Trudy Talk

Fan club president, Trudy Medcalf chat with the Beatles in Toronto 

Hey Trude

Trudy Medcalf was the president of the Canadian branch of the Beatles fan club, which grew to become the biggest Beatles fan club in the world.  Trudy had a big responsibility and she did her job well.   The first time she had met the Beatles was at the New York Plaza hotel in February of 1964.  She and another fan club president worked on sorting fan mail while the Beatles were in the United States.

She was frequently featured in newspaper articles about the Beatles or the Beatles fan club.   She was always smiling and friendly and was a good representative for Beatle fans.    So it isn't shocking that in 1964, when the Beatles were in Toronto, that Trudy was there to meet them.



Our Beatle Club Biggest in World
Writer unknown
The Telegraph Toronto
September 8, 1964

Truday Medcalf met the Beatles  for the second time last night.

Unlike most other 15 year olds she didn't even think of tearing her hair, jumping, screaming or fainting.

She took it all in her stride, commented "it was very nice," and settled back to analyze why she was able to form the largest Beatle fan club in the world -- 54,000 strong.

"They're different.  They're different from anything else we've ever seen and they're different from each other.  They're talented, too -- don't let anybody tell you they're not," she insisted.  "Maybe it's them.  Maybe it's their music-- I don't know.  But whatever it is, it's what the kids want today."

The pretty, dark haired grade 11 student formed the Canadian Beatle fan club in September 1963.  Since then it has grown to be the largest in the world.

Because of this, she spent  a day helping the Beatles with their fan mail when they were in New York last Feb.  Yesterday, she was presented to them at a press conference.

"They're wonderful.  They really are," she says enthusiastically.

She thinks Ringo is more reserved than the rest with a "fabulous, but dry sense of humor."

Paul "just bounces along"' George is the friendliest, but John is her favorite.

"He's the nuttiest," Trudy explained.

She plans on going along wit the Beatles as long as they go along and she figured they'll go along forever.

One she graduates from Midland Ave. Secondary school, Trudy plans on returning to her native England to become a comedy script writer for television.

After all, you can't spend your entire life being president of a Beatle fan club


In the 1997 book by Brian Kendall "Our Hearts Went Boom,"  Trudy spoke more about meeting the Beatles

"Even after all these years, I can still remember my little speech," she says, 'On behalf of the largest Beatles fan club in Canada, I want to welcome you to the city.  We love you very much. ' At that point Paul McCartney put his hand on my shoulder and joked, 'Oh, you don't do you?'  I was thrilled and completely flustered but somehow I managed to go on with my speech.  'We hope you remember your visit to Toronto very fondly.'"

Paul did a double take when he saw what Trudy was wearing.  "I had on a pair of culottes, you know, pants cut to look like a skirt." Trudy says, "Paul started playing with the fabric and said, 'Are these pants, luv?  I really like them.'  I alsmot died on the spot.  Can you imagine the thrill for a young girl of having Paul McCartney do something like that?"

She also spoke of when CHUM radio sent her to New York to help sort fan mail in New York City.  "When John Lennon found out that I was with the fan club, he got down on his knees and bowed to thank me.  The Beatles seemed so excited and amazed at their reception in New York.  They all had such youthful enthusiasm.  Ringo, I remember, was flinging elastic bands around the room."

Truly Trudy

This always seems to happen. As soon as I post photos, I find one that I didn't know about that should have been posted with the originals. Oh well. Here is an "outtake" version of the Beatles with Trudy in Toronto. Just pretend that it is posted with the two previous posted ones from last week, ok?

Oh Canada

One of the cutest fan club president's had to have been Miss Trudy Medcalf. Trudy was the Canadian president (or secretary if you will) of the Beatles fan club and she was fortunate enough to have met the Beatles in person when they performed in Toronto in 1964. I just think her outfit is adorable! Those gloves are so funny but yet they make the outfit! I wonder how long it took Trudy to decide what to wear! She sure is a cutie!

Fan mail

Today I got a book that I won off ebay called The Beatles Conquer America. It is full of photographs of the Beatles in early 1964 taken by the famous Dezo Hoffman. It has photos from France, New York, Washington D.C. and Miami. It is a really beautiful book with many photos that were new to me. I plan on scanning a lot out of it for my files.

First I wanted to focus on the photos that feature the Beatles with fans. The first two were taken by Dezo in New York City. Fan Club presidents from the area were chosen to go to the Beatles hotel room and help with the fan mail. Can you even imagine that? And by the looks of these photographs, the girls took the job seriously. They aren't screaming or crying but appear to be working! It seems like I read a story written by one of these girls about her experience. I will have to see if I can find it.