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| Maybe one of these dancers is Joanie? |
I know this type of story—those of girls who went on a date with one of the Beatles while they were on tour—is pretty popular on this site. I found this one in a 1973 issue of the Harrison Alliance. It is obviously a re-print of something taken from 1964, but I don't know where it originated.
It is a story about a woman named Joanie Sannes, who was a dancer at the Whisky a Go-Go. I could not find very much information about Joanie, not even a photograph. The writer is Pauline Best, who I also could not find any information about.
Update: Obadiah McDougall Jones found pictures of Joanie! So now we know what she looked like! Thank you!!
Joanie Sannes, as told to Pauline Best - August 1964
"In some way, George is the most handsome of the Beatles, but ... I sort of go for Ringo." Lovely 22-year-old Joanie Sannes sat in her Hollywood home staring at a picture of the most famous singing quartet in the world. Her remark was startling because Joanie had just had the unbelievable good fortune of being George Harrison's date at the first party the Beatles had given in Hollywood.
"George is a real swinging type. He drinks wine and beer - sometimes, he has a glass of each. He's got kind of a devil-may-care approach to life in general, but he's really kind and sensitive."
"The party was a fabulous success," she continued. "Stars and celebrities from all over Hollywood had come to meet the Beatles and stayed till early next morning. I stayed with George most of the time but got a chance to meet and talk to everyone.
"The whole thing was like a fairy tale," she remembered. "I never had swooned over Elvis or anyone else in my life, but the Beatles are different."
Joanie is a professional dancer at the Whisky a Go-Go and has taught people like Steve McQueen, Lana Turner... "But dancing with George was so different," she said, "I was so nervous and excited, but it was wonderful! After the party, George thanked me for coming and said he had a 'fab' time. I was thrilled!"
"I thought I'd never see the Beatles again, so you can imagine my delight when they came to the Whisky the next night. I could hardly keep time with the music—that's how excited I was. And I didn't dream that the dancers would stop and crowd around them. I dance there six nights a week, and lots of movie stars come in, and nothing makes those Watusi dancers stop. But they did when the Beatles came in.
"George was so cute that night. You see, I dance in a cage high above the dance floor. Well, George came up there just to give me a kiss on the cheek! It was a friendly kiss, very sweet, almost innocent, and shy.
"When I finished dancing, I came down and joined them all at their table. There was a railing near the booth, and some of the girls were pulling so much at Ringo that he had to grab hold of the railing, or else he would have been pulled away. Finally, they pulled so hard that the railing broke. I picked up the piece that Ringo was holding and took it home with me. It's my most valuable souvenir.
"George and I danced quite a bit, but I also danced with Ringo."
"After the nose had settled down, George and I began to talk. He said he was thrilled to see so many famous stars. Then someone said that the stars were more thrilled to see the Beatles. George couldn't believe it!"
"About this time, the boys suggested that we all go back to their house and continue the party. It was wonderful being in the house, especially for the second time. We talked some more, and I got a chance to dance with Ringo again.
"Now the boys have gone, I have only memories of the two greatest days of my life. But I do have that piece of railing. And all the boys sent me a lovely telegram, saying how much they enjoyed meeting me and hoping that they would see me again. I hope we do meet them again. I liked them all so much. No matter what happens all my life, I'll remember them."
very nice
ReplyDeleteWhere is Joanie now? Hope she's still with us. Joane Sannes was one of the captivating Shivaree Dancers of the 1965-66 TV show that included Teri Garr, Cathy Austin, Kay Parks, and Sharon Garrett. (Sharon, I would suggest, is the girl wrongly identified in the lower photo as 'Shirley'.) Sadly, Teri passed away late last year, but she, too, had met the Beatles back in the day. I'd love to be able to interview Joanie myself and get the fascinating story of her life - as well as the stories of those other wonderful ladies.
ReplyDeleteFurther to my comment, above: I'm 80% confident that the DJ dancer shown at the beginning of the YouTube video, "60's Dancing At The Whiskey A Go Go (1964)", posted by 'Its Not You Its Me...' some 14 years ago, is Joanie. However, Without access to the original film used in the video, I'm unable to verify. Coincidentally, the apparent creator of LA's Go Go dancing scene in LA at WAGG and designer of her fringed two-piece dress and footwear, was also a Joanie: a young brunette, Joanie Labine, the club's secretary, who likely would also have met the Beatles.
ReplyDeleteSadly, Joan Sannes passed away in New York in 2007 at the age of 65
ReplyDeleteThank you Jack. I am most saddened to learn that. Could you perhaps direct me to corroborating evidence of her death. I would need to know that it is the right Joanie Sannes. I may still be able to contact her surviving family to take it further, even after all these years past.
DeleteI will contact her brother on your behalf...in the meantime I have a wealth of information on the Shivaree dancers...if You would like me to share the data with You just.let me know.
DeleteI would also like to direct your attention to the February, 1965 issue of ESQUIRE magazine...I believe you will be 'shocked and awed'.
DeleteApologies: I should have ID'd that reply...
