In 1977, Nancy Allen did a promotional photo session with photographer KC Bryant in Burbank, California for her role in the 1978 film I Wanna Hold Your Hand. On the set of the film, Allen was a fresh-faced 27-year-old actress at the beginning of what would become a notable Hollywood career. She played Pam Mitchell, one of several teenagers swept up in the frenzy of Beatlemania as they try to see The Beatles during their historic 1964 appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Nancy’s appearance in the film reflected the early-1960s setting: shoulder-length blonde hair, natural makeup, and youthful fashions that captured the excitement and innocence of American teenagers during the Beatles craze. Her character begins the story trying to act more mature than her Beatles-obsessed friends, but gradually gets caught up in the excitement herself.
The movie was especially significant because it was the feature-directing debut of Robert Zemeckis and one of the earliest films executive-produced by Steven Spielberg. Although it was not a box-office success when released in 1978, it later gained a cult following for its energetic recreation of Beatlemania and its charming ensemble cast.
For Nancy Allen, the film arrived just before her breakthrough collaborations with director Brian De Palma in movies such as Dressed to Kill and Blow Out, and years before she became widely known as Officer Lewis in RoboCop. In I Wanna Hold Your Hand, however, she still had the bright, girl-next-door look that perfectly suited a nostalgic comedy about America’s first encounter with Beatlemania.
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