Here they come....

 

Photo op at the Plaza

 

Beatles gear

 

In Memory of Ed Rudy

Ed Rudy is the interviewer standing close to John. 

 

Another person with a strong Beatles connection has recently passed away.  Journalist Ed Rudy died on November 7, 2022.    Ed traveled along with The Beatles during all the stops during their first trip to the United States in February 1964.    He interviewed them along the way and made two very well-known records of those interviews.   Just about every Beatle fan in the United States had at least one of those Ed Rudy records because you got to hear their actual voices!  That was gold to a fan during that time, especially since A Hard Day's Night hadn't been released quite yet -- this was the first opportunity many fans had to really hear The Beatles accents and speaking voices.  (besides the short news clips of the press conference they might have seen on T.V.).

Ed Rudy made another record following the first North American tour in 1964.   Until a few years ago, Ed Rudy was a major presence on Facebook in Beatles groups -- he was typically selling his CDs (what used to be the records had been upgraded to CDs).   But he also took the time to answer questions.  I did a short interview with him during the 50th anniversary of the Beatles coming to America, and he was very nice to answer my questions and had a good memory of what was happening.  

While Ed Rudy isn't a significant player in the Beatles story, like so many people, their paths crossed, and he used that to further his career.   And who could blame him?   Many fans recall his records with great fondness.   Much sympathy goes out to his family and friends.   

If you follow the "Ed Rudy" tag, you can read some of what he wrote about the Beatles in fan club newsletters in the 1970s.  

Plaza Press Conference

 

February 10, 1964

Entering the Plaza

 

Things to do at the Plaza

 

Brian Sommerville leads the way

 

More gold records than they know what to do with...

Ringo and Barb at the Plaza

November 26, 1980:   Ringo and Barb at the Plaza Hotel in New York City.   This is the day that Ringo introduced Barb to John and sadly was the last time Ringo ever saw his friend.    The last photo in the set is a "new" one and I still haven't given up hope that there is a photo from this date with Ringo and John together. 

Shmoozing with Sir Paul McCartney!

Always nice to find a story of someone that recently met Paul.     On June 4, 2019, Paul and Nancy attended the Jewish Board of Family and Children Services Spring Banquet where Nancy was being honored.      This event took place at the Plaza Hotel in New York City.      This story was originally found here  https://www.aish.com/ci/a/Shmoozing-with-Sir-Paul-McCartney.html?fbclid=IwAR3KkJA8jaV6DPdsGK-htJejF81npigJmdly34rHh31XC0sR_ylj6sf2Uso

As always, I like to copy and paste stories like these to keep in the archives in case the originating site takes it down.

Shmoozing with  Sir Paul McCartney
Written by Rabbit Yitz Greenman
June 10, 2019
aish.com

I went to a charity dinner last night and sat two tables away from Paul McCartney. Born a few weeks before the Beatles performance on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, I – like hundreds of millions of others - have been greatly influenced by Sir Paul. There was no way I wasn’t going to introduce myself. After mustering up the courage I went over and shook his hand. He was warm and welcoming. I thanked him for providing generations of people with great music and that I’ve been a lifelong fan. He was genuinely appreciative of my compliment and told me so.

Then I asked him, “Could I ask you a rabbinic question?”

“Please do,” he replied.

“What merit do you have that enabled you to be such a dominant force in the music world and such an influential person for more than 50 years?”

Without batting an eyelash he responded, “I know the answer to that one. My family. I come from a very supportive family. My parents were always there for me and provided an environment in which I was able to flourish. My dad was always behind me and encouraging me.”

He then pivoted by comparing himself to John Lennon. This was becoming a surreal experience. All of a sudden I’m having a real conversation with Paul McCartney (!) and I felt (uncharacteristically) totally out of my depth.

So I can’t remember if he was contrasting his life to John Lennon’s by saying, “You know John Lennon didn’t have that supportive family upbringing that I had” or comparing it and saying “You know John Lennon had this support network as well.” I was just so mesmerized by Paul’s warmth and openness that I lost the content of his comparison.

Then I responded – and I admit it was a most arrogant comment, “I think your merit is due to something else.”

His reaction was fascinating. He didn’t say, “You don’t know me. How can you presume to know what merits I have?” Rather he said, “What do you think it is?”

