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| State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, http://floridamemory.com/items/show/269424 |
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| State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, http://floridamemory.com/items/show/269423 |
If you'd like to read another story from this press conference, click here!
Of All the Times to be Speechless
By Betty Walters
The Florida Times-Union
September 12, 1964
(Editor's note: The following was written by Betty Walters, a teenage member of the Florida Times-Union new staff this summer.)
Of all times to be speechless! We'd spent half an hour convincing the guards at the door we were of the magic press. Another 15 minutes fighting our way through a mass of frantic teenagers. We hobbled into the cool quiet of the George Washington auditorium.
And there they were, Paul sporting a tan Beatle suit, with blue-gray-white striped shirt was propped against the end of the conference table. Next to him was George in a gray suit with red and white pin-striped shirt. John was bombing around in khaki levis, brown suede jacket and yellow-black-white-tan striped shirt. And there was Ringo -- with those big, sad, blue eyes -- dressed in a blue-gray checked outfit with his perennial checked shirt.
What do you ask the world-famous Beatles that they haven't been asked before?
It must have been because they did look like all their pictures that we were so snowed. The Beatles image is definitely a true one. They're ---well--- we'll let them speak for themselves.
As they munched casually on turkey sandwiches (which Paul offered to the press) and potato chips (which Ringo later tossed to George) -- the Beatles were not speechless.
Q: Paul said ya'll were n actors. Does this mean that in your movies you were just being yourselves?
John answered, "Both." (Very British accent).
Q: When were you acting?
A--John again: We'd have to sit through and point out the parts as they came on (a gear suggestion for us!)
Q: Does your hair require any special care?
A: "Inattention is the main thing" from John.
Q: Have you composed any new numbers over here?
A: Two.
Q: What are they?
Paul's answer, which we couldn't hear, brought a laugh. Anyway, they wouldn't tell.
Q: Do you ever go unnoticed?
A: Paul quipped, "When we take our wigs off."
Q: When do yo start your next movie?
A: February.
Q" If John doesn't like glasses, why doesn't he get contact lenses?
A: "I've never taken time to go to an optometrist. Besides, I wouldn't like glass in me head."
Q: George, do you have a cousin named Ted?
A: No!
Q: What are each of ya'll's favorite songs?
A: Paul, "If I Fell," George: "You Can't do that," John: "Bits and Pieces (Hmmmm---that's by the Dave Clark Five), Ringo: "A Hard Day's Night."
Q: How do you feel about ya'll and the President coming to town on the same day?
A: John spoke, "Amazing."
Q: What do you think you've contributed to the musical field?
A: Records (30 million) and George added, "A laugh and a smile."
Q: Why do you avoid the press?
Paul answered this (He should be a diplomat -- he looked so concerned and all). "We don't. We do what the police -- the sheriff--the posse tell us."
Q: What will you do when the bubble bursts?
Paul said he adn John might keep on with song writing.
But with personalities like these fellas, we predict the bubble will enjoy a long life.
About their personalities, they used all those terrific grimaces the EBatles are famous for (staring, chew their lips, winking).
Paul reminded us of a little boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar -- trying to talk his way out.. And we're sure he could.
George is sort of quiet, but his eyes don't miss a thing. He's make a good judge.
John was a little bored. He and Ringo were pretending to be airplanes. They almost "took off" from the stage.
Ringo seemed a little depressed with the milk they gave him for supper. But then, ole Richard Starkey always looks depressed, doesn't he?
Well, with only alittle over an hour before show time at the Gator Bowl, the press conference was over.
But going places isn't simple for a Beatle. They were going to take the back elevator down to their waiting limousines. But their fans had different ideas.
Thank you, fans. We'd taken the back stairs. (We had five minutes to do this story). We met them agian in a tiny hallway with hundreds of teens screaming outside on Monroe Street.
Nothing fazes these guys -- someone asked them if they were ever nervous before a concert. Paul had been presented with a giant golden key to somewhere. He was tossing it around. "With a key like this? Never!" And they were gone.
(These quotes may not be verbatim. Our poor little minds are too snowed).