ALL THEIR LOVING ON THE 40-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE FAB FOUR'S APPEARANCE ON 'ED SULLIVAN,' BEATLEMANIACS REMINISCE.Byline: Fred Shuster Music Writer It seems like yesterday, but it's a mind-numbing 40 years ago this Saturday - on Feb. 7, 1964, to be exact - that the Beatles landed in America. As John, Paul, George and Ringo left the plane in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , just 11 shell-shocked weeks after President Kennedy's assassination Assassination See also Murder. assassins Fanatical Moslem sect that smoked hashish and murdered Crusaders (11th—12th centuries). [Islamic Hist.: Brewer Note-Book, 52] Brutus conspirator and assassin of Julius Caesar. [Br. , thousands of fans waited in the cold, their shrieks overpowering the roar of jet engines. Two days later, on Feb. 9, 1964, the group, who were between 20 and 23 years old, performed on ``The Ed Sullivan Show'' to a world-record audience of 73 million viewers, 40 percent of the U.S. population at the time. Beatlemania had officially begun. Pop culture would never be the same (thank goodness). The British had won the Revolutionary War after all. The boys, as manager Brian Epstein Brian Samuel Epstein (IPA: /ˈbraɪən ˈepstaɪn/) (born in Liverpool, England; 19 September 1934 – 27 August 1967) was the manager of The Beatles. always called them, were as charming and refreshing as their looks, quick wits and Liverpool accents suggested. Kids loved them; the press had a field day. ``The anti-barbershop quartet,'' one paper called them. Another wrote off the Beatles phenomenon as an ``infestation infestation /in·fes·ta·tion/ (-fes-ta´shun) parasitic attack or subsistence on the skin and/or its appendages, as by insects, mites, or ticks; sometimes used to denote parasitic invasion of the organs and tissues, as by helminths. .'' Concerts were likened to the Romans feeding Christians to the lions, the Battle of Bunker Hill Bunker Hill “Don’t shoot until you see the whites of their eyes”; American Revolutionary battle (1775). [Am. Hist.: Worth, 22] See : Battle and Custer's Last Stand Custer’s Last Stand U.S. troops led by Col. Custer are massacred by the Indians at Little Big Horn, Montana (1877). [Am. Hist.: NCE, 701] See : Wild West . Child experts said it was all ``terribly frightening.'' Today, in light of a deeply cynical entertainment industry that force- feeds the public Ashton Kutcher This article is about the actor. For the Internet humorist, see Zug.com. Christopher Ashton Kutcher, (born February 7,1978 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa), is an American actor. , thug-rap and ``The Simple Life,'' Beatlemania looks positively glorious. Even more so when the senseless murder of John Lennon Noun 1. John Lennon - English rock star and guitarist and songwriter who with Paul McCartney wrote most of the music for the Beatles (1940-1980) Lennon 23 years ago remains completely incomprehensible and the loss of George Harrison is equally hard to accept. As the 40th anniversary of the first Beatles landing nears, we asked readers to send in their memories of such unforgettable moments as seeing John, Paul, George and Ringo for the first time on ``The Ed Sullivan Show'' or catching the group in concert when they played the Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is a modern amphitheatre at 2301 North Highland Avenue in Hollywood, California, USA, that is used primarily for music performances. The "bowl" in this context is the natural cavity in the earth into which the amphitheater is built, rather than the shape of the on Aug. 23, 1964 (and twice the following summer). Of our numerous responses, we offer excerpts of a few below. By the way, attendance for each sold-out Bowl date was 17,256, and reserved seats went from $3 to $7. It all seems so far away. ``It's not like nothing exciting ever happened in our little home in Reseda, but when the Beatles were going to be on Sullivan, my whole family got ready to watch, way ahead of show time. I'll never forget how I (the only teenage girl in the house) was yelling, crying and screaming. My parents and little brother were surprised how out of control I was - and it was the beginning of a different household. All the kids I knew had a favorite Beatle and mine was Ringo. He was so cute. I loved his hair. I never went to any concerts because our family couldn't afford it, but my mom always made sure I got the records.'' - Pamela Ciporiotti, Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. ``At the Hollywood Bowl, we were in the nosebleed nosebleed, nasal hemorrhage occurring as the result of local injury or disturbance. Most nosebleeds are not serious and occur when one of the small veins of the septum (the partition between the nostrils) ruptures. 