The original Wretched Group was composed of Tom Benton, Hank McKee, Jim Modisher, Mike McEntarfer, Dave Greenleaf, Jim Giatas, and Jim Pasquale.

The local 1960s band, The Wretched Group, would like to invite all Beatles fans to a one-time screening of “A Hard Day’s Night” (the classic 1964 Beatles film) at the 1891 Fredonia Opera House Performing Arts Center on Friday July 26 at 7:30 p.m. In the spirit of 1964 the tickets are just $1. They are available at the door only.

In the 1960s, the Wretched Group played all over Chautauqua County, including Fredonia, Dunkirk, Brocton, Silver Creek, Westfield, Forestville, Mayville, and Van Buren. They have reunited almost every summer to play reunion shows since 1999. Michael McEntarfer, keyboard player and original member of the Wretched Group, shared his memories of seeing the film in 1964.

“It was on a hot summer night when the members of The Wretched Group made a pilgrimage to The Winter Garden Theatre in Fredonia to watch their idols, the Beatles, in their first motion picture. The Winter Garden Theatre in those days was a far cry from the beautiful venue we know today as the 1891 Fredonia Opera House,” said McEntarfer.

“The old movie theater had definitely seen better days. There was a tiny refreshment stand that sold bags of popcorn along with the usual assortment of movie candy. My favorite seat was in the balcony,” McEntarfer said, “even though it meant sharing a couple of hours with the resident bats in the rafters. Yes, there were literally ‘bats in the belfry’ and we affectionately called the old theater the Bat Cave.”

McEntarfer then clarified, “Please rest assured, there are, thankfully, no longer any bats in the Opera House.”

“The previous February we had all watched the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show. The very next day that winter, the two record shops in Fredonia – GC Murphy’sand Willsey’s — had sold out of Beatles recordings. The first two 45s I ever bought were ‘I want to hold your hand’ and ‘She loves you.’ And my first LP was ‘Meet the Beatles,’” said McEntarfer. “I was the perfect age for Beatlemania. I was 13.”

“I can’t emphasize enough the effect the Beatles had on our generation. Boys combed their hair down, began to let their hair grow, and tried to dress and talk like the Beatles”, McEntarfer said. “An entire generation , including my friends and I, picked up guitars, drum sticks, or in my case a portable organ, and formed a band,” he said.

The original Wretched Group was composed of Tom Benton, Hank McKee, Jim Modisher, Mike McEntarfer, Dave Greenleaf, Jim Giatas, and Jim Pasquale – all from the Fredonia and Dunkirk High School classes of 1968. The band has evolved over the years to include current members Vince Gaeta, Mickey Mamp, Rob Nichols and Ken Colby.

The plot of the film is basically ‘a day in the life’ of the 4 Liverpool lads as they prepare for a televised concert. We meet Paul’s grandfather (‘a clean old man’), and we laugh as John, Paul, George and Ringo each have his own adventure on their way.

See CLASSIC,

Page D6

“A Hard Day’s Night” was not your typical cheesy teenage ’50s and ’60s flick. It featured innovative camera techniques (inspired by director Richard Lester) along with witty dialogue (from screenwriter Alun Owen) that movie critics have praised ever since. The film was nominated for two Oscars. Forty years after its release, Time Magazine named it one of the 100 greatest films of all time. It is ranked as the 88th greatest British film of the 20th century by the British Film Institute.

“I remember it like it was yesterday,” said McEntarfer. “See you there.”

For more information on the July 26 screening, contact the Opera House Box Office at 716-679-1891, from noon to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday to Friday.