DeleteMuch appreciated, Jack. Yes, I'd really be interested to have anything you have on the Shivaree dancers. And if you could contact Joanie's brother for me, that would be a real bonus. I'd like to be able to correspond. I'll try and find that edition Of Esquire you've kindly suggested, too. The question of being able to contact you, via email perhaps, now arises; however, I wouldn't want to compromise your privacy on this site.
DeleteI will try to find an avenue of communication other than this one...the ESQUIRE issue includes an entire feature spread on Joan at the WhIskey A GO GO...I'm sure you will enjoy it..I will contact her brother this evening or tomorrow morning.
DeleteMany thanks, Jack. I found the Esquire article online, and Joanie is prominent. Peter Bogdanovich's WAGG write-up is entertaining to say the least, filmically described, as you would expect, in which he names both Joanie and Shivaree choreographer, Kay Carson, as two of a trio of house cage/booth dancers performing on the night he attended. The full page thumb shots of gorgeous Joanie dancing on Santa Monica beach shows the class she had. And yes, I look forward to using an alternative means of correspondence.
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DeleteThanks, Jack. I think I'd better give you my email address and we can take it from there. I'll be able to give you my motivations and answer all your questions. You can each me at: el-supremo@email.com Once you make contact I'll remove this reply.
DeleteWe are going out of town for a couple of weeks beginning tomorrow...will be back the first week of October (heading to the Great Lakes for some much needed R&R)..I should hear from Joan's brother by then..will contact you via email at that time...I've already deleted my previous comment.
DeleteRoger that, Jack. Enjoy your break, and hope it doesn't get too windy for you up there. I look forward to your email; and my kindest regards to Joanie's brother. (I'll remove my last reply.)
DeleteHello again Jack. Hope you enjoyed your vacation away and I very much hope you'll be able to pick up where we left off. I remain very interested in your kind offer to share the wealth of information you have about the Shivaree dancers. I've developed a special interest in them and it would be very, very much appreciated. In turn I'll be glad to give you what little I have, speculative as it may largely be. Though I'm a stranger to you both, and if he may graciously agree to it, I'd very much like to be able to correspond with Joanie's brother, too. Please feel at ease to reply.
DeleteWith kind regards, Les B.
Please accept my apologies for not getting back with you sooner, as we arrived home about three days ago and honestly have not had time to do much of anything...Joan's brother, whom we'll call 'D' has politely declined your request for communication...he is concerned of your reasoning behind your interest and afraid of personal information being released...I could ask Joan's daughter, however I believe the answer would be the same...sorry, I did try. On a more personal note, my involvement began in April of 1965...a family emergency caused my mom and myself to fly to Los Angeles for about a week or two. Tony Micale, the lead singer of The Reflections, lived down the street from us in Detroit...so, I figured that while I was in L.A. I would go see him and the guys perform "Just Like Romeo and Juliet" at KABC...so......yep, I was one of the nerds in the audience that day...had a great time and it remains even now as one of the highlights of my adolescence...anyway, after the taping I was wandering around trying to find a bathroom, as the four to five Cokes I drank earlier needed to escape...Joan Sannes was standing in the hallway talking to Sharon Garrett, so I walked up and asked them where the restrooms were (the place was cavernous)...Sannes smiled, took my hand and led me down the maze of corridors to the mens room...when I turned to thank her she was gone...so I went to the pay phone in the lobby to call my aunt to pick me up...that was my 'great adventure of '65'...since then I've cherished the memories of the experience and sort of as a hobby, collected info and artifacts from the show...I have 34 original dancer contracts from Shivaree in my den...and a few pieces of memorabilia I've kept over the years...well, I've droned on long enough...again, sorry this communique was a bit late...Jack
DeleteHi Jack, and thank you very much for replying. I hope you had a great time. I can understand Mr Sannes' reluctance: I don't think I'd be too eager to entertain dubious enquiries from complete strangers either, into what essentially are private family matters. Closer to home, the fates have dealt the same card for me when my own beloved sister, Judy, died suddenly at the end of September, only a few weeks ago. I'm afraid I'm finding it had to accept and don't think I ever will. I must therefore sympathize utterly and completely with 'D' and his family and will fully respect his wishes. But I appreciate your efforts on my behalf, anyway. However, I can assure both him and you that I hold only the highest regard concerning anything to do with his late beloved sister. When I read your response explaining Joanie's passing, and before the loss of my own dear sister, I confess I felt a pang of grief shoot through me which I was really not prepared for. I sincerely hoped she'd be with us, still, along with the other Shivaree angels we can see in the shows preserved on video. Speaking of which, I have to say I stand in complete awe of you for having been in the audience at that special time, and having actually met both Joanie and Sharon 'backstage'. I'm eating my heart out as I write! The Reflections appeared on April 17, '65 (Series 1 Episode 12) and your connection with their lead singer deserves a gold star, though not quite the diamond studded one I'd award you for your encounter with the girls. But we have to stop meeting like this, Jack, it's a bit too public; so please feel free to email : el-supremo@email.com I can then explain myself better - and my consuming passion with the Shivaree dancers.
ReplyDeleteI feel like I'm hiding under the bed in someone's hotel room and they're talking about something I shouldn't be hearing.
ReplyDeleteOK...I have messaged you via the email address you provided.
ReplyDelete