The Keys to Atlanta

 August 18, 1965 - Atlanta, Georgia 

The Key

 

More from the press conference

Ringo holds the key

Two cameras

The key to my heart

Press conference and key to the city

Again---much thanks goes to Bruno for sending me all of the colored photographs.  

I was there! I was at the press conference. I was 15 years old, and my question was the one to Paul about Jane Asher. I wish I still had the pictures, but they were burned in a fire. But I DO still have their cigarette butts, LOL. What happened was I called the AJC and told ’em they should send a teenaged girl to the show and have her write a column about her impressions. They asked me if I wanted to do it, and OF COURSE, I said yes! I was in the front row at the press conference, and sat in the press box for the show. But I held hands with Paul for a few moments, and Ringo pronounced my name “Bubberly” plus I had a “moment” with John.  – Bev

A letter from Laura

Dear Lynne:

I'm writing this letter to tell you what I  did Sunday night.  I went to a press conference for The Beatles with a reporter from our local paper.  It was at the Cinnamon Cinder.  Bob Eubanks was there.

He asked everyone to be quiet.  So I said to myself "don't scream."  But sure enough, when Paul came through the door, I cracked up.

He is so cute.  He was wearing a blue coat and light blue shirt.  Of course Ringo had four rings on.  Al of them, John, Paul, George and Ringo, are absolutely darling in person.

When they walked in they turned to their right and sat down on red velvet chairs next to a red table.  They were seated--as I looked at them -- Paul on the left, then George, John and Ringo. 

I love the way they talk, it's so English.

Paul doesn't have as much an accent as the others.  I think George really has an accent.

We had to raise our hands to be able to ask a question and my arm was getting tired.  Finally I got to talk to Paul.  I asked him if he would like to learn how to fly.

He looked at me and said, "Sure" in his English way.  So I said, "I can teach you, my father has a plane" and he looked at me and said, "Really now, I really would like to learn how to fly."

Paul is really funny.  You say one thing and he'll give you either a funny look or he'll say something funny.  I wish I could  be with him all by myself and ask him a million questions and he would probably have an answer to every one.

Ringo didn't say much but one man asked what rings he was wearing and he replied, "I've been wearing these four rings for three years."

John had the longest hair of them all.  I was surprised because George usually has hair in his eyes. 

They gave John five gold records.  Ringo got the key to California and Paul and George received an album form their fan club.

It was time for them to go, so Mr. Tyler (he's the reporter) and I pushed through the crowd to the door.  John, George and Ringo went off on the other side, but Paul came off on the side I was on.

He was carrying a bouquet of roses the fan club had given him.  As he stepped off the last step the girls poured down on him.

He finally got out and was trying to move down the hall.  He finally was where I was standing.  I yelled out "Paul!" and he looked at me!  I laid my hand on his back and he walked out.

Oh!  My feet may have been stepped on during the crush, but believe me, it was all worth it.

Your best friend,
Laura Lynn

(from the August 28, 1964 issue of The Van Nuys News)

Another story from this blog about a fan at this press conference is here.

She wanted to hold their hand

I recalled hearing a story of a fan who had her white gloves signed by the Beatles when she met them so that she could "hold there hand."  I thought that was a clever idea.   I was surprised last month when I discovered the gloves up for bid on ebay along with the fan's story.  I was always surprised that I had the newspaper clipping in one of the scrapbooks I own.  So I am sharing all of this with you.  I just love this story!!

remember to click on this to make it readable

Beatles OK, Say Phoenix Interviewers

August 25, 1964

When a Phoenix girl confided to Beatle John Lennon that his book, “In His Own Write” was the greatest literary effort she’d ever read, he quipped, “Haven’t read the Bible, eh?”

The only sour note, on an otherwise exciting time in Las Vegas, was an adult male sitting in front of four Valley girls at the Beatles how last week.  He sang along with the group – off key!

Among the 16,000 fans who crowded into every nook and cranny to see the long-haired quartet from England were Bessie Cross, 18, Darlene Frank, 17, and her sister, Karen Frank, 20, and Diana Harnack, 16.

A Phoenix Gazette story about Arizona security men being sent to help with anticipated crowds gave them hope to see their idols in person.

Jim Pascal of the Arizona State Guard and Detective Agency gave them the name of Jim Hazel, who heads a similar group in Nevada.  Hazel was assigned as the Beatles’ personal body guard and got permission from the English four to grant the Phoenicians a personal interview – said to be the only one given in Las Vegas.