Paul McCartney was actually curious to hear my thoughts! His humility was so disarming. I shared that over the years I had read that he had written songs and given them to other artists to perform. I told him that I saw an interview of him where he described bumping into Mick Jagger and Keith Richards in London in the early 60s and they were down in the dumps because they needed a good song to cut. Paul gave them one.

“Is this story true?” I asked.

“Yes, I gave them the song I Wanna Be Your Man and they sang it.”

“Wow. That’s a tremendous act of kindness, one that gives you incredible merit to deserve great gifts from Above.”

“Thank you,” he said, “but I think my answer is right. It was my family’s love and support.”

“But you didn’t listen to your dad,” I joked.

Here too Paul was curious and not negative in any way. His face read: “Please tell me how I didn’t listen to my dad.”

“I heard that your father told you to sing ‘She loves you YES YES YES,’ not ‘She loves you YEAH YEAH YEAH’ and you didn’t listen.”

“You’re right. He did say that and I didn’t listen,” to which the small crowd gathering around us all laughed.

If you think about it, here too Paul’s greatness shines. I’m asking him what merit he had to accomplish such greatness and he sincerely attributed it to others. I attributed it to his acts of giving and loving kindness in helping others – and he acknowledges the facts but downplays his role. True humility.

I realize there’s a sea of folks wanting to shake his hand and I go back to my table, thanking him for sharing his thoughts. Two hours later, when the dinner officially ended, I walked back over to him to ask for his advice. (By now I’m sure you realize my persistence is endless.)

“Can I ask you for a piece of advice”

“Please,” he responded.

“We have a teenage son who excels at piano and singing. How can we water this flower?”

“Give him love,” he replied.

“Thank God, we give him love. What else can we do?”

“Give him more love. It’s like what I told you before, my father gave me lots of love and that enabled me to write and sing and flourish. This is what you need to do for your son. Love and more love.”

Wait a second. Paul McCartney is now referring to a conversation we had two hours ago? Does he actually remember me? Here’s a man who is approached non-stop every day and he remembered that we spoke? I was touched.

Hoping to score an appointment for my budding musician son, I asked him if he ever meets with young talent. He shared that he goes to Liverpool every year to a music school there and attends their graduation ceremony and meets the students. He suggested sending my son there – not something that is likely. I wanted to ask him if I could introduce my son to him, but I didn’t want to overstep his boundaries any more than I already had (yes, even I have a limit) so I let it go.

I was blown away by my encounter with Sir Paul McCartney. He was kind, open and genuinely humble. Being at peace with himself, he was present and engaged, embodying so many important traits that are necessary for greatness.

The Plaza

This has been a discussion going on between some of the great minds in Beatleology-- alright just a group of us on Facebook talking about it.    I said that I would post it out on this blog and see what everyone else thinks. 

This is the John Lennon photo in question.  We are trying to figure out when and where it was taken.  John wore this jacket and shirt a lot during November of 1980.        In lightening the photo, we can make out some of the things in the background.    We spot a clock that is at 4:00, a pillar, some luggage and what seems to be a luggage cart.     

So it would seem that John and Yoko were outside of a hotel in New York City.     We know that Ringo and John (along with Barbara and Yoko) met at the Plaza Hotel on November 15 (or was it the 26th?  Ringo says on the Barbara Walters special that it was on November 15.   Other sources say it was November 26.    I personally am going to go with Ringo's date on this one, even though Ringo is typically the worst person to trust on dates simply because you don't forget the last day you saw your best friend.).   

Ringo and Barbara on the day in question 

So the mystery question is:   Could the John photo have been taken on the same day that he last saw Ringo?   

It appears to me that John IS at the Plaza in the photo.    When I look at a modern photo of the Plaza, I see the round clock on a pillar.  The clocks don't seem to match, but I don't know of any other hotel in NYC with clocks like that in the front.    Also, the marble on the building appears to match one another on both photos.

modern photo of the Plaza Hotel in NYC 

Was the John photo taken the same day as the Ringo photo?    As Miss Tammy points out, the clock is at 4:00.   Was that 4pm?    John and Ringo supposedly spent the evening together so 4pm would have been early to call it a night.    Was it 4am?   That would have been way more than just spending the evening together and why would paparazzi be outside a hotel at 4am? 

Is there another time when John and Yoko were at the Plaza in November of 1980?   

What do you think my fellow Beatle fans?   

