Beatles Fan Wrangles Press Conference Bid (1964)

 

Beatles Fan Wrangles Press Conference Bid

By Mary Ann Maybry

East Oregonian

September 9, 1964

    "I saw the Beatles!"  Mary Ann Mabry, a Pendleton high school senior, wiggled her way to the front row of the Beatles' press conference in Vancouver, BC, recently. Her passport to what would be a teenager's heaven was an alleged letter from a newspaper editor, which cited her as an aspiring young journalist from a high school newspaper in Cincinnati, Ohio, who had been sent to cover the press conference. The letter, plus perseverance and a lot of luck, got her past secretaries, guards, and press officials and into the smoke-filled room where the English mop heads gathered. After the conference, Mary Ann wrangled a seat in the front row for the concert. The following is her impression of the events that occurred.

     Uncontrollable mob hysteria. These are the words that really describe the Beatles concerts in Seattle and Vancouver. The girls seem emotionally unstable. Most of them were over 15 years old.

     While waiting for the Beatles in the tiny press conference room at the Pacific National Exhibition stadium, one could sense an electric excitement in the air as they entered. Ringo was directly before me, then John, George, and Paul.

     Ringo was quite small and slender with medium brown hair, blue eyes, and white teeth. He wore a small blue and white checked sports coat. John wore a multicolored striped jacket with a sweater underneath. He is well built, tallish with a full face, light brown hair, and brown eyes that squint when he speaks. George is tall and slender with dark brown hair and eyes, and was dressed in dark colors. Paul was by far the most handsome, with black hair that waves and curls, hazel eyes, and a darling smile. 

    It is generally believed that Paul is conceited. On the contrary, he is perhaps the friendliest. All are witty in speech and manner. For example:

     Reporter: Why was your plane from Seattle late?

    George:  Because the pilot didn't have a little green stamp on his passport. 

    John: Also, we had to be deloused.

     Paul told me a lengthy story about the reception in Liverpool, and Ringo and I bantered back and forth concerning his rings and fans. The whole conference lasted about 45 minutes. 

    As they got up to leave, I got Ringo's autograph and followed him to their dressing room, where I waited outside for about 10 minutes, watching for the door to open and close. Then they came out in a rush, but Paul stopped, winked, and said hi. 

    As I stood next to the stage, I spoke with the Beatles' manager and joked with the Righteous Brothers about the surging crowd, which was no joke.

     As they played, Ringo smiled down at me several times. As I watched them bounce the drum, laugh, and sing, I wondered if it was really happening to me.