The girls requested a key to the city of Phoenix from Mayor Milton Graham, who said the request was unusual and wasn’t normally done, but would be granted this time.  They also made a larger silver and gold one, adorned with a flower, which was a landing area for four beatles.

From their interview backstage came the following facts: 

·         Ringo Starr winks at the end of every sentence.

·         When Paul McCartney signs his autograph, he adds three x’s.

·         George Harrison is very quiet and shy.

·         All conducted themselves as gentlemen and were very gracious—even to the point of introducing themselves.

·         Bessie, who’ll be an Arizona State freshman, came away with Paul’s pen.  She got their autographs on her gloves—that way they had to hold her hand!

·         The girls maintain the Beatles may fade down, but never out.

The Key to being a Beatles fan....

photo by Lil Kraai

One of the most popular way for Beatle fans to get the chance to meet the Fabs was to make a large "key of the city" to present to them.    Through the connections of a friend's father, one lucky group of fans that included Lila Kraai  did just that.    As Lila explains in Garry Berman's book We're going to see the Beatles!,  they made the large key and then painted it gold and tied a red ribbon on it.  Then they got the mayor of Los Gatos and the town council all to sign it.   Lila's friend was to present the key to Paul.   But her friend was in awe of the boys and didn't move!   Lila had to nudge her friend and say, "give them the key!!"  

Giving the Beatles the keys of the city of San Diego

Here is yet another Datebook magazine story about how a 14 year old girl, Susan, attended a Beatles press conference and then gave the key to the city to John.   She even ate a piece of chicken with Ringo.   Although when I read this story, I felt sort of bad for the one guy fan.  He wasn't in the photo and wasn't mentioned again.   

Susan Herd (age 14) O’Farrell Junior High School San Diego, CA

I had written to our mayor, Frank Curron to ask if I would present the Beatles with the Key to the City of San Diego.   In about three days I received a reply asking me to come to the mayor’s office to make further arrangements.  When I arrived at his office I found another girl, Claudia Nesbit, and in a short time two other girls arrived, Marlene Shelton and Susan Clark.  And a boy, Randy Doller, also came. We were seated in the mayor’s office.  He gave each of us a key.  They were small and gold.

We decided Marlene was to give the key to Paul, Susan to George, Claudia to John, and I to Ringo.  Randy was our chairman.  He was there to keep us together.

As the next ten days went by, arrangements were made for s to meet at the open end of Balboa Stadium, where the Beatles were going to perform.  And on August 28 that where I was, right on the nose at 4:30 pm.  The concert was to start at 8:00pm.

After a while reporters started coming for the press conference and someone turned to us said, “Now when we go in girls, let’s not scream.”

Then it started, and when I saw the Beatles so close I thought I would scream, but I didn’t.

The one thing I remember most from the conference was this:  There was a woman reporter sitting in a chair near the table where the Beatles were seated.  She had her skirt pulled up quite high.  Paul looked down at her legs and said, ‘Madam, you had better pull your skirt down.”

Soon after the Beatles had left the room, we were standing all alone just waiting to find out what to do next.  Then we were told to go into the Beatles’ dressing room to leave anything like our purses, cameras and papers outside.  They only thing we could take were the keys.

Paul was the first to greet us.  He walked up to us and shook hands; then George who was lying down as we walked in shook our hands; then John and Ringo.  After Ringo greeted us, he walked to the corner and sat down and started eating some chicken.

I went over to the corner to see Ringo and he asked me if I would like a piece and, of course I said, “Yes.”  So he gave me a small piece because he was very hungry, he said.

Marlene kissed Paul and believe it or not he jumped back and blushed.  Then she asked him for a button and he asked her what button, and she said that button, and he said what button, and she said that button, and after 10 minutes of that she gave up.

That night I had my hair done up rather high and as we posed for our pictures, John put his hand in my hair and said, “Is it alive?”

Each of us was going to give her key to a certain Beatle, but somehow it just didn’t work out that way.  I gave my key to John, and Claudia to George, and Susan to Ringo.  But Marlene gave hers to Paul.

They all said that they were glad we came and happy to get the keys.  John pinned his key to a police badge given to him by one of his guards.   George asked us where we got them and we told him from the mayor.

It was about 9:00 o’clock when we left.  They had to get ready for the show.  We were given front row seats and saw only ten minutes of the group ahead of the Beatles and of course the Beatles and they were wonderful, fab, and gear and anything else great.