Frat Boys

Coming into the Plaza

Beatles "Break Up" Fete By NY Deejays

Beatles 'Break Up' Fete By N.Y. Deejays
New York (UPI)

Local disc jockeys officially met the Beatles last night and gave the mop-haired British singers a boisterous reception rivaling the one they received from the city's teenagers.  They screamed.  They yelled.  They pushed each other out of the way to get a closer look at the rock n roll quartet.

The ruckus took place in the Baroque Room of the once sedate Plaza Hotel, and the record company which sponsored the press reception placed four private detectives on the door to make sure no unauthorized person slipped past.

The authorized persons were more than enough.

All was relatively quiet for the first hour of the reception as the 150 disc jockeys' press agents and pretty girls -- whose presence was never satisfactorily explained -- stood around sipping drinks.

Then the young heroes arrived, and pandemonium broke out.

"It's Ringo!"  shoulded an elegantly dressed blonde making a beeline for the door.  A moment later she, Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and the rest of the Beatles were engulfed in a wave of enthusiasts.

Disc jockeys thrust microphones under the noses of the Beatles, pretty girls cuddled them and were cuddled in return and the officials of the record company bellowed vainly about the hubbub, "Let's have a little order, please."

During the outbreak of Beatlemania, a young woman kept shouting for "Popsie,"  who seemed to be a photographer -- but "Popsie" never showed up.  Even if he had, he never would have been able to get through the crowd.

Of course we know that "Popsie" was there taking photographs, as the signature on this photo (and many others) show. 

It was the latest chaotic reception given to the British visitors, who earlier in the day played meet the press.

The news conference was held at their headquarters in the Plaza, a hotel which may never recover from the experience of having The Beatles as their guests.

Missing were the teenage Beatlemanaiacs.   Sub-freezing temperatures, a driving snow and classroom commitments kept the group's adoring fans away from the hotel for the first time since the Beatles arrived here last Friday.  Scores of policemen, stamping their feet to keep warm, had nothing to do.

Inside the hotel all was confusion.  The Beatles were presented with two golden records- one for their million-seller single, "I Want to Hold Your Hand," and the second for the best-selling album, "Meet the Beatles."

Newsmen, photographers, television and radio technicians and press agents got in each others' way as Alan Livingston, president of Capitol Records, tried four times to make the presentation.

Other opinions expressed by The Beatles, who visited Twist palace (The Peppermint Lounge) and motored through Greenwich Village Sunday night:

• Teenagers here are "noisier" than in England.
• "We're not very sexy... our manager is the sexy one,"  John Lennon (Manager Brian Epstein blushed)
• Greenwich Village, the city's Bohemian community, "Looks like Disneyland."  (This opinion despite the fact that they have not visited the Los Angeles amusement park).
• They have not been invited to the White House by President Johnson but "we wouldn't mind meeting the President's daughters."
• They don't mind girls throwing themselves at the limousine which carries them about New York.  "It's not our car," Ringo noted.
• New York city, as a whole, is "absolutely fab."

A stand up meeting at the Plaza

Calling home

a Fan's View of Ed Sullivan

I always love to read first had accounts of fans that saw the Beatles on Ed Sullivan in 1964.   They are the gold of Beatles fans stories.    This one I found in Beatlefan magazine from the 80's.   

Fans’ View of Sullivan Show

By Debbie Gendler

It was mid-1963 when I first heard the Beatles. Family friends had returned from a spring trip to England with the album " Please Please Me” as a gift for me, since what else could you bring a 13-year-old?

I fell in love with the group immediately and proceeded to fire off a letter to their record company about how wonderful they were.  I loved not only their long hair but also the music, which was such a relief from the already boring sounds of Bobby Rydell and Lesley Gore.  It wasn’t until November 1963 that I received a response from their English fan club.  They notified me that plans were underway for the Beatles to visit the U.S. the next February.   ell, I got so excited that I wrote back a letter to the club that same day requesting all the details of the trip.  Since I wrote directly to the fan club this time, the response time for the return letter was only about a month, and I was then informed about the scheduled “Ed Sullivan Show” appearances.  This was around Christmas, and with the help of my parents, I phoned CBS in New York about obtaining tickets for the show. All CBS could suggest was for me to write to their ticket office stating the date I wished to attend the show, and if tickets were available, they would be mailed out.

