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Online Yellow Submarine University

Dr. Robert Hieronimus

Getting ready to follow the advice of Sir Paul McCartney’s stepmom Angie McCartney and adopted sister Ruth McCartney to start an online Yellow Submarine University!

Watch for some downloadable content with the first session soon.

Talking to the McCartney ladies on their Teaflix show recently made me remember the big difference in the reception to my work in Baltimore in 1974 compared to my reception in New York City in 2006.

In 1974 I had prepared a two-credit college course for the Maryland Institute College of Art. It was all planned out with the department, but then was overruled by the higher-ups who couldn’t see any value in teaching about the Yellow Submarine!

Compare that rejection from my hometown art school to this thank you letter from the professor of film history at the School of Visual Arts regarding my presentation there in NYC in 2006:

“I want to thank you on behalf of the school and my students in particular for your entertaining and highly informative introduction to the Yellow Submarine. We have had luminaries here such as Matt Dillon, Sean Penn, Oliver Stone, Meryl Streep and the like. Your presentation ranks among the best we have had. I know I speak for the students there when I say we would welcome you back any time.” (Gene Stavis)

Stay tuned to learn how to earn your PHUD in Yellow Submarinology!

—Dr. Bob

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Yellow Sub 30th Birthday at the BBC

Birthday cake for the Yellow Submarine film's 30th birthday celebration at the BBC

During the pandemic, I’ve been systematically watching a bunch of old video tapes (yes, VHS video tapes) on all kinds of subjects, and learning a lot!

This one turned up the other day: a record of the super-duper party my wife and I threw for the crew of the Yellow Submarine in honor of its 30th birthday in 1998. 

We rented a studio hall at the BBC in London, and my incredible wife and broadcasting partner managed to produce a live remote broadcast back to Baltimore right there from the party! She is such a pro. 

This is a little clip of her introducing John Coates and Norm Kaufmann of TV Cartoons, the London animation studio responsible for this trend-setting film.

With the help of TVC staff, we invited over 200 of the original artists for an open bar, a Yellow Submarine designed birthday cake, and lots of Yellow Sub presents. 

Dr. Bob at the merch table

You can see me briefly at the end of this clip where I’m working the “merch” table, handing out Corgi Yellow Submarine models and other valuables to all the artists. 

Anna, designated gift-giver that evening

Our then 11-year-old daughter Anna helped a lot, as designated gift-giver that evening. 

That same evening, Zoh interviewed Erich Segal, John Clive, Paul Angelis, Jack Stokes and an author on the history of the BBC. She also did several other live broadcasts back to Baltimore from the BBC that same week interviewing all kinds of British subjects, economists and authors on the global situation.

Zoh interviewing Jack Stokes

She’s the crown of all interviewers!

We invited Apple Corps to this party and they brought a film crew and captured interviews with the co-creators of the film that they then used as the Special Features bonus track on the DVD of the restored version of “Yellow Submarine.”  When you see those interviews, remember they were filmed at our party!

— Dr. Bob

Abbey Road crosswalk
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The Yellow Submarine book has landed in South Africa!

Animator Lawrence Moorcroft showing off his new Yellow Submarine cap that arrived with his copy of It’s All In The Mind.
Animator Lawrence Moorcroft shows off his new Yellow Submarine cap that arrived with his copy of It’s All In The Mind.
Facebook post: .... Bob, Laura, you really have to take a bow after your tremendous effort in getting this book printed. Well done! I am amazed at the wealth of 'inside info' you have discovered and included in the pages. The chapters on symbolism found in the film intrigued me no end. As I read these pages I was relieved that I had no inkling of the hidden meanings in the story, as I might have been intimidated enough by them that it could have affected my animation! Another strange phenomenon that I was experiencing while reading about myself, was as if I knew the person but it was not me. I became a sort of detached fictional character. Weird. I had to keep reminding myself that I was looking back at my life's history and that I should revel in it. Even heading towards 80, my mind is still relatively sharp, somewhat forgetful at times, but the Yellow Sub adventure back then, is something I have read about rather than having experienced first hand. Once again, congratulations to the whole team that produced the book that is lying next to me on the table. All the best from Africa. Lawrence and Allison.
See Lawrence’s post on Facebook

“…. Bob, Laura, you really have to take a bow after your tremendous effort in getting this book printed. Well done!

I am amazed at the wealth of ‘inside info’ you have discovered and included in the pages. The chapters on symbolism found in the film intrigued me no end. As I read these pages I was relieved that I had no inkling of the hidden meanings in the story, as I might have been intimidated enough by them that it could have affected my animation!

Another strange phenomenon that I was experiencing while reading about myself, was as if I knew the person but it was not me. I became a sort of detached fictional character. Weird. I had to keep reminding myself that I was looking back at my life’s history and that I should revel in it. Even heading towards 80, my mind is still relatively sharp, somewhat forgetful at times, but the Yellow Sub adventure back then, is something I have read about rather than having experienced first hand.

Once again, congratulations to the whole team that produced the book that is lying next to me on the table.

All the best from Africa.

Lawrence and Allison.”

Lawrence’s memories of Swinging London are captured in our book, like this one noting the Twiggy look and the Mary Quant fashions:

“Models used to be lovely voluptuous women and here comes this skinny thing the wind could blow over and everyone went, wow, something different. The Yellow Sub was an integral part of that, it was psychedelic colors, it wasn’t Disney funny bunnies, it was weird.”

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When the Yellow Submarine staff met The Beatles

(MANDATORY CREDIT Koh Hasebe/Shinko Music/Getty Images) The Beatles in the studio during the recording session for the song ‘The Fool On The Hill’ at EMI Studios, Abbey Road, London, September 25 1967. Ringo Starr, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, John Lennon. (Photo by Koh Hasebe/Shinko Music/Getty Images)

Producer John Coates and Director Jack Stokes (the two wearing suits) visited Abbey Road on September 25, 1967, interrupting the “Fool on the Hill” recording session.

They had an appointment with The Beatles to show them their Heinz Edelmann portraits, which had only recently been approved by the executives at King Features.

John holds up his likeness, and a George cel can be seen on the piano.

Photos from this session taken by Koh Hasebe, with Rumiko Hoshika reporting for Music Life in Tokyo, became famous for including the first known photo of John Lennon with Yoko Ono.

But for us they are more interesting as possibly capturing the first time the real-life Beatles saw themselves as their Yellow Submarine personas.