Monday, December 15, 2014

All I want for Christmas is a Beatle!



Have you listened to the holiday classic, "All I want for Christmas is a Beatle?" yet this season?  Well---go ahead and give it a listen.    And here I found a photo in a scrapbook of the lads with the singer of this song, Dora Bryan.  Unfortunately, I the scrapbook was hard to scan otu of and George and John's head got cut off a bit.

Here is what it says under the photo:

Look what Santa left for actress Dora Bryan -- the Christmas present to beat all Christmas presents!  For weeks, Dora has been singing "All I want for Christmas  is a Beatle"  But she didn't really expect to get even one.   In fact she was quite happy, thank you, when the song made the Top Twenty.   Then Santa came (at least that's was Dora says) and standing before here were all four Beatles:  George Harrison, John Lennon, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney.  Who can blame Dora for trying to crush the Beatles?  Dora, who is appearing in a West End revue called "Six of One" is not the only one to have heard from Santa.  Nearly 8,000 children have had a special message.  The children had sent letters to Santa Claus in Reindeerland and Snowland.  They got their reply--with a special postmark on cards form the Post-master General, Mr. Reginald Bevins.   The cars provided free by the Post Office said, "How nice of you to write.  My gallant reindeers are ready to gallop with me to visit everyone we can.  Be fast asleep."  Yesterday saw the start of the great Christmas rush.  It also brought a huge shopping spree with housewives smiling over the supermarket war in oven-ready turkeys.  Sainsburry's oven-ready turkeys were selling at 3s 10d lb and the Fine Fare chain's price was down from 4s. 4d lb to 3s 9d lb plus gift stamps--so shoppers found it a buyer's market.  Housewives got 12 lb turkeys for less than 50s.  

10 comments:

  1. January 1964. Plaza Hotel room. Look at George's haircut.

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    1. You mean George V hotel? Or February 1964?
      The photograph can be a collage by the way.

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    2. But how can that be? The story was published with the photo in the newspaper in December 1963.

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  2. No, this was taken backstage on the Beatles' UK tour in December 1963 to coincide with the release of the novelty record. Dora Bryan was NOT in America when the Beatles were there! And if it WAS the Plaza the date would have been February not January!

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  3. When you look at the text that went with the photo, you will know that it was December 1963 when the newspaper wrote the article and printed the photo. I am not ruling out a "photo shop" deal where they took a photo of the Beatles and pasted in Dora. Although they may have met her.

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  4. Judging by George's hair the photograph was taken no later than September 1963. In October-December 1963 his hair was already much longer.

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  5. It was December 1963 - I HAVE the original clipping. The photo was taken the day before. It's at the end of the UK tour when Dora's single was being released.

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    1. Thank you! That is what I am trying to say.....I scanned the original clipping...there is no way this was taken in 1964 because it was published in December 1963.

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    2. Could you provide the exact date when the photograph was published? And what makes you think think the photo was taken the day before it was published?

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