Here's to a great 2015!

I have had a blast in 2014.  It isn't every year that you get the opportunity to see both living Beatles in concert in the same week, or attend two Beatle conventions, or have a fun part in a community theater production of a musical.

I have read so many people saying how terrible 2014 was for them, and I my heart goes out to anyone who lost a loved one or went through a difficult time in the past year.   I hope that the music of the Beatles and some of the fun photos I have posted on this blog brought at least a small glimmer of happiness in your life.

As the year of the Beatles 50th anniversary comes to an end, I want to take the time to thank some people who really made this year special:

To my mom, Coral Schmidt:  Thank you for always being ready to go on another Beatles adventure with me.

To Jude Southerland Kessler:  Thank you for allowing me to be on your radio show this year.   It was really a fun experience.  You have been such a great Beatles friend.

To Lana Staggs:   Thanks also to you, Lana for putting me on your radio show this year!  It was so great to see you at the Ringo concert.

To Brother Michael:  Thank you for your kind words and encouragement.   I appreciate your help in typing things up and for your emails.   You are MTBFR's #1 fan!

To Mister Kite:  You make me laugh and make me shake my head at the same time.  Ringo and Paul are still amazing to me.   But I thank you for making me think.

To Ben in France:  Thank you for the photos and conversations.

To Lizzie, Bruno, Graame, Mark  Luis, Since1963, Vincent  and anyone else who has sent photos and/or stories to me this past year!   Thank you so much!   It is folks like you that make this blog better and better every year.

To Mark Lewisohn:  Thank you for writing the best Beatles book ever and for meeting me this year.  The mere fact that you look at this blog still freaks me out.


And to everyone who visit MTBFR every day and even those who right click and save without saying anything to me....I thank you for coming here and I hope you all continue to enjoy this place in the future.

I hope  as we get into 2015 that great things will continue.   Plans are in the works for the 50th anniversary of Help as well as other things from 1965 to tie into 2015.   Happy new year Beatle friends!

The Meet the Beatles for Real top 12 countdown of 2014

Alright Beatlefans around the globe, here are the top 6 posts according to blogger from 2014.  Just read this as if you are listening to the radio countdown for the year.


6.  Beatles on Sullivan Remembered 
749 hits
First Appeared February 3, 2014

Here is an article that I wrote myself specifically for this blog.   It is a very special article and I am so happy that so many of you have enjoyed it.   I have gotten messages from places like Japan and Vietnam asking if it would be alright to transcribe the article into those languages so that the Beatle fans in those countries could enjoy it as well.    It is quite an honor for me and I am happy to share what American fans felt with the rest of the fans around the world.   I hope to be able to write more articles like this one because I think the oral history of the fans is an important part of the Beatles story.


5.  The Run away
760 hits
First appeared February 18, 2014

The story of the 13 year old girl who left her home in Boston and ran away to England and ended up meeting the Beatles is a story that was quite popular.   "There is no way she is 13!" Is what I heard the most after I shared this story.   But rest assured that she truly was just 13 years old when she had her Beatles adventure.   I obviously am quite fond of this story myself, because I realize that every tie I go on a radio program to talk about this blog, this is one of the stories I bring up.


4.  Performing in Beantown
1161 hits
First appeared:  September 12,2014

So this is just a photo only post of photos of when the Beatles were performing a concert in Boston in during the 1964 North American tour.   I am honestly not sure why it is coming in at #4, because it does not stand out in any way to me.   But I can say that the entire 1964 North American tour was super fun to work on this past year and I am already working on the 1965 tour posts.


3.  Paul McCartney and the girl with the Black Beret
1265 hits
First Appeared August 12, 2014

One of the most touching stories on this blog.  It hit a lot of readers and moved them to tears.   Paul and Ringo have done some extremely nice things for kids with cancer over the years and this story is a wonderful example of Paul's kindness and compassion.    You need some tissues if you are going to read this story again...it is a tearjerker for sure!


2.  The Beatles are our Bosses!
1277 hits
First Appeared January 30, 2014

It has been almost a year since I first posted this story.  Time to re-read it!   I remember working my tail off using Google translate and Babelfish translate to get the German to English figured out.   But it was worth it!   I love reading about the girls that worked for Apple. 


And the number 1 post of 2014 is  (Ringo---that is the cue for that drum roll!)


