In a small British cottage, the filmmakers find the elderly Frieda, a girl who worked as a typist and, as a teenager, became the keeper of The Beatles fan club. From the band’s first day performing in the Liverpool cellars until the breakup, when tens of thousands of fan regrets were sent to the studio, Frida spent a lot of time with the Beatles: as the invisible heroine of Richard Lester’s comedies, accompanying them on their star-studded journey. “Good Old Frida” is a tender film about friendship, the juxtaposition of stardom and unremarkable living, and why the world, including Frida, was head over heels in love with The Beatles. An excellent student, a quiet mouse and a big soul, 70-year-old Frieda recalls the swinging ’60s and looks at the adventures of her youth from the distance of her unremarkable British life. The former secretary, who can be found in half of the group’s pictures, tells a direct and very lively story of a generation and a supergroup without narcissism or speculation.

There’s probably not much information about the Beatles that hasn’t been made public in the forty-some years since their demise, and even if there had been, their former secretary Fred Kellie probably wouldn’t have told you about it. There is good information about the Beatles’ early career, especially about their days at the Cavern Club, but this is not so much a documentary about the Beatles as it is a documentary about what it is like to run a fan club for a cultural phenomenon.

What makes the film so enjoyable is Freda herself. The visibly unglamorous woman is exceedingly likable, and it’s charming to hear her recount the efforts she made to make sure that the fans got what they wanted (she repeatedly points out that she was a fan herself). She also says a few things about the Beatles parents and the various incidents, such as George being the one who dismissed her.

But the heart of the film is Freda, whose dedication and turbotism make her wonderfully endearing.

There are many sources of information about the Beatles; this film is not so much a look in the middle at them, as the experience of being in the middle. And it turns out to be very interesting.