'T' section and screamed our heads off so John, Paul, George and Ringo could hear us. I didn't get home until very late and my parents had given permission for my sisters to wait up for me. When my friend Patty and I came home, they came screaming down the driveway wanting to know everything. To this day, whenever I visit the Bowl, I take a nostalgic stroll up to the 'T' section, find my seat, and sit for a few moments remembering that magical night.'' - Michele Nishimoto, Canyon Country ``My mom and dad let me watch the Beatles on Sullivan, but they refused to allow me to turn the sound up. The only thing I heard was a parental narrative trashing the group - 'awful screeching,' 'girls haircuts' and 'like animals.' We hadn't had the TV long; my parents rented it as an experiment. When I finally did hear the Beatles after seeing them on TV, they were different from what I'd imagined.'' - John Jay Ulloth, Mission Hills ``I was 11 years old and can still remember watching 'The Ed Sullivan Show' and jumping up and down on my bed. I even took a picture of the TV screen that night (an old green-screen Hoffman, which I still have) with my camera (which you had to hold at about waist level and peer into a tiny viewfinder The preview window on a camera that is used to frame, focus and take the picture. On analog cameras, the viewfinder is an eye-sized window that must be pressed against the face. Point-and-shoot digital cameras use small LCD screens that are viewed several inches from the eyes. ). You couldn't help getting caught up in the excitement of seeing the Beatles.'' - Christine Drew, Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, ``I remember the night of the Sullivan show like it was yesterday! The anticipation was unbelievable. I set up my reel-to-reel tape recorder tape recorder, device for recording information on strips of plastic tape (usually polyester) that are coated with fine particles of a magnetic substance, usually an oxide of iron, cobalt, or chromium. The coating is normally held on the tape with a special binder. and watched along with my parents, brother, sister and her boyfriend. I remember constantly admonishing ad·mon·ish tr.v. ad·mon·ished, ad·mon·ish·ing, ad·mon·ish·es 1. To reprove gently but earnestly. 2. To counsel (another) against something to be avoided; caution. 3. them to stop talking during the songs, and it appears on the tape as well. I still have the tape, but no way to play it.'' - Bill Moak, Simi Valley ``When they started singing, we screamed at the top of our lungs just like the audience at the show. Suddenly, there were several sharp knocks at the door, which I didn't hear because I was still screaming. The next thing I knew, there was my dad and a policeman interrupting us. It seems some people were driving by our house, heard the screaming and thought someone was being beaten or murdered, so they called the police. Of course, the policeman saw what was really going on, told us to keep the noise down, and left.'' - Gidget Bates Bates , Katherine Lee 1859-1929. American educator and writer best known for her poem "America the Beautiful," written in 1893 and revised in 1904 and 1911. Fitzpatrick, Burbank ``I was 6 years old when I first saw and fell in love with the Beatles on 'The Ed Sullivan Show.' I thought their hair was really long, but they were so cute, especially Paul! Forty years later, I'm still a total Beatlemaniac. Our dogs and cat are named Penny Lane, Abbey (Road) and Lucy (in the Sky With Diamonds).'' - Kathy McCumsey, Canyon Country ``Forty years ago, I was 10, sitting on the floor in front of the TV set with my 16-year-old brother, anxiously waiting to see the Beatles on `Ed Sullivan.' In a postwar world, where everyone had flattops and penny loafers This article is about the a cappella group. For the shoes, see Loafers. The Penny Loafers were founded in 1986 as a coeducational a cappella group from the University of Pennsylvania focusing on pop and rock music. , the Beatles were foreign in every sense of the word: high-heel boots, long hair, suits with no lapels and that accent. To the American male, they were freaks, but the girls were crazy about them. 