George promotional tour

George

By Char Bass

November 15, 1976  

I got up on time, but I had left too much to do and so was late getting off.  I got into Chicago about 2:30 (their time) and went to the motel to change and get settled in.  I finally got to the Ambassador, found my friend Sharon and got the car parked by about 4:30.  I had decided to wear my vested navy suit with my OM necklace.  We met up with another friend and had some dinner in the little restaurant in the basement and then went back up to the lobby to wait for another friend, Rita.  We tried to explain to this dumb security guard that we were waiting for Rita, but he told us to leave anyway.  We didn’t though, and we just quietly stood out of everyone’s way.  We heard a rumor that Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner were there and would be leaving soon, so we were prepared when they came down and headed for the door.  I got two pics and Sharon got one and an autograph.  Soon after that Rita came, and so we went back downstairs to plan.  Rita took our coats up and checked them and then we decided to go over to the West where the party was to be.  We separately went up to the restroom right by the Guild Hall, and we could see that there were quite a few people there, but that George had not arrived.  We decided that one at a time, we could wait until someone from the party came up and then follow them back down and into the party.  We put this plan into effect after we were pretty sure that George had come.  Sharon went first and I waited a b it and started down.  I could see Sharon on the far side of the door, and realized that it hadn’t worked.  So we stood there to wait for Rita to come down and the security guard was back telling us we couldn’t stay there, so we were off to a door that Sharon thought might get us in.  We went through and followed a hall, turning right, then left, then right again, and then was faced with the possibilities of two stairways.  So we chose one and at the top we just looked at these people in the small room saying that we thought we were lost, and they pointed to a door to our right, so we started for it thinking that we had failed.  But then, just like in A Hard Day’s Night, when the boys went through the fire escape door ---“We’re out!”—we went through the door and we were IN!

We decided to get a drink quick, so we looked like we belonged, and got our cameras out and found George.  I tried to take pics with the drink in hand, but soon realized that wouldn’t work and so went to set it down, and came back and madly began taking pics.  I was beside George Tebbins then, saying hi as we both took pics of George posing with a lot of people.  I ran out of film and went to sit down to change it as I wasn’t doing a real good and was taking more time with them then.  I was very glad that I had seen the “Billboard” pic of him before I had seen him for real, because he looked so different to me without his mustache.  His hair looked different than last time I saw him too, Chicago had been pretty far along on the ’74 tour, and his hair had grown out more by then making the curl a bit looser.  His complexion was very pale and his eyes, just as gorgeous as ever.  I moved with him in the crowd and took pics.  I asked a friend of Sharon’s Sue, if she would take a pic of me with George, and she said she would, asking for my camera.  So I walked over, so of in back of him, while she took the pic.  Some man got my attention just about then saying something about having George pose with me.  He introduced himself as Russ and was holding his hand out to be shook, and so I shook it and thanked him, telling him that my name was Charlene.  Then he touched George on the shoulder and asked him if he would pose with me for a pic, and George mumble something like “Oh, sure.”  As he looked at me I smiled.   I could see from the way he turned around that I needed to move my purse.  I didn’t want it in between me and George!  So I guess I saw him start to put his arm out to put around me, so I just slipped my purse off my right shoulder and into my left hand, and as George turned around and put his arm around my should, I slipped my arm around his waist.  His sweater was VERY soft.  We smiled for the cameras and then as we began to move apart, George asked me, “Where are you from?”  I hesitated because I couldn’t remember, and then finally said, “Indianapolis.” He then made a couple comments about the 500 race and I agreed that he had the right place in mind.  Then he said something else I couldn’t’ understand and I thought if I just waited a minute that it would come to me, but it didn’t so I asked, “What?”  He repeated it and I am not sure that I understood even then, because I can’t remember what it was, but I know I gave him some sort of answer that seemed to make sense to him.  It is all so vague to that point and parts are just gone, but I had calmed down enough by then, and I got myself together to finally ask him a question.  ‘When is the new album coming out – what is the release date?”  And he said “Friday the 15^th.”  I must have looked puzzled at him and then said, “Today is the 15^th” (I had been waiting for the 15^thto see him and so I knew what day it was).  And so he said, very slowly in that special little accent, “Well…Friday,” and sort of shrugged.  Then someone else started talking to him and his attention was gone.  I moved toward my camera, and took it, thanking Sue, I think.  I knew that I must look rather dazed and that I had better straighten myself out or I could be getting thrown out.  So I went over and took a couple big drinks of my Screwdriver, thinking about how the 7 &7 that Pete had given me before had helped, and went back to taking pics. 

