Ringo's tonsils era

 

Death Threat to the Beatles (By Bill Corbett)

 Death Threat to the Beatles

Written by Bill Corbett

The People

September 6, 1964

    People often ask me, "How long do you think the Beatles will last?" I usually grin and say, "Forever." And I mean it.

     There's no doubt that musically, these boys have tremendous reserves of talent that can still be exploited. For instance, I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see John and Paul writing hit musical shows a few years from now. And I dare say they can stay at the pace physically, too, when you consider their grueling tour of America, which is to be followed by a strength-sapping sound of one night stands back in England.

     Realize what tremendous demands are being made on the boys, but they seem to revel in it, inadequate sleep, irregular meals, long hours of hard work, and a marathon traveling schedule. They take them all in their stride. On top of this, though, is the almost complete lack of private life and the constant battle with hordes of fans. I think that could, in the end, wear them down more than anything.

     All the same, the boys are full of new ideas. They have even discussed opening a chain of tailoring shops with the help of their tailor, Dougie Millings. But I've got a hunch they'll keep going as a group for a long time despite the rigors of their present life.

     By the way, I'm told I was wrong in  suggesting last week that John was contemplating quitting to settle down to domestic life with his wife, Cynthia.

     High-pressure tours can be tough on Ringo more than the others. Last May at the photograph studio in Barnes, where the boys were posing for pictures as city gents complete with bowlers and umbrellas, Ringo felt ill.

     I found him in the dressing room. At first, I thought he was kidding. You never know with these four, but I soon saw that he really felt sick. A girl at the studio knew a local doctor. She telephoned him, and I rushed Ringo round to his surgery in the upper Richmond Road. The doctor diagnosed tonsillitis and laryngitis. He was going to give Ringo penicillin and asked him if he'd had it before. Ringo said, "Yes."

     I took him home to bed and telephoned University College Hospital to book him a private room. I visited him there nearly every day. For the first few days, he looked pretty listless and depressed, but he brightened up later and started making a model sailboat. After eight days, he was discharged, but he still looked weak and pale.

     Ringo is tremendously game and has a great spirit. The first day out of hospital, I drove him to Richmond Park so that he could get a bit of fresh air. I stopped the car in the park and told him to get out and stretch his legs, and get some clean air into his lungs. But he was looking at me as if I was mad and just sat in the car. Then, after a few minutes, he said, "Come on, Bill, get me out of here. I can't stand any more of this bloody grass."

     I took him back to the doctor, where we stayed for dinner, and then at about 10:15pm, we headed for home. It looked like being an early night for once, and he could certainly have done with it, but not on your life. He told me to stop at a friend's flat on the way home, and we finally got away from there at midnight after a dozen cigarettes and several whiskey and Cokes. 

    Then, if you please, Ringo tried to get me to take him to his favorite nightclub, to which I said, "Not on your life!" I told him, "You're going home to bed." Ringo has the same "you only live once" philosophy as the rest of the group, but he ought to take it easy and take better care of himself.

    One of the biggest worries about being chauffeur to The Beatles (and believe me, there are plenty) is the frightening responsibility of having 4 million pounds worth of human merchandise aboard the car. Keeping the fans at bay is bad enough, as I told you, but what if you should have an accident or be attacked by criminals, cranks, or kidnappers? That's always a possibility when you're dealing with famous and commercially valuable passengers such as John, Ringo, George, and Paul.

     Only recently, we've read about those bomb threats against the boys in America. Everywhere they go, the Beatles are plagued by cranks and lunatics, publicity seekers, and a few spiteful types jealous of their success. Of course, most outsiders hearing about the activities of people like that treat their threats as something of a joke, but it's not so funny when you're on the receiving end.

     I can tell you that the boys themselves take this sort of thing very seriously. They know full well how valuable and how vulnerable they are and what a temptation they could be to crooks and kidnappers. They also know that for every 1000 people who are gratified by their success, there are one or two who hate them bitterly for it.

     One twisted minded fanatic cropped up when I was with the Beatles over in France last winter. He sent a note to the boys' dressing room saying he intended to kill John Lennon when he appeared on the stage that night. The note, badly printed in English, was short and to the point, a picture of John torn from a newspaper was stuck on the paper, and underneath was written, "I'm going to shoot you at nine tonight." The boys were already pretty nervous. This concert at Versailles was their first in France, and they were worried about the impression they would make. France is probably the least Beatle-crazy of all the Western European countries. 