'And now, the Beatles!' Sullivan said. And they weren't freaks at all. They were modern, electric and confident. In an instant, they redefined the image of men. All my friends put down their G.I. Joes and picked up guitars. My flattop grew bangs and I spent hours in front of the mirror trying to shake my hair like John and Paul John and Paul ((Italian) Giovanni e Paolo) are saints in the Roman Catholic Church. They were martyred at Rome on 26 June. . Until some musical group comes to Earth from a distant planet, there will never be another Beatles.'' - Peter Smith, Newhall ``We were sitting at our individual TV trays we got with eight books of Blue Chip Stamps Blue Chip Stamps started as a trading stamps company called "Blue Chip Stamp Co." In 1963, the United States government began an antitrust action against Blue Chip Stamp. , watching our 19-inch b&w TV that took 10 minutes to warm up. When Sullivan introduced the 'lads,' I immediately became just another screaming girl - except, being the 'good girl' that I was, I screamed, 'The only way the Beatles will ever become popular here is if they get their hair cut!'' - Sandy Dorfman, Northridge ``I ran from the dining room to the living room to see them singing. My grandmother said, 'Who are these messy long-haired boys?' 'The Beatles, grandma!' Wow! I loved them. What style, their voices blending beautifully. I was completely mesmerized. Even my grandma and uncle enjoyed it.'' - Mary Ann Contreras, San Fernando San Fernando, city, Argentina San Fernando (săn fərnăn`dō), city (1991 pop. 144,761), Buenos Aires prov., E Argentina. It is a district administrative center in the Greater Buenos Aires area. ``The other kids used to call me anti-American because I loved the Beatles ever since I saw early footage on the Jack Paar Jacques Harold "Jack" Paar (May 1, 1918 – January 27, 2004) was an American radio and television talk show host most noted for his iconic status as host of The Tonight Show. show. Then, they came on 'Ed Sullivan,' and I was vindicated. It was all the kids talked about on the bus up Wilshire Boulevard Wilshire Boulevard is one of the principal east-west arterial roads in Los Angeles, California, United States. It was named for H. Gaylord Wilshire (1861-1927), an Ohio native who made and lost fortunes in real estate, farming, and gold mining. the next morning. People stopped tossing erasers and spitballs at me in homeroom home·room n. A school classroom to which a group of pupils of the same grade are required to report each day. Noun 1. homeroom . Later on, I saw a Beatles concert simulcast at the Wilshire Theater The Wilshire Theater at 8440 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, California in the United States of America was known as the "Fox Wilshire" theatre when it opened in 1930. The Art Deco structure, designed by architect S. . It was shown on a huge b&w screen but it felt like they were right in front of me.'' - Harvey Kubernik, Sherman Oaks ``I was 11 but I was going to marry Paul and move to England. I wore my hair like Jane Asher (Paul's then-girlfriend) and I wanted to play guitar. I saw them at the Bowl and you couldn't hear them sing because it was just one big scream from the fans. Even when we went to the theater to see 'A Hard Day's Night,' we would scream through the whole movie. It was a great time. I lived and breathed the Beatles. I'm 51 now with a husband and family of my own, but I still enjoy them. I even learned to play the drums three years ago.'' - Debra Rittmiller, Burbank ``I walked into the living room just as Ed introduced the Beatles. It felt like the world changed at that moment and, of course, it had. Music, and particularly the Beatles, became my No. 1 interest. I've often said that when I die I want my tombstone Tombstone, city (1990 pop. 1,220), Cochise co., SE Ariz.; inc. 1881. With its pleasant climate and legendary past, Tombstone is a well-known tourist attraction. The city became a national historic landmark in 1962. to read, 'Malcolm Cook - Beatlemaniac.' '' - Malcolm Cook, Santa Clarita ``This was definitely the event of the season - the Beatles were going to be on 'Ed Sullivan!' As B-Day approached, my girlfriends and I must have exchanged 50 calls, just waiting for the show to begin. 'The Ed Sullivan Show' was hardly the kind of TV program a 12-year-old girl wanted to watch. But I would've sat through 20 hours of Topo Gigio Topo Gigio was the lead character of a children's puppet show on Italian television, in the early 1960s. The character was created by artist Maria Perego in 1958 and has been customarily voiced by actor Giuseppe (Peppino) Mazzullo. just to see the Beatles. The camera kept cutting to close-ups of each Beatle and every time they cut to Paul, I jumped off the couch and ran to the TV to kiss him. When the Beatles finished, I was exhausted, my 7-year-old sister was disgusted, and my parents were just grateful it was over.'' - Robynn Creitz, Valencia ``I worked as Trini Lopez's drummer and shared the bill with the Beatles in January 1964 at the Olympia Theatre Dublin's Olympia Theatre in Dame Street was originally built in 1879 by Dan Lowrey as the Star of Erin Music Hall and renamed Dan Lowrey's Music Hall in 1881. Next it became Dan Lowrey's Palace of Varieties in 1889. in Paris. Over dinner at the hotel, the boys were telling me how they were about to fly to New York to do 'The Ed Sullivan Show.' I told them this was the