1.  Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band on the Road 
1513 hits
First appeared February 21, 2014

I found this story in an issue of Good Day Sunshine fan magazine.   It tells the story of an actor who was also a Beatles fan and how he got a part in the Broadway production of Sgt. Pepper and met John and Paul as a result.   It is an interesting story and one that I enjoyed reading.  


What a great year it has been....hope 2015 is just as good!

Ring out the old Ring in the new

I hope you all have a very nice New Years Eve tomorrow and ring in the New Year in a very happy way!    Now you might be wondering why I posted these vintage New Years Eve party photos from most likely 1964.   If you look in the background of the photos there are Beatles glasses on the shelves.    I would have made a toast out of them if I was there!

Happy new Year my friends!

John Lennon meets John Lennon

John Lennon in Toronto, Ontario in 1966 meeting the one and only John Lennon!   

On their way home

Inside MPL

This seems to be a fairly recent photo and it appears that Paul still has the same couch and jukebox in his MPL office that he had in the 1980's.    Paul...a man that doesn't change thing very often.

Meet the Beatles for Real top 12 countdown of the best posts of 2014!

I have to say that I am extremely proud of this blog this year.    There have been many great articles and stories and photos shared in 2014.   So I went through the blog from this past year and in total end of the year fashion, I am counting down the top 12 posts (according to hits on blogger) from the past year.    In case you missed them the first go-round just click on the title.



12.   Ed Rudy's Story of the First American Tour -- part 1
501 hits
First appeared:   February 5, 2014

This is the first of a five part series written by Ed Rudy about everything that happened when the Beatles first arrived in America in 1964.   I asked Ed himself if it would be alright for me to reproduce his stories and he gave me his okay, which was really awesome.   



11.  Ringo Starr and the All Starr Band-- Sara's VIP concert review
508 hits
First appeared:  July 6, 2014

In July of 2014 I traveled down south to see Ringo Starr and the All Starr Band perform in Tunica, Mississippi.   I purchased the VIP package for the concert and this review that I wrote when I returned is all about what happened at the show.   Always nice to see something I wrote making a list like this.


10.  Simply George
520 hits
First Appeared:  April 1, 2014

It wasn't an April fools joke when I posted this beautiful photo of George Harrison!   A lot of conversation about this photo and it deserves it.   It remains one of the best fan taken photos of George that I have ever seen.


9.  Traveling with the Beatles
541 hits
First Appeared:  September 10, 2014

If I were asked what my favorite story that I posted on this blog in 2014 happened to be, I would say without a thought, "the one about Ruby Hickman."    It almost saddens me that this is only at number 9 and only 541 people have looked at it.   I think every single Beatle fan should read Ruby's amazing story of traveling with the Beatles during the 1964 American tour.   Yes, it is a very long story, but you will be so glad that you have read it!


8.   Ready Steady Go!
572 hits
First Appeared March 23, 2014

This is a fun post about the Beatles appearance on the program, Ready Steady Go in March of 1964.   There was a contest for the best Beatles artwork and you find out in this article who the winner is and what he chose as his prize!


7.   Beatles and the Girls
629 hits
First appeared:  July 1, 2014


Nothing quite as exciting as the Beatles and sex!    And that is the topic of this post.   I did some research about a lady named Jenny Kee who was with John in Australia in 1964.   It was a very interesting story and one that I wasn't too familiar with.




Tune in tomorrow for numbers 6-1!

Holiday Ringo

©ImageCollect.com/Globe-Photos

Doesn't Ringo look amazing here???

Please note that this is a photo from ImageCollect and you are not authorized to post it on your tumblr, facebook, instagram, weheartit, flickr or any other account you may have.   Please follow these rules.

The man in black

Paint your own Beatle

Pamela obviously is a Paul fan.   Not only is she holding a "Paint your own Beatle" Paul paint kit, but she has photos of Paul in a frame as well as hanging on her mirror.   She also has the "Hear the Beatles tell all" album. 

Pamela grew up to be quite "infamous" but I will leave those details for people to fill in on the comments section.  

Up the stairs to the studio

Add caption

Notice John there in the background just past the Sgt. Pepper cover??   

Backstage at the show '64

War is Over (if you want it)

Of all of the things John and Yoko did together to promote peace, the War is Over (if you want it) one is my very favorite.   These simple words have really made me stop and think.    So once again I hope you all take a few moments out of your busy day to think about what "wars" you have in your life that you need to stop.    What can you do as an individual to make the world a little more peaceful?

