The mystery of the tablecloth has been solved!

 In 2016, I wrote about the tablecloth The Beatles doodled on while backstage in San Francisco in 1966.  You can read that story here.  

Quick recap:  The caterers, Simpson's Catering, brought The Beatles and their crew their food while they were backstage before the San Francisco show and also supplied the tablecloth for the table.   The Beatles used the colorful Japanese pen gifted to them by fans to draw doodles on the tablecloth after the meal.   Joan Baez was also there, and she drew on the tablecloth.   Afterward, Simpson's Catering took their tablecloth back with them, now adorned by Beatle art and autographs.  It was put on display in the shop's front window, and many fans stopped by to see it and take photos of it.   Then six days after the concert, someone broke the large window and took the tablecloth.    

That is all we knew about this piece of Beatles artwork.   It has been missing since 1966.   Although I do have to say that someone in the comments section of the article from 2016 someone came forward and said that the guy who originally stole the tablecloth in 1966 gave it to his uncle, who had no idea it was stolen until the 1980s.    Whoever had the tablecloth gave it back to the son of the caterer in 2020, and now he is selling the tablecloth through Bonhams auctions.  

You can bid on the famous tablecloth here.    It only has one day left!

Thanks to this auction, we can see the artwork up close. 

This is the biggest section that is made by a Beatle.   John Lennon drew all of the yellow areas.  Paul signed his name in bubble letters and put an arrow.  

These drawings were drawn by Joan.   Who do you think she was doodling?

George and Ringo were seen drawing at the table.  But when I looked closer, I realized that they had doodled on paper and not actually on the tablecloth.   What a shame!   I am sure those scraps of paper are long gone.   The caterer asked George and Ringo to autograph the tablecloth. 

This photograph by Marilyn Doerflers really shows some of the art -- notice John's yellow drawing especially?

I am glad that this mystery has been solved and that the tablecloth has survived all these years.  I find it a bit disappointing that there isn't more artwork on it (such as the one they did in Japan the same year), but original John Lennon art is always awesome. 

The last concert in front of a paying audience

 August 29, 1966 - Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California

When Joan met the Beatles

This was taken from an interview Joan Baez gave to Rolling Stone magazine in 1983

I traveled with the Beatles for four days on one tour and, uh, ended up with John at one point, but we certainly did not have anything...I mean, it was  wild times.  This was their first or second trip to the States -- the second I think.   I was performing in Red Rocks, above Denver, and they were on the next night, so I stayed over.   There I was in this room full of hundreds of people, all scrambling around trying to figure out how they could get to their dressing room, and somebody came up and said, 'The Beatles would like to meet you."  and I just instantly went to jelly.   I got to their door, trying to think of something clever to say and finally just put out my hand and one by one they introduced themselves.   Now, they had been on the cover of every single newspaper for months, and they're going, "Hullo, I'm George" and "Muh name's Ringo."  I said, "Yes, I know."   They were terribly funny and terribly sweet, and they invited me to stay on the road for their last three or four concerts.  My tour was over, so I went with them -- as I think anybody would have.  You know, packed everything and whoopty-do, off we went.  I saw all the inner workings:  how you climb into  Volkswagen buses and then send the limousine out to be beaten to death by loving fans.   All those things.  I was fascinated.   Then we ended up in this great big mansion in Los Angeles that somebody had given them.  But big as it was, there wasn't really enough master bedrooms for everybody.  and poor John was the one who had invited this little Mexican waif along -- I don't know what the hell they thought of me; they thought I was Florence Nightingale because I used to tend to the wounded at their concerts.  Anyway, so here we are in the mansion in Los Angeles, and we've run out of bedrooms, and they've sent their people out to bring in groupies so they can pick who they're gonna, you know, hang out with.  And these poor girls, just sitting downstairs waiting to see whether they're gonna be picked by somebody -- they don't talk, they don't even knit.  They just sit there in these little outfits that they've worked on for months waiting for this thing to happen.  And eventually a Beatle will come by and pick one of them and, you know, drag her off to his lair.  There was also a hotshot local somebody.  I didn't figure out exactly what she was, but she looked like a professional prostitute.  Anyhow, John was stuck, having invited me and then not having anywhere to put me.  So he offered me his room; it had a bed in it the size of a small swimming pool.  I said, "Well, John, don't worry, I'm not fussy about these things, you just come in and use the other side of the bed when you are tired."   I didn't want him to feel pressured, 'cause I figured they must feel pressured to perform all the time.  So I went to sleep, and he came in, in the middle of the night.  And I think he felt compelled - "Well, I've asked her and she is a star and oh dear..."  and he started coming on to me, very unenthusiastically.   I said, "John, you know, I'm probably as tried as you are, and I don't want you to feel you have to perform on my behalf."  And he says (adopting Liverpudlian accent), "Oh, luvly!  I mean, what a relief!  Because you see, well, you might say I've already been fooked downstairs."   So we had a good laugh and went to sleep. 