best TV show they could do in the States, at that time. John replied, 'I know it's supposed to be good, but we want to do a show where we would be seen in California.' They couldn't comprehend that they would be seen throughout the entire country. I didn't expect much of a reaction in America to this little pop band. But a few days later, while listening to the radio in Holland, I heard reports of the Beatles' arrival in New York. At that point, I knew they were going to be BIG!'' - Mickey Jones Mickey Jones (born June 10, 1941 in Houston, Texas) is an American musician and actor. Jones' career as a drummer had him backing up such artists as Trini Lopez and Johnny Rivers. , Simi Valley ``The concert sold out instantly, so me and three friends from high school went up to Mulholland Drive For the motion picture, see . Mulholland Drive is a very well-known road in Los Angeles, California named after engineer William Mulholland. A portion of it is also called Mulholland Highway. , way, way above the Bowl, and parked our car - then hiked down, cross-country-style. It took nearly four hours to make it down to the Bowl - and when we finally got there, a policeman said we couldn't stay. We pointed to Mulholland and said we'd hiked down from all the way up there. He laughed and told us he hadn't seen a thing, so we got to sit on the edge of the Bowl with better seats than three-quarters of the audience. There was so much screaming, we hardly heard the music.'' - Morris Caraway caraway, biennial Old World plant (Carum carvi) of the family Umbelliferae (parsley family), cultivated in Europe and North America for its aromatic seeds. , Van Nuys ``Several girls jumped into the moat Into the Moat is an American technical metal/Mathcore band from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Band history Into the Moat is an American Metal Music band that first achieved national acclaim when profiled in Alternative Press (AP) Magazine (November, 2003). in front of the stage (yes, there used to be a pool at the Bowl), trying to get to the band. They were fished out by the police who surrounded the stage. It was an amazing experience.'' - Cheryl Gillette, Burbank ``Living right near JFK Airport, I climbed up onto our roof with my dad's binoculars and swore I saw the Beatles' jet fly right over my house. I let out such a loud scream that my dad came up to the roof to see if I'd fallen off! Later that week, me and my best friend, Julia, stood outside the Plaza, where the Beatles were staying, and screamed our hearts out when a shaggy Beatles haircut leaned out a window and waved to the deliriously happy fans standing across the street. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. Those were days I'll never forget. Long live the Fab Four!'' - Joyce Yovannone, Woodland Hills ``I was at the concert resplendent re·splen·dent adj. Splendid or dazzling in appearance; brilliant. [Middle English, from Old French, from Latin resplend in mod Carnaby Street-style pantsuit, hat and boots, all painstakingly selected and purchased specifically for the event at Sears in North Hollywood. I screamed the entire time they were performing and cried when they left. Even more amazing is the fact that my ticket cost $6.'' - Marcy Young, Sherman Oaks ``In terms of entertainment, nothing has equaled the thrills we got from our Beatles years. Although it didn't change the ups and downs ups and downs pl.n. Alternating periods of good and bad fortune or spirits. ups and downs Noun, pl alternating periods of good and bad luck or high and low spirits of life, it certainly gave us an incredible amount of pleasure. I'm so glad the Beatles happened in my lifetime!'' - Lesley Clack, Winnetka Fred Shuster, (818) 713-3676 fred.shuster(at)dailynews.com Meet the Beatles tie-ins Here are some Beatles 40th-anniversary items. --``Ed Sullivan Presents the Beatles.'' Two-DVD set includes the four complete Sullivan programs in which the Beatles appeared. Also on the bill: impressionist Frank Gorshin, comedians Allen & Rossi, future Monkee Davy Jones (in a scene from ``Oliver!'') and assorted vaudevillians, magicians and acrobats. (DVD DVD: see digital versatile disc. DVD in full digital video disc or digital versatile disc Type of optical disc. The DVD represents the second generation of compact-disc (CD) technology. ; $29.95) --``The Beatles: The First U.S. Visit.'' Re-release of feature-length documentary by cinema verite pioneers Albert and David Maysles of the Fab Four's conquest of the colonies. (DVD; $24.98) --``It Was 40 Years Ago Today: The Beatles in America.'' Gallery exhibit and listening series includes candid photos and rarely heard radio interviews from the first tour. Opens Friday at the Museum of Television & Radio, 465 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills; (310) 