I can't hide....

Photo by Henry Grossman

This is a photo of Bob Dylan outside of the Delmonico Hotel on his way into the hotel to see the Beatles for the first time.   Is that That is Neil Aspinall in the photo?!

50 years ago Bob Dylan showed the Beatles how enjoyable it is to smoke pot.   It wasn't the first time the Fab 4 smoked the drug.   The first time was in 1960 when they were in Hamburg.   I think people get confused and think that the Beatles had NEVER smoked it until they met Bob Dylan because Brian Epstein said "We have never smoked it before."    But Brian, who wasn't with the Beatles in Hamburg, spoke for the entire group when he really was just speaking for himself.    The Beatles had smoked marijuana a few times and George says in the Anthology that they tried it and didn't feel any effects. 

But Bob Dylan did turn the Beatles onto the effects of the drug that night in the New York hotel room and it really changed the Beatles lives.    Once pot was introduced and became part of the Beatles lives,  their music began to change.   John, George and Paul all were arrested at some point in their lives for having marijuana.    It truly was a game changer for the Fab 4.

I am not a pot person.  I don't smoke it.   I don't enjoy being around people who are smoking it.   But everyone is free to make their own choices and what someone does on his or her own time is none of my business.

I do think it is funny some of the stuff that happened that night.

• Ringo wouldn't pass the joint around (because he didn't know the  proper rules)
• Brian kept saying that he was "so high I'm on the ceiling."
• Paul having Mal follow him around with a pencil and paper so that he could write down everything he said
• Ringo started to giggle and everyone was laughing at his giggling.

If you want to read a great re-telling of what happened by someone who was there.  Check out this page!

Long Island Girl Invited to Party in Beatles' Own Suite

I dont' think most girls who were invited to party with the Fab 4 in the hotel suite talked about it to the newspaper the next day.  But this is one exception!   

Long Island Girl Invited to  Party in Beatles' Own Suit
Writer Unknown
Long Island Press

Penny Brandstatter of Laurelton drops back to earth today -- from Beatleland Beatlemania and a Beatle party in the mopheads' own hotel suite.

the 16 year old lass, who spent the last two days in the rarified atmosphere of the Hotel Delmonico in Manhattan where the Beatles are nesting, reached the pinnacle of all success last night with an invitation to a Beatle party.

"It's wonderful, it's wonderful,"  Penny enthused.

Penny wheedled the invite through a Bay Shore disc jockey for whom she had been giving hourly reports on the doings at the Delmonico.

"I tell him things like the kids are climbing up the fire escape,"  Penny said.

Penny checked into the hotel when the Beatles moved i over the weekend.  She was accompanied by here sisters, Lynne, 21, and Debbie, 5.  Lynne can do without the Beatles but Debbie finds them "positively just wonderful."

The girls are staying in a 442 a day room paid for by Penny for the sales of Beatle paintings she did over the past several months.

She said she has gone through $300 to be near the Beatles and get all their newest records.

She comes home today after the Beatles check out in a swirl of hair to devastate Atlantic City.

The Beatles wrapped up their two-night stand in Forest Hills last night at something called a "concert" in the West Side Tennis club.

Needless to day, six times more than could fit into the stadium turned out.


You can read Penny's little sister, Debbie's account of meeting the Beatles in this post from 2009.

Forest Hills memories

 Some memories of fans who were there (collected on various places online)

"I was at the Beatles concert at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium on August 28, 1964 from Levittown. I went with 3 girls, my girlfriend, her friend, and her cousin. We were in the first row stage right. My photo was on the front page of the Long Island Press the next day shown restraining my girlfriend." – Tom H.

I was able to find the photograph!

"My brother and I bribed a gatekeeper with five or ten dollars to let us in. We just happened to be walking home that evening. Our seats were way up high. It was a waste of money since the girls’ screaming was so loud you couldn’t hear any singing." – Martin K.

"I was at one of these shows with my parents and two older brothers. I was five years old. I remember it well. I cried the whole time and wanted to leave because of all the noise from the screaming girls. Don’t worry, I became (and remain) a Beatles fan. And how cool were my parents to bring the whole family?!" – Gail P.