    This note made matters worse. They joked about it, of course, but you could see that underneath, they were thinking, "Suppose it isn't a gag."  When John went on stage that night, he was pretty jittery, and when nine o'clock came, you could feel the tension building up among the boys. It must have been terrifying for John, peering anxiously around the audience, because without his glasses, his sight is none too good. Of course, there were plenty of police around, but if our maniac had really made up his mind to shoot, there didn't seem much the police could do about it. Nine o'clock came and went without incident, except for a young lad jumping up on the stage to dance at the instigation of the photographers. The Beatles emerged unscathed, happily, but I don't think I've ever seen them look more relieved than when they got off that stage and back into their dressing room. It may have been a false alarm, but these incidents all add to the strain of being a Beatle and a Beatles chauffeur.

     All the Beatles smoke pretty heavily. I know because it was part of my unofficial duties to buy their fags for them. They wouldn't dare show their faces in a shop themselves. My daily order for filtered tips used to be between 200 -250.

     They have plenty of money to spend, of course, and they love spending it, but as their errand boy, I had plenty of headaches. I remember one occasion when Paul wanted to buy a shirt. I went to a man's outfitters in Piccadilly, got a selection of shirts and took them round to Paul. The rest of the Beatles were there. They saw the shirts and promptly started ordering some for themselves. I went backward and forwards between the store and the flat about seven times in the next couple of days, and by the time it was all added up, they spent more than £400.

     Not that that makes much of a dent in a Beatles bank balance. In one week, each of them may earn anything up to £7000, even after the deductions of Brian Epstein's 25% and the wages and expenses of road managers Neil Aspinall and Malcolm Evans. In addition, John and Paul get royalties from the songs they've written. They each received a check recently for around £2400, and this represented royalties for just the United Kingdom. Then, of course, the Beatles get a 1% royalty from the sales of all products bearing their name. It was calculated that Beatles merchandise in America was likely to chalk up £50,000,000 in sales this year, so that should provide a little extra pocket money for the Beatles.

      They've made enough money now to be able to quit when they like. But if I know my Beatles, they want to keep going for a long, long time. John and Paul will go on writing, of course, but I think the others, when at last, the time does come to quit, will invest their money and take it easy for the rest of their lives.

     The Beatles all feel that if and when they do start to slide, it will be a very steep drop indeed, and suddenly, all the 1000s of people who want to know them now would become unaccountable, and accountability would lose interest. That's the way it is in show business. The Beatles aren't fools. George once said to me, "When we started, nobody wanted to know us. It was tough trying to get a break, but now everybody wants to know us, not because we're what we are, but because we're successful."  The Beatles have contempt for some of their so-called show business friends. They know that when certain stars just drop in to see them, it's not friendship but publicity. Having their photographs taken with the Beatles might help to salvage a tottering career.

     Of course, the Beatles love their work. No group could have won such success without dedicating themselves wholeheartedly to their music. But there are signs now that they want to have a solid domestic background. When I first started driving for The Beatles, I got the impression that the other three were a bit resentful of the fact that John was married. You see no sign of this now. Paul, George and Ringo all have their steady girlfriends and seem to be heading towards  matrimony and family life.

     If you could be in the car with me, it would surprise you to hear some of the remarks the boys make when we're traveling together. How much they'd like to go to this place or that on their own and unmolested. They may be sophisticated in some ways, but in other ways, they're just like schoolboys. Whenever I used to return from a shopping expedition for them, they'd cluster around me and see what I bought. They'd gleefully examine the goods. And it used to make me feel like Santa Claus. 

    When Ringo returned from his holiday in Tahiti, I felt sure he would have collected some lavishly expensive souvenirs from his visit. He could have bought all the stock of all the island gift shops if he had wanted to. But what did he return with? Seashells. Hundreds of them, in all colors, shapes and sizes. He was as happy as a baby with a new rattle.

     One thing I've always admired about the Beatles is that they have no time for pomposity, and they're utterly impatient of authority. Whenever they've been to a stuffy, formal occasion, they've always insisted on taking me with them, despite the snorts of disapproval from society matrons and snooty debs.