I was getting nervous waiting for the tickets since there wasn’t much time left, but finally, in the last week of January, two tickets arrived for the live Sunday evening program.

At last, the weekend was here.  I excitedly watched all the news reports of the Beatles arrival at Idlewild Airport (I don’t think it had been renamed Kennedy Airport yet).  Saturday morning, my best friend and I boarded a bus in New Jersey, which took us to New York’s Port Authority Bus Terminal, and then we continued to my grandmother’s apartment, which wasn’t too far from the Plaza Hotel.  Before we barely said “hello,” we were off to our vigil outside the Plaza.  It was freezing outside with gusty winds, but just the thought that The Beatles were merely yards away was enough to warm our hearts.

The fans outside were frantic, and the screaming was never-ending, especially when anyone within the hotel would get near a window, no matter what floor the silhouette appeared.  Rumors rippled throughout the crowd that The Beatles were staying on the 20^th floor, no the 17^th floor, then the 9^th floor.  We couldn’t get any correct information. Then gossip began to spread about how and when the Beatles were leaving the hotel for the Sullivan rehearsals, but none of us seemed able to break the code.  It was tiring, the stories endless, but it was fun.

Every once in a while a female (you could count on one hand the number of males there) would charge out from behind police barricades which surrounded the middle fountain area and try to cross the street heading for the hotel’s front steps and revolving doors, but that always proved futile.  By now we were exhausted and our voices hoarse, so we decided to return to my grandmother’s apartment.

Sunday arrived, and we chose not to vigil outside the hotel but to spend our time getting ready for the show. Our tickets for the live telecast said that the doors closed 45 minutes before show time, but that was no problem since we arrived at Studio 50 by 5 p.m. 

It was almost impossible to get near the studio with the hordes of girls blocking the streets.  Fans who had been inside for rehearsals and the afternoon taping were screaming to the other fans who were there just to be there.  We made arrangement to meet my grandmother and parents at a designated spot after the show and we were off.  There seemed to be hundreds of policemen surrounding the studio  so we felt fairly safe.  New York in 1964 wasn’t quite as dangerous as it is today.

With tickets clenched firmly in our hands, the CBS usher had us line up outside the theater, though it was pretty upsetting to see other kids being escorted into the theater without getting in line.   Finally, we were led into the studio and directed up to the balcony.  Surprisingly, the seats were good after getting over our initial disappointment in being placed up in the balcony.

The noise level within the studio was unbelievable.  At one point, the soundman came center stage to quiet us down because he couldn’t get proper sound levels in the control room.

Photo from the rehearsal the previous day

Screams for Paul, “Ringo, I Love You,”  “George we hope your sore throat is better,” John, John,” it didn’t’ stop and grew even worse as Ed Sullivan walked out to quiet us down.  “Yes, please be quiet, you promised,” Sullivan would repeat again and again.  Yet now, looking back, he didn’t want to completely stifle the screams because it was an integral part of the Beatles phenomenon.The show was finally beginning.  The crew took their positions, the orchestra ready to go in their seats.  And the show began.  It was impossible sitting there through the opening act.   During the commercial break, Sullivan begged us to behave.  And then…The Beatles.

It was unbelievable to see them right before my eyes.  They were so cute!  At the end of the first set (All My Loving, Till There Was You, She Loves You), we thought it was all over, but then Ed said, “They’ll be back.”  We went crazy.  One teenage girl even slipped down several steps in the balcony with the CBS usher catching her just in time.  Ed made us promise not to scream throughout the other performers’ acts, but it was hard to sit through Tessie O’Shea and Georgia Brown.  And who even cared about a word from Pillsbury with the Beatles just behind the curtain?

The excitement when the group walked onto the stage this second time was even greater than the first.  This time, they sang only two numbers, I Saw Her Standing There, and I Wanna Hold Your Hand.  For the second set, I barely remember seeing them because I think I was in some sort of a daze.  I remember George especially looking up towards the balcony.  The songs went by so quickly that it was all over just moments after it began.  As the Beatles exited the stage, they all waved to us several times and nodded to us up in the balcony since we were the real crazies in contrast to the more sedate fans sitting in the orchestra.

And of course we were all jealous of Randy Paar (daughter of Jack Paar)—how come the show was partially dedicated to her?