I wish each and every one of you a very happy Christmas!    I am so blessed by this blog each and every day and I can't say thank you enough to everyone who is a regular reader.     Have a wonderful Christmas Day!  I hope Santa fills your stockings up with wonderful Beatles goodies!

Peace and Love
Sara S. (aka Starshyne)

Christmas of 1964

What did kids in America in 1964 see under their Christmas trees?   Well there was a LOT of Beatles!   You can read a really great article about this topic written by Candy Leonard right here.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/candy-leonard/boomers-first-must-have-christmas-gift_b_6372178.html

I wanna be Santa Claus

Remember the popular 1964 campaign "Ringo for President?"   Well during the Christmas of 1964, a similar campaign occurred as you can see from this poster...it was "Ringo for Santa Claus!"   And then in the late 1990's Ringo answered the campaign by having a song and album called "I wanna be Santa Claus." 

A Hard Day's Christmas

During the Christmas season of 1964, some theater's re-released the "Hard Day's Night" movie as you can see see from this newspaper ad.

Art Backstage

Ringo backstage with some artwork that a fan sent backstage for Ringo during the 1964 Christmas show.  Not a bad job!

Another Beatles Christmas Show concert memory

very old scans from when I had that scanned that had a green tint

The only memory that I can find is from The Beatles Christmas Book by Belmo and Gary Marsh.  It is a quote by Lulu

" One of the most exciting things that ever happened to me in my life was going to a gig at the Hammersmith, standing on the side of the stage, watching them running off and on.  And all of a sudden John Lennon goes, "ooh it's Lulu!"  I can't say how excited I was.  And then they took me into their dressing room, and I actually watched and will never forget Paul McCartney putting his head under the tap and just flicking his hair around.  It looked gorgeous and so did he.  I was fifteen or sixteen -- totally in awe and I melted completely"

What is this?

If the Beatles were supposed to be Eskimos, then what on earth is John Lennon wearing in this photo?  And why was he wearing it?   Was there some other sketch?  Did he just put it on to be funny?   This photo has baffled me for years

The Beatles in Eskimo-land

The Beatles dressed up as Eskimos for the Christmas show and they looked pretty darn adorable in their Eskimo outfits.  They looked so cute, that a ton of photos were taken and have been used for many, many years to come for all sorts of reasons.  Here is Ringo's thoughts on the costumes

We picked up Eskimo gear because Eskimo-land seems to be about the only place we haven't visited this year.  I think it's in Greenland or somewhere.

The pantomimers

What made the Beatles Christmas shows different than a regular Beatles concert is that besides just singing, you would also get to see the Beatles act.   Pantomime is a popular form of entertainment in England at Christmas, especially in the 1950's and 1960's.    And while it was extremely cheesy and goofy, the Beatles tried to have fun with it.    The truth is that the Beatle fans in the audience did not care what the Beatles were doing on the stage.   They just wanted to see John, Paul, George and Ringo.

For the 1964 shows, the Beatles dressed up as Eskimos and they were supposed to be in Antarctica searching for the Abominable Snowman.    Their dialogue was projected on the background during the sketch.  This was done because everyone always screamed so much when the Beatles were on stage.  They also had points in the show where the Beatles held up cards with words on them and there was a lot of miming action because of the screaming.  

The Cast of Another Beatles Christmas Show

The Beatles were obviously the headliners of the Christmas show of 1964, but they weren't up there doing this crazy stuff alone!   The host was British radio and now famous creeper, Jimmy Savile.  Also on board were Georgie Fame, Michae Haslem, the Yardbirds (with Eric Clapton), Freddie and the Dreamers, Elkie Brookes, and Sounds Incorporated. 

Poor Elkie (the only female in the bunch) has a bad memory of the concert:

I'm doing this really lovely jazzy version of a Christmas Song and there's all these girls screaming all the way through it.  They were not appreciating it at all -- even though I was giving it rock all.  No, they were just saying, 'Get off, get off, we paid to see The Beatles.  We don't want to see you--you soppy tart, get off.'

All information came from The Beatles Christmas Book by Belmo and Gary Marsh

Another Beatles Christmas show

It was 50 years ago that the Beatles were the stars of Another Beatles Christmas Show.   They weren't too excited about performing and doing pantomimes through the holiday season and into January.   1964 was a long year for the Fab 4.  

Another Christmas Show ran for 20 nights.  It went from December 24 until January 16.  Most of the days (all except two days) had an afternoon and an evening performance.   The Beatles did the show 38 times for about  60,000 people in all.