Rock n Roll Music

Joan Baez and Wendy Hanson---Brian Epstein should have been standing in that empty spot....

Catering for Doodles

The catering for the Candlestick Park show was by Simpson's catering.     I purchased two blurry photographs of the Beatles backstage eating their meal from the daughter of the caterer.    I believe these photos might have been hanging up in the shop.  There are no surviving negatives and these are the only known copies.  

Photo copyright held by Sara Schmidt (do not copy)

Photo copyright held by Sara Schmidt (do not copy)

Here is another photo where you can see what the guys had to eat.  I am pretty sure Paul is posing with the Simpson catering folks.

Much was said about the Beatles doodling on the tablecloth with pens that were given to them by fans.   The newspaper even wrote about it.   Simpson's displayed the autographed table cloth that was full of Beatle doodles and low and behold, it was stolen shortly after they were on displayed.   Here are some photos of the guys doodling.

Beatles:  Case of Missing Doodles

A white linen tablecloth enhanced by Beatle doodles was stolen yesterday from the display window of Simpson’s catering service.  The theft of the priceless relic was discovered by Simpson’s co-owner Joe Vilardi, at about 10 a.m.  Vilardi said another employee had observed the cloth resting peacefully  in the window as late as 8:30a.m.  But when Vilardi appeared at the 926 Clement street office to “check on some phone calls,” the big 12-foot-wide window had been shattered and the linen purloined.

Simpson’s obtained the table cloth on the night of the Beatles’ appearance at Candlestick Park August 29. It was the same cloth on which the four Englishmen devoured prime rib of roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, stuffed baked potato, salad, relish and French pastry. 

Sprinkled among the gravy stains and pudding droppings were doodles of almost psychedelic persuasion, drawn by Beatles in a moment of contemplation before their concert in the infield.

John Lennon, according to Vilardi, had sketched “an interesting sort of Japanese sunset in yellow crayon.”  Paul McCartney had drawn faces in the abstract.  There were other less impressive drawings on the cloth – presumably the work of other Beatles and, perhaps, of their dinner gust, folk singer-pacifist, Joan Baez.

Simpson’s first had the great Britons autograph their creation, then the caterers whisked the table cloth back to headquarters, where, for the past six days, it has served as an invaluable lure.  Crowds of young and old alike have flocked to the store, Vilardi said.  “Some of those excited little gals wanted to touch it or take pictures,” his co-owner said.  But there were no threats of theft.  

Although the cloth was not for sale, Vilardi said he received offers for it ranging as high as $300.   Simpson’s had been warned by “the cop on the beat” that the sight of such an invaluable property behind glass might  prove too tempting for some fanatic.  But said Vilardi, “I never gave it any serious thought.”  He realizes now that he underestimated the value of his merchandise.  “I can readily see that somebody wanted it rather badly,” Vilardi said weakly yesterday.  “Imagine taking it in broad daylight.”  

Backstage with the lads at Candlestick Park

A day at the pool

These photos are owned by Gina Smith 

August 26-27, 1966 the Beatles spent some well needed rest at a home in Los Angeles where they spent time with pool---the type that you swim in and the type you play.  

Flying the Friendly Skies in 1965

Thanks to Bruno!

Joan Baez

I have had this in my collection for some time. I am not sure if the year. My guess is 1965 in California. I just know that Joan Baez is one of my all time favorite female singers and this is a photo that I really treasure.