Behind the scenes of Paul's 1989 VISA commerical

Behind the scenes at the tapes of Paul’s Visa ad in L.A.

By Diane m. Ruszczyk

I attended the filming of Paul McCartney’s VISA commercial November 27, 1989.  I was one of the “fans” who got to scream and touch Paul over and over again for the cameras; and , while I can be seen in only two quick clips in the ad, it was a thrill of a lifetime to be able to tell Paul to his face, “I love you,” and have him acknowledge it.

Filming began without Paul at 9:00a.m., in the parking lot of the Great Western Forum in Los Angeles, California.  We pretended to be waiting in line for tickets.

Paul joined us at 1:00p.m. and we worked with him until 3p.m., and then he went to a press conference at the Forum Club, which I was also privileged to attend, as a representative of Channel 11, KTTV, New Los Angeles (Fox Television).  Paul even answered a question I asked. 

But, back to the commercial, Paul walked down the line of waiting, screaming “fans”, of which I was one, signing autographs, two times, then he drove by in a limousine four times.  The first time he walked by, I took photos, the second time he walked by I got his autograph, only half signed.  It says “Pa...” but you can see in a photo of him signing it, authenticating the unusual autograph!  The first time he rode by, I reached my hand into the limo and grabbed it, squeezing it very hard, and held onto it for a such a long time I thought I’d never let go.  And I could feel the squeeze long after, his grip had been so strong.  The next time he drove by, I handed a rose into the car, and Linda, now riding with him, took it from me.  The third drive by, again I reached into the car, Paul again grabbed my hand, and as the limo pass by, he was pulled of the window because of our link.  He looked right at me, and I said to him, “I love you!”  I had waited all my life for that moment.  It was great!  Now, they had to back the limo out each time, so when Paul passed by on his way to the starting point, he would tell us to talk backwards.  The fourth time the limo passed, Paul and Linda were through the sun roof, again I took photos.

After that, Paul went on the other side of a fence, and waited for a long time for the crew to set up the next shot.  It was then that the real fans among the actors got a chance to chat with him.  Paul even talked to some of the fans who had gathered across the road to watch.  He was so sweet and gracious.  I was particularly impressed when Paul held the hands of a fan through the fence who had started crying because she was so overwhelmed by his presence.  This girl was a friend of mine and I know how much that meant to her.

The whole day was like a dream come true I got to see Paul in concert that night (I saw him three times in L.A.), but, unfortunately I made one error.  I was to have gone to the China Club after the concert, but since it had been such a long day for me, with the Visa Commercial and press conference and the concert, I just went home.  As it turned out, George Harrison was at the China Club that night!  Oh well, it was a Paul McCartney day.