Nothing that happened is in any kind of order in my mind, but once I remember that one of the photographers told George to put his arms around the people he was posing with, and George didn’t like being told what to do, and so he folded his arms in front of him and looked very defiant – so cute!!    A bit later I was waiting for a chance to get a nice shot and realized while I was focusing that I was standing there sort of alone.  No one was crowded around close like before, and that George was surveying me.  I just stood still and took the pic.  Soon after that someone told George that there were people waiting outside to see him and so he went over to the window.  Then someone came up to me and told me that the press would have to leave and I just nodded.  So I didn’t take any more pics, but when a group of guys surrounded George and started asking him a lot of questions, I just got close and listened.  They asked him about the tour and he said that he was planning one for the fall, but it got delayed because he was sick for 2 months, so he wants to get one planned for next June – do “Japan, Australia, and some dates in the U.S.”  They were asking him about the Beatles getting back together too, and he said that they might just for something special sometime, but it would be hard, “like trying to go back with your ex-wife.”  There were a bunch more questions and answers but I can’t remember.  I was looking over someone’s shoulder, but was really close – you have to, to be able to hear what he is saying.  I was looking at him profile and we really weren’t standing there that long, but while he talked and answered these people’s questions, at least 4 times he looked me straight in the eye – not missing a word- just like before – except that I wasn’t so frightened by that look this time.  Still spellbound, but not frightened.  Then he was called to dinner and I wandered into the dining area, to see where he was going to sit.  I saw George Tebbens and talked to him a minute before I left.  I went to find Sharon and Rita then, and we talked just passing the time until it would be time for him to leave the party, but somehow we missed him.  WE heard that he was staying at the Whitehall though, and so we went over there and found George Tebbens, Kay, Tempy, Barb and some other friends.  We talked a minute and they said that they didn’t know what time George planned to leave for the airport the next day, so we left and all went to get some sleep.

November 16, 1976

I was supposed to call George Tebbens at 8, but no one answered.  So I consulted my Tarot cards and they said that George would leave before noon and that I should give him the OM pillow I made for him, and so I got moving and left there, all checked out at 9 with my OM overalls on.  I got to the Whitehall, all parked, pillow and camera in hand, by quarter of 10.  Kay, Tempy and Barb were there already, and they said that nothing had happened so far.  There were a few other people there too.  Luggage came out and other people went in and out – it was hard to see who was coming out because of the reflection on the glass door.  Some guys came out and got in one limo and the big MO came out and got in the first car too, so we figured George had to be coming down.  We got the license plate number of the second limo – 7151.  Kay said that they might be going to the airport, they had found out that he came on a private jet at Midway, so I asked if I could go with them -  I couldn’t have gotten my car out of the parking quick enough, and I told them that if they didn’t have to come back to down then I’d get a bus back to my car.  Then Kay had to put more money in the parking meter, and the guy who was George’s chauffeur asked which one was her car, and later we heard them take the license plate number.  Someone asked why we’d stand out in the cold for George, and we all told how far we’d come and he was amazed.  When he got to Tempy, he told her she should have stayed home because George was headed for Boston.  So George came out and I got one shot then tried to get his attention to give him the pillow as he passed me, but he didn’t hear me.  Someone asked if he’d give them an autograph and he said “Uh…ok….”  And got into the car first and then signed some stuff.  I didn’t’ get the pillow in because of the crowd so when they said “ok, that’s enough” and starting pushing us back, I wouldn’t be pushed and held the pillow in to him.  He was looking the other way and so I said, “Hey George!”  He turned and saw it, and put his  hand out like he didn’t know what I wanted for him to autograph it, take it, look at it or what, but he finally took it and I got out of the way.  Just as I turned around back toward the car, I heard his gorgeous voice say, “Thank you.”  So I said, “You’re welcome.”  Barb said he was looking to see who had given it to him as he said it.  I couldn’t see his face, but I could see the pillow in his hands and he looked at the front and then back and then front again, and he was still looking at it when the limo pulled away.  We decided to follow and got stopped by a long light at first, but Kay caught up to the limo on the highway.  We think they might have let us, but we followed the rest of the way there and through the gate and then the limo stopped at a closed gate and the driver got out to open it.  They sent me over to ask if George would pose for a few pics, but as I got close to the limo the driver got in and drove through the gate.  I stopped there and took a pic of the limo, thinking I couldn’t get any farther, but I didn’t see anyone to stop me and the gate didn’t say Keep Out or anything, so I ran in and toward George’s jet.   I saw him get out of the car and got there in time to take one pic of him on the stairway, and he looked straight at me and had a funny little look on his face and he was carrying the pillow on the plane himself!  He didn’t ditch it or give it to anyone else, so  I guess he really liked it.  I got another pic of his back as he got in the plane.  Then we got out of the way and watched the plane leave.  We went back to a place close to the Whitehall and had some lunch and planned to go to New York for the Saturday Night Live show, but we found out that he was going to tape it and by the time we would have gotten there, he would have been in Bombay.  Anyway, I can’t wait until the tour!