So They Tell Me

The author of this story Bill with the Beatles in San Francisco.  
Bill was known for sneaking his way into photographs with famous people.

So They Tell Me

By Bill Soberanes

Petaluma Argus-Currior

August 21, 1964

    Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah! I met the Beatles, and after watching them and their fans perform for two days, I can truthfully say I've never seen anything like it. 

My first contact with the Beatles was when they arrived at the San Francisco Airport. A special platform was constructed there for their appearance, and a heavy wire fence was set up around this platform, while 1000s of wild-eyed teenagers (mostly girls aged 12 to 15) milled around outside. I stood inside this fence with other members of the press, radio, and TV corps. While checking the crowd, I spotted two Petaluma teenagers, Rick Benbrook and Dennis Kindlespire, who had been awaiting the arrival of the Beatles since 7am and the Beatles didn't get there until 6:30pm.

     When the Beatles finally arrived, I was standing alongside two young reporters from London, England, N Quennell and Tim Street Porter. We checked the time, and according to our stopwatches, The Beatles were on this stage for exactly 42 seconds --- and this could go down as the wildest 42 seconds in the history of San Francisco. Girls were fainting, others were screaming, and the police were kept busy carrying out those who had keeled over. Yes, this was the first time I ever saw teenage girls eating dirt. But of course, this was very special dirt because the Beatles had walked upon it. 

    From the airport, I joined the other newsmen in a mad dash for the Hilton Hotel, and when I arrived in the main lobby, all bedlam had broken loose. The Beatles had just arrived, and there on the front lines were Petalumans, Raymond Boccaleoni, And Ron Van Bebber. 

    Within a few minutes, we were on our way upstairs, where the Beatles were holding a brief press conference. You soon learned that getting near the Beatles was harder than getting near the President of the United States and probably more dangerous while teenage fans were in the area. During this brief press conference, I managed to talk with all of the Beatles and also had my picture snapped with them, which was quite a feat, considering that everyone else wanted to but no one did, with the exception of Petalumas own Raymond Boccaleoni, who managed to get in front of the camera with the most talkative Beatle, Ringo Starr. 

    Now, I've been stopped by hundreds of teenagers and quite a number of adults who asked many questions about the Beatles and also wanted to know how they impressed me. First of all, I'm printing two pictures directly above that show me with the Beatles, so that everyone will get a good look. In one of these pictures, a Beatle is missing, and see if you can guess which one real fast. 

    I found the Beatles to be a lot sharper than most adults. Think they know where their bread is buttered, and they admit they are often scared when they appear before those wild teenage crowds. There's no doubt about it, a crowd of fans like those in San Francisco could tear a Beatles limb from limb if they were not surrounded by a large police guard. Now, this is true fan love in its wildest form.

     Wednesday night, I completed the Beatles story by being on the scene at the Cow Palace. First of all, I looked around for Petalumans.  And who was in the front lines backstage in front of the Beatles when they hit the main stage? Nobody else but Bill Beffa.  Also, on the backstage scene where the general public was not allowed, Ed Frank, our former city manager, who now manages Daily City.

     The excitement mounted backstage as Shirley Temple walked in, but the crowd outside hardly noticed her because this was Beatle country. 

    When the Beatles finally hit the stage, a scream went up that no one on hand will ever forget, and I swear that at least 10,000 flash bulbs went off, leaving many temporarily deaf and blind. Then the fun started. Some girls screamed. Others bit their fingernails, and one girl almost bit off two of her fingers. Another girl in the front line ran her fingernails down her face, leaving very deep scratches, and as the blood poured out, she danced and screamed in a fantastic style that would have made the old Wild Man from Borneo who used to appear at the carnivals and circuses look like a quiet Sunday school teacher.

     Now, I'll have to admit that with over 17,000 people attending this affair, the police did a magnificent job of keeping things reasonably under control. I asked popular singer Jackie DeShannon, of "Needles and Pins" fame, what she thought of The Beatles, and she replied, "They're the greatest, and this is the most exciting show I've ever seen or worked."

     Ed Peterson, who has been photographing the big stories of the SF News Called Bulletin for 34 years, told me, "This is unquestionably the noisiest night I've ever seen at the Cow Palace." This is definitely the year of the Beatles.

     Who else could cause teenage girls to get down on their hands and knees and eat dirt? Who else could cause so many girls to flip?  Who else could cause today's adults to scream? What is the modern generation coming to a cry that many other parents issued during the Crosby, Valley, and Frank Sinatra eras? If you decide to flip about those dirt-eating teenagers, stop and look back at an era when the college kids were swallowing live goldfish.