Beatlemania hits North Hollywood’s Laemmle theater

Robert Zemeckis’ feature directorial debut, a sing-a-long and a celebration of John Lennon are among the highlights of Beatles Fest this weekend at the Laemmle Noho 7 theater in North Hollywood.

The mini-film festival is part of a city-wide celebration of John, Paul, George and Ringo that includes the U.S. premiere of “Backbeat,” the British musical about the birth of the legendary rock group. The musical, which opened Wednesday at the Ahmanson Theatre, plays through March 1.

For the Record: An article in the Jan. 31 Calendar section about a Beatles Fest at the Laemmle Noho 7 theater in North Hollywood this weekend said that Thursday and Friday’s programs would be introduced by Lee Perry, host of KCSI’s “Saturday With the Beatles.” His name is Les Perry, and his program is on KCSN-FM (88.5).

Beatles Fest opens Thursday evening with Zemeckis’ first feature film, 1978’s “I Wanna Hold Your Hand.” This sprightly comedy is about six girls from New Jersey with a bad case of Beatlemania who travel to New York City to get tickets for the group’s landmark 1964 appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”

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A sing-a-long presentation of Julie Taymor’s stylish 2007 film “Across the Universe” is set for Friday night. Evan Rachel Wood and Jim Sturgess star in this romance set against the Vietnam War and propelled by Beatles songs.

Saturday’s programming is devoted to Lennon, with a screening of the 1988 documentary “Imagine: John Lennon,” followed by 2009’s “Nowhere Boy,” starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, which concentrates on the singer-songwriter’s adolescent years and his friendship with Paul McCartney.

Lee Perry, host of KSCI’s “Saturday With the Beatles,” will be on hand to introduce Thursday and Friday’s programs. There will also be a raffle for tickets to “Backbeat.”

For information, go to Laemmle.com/Beatles.

susan.king@latimes.com

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