786-1025 or www.mtr.org. --``The Beatles Are Coming! The Birth of Beatlemania in America.'' Author and Beatle authority Bruce Spizer covers the first U.S. appearances in highly entertaining fashion. Includes story of the fight between Capitol and the tiny Vee-Jay label over the early recordings. (Four Ninety-Eight Productions; $50) --``The Beatles Come to America.'' Cultural history of the first Beatles visit written by former National Public Radio classical music host Martin Goldsmith. (John Wiley & Sons; $19.95) --``Beatles Gear: All the Fab Four's Instruments, From Stage to Studio.'' Unusual angle on the Beatles documents the musical equipment - John's Rickenbacker, George's hollow-bodied Gretsch, Paul's Hofner violin bass and Ringo's Ludwig drums. (Backbeat Books; $29.95) - Compiled by Fred Shuster Day by day with the Fab Four Here are some Beatles facts surrounding the 40th anniversary of the British Invasion of the U.S.: --The Beatles land at JFK Airport in New York on Feb. 7, 1964 - 40 years ago this Saturday. Fans surround the Plaza Hotel. --The Beatles appear on ``The Ed Sullivan Show'' on Feb. 9, 1964, seen by a record-breaking 73 million viewers. The band performed five songs - ``All My Loving,'' ``Till There Was You,'' ``She Loves You,'' ``I Saw Her Standing There'' and ``I Want to Hold Your Hand.'' --TV host Ed Sullivan had gotten his first glimpse of Beatlemania on Halloween 1963, when his plane at London's Heathrow Airport was delayed due to hordes of screaming Beatles fans welcoming the boys back from an overseas concert. Sullivan immediately made plans to book the foursome on his popular Sunday-evening show. --Although ``The Ed Sullivan Show'' was the first TV program in the U.S. to host the Beatles live (Feb. 9, 1964), ABC ABC in full American Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. television network. It began when the expanding national radio network NBC split into the separate Red and Blue networks in 1928. and CBS (Cell Broadcast Service) See cell broadcast. aired footage of the band the previous winter as Beatlemania swept Britain. On Dec. 7, 1963, ``The CBS Evening News CBS Evening News is the flagship nightly television news program of the American television network CBS. The network has broadcast this program since 1948, and has used the CBS Evening News title since 1963. With Walter Cronkite'' showed Beatles fans at a concert, and on Jan. 3, 1964, Jack Paar broadcast a clip of the Beatles performing ``She Loves You.'' --On Dec. 17, 1963, a Washington, D.C., radio DJ became the first person to broadcast a Beatles record on U.S. airwaves. WWDC-AM jock James Carroll played ``I Want to Hold Your Hand,'' which he'd received from a stewardess girlfriend. Due to instant demand, the song spun every hour daily, but since it hadn't yet been released in the States, Capitol Records considered a cease-and-desist letter. Instead, the label issued the single 10 days earlier than planned. --``I Want to Hold Your Hand'' came out Dec. 26, 1963, and spent seven weeks at No. 1. The album ``Meet the Beatles!'' hit stores Jan. 20, 1964, and reached No. 1 on the Billboard chart, where it stuck for 11 weeks. --The Beatles gave their first U.S. concert at the Washington Coliseum in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 11, 1964. The group played Carnegie Hall the next night. --The Beatles appeared for the second time on ``The Ed Sullivan Show'' on Feb. 16, 1964, and a third time (in a taped performance) a week later. --Beatlemania strikes Studio City. Hours before their Hollywood Bowl debut Aug. 23, 1964, the group dropped by the now-defunct Cinnamon Cinder cin·der n. 1. a. A burned or partly burned substance, such as coal, that is not reduced to ashes but is incapable of further combustion. b. A partly charred substance that can burn further but without flame. teen club at 11345 Ventura Blvd. (now the site of Platinum Live) for a not-so-secret press conference. Word leaked out, and Ventura Boulevard was mobbed with hundreds of fans. One 15-year-old threw herself in front of the Beatles' limo but was unhurt. - Compiled by Fred Shuster from sources including www.americassuburb.com. CAPTION(S): 6 photos, 2 boxes Photo: (1 -- cover -- color) MOP-TOP MEMORIES Where were you when the Beatles conquered America? (2) no caption (The Beatles) (3) Beatles fans at the Hollywood Bowl. Daily News (4) Ed Sullivan wears a mop top wig on his TV show. (5) Clockwise from front: George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Mickey Jones, John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Photo courtesy Mickey Jones (6) no caption (The Beatles) Box: (1) Meet the Beatles tie-ins (see text) (2) Day by day with the Fab Four (see text) |
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