     For The Beatles know perfectly well that they themselves would have attracted the same sort of snort a couple of years ago. I remember George, on one occasion, throwing the whole staff of one highly select and expensive establishment into turmoil by ignoring the menu, which was about as big as this page, and asking for jam butties. He did it deliberately because he was so fed up with what he described as "a load of stuck up artificial nits."

     The Beatles can smell phonies and bandwagon jumpers a mile away. I take my hat off to these four lads from Liverpool. It's been wonderful working with them. When my employers, a car hire firm, allotted me to do the job of driving for them nine months ago, I never, for a moment, realized what I was in for. It's certainly been a hard day's nightmare, but I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

Tonsils out and heading home

 

December 10, 1964 

A visit from George

 December 1964 

Open up and say "tonsils"

December 1, 1964 
 

Goodbye Tonsils

 February 7, 1969 

On this date, George had his tonsils out.   It makes me wonder if George was in pain during the Get Back sessions and rooftop concert.   Was this a planned tonsil removal or an emergency?    And why did Neil Aspinall get his tonsils removed when the Beatles were on the rooftop?   What was the deal with all of the tonsil removal?    

Ringo shows that he is back in shipshape condition

 

Leaving hospital

 

December 10, 1964 

Ringo leaves the hospital

 

Healing at the hospital

Visiting Ringo in the hospital was nothing new for Ringo's mum 

December 8, 1964 -  Ringo's tonsils are out and he is recuperating just fine.

Ringo goes into hospital

December 1, 1964 -   Ringo goes into the hospital to get those darn tonsils out.   Look at him hamming it up for the cameras.

They took my tonsils!

And I feel Fine

I feel Fine!

Clever Ringo takes an opportunity to inform fans on how he is feeling after getting his tonsils out while at the same time promotes the Beatles most recent single, I Feel Fine.   What is the deal with the guy working in the background?  He seems out of place.

Tonsil duty

Fans were on such high alert in early December 1964 when Ringo got his tonsils taken out that the Beatles offical fan club started up a hotline for fans to call to hear a recording about how Ringo is doing after the surgery.   The fan club employees and members worked nonstop to answer calls and sift through the get well cards and gifts for Ringo.   

It was 50 years ago today: Ringo's tonsils removed

Yes it was 50 years ago today that Ringo Starr had his tonsils removed and in 1964 this was top news for Beatle fans around the world.    So I thought I would include some photos and news stories from the week that Ringo was in the hospital having his tonsils taken out. 



Ringo Loses Tonsils
Ringo Starr, the Beatles' drummer, had his tonsils removed today in London.   A hospital spokesman said his condition was satisfactory.  Hundreds of fans of the 24  year old mophead telephoned a special number for news of their favorite and heard the news via the recoded voice of Anne Collingham, and employee of the Beatles' manager.  Ringo expects to be in the hospital about 10 days, he said.  He took with him red pajamas, a pink toothbrush, 20 long-playing records, a pack of playing cards and a science-fiction novel.  "One thing is certain," he said, "Nobody is getting my tonsils as a souvenir.  Believe me, I'm going to have them burned. "  When he entered the hospital last night, someone asked Ringo whether the three other members of the "Liverpool string quartet" would be visiting him.  He scoffed:  "Are you kidding?  I'm not married to them..."  Meanwhile, out in Dayton, Ohio, Carole Glauner, a nurse and Mrs. Judy Tardiff, a doctor's assistant, both in their "early 20's" sent Ringo a medal with purple ribbon, it proudly proclaims:  "Medal for bravery:  My tonsils are out."  The girls' doctor employer gives similar medals to children to cheer them up after a tonsillectomy.

 Beatles tell Ringo He sounds "Funny"

London-December 5
The other Beatles visited Ringo Starr in the hospital today and one of them found that Ringo's voice had changed slightly since his tonsils were removed Wednesday.

Starr, 24, drummer of the singing group clutched his throat and said, "It hurts when I laugh."

Beatle George Harrison quipped "You do talk a bit funny."  Ringo's nasal tones were said to be a little clearer now than before the surgery.

Ringo Released
London- December 10
Beatle Ringo Starr left a London hospital today, to the shrieks of 50 adoring girls.  Eight days ago, he had his tonsils removed, then burned to frustrate souvenir hunters.

