Banana Joe and crew

 

John '75

 

Helping Hands

 

Close to John

 

His hair looks so soft

 

50 Years later new photos still pop up!

 May 18, 1975

I think I have more photos of John from this day than from any other date during his life.  Surprisingly, I continued to find new images even 50 years later.  I love them all!  I know more people have photos of John from this day, so please keep sharing those photographs and memories of meeting John. 

It's all about the socks

 

May 17, 1975

I know I have posted these photos before, but I just have to do it again.  It has been 50 years since John Lennon took off his socks and auctioned them to raise money for various charitable organizations.  It has to be one of my favorite fan interactions John had.   

Now what I want to discover is what ever happened to the socks?  I have checked all of the big auction houses and they have never appeared, so someone out there still has them!   

John's apple bite

 

I said something a few weeks ago about all the photos of Paul eating an apple and now I find one of John doing the same thing!  

The Day Barbara saw John Lennon

 

The day I saw John Lennon

 by Barbara Kaminski-Stern

 December 12, 2012 

May 17, 1975, I was 13 years old. I had just become a Beatles fan. Although I knew who they were, I wasn't that interested. Until I watched Help! with a friend. I was mesmerized. I was a bored teenager to be, and this was interesting. I was hooked. A month later, John Lennon came to town. That sealed the deal. 

John Lennon was friends with Larry Kane, a TV reporter and head announcer at WPVI studios in Philadelphia, off Cityline Avenue. Kane had toured with the Beatles when they first came to America. Everyone listened to WFILam pop radio. I used to collect their playlist (and still have some). They announced that John Lennon was coming to Philly to raise money for the Helping Hands charity. I was over the top, excited. The only way we could get to WPVI Studios was by Septa e-bus or a parent. My friend Robyn went with me. We were both interested in music. We had seen Cat Stevens together, and that was enough to bond.  I think we took the bus. We got off at the Bala Cynwyd Shopping Center, and our first stop was Record Music to pursue the 45s.  I wanted to buy Paul's "Mary had a little lamb" with cover sleeve, but thought I'd wait for another day (no pun intended). Today was John's day, and I wanted to look good and focused.

 We were so excited. I wore my favorite white hipster pants and a cool light green shirt with a cartoon drawing on the front, a leather belt, hair pulled back in a "chicken," glasses, and big earrings. I wanted to look my best for John. 

When we got there, a crowd already formed. We were in the back of the studio near the parking lot. Nothing fancy here. The back door was higher than we were, so other fans helped Robyn and me climb onto the raised floor. I brushed off my white hipsters. I had money with me because we knew we'd have to make a donation. Someone from the studio came out with autographs, Lennon singles, and "Mind Games," a $2 donation. I raised my hand for one and got it. Ironically, the only thing I had with me to autograph was the WFIL playlist. Why didn't I bring a Beatles album? To be honest, I didn't own any Lennon albums at that point. I had just become a fan, and I wasn't well off. I may have had two Beatles albums at the most. I figured I used my playlist for a second autograph. Suddenly, the crowd started screaming. Out came a DJ and... John Lennon. 

It was very surreal. I thought if I just laid back and be respectful, he would notice me, but Robyn was having none of that. "John!!!", she shouted, and I handed her my playlist, and she got an autograph. He yelled, "Give us the greens!" and I put money into a container. I was so close, just a foot away, I looked beyond his glasses. Noticed his shoulder length, straight hair, beret, striped beige and white scarf, his J necklace. He wore a suit, but he was funky, very 70s. This was not hippie, John. This was NYC, John. I wanted to remember it all.

Fortunately, my good friend Mindy lived next door to a photographer who took photos of John while he was here. He seemed to have the same outfit on all weekend.  Mindy got her photo taken with John while he was on the air. It's so funny because she looked like a deer caught in the headlights, but she gave me a copy. Then my sister went the next night, she got a double autograph, John's "Rock and Roll" album. You could say I "borrowed" it indefinitely. 

Some of my friends got autographs on their arms. I could have done that, but I wasn't so bold, and I wanted a real autograph to keep. I was on cloud nine that day. It was one of the best days of my life.

 I went home and was so excited. My neighbors were hanging out with my mom on the front patio of our West Philadelphia row home. "Why are you so excited?" Joan asked. My mom told her "she saw John Lennon today." Joan replied, "Oh, he doesn't appeal to me". They were not impressed, but I was. I ran in and played the Mind Games 45 on my record player. I was overwhelmed.

 I changed into jeans and wrote Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and Starr on each leg with blue ink. I wore them to the Sacred Heart School Fair off Cityline and Harvarford avenues. I was in heaven. Nothing could go wrong that day. I was so close. And I had his autograph. And I was there. Although, I felt lucky I didn't realize how lucky I was.

John was happy to meet fans

 

Dollars for a good cause

 

A ciggie and a smile

 

The sounds of Philadelphia

 I sure hope there wasn't anyone else on the other side of that girl that thought she was in a photograph with John Lennon.   