"I, too, attended the Beatles concert at the Forest Hill Tennis Stadium with my best friend at the time, Barbara. We were so excited. These childhood memories are some of the most cherished memories I have. I remember they added seats on the tennis courts so our seats, if I recall correctly, were in the first row, center, of the actual stadium seats after the court seats. I can still recall vividly the Beatles arriving in the helicopter. Because my friend and I were in the stadium seats that were higher up, it seemed as if the helicopter was quite low. We could see the Beatles in the helicopter and they were waving as they were coming in. So exciting for young girls who were so mesmerized by these four young men who burst onto America’s shores with their new style of music and charm!" –Janet M.

"I was there the first night with my 3 best friends (all of us 13 years old). We were very close to the stage and I remember there were a lot of girls throwing jelly beans at the band. That must have hurt them, as it hurt us. With undying thanks for the efforts of my grandfather (who was there for the Red Cross in the medical tent to take care of all the fainting girls), he actually got me backstage just before the show, and I spoke with Mal Evans and Neil Aspinall. When the band walked by through the hallway to take the stage, I was so shocked I couldn’t say a word – or even breathe! Mr. Evans gave me a postcard signed by all four of them that I have treasured to this day… A night never to be forgotten!" – Terri

The ones that almost made it

Mary Smith --- we salute you!

Whenever I think of the Beatles concert at Forest Hills Stadium in New York, I automatically think of Mary Smith.

Mary was the girl who rushed the stage and actually got on stage with the Beatles and grabbed George.   She didn't cause any harm and I always just admire the guts she had to run for it and I am shocked that she was successful! 

Mary had snuck away to go to the concert and her parents did not know she was there.   Mary took off her shoes and ran for the Beatles.    If you want to read more about Mary's time to shine, you must read Chuck Gunderson's book, Some Fun Tonight.   He really goes into detail about Mary Smith.  (There is a link on top of this page so you can buy the book).

The power of the radio and the Beatles

Nothing quite like it had ever happened before.   When the Beatles came to the Delmonico Hotel on August 28, 1964,  the fans waiting outside the hotel had something that generations before them didn't have:   transistor radios.

One major Beatles station in the City was WABC --also known as "W A Beatles C" with Cousin Brucie and Scott Muni and others.   And the jocks of WABC had a suit inside of the Delmonico Hotel with unlimited access (thanks to giving the security wine and gifts) of the hotel.   They were broadcasting live about what was happening inside the hotel and 10,000 of their listeners were right below them in the street.    Every Beatles fan standing outside of the hotel was listening to the station on their radio or a radio of someone near them.   They were listening to what the Beatles had for breakfast and what time they got up and any inside information.    They also were singing along in mass unions to Beatles and others hit songs on the radio.

The radio guys loved it!   They would use their high-tech wireless microphones and stick them out the window  and ask the fans to do all sorts of things:  sings WABC jingles, sing happy birthday to President Johnson, sing We love you Beatles, tell them to scream "Ringo!" so he might throw a tie out to them (yeah right....someone would have gotten killed over that tie!).    They were able to hear interviews with the guys.   It had to have been exciting to these fans.

Not surprising, there were any real issues (besides a few girls fainting) outside of the hotel.  10,000 fans and they were all waiting with baited breath to hear what was going on inside of the hotel through their transistor radio.

It was a break-through for WABC and radio in general and it was an unforgettable time for the Beatle fans outside of the Delmonico 50 years ago today.

Photo ops at the NYC press conference

The adventures of the St. Christopher Medal

When the Beatles arrived at the Delmonico Hotel during the early hours of the morning, 3,000 fans were waiting for them.  As the Beatles got out of the car, the group of fans broke through the police barricade and ran towards the boys.   One of those fans was Angie McGowan who managed to rip Ringo's shirt and take the St. Christopher medal that was on a gold chain off his neck.   One newspaper report said that "retired triumphantly into the crowd."