The story of Ringo Starr's tonsils

So I wrote this article about Ringo Starr's tonsils to go along with everything that happened 50 years ago this month.    I also did my very first podcast on this topic.  Now if you chose to listen to me babbling about Ringo Starr's tonsils please know that this was my first time ever doing this and I didn't know totally what I was doing and it is a live broadcast.   So I wasn't able to go in and edit anything.   So as Paul and Nirvana would say "Cut me some Slack."
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/meetthebeatlesforreal/2014/06/04/meet-the-beatles-for-real--ringo-starrs-tonsils-50-years-ago

The story of Ringo Starr’s tonsils

An article written for Meet the Beatles for Real

By Sara Schmidt

While the Beatles were touring the Netherlands, Hong Kong and Australia with fill in drummer, Jimmie Nichol, it is easy to forget that they had left someone very important behind.   While Jimmie was meeting Hong Kong beauty queens and signing autographs, the Beatles real drummer, Ringo Starr, was in a hospital in London recuperating from tonsillitis.    Let’s take a look back on Ringo during this time.

Wednesday, June 3, 1964 was supposed to be a typical day for the Beatles.  They had a photo session scheduled for the morning and a recording session at EMI set for the afternoon.     Ringo had not been feeling well for quite a while.  He had been complaining of a sore throat now and then and it has been suggested that Ringo’s solo number had been cut out of a few Beatles performances due to his throat problems (although I cannot find proof of that happening).   When the Beatles showed up to Prospect Studios in London for the photo shoot with the Saturday Evening Post, Ringo tried to hide the fact that he was running a high fever and his throat was in pain by telling everyone there that he just had a bad cold.   As the photographer, John Launois, snapped the first photos, Ringo could barely muster a smile.  Then he began to feel dizzy and fell to his knees.  The official news reports have always said that Ringo “collapsed” during a photo session, which is a bit of an exaggeration, however; he did go down and it scared Neil Aspinall and the others who saw it happen.   Those in the room rushed to help him and gave the drummer cold water to sip.  However, it became obvious that Ringo wasn’t in any condition to continue on with planned events for the day and Ringo was taken back to his apartment. 

Ringo’s condition did not improve at all.  As a matter of fact, his temperature was 103 degree Fahrenheit.  Ringo was soon taken to the Middlesex University College Hospital.   After the doctor’s examination, Richard Starkey was diagnosed with tonsillitis and pharyngitis and was put in a private wing of the hospital for bed rest.  Ringo was to begin the Beatles very first world tour the next day, but the plans had to change because Ringo was isn’t in any condition to perform.

George Harrison was ready to cancel the entire tour until their drummer was back on his feet again.  When the suggestion of a substitute drummer was brought up, George shot it down immediately.  He said that performing without Ringo would be like driving a car with three wheels (leave it to George to use a car analogy).    However, George Martin and Brian Epstein had to really talk to Harrison about how canceling the tour would really disappoint the fans and how it really wasn’t possible due to the contract to cancel.  Eventually the two of them beat Harrison down to agree to go on with the show, although from how he talked in the Beatles Anthology, you can tell that it was always a choice he disagreed with.   And so without Ringo a replacement was found in Jimmie Nichol.     The three remaining Beatles rehearsed over the songs that would be played on the tour with Jimmie.   Jimmie’s only responsibility as a musician with the Beatles was to play the drums.  He was not going to sing a solo or anything special along those lines.   After Jimmie left, the boys remained at EMI and George Harrison recorded “You know what to do” which is found on the Anthology 1 Cd.

Publicist, Tony Barrow was concerned that the media and the fans would think that Ringo was out and Jimmie was in.   He did not want anyone to think that the Beatles were changing drummers once again.   He also was assuming that the fans were fickle and would forget about the real drummer.  So he made sure that Ringo stayed in the news while he was in the hospital.   He got a photographer into Ringo’s hospital room to take photos of him in his pajamas, and reported on his improving health every day.  Of course Tony had no reason to worry because Ringo’s fans were not ever going to forget about him.

Ringo also had reason to be concerned.   You have to remember that he had only been drumming for the Beatles for two years.  He was still the “new kid.”   He too was once a replacement drummer in the band.   I am sure that it crossed his mind once or twice that maybe the boys were going to like Jimmie better and kick him out.   But as Ringo says in the Beatles Anthology, he didn’t need to worry because they bought him gifts in Hong Kong and showed him that he was still loved.

