
Yes. He narrated the first two series of Thomas the Tank Engine and friends, first broadcast in Britain from 1984 to 1986, and in 1989 he played Mr Conductor on the American spin-off Shining time station.
Why did Ringo miss part of the Beatles’ 1964 tour of Australia?
He fell ill with a high fever, pharyngitis and tonsillitis and spent time in hospital. Session drummer Jimmie Nicol, then 24, stood in for five concerts. Ringo was discharged and rejoined the band in Melbourne on 15 June 1964.
What were Ringo Starr’s biggest hits of the 1970s?
His two US No. 1 singles were ‘Photograph’ (1973) and ‘You’re sixteen’ (1974). He also made the US top ten with ‘It don’t come easy’ (1971), ‘Back off boogaloo’ (1972), ‘Oh my my’ (1974), ‘Only you’ (1974) and ‘No no song’ (1975).
What did Ringo Starr do in 1966?
He sang lead on ‘Yellow submarine’ from Revolver, released in August 1966. As a double A-side with ‘Eleanor Rigby’ it went to No. 1 in the UK, the only British No. 1 single with Ringo singing lead. That same month The Beatles played their last paid concert, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.
Is Ringo Starr still alive?
Yes. Ringo was born in Liverpool on 7 July 1940 and turned 86 in July 2026. He released the country album Long long road in April 2026 and is touring North America with his All Starr Band in September and October 2026.
There’s plenty more Beatles and seventies nostalgia on Jukebox Saturday Night.
Disclaimer: The information provided is for educational and entertainment purposes only. While we strive for accuracy, music history is often based on available documentation and interpretation.
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