Car 7

222
Mr Vaclav Horacek

Outward appearance

Healthy old hippy? A cloud of tangled honey hair and beard, rumpled pink cheeks. Ochre trousers, a polka-dot cravat, a grin of crazed enthusiasm. A plastic bag full of cloth and string.

Inside information

Czech theatre producer going to the Old Vic to force them to interview him. He is the director of a puppet version of Yellow Submarine. It was a big hit, only the second Beatles show in Prague. It had wonderful songs, a tourist audience, and Vaclav's papier mache creations.

What he is doing or thinking

The British don't like the Beatles. No one is interested at all at all in Yellow Submarine . They keep talking about this thing copyright. It is very frustrating.

An old woman comes up to him, hunched and small and smiling. "Would you like to dance?" She is desperate woman. You get them also in Prague station. If he wasn't also desperate Vaclav would give her money. But Vaclav can only afford one meal a day.

The old woman starts to sing and someone else says to all join. Then a young man starts to dance with her. Ah! This is why Vaclav dreamed for years of coming to London.

Vaclav pulls out his puppet of John Lennon dressed as Sgt. Pepper. He makes Lennon totter and starts to sing... "Pah, pah, pah...."

That is not a Beatle song he is singing. He has to think. It's Papagino from The Magic Flute. That is no copyright. Vaclav's pitch changes.

A puppet The Magic Flute starring the Beatles and Charlie Chaplin?

Lennon dances.


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