Tuesday, August 25, 2015

The Beatles go to a party--did the exclusive party backfire?

I have posted this story before, but since it has been 50 years since the dud of a party occurred, and I found larger photos, I am re-posting it.    

From KRLA  Beat Magazine  published September 18, 1965





When Alan Livingston, president of Capitol Records tossed a Hollywood party in honor of The Beatles, during their recent stay in California, all stops were pulled to make the event – hosted by Livingston at his Hollywood Hills Home – as snotty and glamorous as they come in Tinseltown.







Crème de la crème was the guest list:  Vince Edwards and wife Kathy Kersh (they’re back together again and Mrs. Edwards is expecting), Dean Martin, Jack Benny, Bill Cosby, Polly Bergen, Haley Mills, Suzanne Pleshette, Groucho Marx, Jimmy Stewart, Rock Hudson, and Gene Barry to mention a mere few.  Press was barred and Beatle fans were kept at a distance by courteous but firm police.








From all indications the planned event had earmarks of a whale of an evening in a town that’s had more than its share of gay parties.
But something must have backfired.
 Only three Beatles attended.  George Harrison, in fact, was discovered by BEAT reporters at the Columbia Records Hollywood Studios, an interested spectator at a recording session by the Byrds.  John Lennon was observed leaving in evident boredom (see photo) before 9:30 p.m.  Around 9:45, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney followed John back to their secluded mansion on Benedict Canyon Road – or elsewhere, perhaps, to livelier happenings?
 

 


What happened?  We probably shall never know.  But we can conjecture that the boys weren’t any too happy to see fans shivering outside the Livingston house in the night chill while they had to endure the boredom inside.
 
 With the press barred, how then did the BEAT obtain these exclusive photos?  Easy.  BEAT photographer, Chuck Boyd, intrepid and resourceful, merely disguised himself as a punch bowl.   He returned empty, of course, but certainly not empty-handed.

5 comments:

  1. Dave Dexter, from Capitol Records (the guy who did all the sequencing/butchering on the American albums) (I say that even though I love the American albums, especially the sequencing! Especially "Rubber Soul"!)...anyways, he was at this party. A confirmed Beatle-hater, he says in an interview that at this party a bunch of kids were outside the window going bananas, when he asked John Lennon to wave to them. Lennon, obviously not in a great mood (according to this story and photo!), said something like "Ah, to hell with them!" Dexter was mortified, and in a clearly-perturbed tone of voice, who-knows how many years later, says "And after that, I never had any use for John Lennon".

    Dexter is also the guy who kept passing on "Please Please Me", and "From Me To You", and "She Loves You"..."Love Me Do" also (he hated the harmonica). I think it was Alan Livingston who stepped in and put out "I Want To Hold Your Hand".

    Still: I mean, a party with Jimmy Stewart, Groucho Marx, Dean Martin, (young) Bill Cosby and Jack Benny.....not to mention Suzanne Plechette....we know Rock Hudson knew how to party! Still, if they say it was a dud, it was a dud!

    ....I would have loved to have seen John and Groucho match wits!!! Paul and Dean sing a duet 'round the piano! Jack Benny and Ringo trade one-liners.

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    1. agree - Jack Benny and Ringo together would have been fantastic

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  2. I would also have loved to party w/Stewart, Groucho, Dean and Cos. But perhaps the Beatles weren't all that interested because (again, perhaps) these entertainers were not well known to their native Great Britain.
    I doubt many Americans for instance would be aware of the comedy duo of Morcambe and Wise, whom the Beatles worshipped.

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  3. There are many photos of George at the event.

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  4. Maybe they'd have been happier if Elvis and Chuck Berry was there.

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