The crowds outside Studio 50 practically attacked us as we managed to push our way out.  Each car that pulled away from the Broadway side of the theater was followed by a group of fans believing The Beatles were inside. The stage side entrance was too logical a place for the group to leave from.  To this day, I cannot imagine how The Beatles left the studio that night.  Unfortunately, we were not able to hang around anymore because it was already 9:30 Sunday night, and yes, there was school the next day.  But the look of the Beatles glancing up at us in the balcony and waving and nodding will remain in my thoughts forever. 

Press, awards and smiles -- 52 years later

Photo taken by Carol Webber

Around with the Beatles!

By 1964, the first of the official Beatles Booster Fan clubs started to pop up on the United States.   One such club's president was a girl from Los Angeles named Ping Tom.    (Who will be featured very soon on this blog because I found a great newspaper article about her).    From what I can tell, Ping is among the first Beatle fans to start a fan magazine (newsletter) in the U.S. that was mailed out to fans.    She worked with DJ's in Los Angeles and her Beatles Booster newsletter was well received.   In the August 1964 issue there is a story written by Carol Webber about meeting the Beatles in February in New York.   Carol's story lacks information, but I am sure it was exciting nonetheless to those receiving the newsletter in 1964.

Around with the Beatles!

By Carol Webber

Your terrific fan club president, Ping Tom, has asked me to write a little on my meeting with the Beatles back in February. Yes, I was one of the fortunate people to get to meet them personally while they were in America on their first concert tour.

First, my name is Carol Webber, I'm going on 23 years old and I do publicity work for a record company. One of the fellows I used to work for, he now works in New York, took me to meet the Beatles, and it was a great thrill. It turned out that I not only saw them once, but twice in New York City at the Plaza Hotel, again after a  concert at Carnegie Hall, ran into them in Washington, DC., and was on the train back to New York the same time they were, and  I saw the ever so briefly the night they returned from New York to London.

 I know a lot has been said in magazines about the Beatles, you have to meet them in person to really know the real Beatles!!!  I was around Paul McCartney a little more than the rest and, at first, he seemed a little quiet, but actually, he has a great sense of humor and the most beautiful soft talking voice! He has the darkest hair of the Beatles and the most beautiful eyes. He is so warm and kind and friendly. To hear him talk, you would know he is very educated, but he is a great one for practical jokes!

George Harrison is very quiet at times (at least the first time I met him) but he can really talk up a storm when you hit upon a subject he is really interested in (besides girls), and George has a great genuine warmth about him. I met his sister, Louise Caldwell, on one occasion, and she, too, it is very warm, and I just love to hear them all talk!

Ringo --well, it is hard to describe Ringo, except as a wild little fellow! He is the shortest of the group, but has lovely blue eyes (they are so blue). He is just as crazy as can be.

John Lennon is terrific!! Sometimes I wonder about John, especially after reading his book, In His Own Right, but when you are around him, he isn't as "nuts" as he may seem. He is very quick witted and there's something about John that is fascinating. He has a cute mouth and without his glasses, he can't see anything but just insists he doesn't like them.  I briefly saw his wife, Cynthia, and she is very attractive and has beautiful hair.   She does shy away from the public and didn't accompany John too much during their tour of America. She usually traveled alone, or with Louise, and met John at the various places, but stayed away from the press conferences.

Carol attended this press conference and took some photos 

Oh, I could go on and on for ages about the fun I had, the clever and wild things they say and do, but I would make Ping put out a 150 page bulletin just of my thoughts alone.

 I do want to straighten out of the book in this respect. I've heard many stories about the Beatles being loud, not too well mannered, and drink, but those stories or false, in my opinion, as the four Beatles boys I met were very well mannered. All seem very intelligent, and for sure, they were not at all like some of the reporters try to make them out to be.    They are down to earth, warm, friendly, mannerly, polite, and sincere fellows. When they were on stage, you can see they weren't up there working for the money, but were up there doing what they love doing. You get the feeling that they really are just more or less pleasing themselves, and if the audience enjoys it, it makes it just a bigger gig for them!

So just do me a big favor; when you read something in the fan magazines about the Beatles, just remember what I said, and keep in mind these boys are terrific, and I am proud to know them. They are the type of entertainers we should have more up.

Thanks to all of you for allowing me to take up a little of your time by telling you all of my meetings with the Beatles and my impression of them. Just hope all of you are able to meet them or see them in person on their August/September tour of America this year.