What a souvenir!  A necklace that Ringo Starr had around his neck!  But what Angie and everyone else weren't aware of at the time was that particular necklace had sentimental value to Ringo.  He got it as a gift from an aunt in Liverpool for his 21st birthday.   Ringo had a big party on July 7, 1961.  80 people squeezed into his home in the Dingle for a celebration.   And one of his aunts gave him the medal of the saint that looks after you during travel.   Since Ringo was really starting to make it big with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes and was doing some traveling, he was happy to receive the necklace and put it on that night.   It remained around his neck every day until it got removed at the Delmonico hotel in 1964.   Ringo was upset and wanted his necklace back.

After Cousin Bruce noticed that he didn't look very well, Ringo told the DJ for WABC radio that someone had grabbed his St. Christopher medal.    Knowing a good scoop when he sees one, Cousin Brucie used the radio to not only help Ringo, but also help the station.   He got on the air and asked if the person that "found" Ringo's St. Christopher medal (he used the word found and not stole or took or grabbed on purpose) would come forward, he would see to it that the fan would get a personal meeting with Mr. Starr.    Ringo told the listeners that "It means more to me than almost anything."   After that, 155 people called in, claiming to have the medal in their possession.    One of the callers was Mrs. McGowan who told Brucie that her daughter, Angela had found Ringo's necklace and wanted to know if her 16 year old daughter was in trouble.   Brucie assured her that Angie was not in trouble, and arranged for the mother and daughter to stay at the hotel and meet up with Ringo the next day.    With the medal and the finder  secretly tucked away, please for the return of the necklace continued throughout the night and into the daylight hours just for ratings boosts.

Finally the time came.  Film crews as well as radio crews were on hand to see the safe return of the necklace.  Angie apologized for ripping Ringo's shirt and Ringo said, "I can buy another shirt, I can't replace this." (meaning the medal).   Ringo was very sweet to Angie and her friends.   He allowed them to kiss him on the  cheek and signed autographs.   In watching the footage, I am surprised by how composed Angie appears to be.   She speaks in a quiet voice but with confidence and not like an out of control fan.

Angie has visited this blog on several occasions over the years and emailed me a long time ago.   She says that there is more to her story than what Cousin Brucie says and that her adventures continued after the kiss from Ringo.  One thing that happened was that she became a sudden celebrity among Beatle fans!   People were writing to her and wanting to know about what it was like to kiss Ringo!  She was sending out photos and corresponding with all sorts of fans.    I hope Angie writes a book or an article about what  exactly happened.

Arriving in the middle of the night

It was 3:02 a.m. and the Beatles arrived in New York to the sight of about 3,000 fans waiting to see them.   Paul and Ringo give a wave before they are taken off to the Delmonico Hotel. 

Teenagers Revel in Madness

photo by Walt Burton

photo by Walt Burton

photo by Walt Burton

photo by Walt Burton

Total Beatlemania:   shoes off and standing on a folding chair trying to see the Beatles

Young Fans Drop Veneer of Civilization for Beatles
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Writer unknown

A screaming, howling "Beatle-cane" struck Cincinnati Gardens Thursday night.   Veteran reporters and policemen were stuck for words to describe the demonstration 14,000 seemingly demented teenagers put on for their idols.  "Unbelievable" was the closest they could come to creating a word picture of the bedlam.

The frenzied mob began its ritualistic dance about 7pm when the doors of the Gardens opened, but the demonstration was only the "eye" of the Liverpool spawned storm.  The worst was yet to come.

The first act on the program, The Bill Mack Combo (sic) stimulated the mood of the crowd, and the second act, the Exciters, sang and danced the Monkey, which whetted the appetites of the adolescents.

The it struck.  The Beatles made their appearance, and the mob exploded into a maelstrom of sound--screaming, stomping, crying, begging, moaning -- every imaginable sound a human is capable of making.

The Beatles played for 25 minutes, but they might as well have been doing a pantomime.  The screaming was so loud for 10 minutes that the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Marine Corps Band would have been drowned out.

The youngsters were in the midst of an emotional banzai attack against anything that remotely resembled logic and order.  Some sobbed, clutching their hands to their mouths.  Others waved their hands above their heads and screamed at the top of their lungs.  Some umped up and down on their seats.