While the band was leaving for their first concert of the tour, a report was released that said that Ringo was feeling a little better and was quite cheerful.  The official report said, “Ringo had a comfortable night and is improving.  His condition is not serious and he should be discharged in a few days.”  Calls were coming in from all around the world asking about Ringo’s condition, so this announcement should have eased the mind of fans everywhere.

Ringo was mostly alone in London during this time.  The other Beatles had left on tour and Brian Epstein had gone to the United States with Billy J. Kramer.   However Ringo did have one very special visitor, his 18 year old girlfriend, Maureen Cox, who brought him a bunch of red roses.

By June 10, 1964 the reports said that Ringo was definitely better and will be leaving the hospital before the weekend.    Ringo did not get his tonsils removed during this time.   He just recovered from a bad bought of tonsillitis.   He had his tonsils removed in December of 1964.  This is a mistake that many people, including Ringo himself make.

On June 11, Ringo left London and flew to San Francisco, California on his way to meet up with the others in Australia.  Ringo told reporters that he was “raring to go!”   He must have been “raring” a little too much because he forgot his passport at home and someone had to go get it for him.  However, they allowed Ringo to travel into the United States without it.  He ended up getting it later from a different flight.  Also riding with Ringo was actress Viven Lee, who Ringo did not know.   She knew him and wanted an autograph.

The San Francisco International Airport had been announcing on the radio all day that fans were not to come to the airport to see Ringo.  They said that they did not have the space to accommodate fans and that they would not be able to see Ringo because he would be moved quickly to a VIP room as soon as his plane lands.   However, that same radio station was telling the fans the gate number and time of Ringo’s landing.   

 

When Ringo landed at 5:30pm, 500 fans were there to see him.  The area fan club came to welcome him to San Francisco and some fans got out of hand with pushing and loud screaming.  Ringo tried to quiet them down by putting his finger on his lips, but that of course just made them scream even louder.  Some fans were lucky to have had a brief encounter with him.  One fan, Marlene Vogelsang said that she was “so happy to have gotten Ringo’s autograph!”  Ringo was taken into the VIP lounge, where he answered some questions from reporters until his plane for Hawaii left at 8:11pm.

Ringo’s layover in Hawaii lasted an hour and a half and 300 fans were there to see him.  Five of those fans got hurt and needed first aide assistance.   Two hula girls, Carmen Souzi and Magnolia Makua greeted Ringo with flower leis and kisses, which Ringo enjoyed very much.

Then it was finally off to Sydney, Australia to meet up with the rest of the tour.   Ringo arrived in Sydney late at night, but it did not stop 100 fans from waiting to see him.  One such fan was 16 year old Mary Jackson who said, “I got wet waiting for the Beatles on Thursday.  So it would take a lot to stop me waiting for Ringo.  I don’t mind having to stay up all night.  Every minute will be worth it if I see him.”

photo by Frank Burke

It wasn’t worth it for one fan.  When Ringo started to get off the plane, 20 year old Edward Beard ran toward the plane but was stopped by police and was promptly arrested.   Edward did not even see Ringo.

Once Ringo was safely inside the airport, a press conference was held and Ringo informs everyone that he still has his tonsils intact and that he feeling better, however he won’t’ be singing for the first few concerts.   After about 90 minutes, he was off again.  This time the plane took him to Melbourne, Australia where the rest of the tour would be meeting him later.   

When he arrived at the hotel, 3,000 fans were outside waiting for the Beatles to arrive.   Things were so hectic that one large police officer picked up Ringo and had him ride on his shoulders above the crowd.  This would have worked, however,  one lady from the press fell in front of them and the officer tripped over the woman, which caused Ringo to fall off of his shoulders.  Luckily someone from inside of the hotel grabbed Ringo and pulled him into safety.  After all of that, Ringo said that he was going upstairs to get a drink and to rest.

By the time the other three Beatles and Jimmie arrived 20,000 fans were outside of the hotel.  By then the car had all four wheels again and Jimmie had been all but forgotten. 


Information for this article came from
The Beatle who Vanished  by Jim Berkenstadt
The Beatles Downunder by Glenn Baker
Beatle Book Monthly articles by Tony Barrow
Various newspaper clippings from 1964