Honestly, if you grew up in the 70s or you're just a fan of "unhinged" cinema, you know the one. It is the scene that shouldn't exist, but somehow defines an entire era of rock-and-roll excess. I'm talking about the Ann-Margret Tommy beans sequence. It’s a moment of pure, sticky madness.
Imagine one of the world's most glamorous movie stars—a woman who shared the screen with Elvis and captivated millions in Bye Bye Birdie—rolling around on a white shag carpet while thousands of gallons of baked beans, chocolate, and soap suds explode out of a television set. It sounds like a fever dream. For Ann-Margret, it was a three-day shoot that ended in a trip to the hospital.
Why the Beans?
To understand why Ken Russell, the film’s director, decided to drench his leading lady in legumes, you have to look at the source material. Tommy is a rock opera by The Who. Back in 1967, the band released an album called The Who Sell Out. The cover featured lead singer Roger Daltrey sitting in a bathtub full of Heinz baked beans.
Russell, never one for subtlety, took that visual gag and turned it into a full-blown psychological breakdown. In the movie, Ann-Margret plays Nora Walker, the mother of the "deaf, dumb, and blind" Tommy. She's rich, she’s guilty, and she’s slowly losing her mind in a pristine, all-white bedroom.
🔗 Read more: Glenn Ford Last Photo: What Really Happened in the Legend's Final Days
The scene starts with her drinking champagne and watching TV. She sees commercials for detergent, chocolate, and—you guessed it—beans. As her frustration boils over, she hurls a champagne bottle at the screen. That’s when the hallucination takes over. The TV literally vomits the products of consumerism into her room.
The Hospital Run and Pink Soap Suds
This wasn't some CGI trick. This was 1975. They used real beans. They used real chocolate. And they used real detergent.
Ann-Margret once recalled that they built a massive wooden tube above the set to fire the beans at her. No one had tested it. When the beans hit her, the force was so strong it actually knocked her over. She just kept going. That's the kind of pro she was.
But things got dangerous when she smashed the TV. While the crew cleaned up the glass on the floor, some jagged edges remained inside the television frame. During her performance, as she thrashed her arms through the soap suds, she accidentally sliced her hand open.
She didn't realize it at first. She was so deep into the performance that she just kept writhing. It wasn't until she saw the soap suds turning pink from her own blood that the cameras stopped. She had to be rushed to the hospital to get stitches, still wearing her silver knit catsuit and covered in a mixture of "muck."
An Oscar for Effort
Believe it or not, the Ann-Margret Tommy beans scene is a huge reason she got an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Critics were stunned. Usually, the Academy rewards quiet, transformative drama. Seeing a major star hump a pillow in a pool of chocolate and beans was... different.
Some people found it grotesque. Others saw it as a brilliant metaphor for the "filth" of wealth and the character's internal rot. It was bold. It was messy. Most importantly, it was real.
What was actually in the "slop"?
If you're wondering what it felt like to be on that set, it probably smelled terrible. They shot the scene over several days.
- The Beans: Real canned baked beans, cold and slimy.
- The Suds: Commercial-grade detergent (which apparently stung).
- The Chocolate: A thick, syrup-like concoction that turned the set into a slippery hazard.
- The Timing: By the third day, under the hot studio lights, the mixture of chocolate and organic beans started to go south.
Why it Still Matters
We live in a world of filtered Instagram photos and perfectly choreographed TikToks. The Ann-Margret Tommy beans scene is the opposite of that. It’s chaotic. It’s "too much."
It reminds us of a time when directors like Ken Russell were allowed to follow their weirdest impulses to the logical (or illogical) end. Ann-Margret could have easily said no. She was a massive star. She didn't need to be covered in bean juice. But she did it because she wanted to create something unforgettable.
If you haven't seen it lately, go find the clip. It’s a masterclass in "going for it." It’s weirdly sensual, totally disgusting, and 100% iconic.
💡 You might also like: Kate Hudson's Brother: What Most People Get Wrong About the Hudson-Russell Clan
How to Experience the Madness
If you're looking to dive deeper into this weird slice of cinema history, here's what you should do:
- Watch the "Champagne" sequence from Tommy (1975) with the volume turned up. The music is just as intense as the visuals.
- Look up the album art for The Who Sell Out to see the original reference point.
- Check out Ann-Margret's interviews about the film; she talks about the experience with a lot of humor and zero regrets.
There will never be another scene quite like it. It was a perfect storm of 70s rock culture, a fearless actress, and a director who didn't know the meaning of the word "restraint."
Next Step for the Fan: Check out the 50th-anniversary restoration of the film. The colors (and the beans) have never looked more vivid. It’s a trip worth taking.