Tie for auction

 Over the years we have learned that while raising money in Philadelphia for the Helping Hands Charity, John Lennon auctioned off his sock and his hat.   Now, thanks to a current eBay listing, we learn that he also auctioned off his tie.  If you look closely, you can see in the photograph that John is holding the tie.  I personally could not find a photo from that day of John wearing this particular tie.  

Here is what,  Ted Vollmer,  the person that originally bought the tie directly from John says about that experience:

John Lennon spent a weekend in Philadelphia in May 1975 to assist local news anchor, Larry Kane with the Helping Hands Charity marathon.  He made appearances at WFIL studios to greet fans. 

I attended one of these events. Mr. Lennon, to garner money for charity, removed his own necktie from around his neck.  He held it up asking who would want to buy it. In spite of trying to act cool and calm, I was star-struck and rushed to the barricade offering my last $20 for the tie.  Mr. Lennon accepted the money for the charity and signed the tie. 

I have had this tie in a plastic bag for the past 46 years. I am now ready to release it. I will no longer have the tie, but I will always have a good story.  

The tie can now be yours for just under $10,000 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/294805012602?hash=item44a3bf807a:g:LpEAAOSweFxiA~6n

Seeing John in person

 

Nice close ups of John

 

John Lennon did NOT crash a wedding!

 

Time to squash a story that has been spreading around the internet for the past few years.   The story goes like this:

The story behind this photo is very interesting. John was doing one of his daily wanderings around New York when he came across a Wedding Reception in progress. John, being John, invited himself in and no one complained. He enjoyed the reception buffet and even joined the band playing for the wedding and performed a number of songs at their request. The bride and groom even had him join them for a wedding photo.

That is a nice story.   Just picture it -- John Lennon crashing a wedding and playing with the wedding band!   Wow!   Too bad it is just that -- a story.   There is absolutely NO TRUTH to this story!   Please do not believe this made-up story.   

The truth is still pretty cool, but John didn't eat a buffet or play with a band. 

This photo was taken in Philadelphia in May 1975 while John was in Philly for the  Helping Hands marathon.  This was written by one of the girls that worked for WFIL at the time.   

 

Jay Cook, WFIL-AM Program Director brought us all into the recording studio to answer the phones for the telethon. We posed for pics with John Lennon & the following nite was Marple-Newtown's Jr. Prom. Sue Cook, Jay's daughter, is far right. Those were the days. Mrs. Cook had to tell us to stop following him as he was headed to the bathroom! 

So there you have it --   there was no wedding.   There WAS a prom.  The program director of WFIL was at the prom and that is why John posed for the photo.   Yes -- I do think it is strange that the girls at the prom have bouquets instead of corsages, but it was the 1970s.  I don't get it.  

John signed for Karla

This story is from the April/May 1976 issue of the Write Thing and was written by Karla Wambold


That Monday morning when I first turned on the radio, I thought Iw as hearing things.  WFIL radio in Philly said that their Helping Hands Marathon has been scheduled for that weekend May 16-18 and their special guest was John Lennon!!

I got to WFIL that Friday at about 1pm to a crowd of about nine other people.  We were all nervous about meeting John.  this would be the first time any of us had met any of the ex-Beatles.  2pm arrived and so did John!  The television part of WFIL was taping his arrival for the news.

During the taping, John embarrassed the hell out of me.  See I was wearing a Beatles t-shirt and I asked John to sign it.  He said to me, "Where am I?  Oh, there I am!"  Then he pokes me in the chest.  After John autographed my shirt he said, "I'm signing her boobs!"  I nearly died!  (and it was even more embarrassing when they showed the entire thing on TV).

After a few minutes, John went inside the studio, stayed there for about half an hour, came out again and left to go back to the hotel he was staying at.  But before he left he stopped to sign a few more autographs.  He came back about 4pm and he came out periodically to sign autographs and the usual before he went back to his hotel about 9 (the crowd had grown to a few hundred by the way).

The 2nd day when John came out he surprised me.  He remembered me -- which I didn't expect  More people were there then and poor John got writers' cramp within five minutes.  Everyone must have brought about one-fourth of their collection for him to sign.

About noon -- when John came out for a third time that day, the days of Beatlemania returned.  This one girl got overly excited and her excitement spread quickly through the rest of the crowd and john had to hurry back inside.  That was the first time the entire weekend the studio's guards and the Philadelphia cops actually worked.

about 11:45 Sunday night, the deejays dedicated the song "When Will I See You Again" to John and I almost cried.  John was so very nice and well, I can't really describe how nice he really was.  As for the marathon, WFIL raised between $114,000 and $115000.  Most of which were donated by Beatle fans on John's behalf.  After that weekend all  I could say is that I have a special place in my heart for John.  And I'm glad I had those few moments to spend with a great man like him.  Thank you, John, for everything!

The side view

A once in a lifetime experience