The estimated 115 degree temperature melted bouffant hairdos as well as inhibitions.  Well groomed girls who had hoped, without really hoping, that they would attract the eye of a Beatle, began to look like Brillo pads.

A priest turned around in the crowd, looked at a reporter with tears in his eyes and said, "I don't believe it.  Just look at them...at their faces!"

A technician from a television station was trying to measure the sound with an instrument.  He gave up when the instrument recorded its maximum reading and broke.

Pushed past their psychological limits, members of the audience began to "break" too.  Girls started to faint en masse.  Eyes turned cherry red.  Throats became too hoarse to utter even a whisper of adoration.  Shock began to set in, and the merry go round gradually broke down.  The time was 10:07 p.m.

More than 100 police officers, detectives and Pinkerton detectives were assigned to the Gardens for security reasons and to maintain order.  They were helpless to do anything except stare.

The Beatles ran off the Gardens stage before the audience knew what was up, scooted into waiting automobiles and headed toward Lunken airport from which their chartered plane took off for New York shortly after midnight.

Captain Ted Bird of the Cincinnati Police Department said that the young audience "conducted themselves like young ladies and gentlemen.  They screamed, yelled and panted, but there was no other sign of disorder.  They were a credit to Cincinnati."

When it was over, the stage was littered with tattered notes that had been thrown there by fans.  "I love you Ringo."  "Please call me Paul, my number is..."  "I can't go on without you, my dearest darling John."  Most of the notes had been stomped on by the high-heeled Beatle shoes, mute testimony of the undying devotion the British performers felt for their faithful flock.

An English reporter traveling with the Beatles is named George Harrison, too.  He complained to American newsmen that he always is getting his laundry mixed up with Beatle Harrison.  He said the entourage has received no mail from home since it left for the United States. 

And after it struck, the "Beatle-cane" moved on to strike again somewhere else.  And the maintenance men at Cincinnati Gardens began picking up the trash and Beatle buttons.



Tried to Hold 'em Back
Cincinnati police blocked off Kellogg Avenue near Eastern Avenue, at 3:45p.m. and tried to hold down the spectator population as much as possible.  Judging from the crowd at the airport, they didn't succeed.

Four acts accompanied the Beatles on their trip, and departed in a chartered bus.  The Beatles rode in Cadillacs.

As the day wore on, the crowd would anxiously peer at every plane that landed, including the smallest single-engine craft.

A lone pilot stepped from the twin-engine plane and was roundly booed.

Concessionaires prepared for a big night.

They stocked 5200 hot dogs, 5200 buns, 2000 pounds of popcorn, and 20,000 cups for soft drinks for the expected 13,000 spectators.

A television commentator told the Enquirer three girls, 16, 17 and 18 had gone to his studio Thursday morning and said they had hitchhiked by train from Warren, Ohio, to see the Beatles.

They said they hid in a train's washroom, changed at Lima, hiding this time in a boxcar, and arrived in Cincinnati at 7:30a.m.

Beatles are the gear

Fans with posters wait for the Beatles to arrive at the Garden

Beatles?  They’re ‘Gear’ Man

August 27, 1964

Cincinnati (AP) – Four mop-topped lads from Liverpool headed into Cincinnati today and, to use a teen-age phrase, this metropolitan area faced a frantic and “fantabulous” time.

“They’re ‘gear’ man,” (“the moistest”)—sighed 14 year old Karol Burgess, squealed in delight at the hardly expected acquisition of two tickets to tonight’s show by the Beatles before a capacity 13,000 others in Cincinnati Gardens.

Karol had proved pretty “gear” herself by appealing, in a newspaper want ad, for the prized pasteboards.  She got them from Kathy Reid, 13, who had decided, after reading of near-riots at the scene of Beatle concerts, that discretion was the better part of valor and so, to remain at home.

“Fantabulous” was Kathy’s word for the four English youths who, here for the third stop on their American tour, have marched rough-shod in four-four time into the consciousness and languages of teenagers, if not always those of their parents.

Some 100 policemen were ordered to duty around Cincinnati Gardens, some to report hours before the 8pm opening; approximately 40 others were assigned to their uptown hotel and another 100 private guards were employed by a group of local disc jockey who are sponsoring the show.