Teenagers, Rumors, money engulf Beatles in Seattle
UPI (Seattle)
August 26, 1966
Mid rumors and pickets and the usual mob of screaming teenagers, the mop-topped Beatles picked off a record $73,717.38 as their cut of the gate Thursday night and flew away with one fourth of them still single.
Rumors Beatle Paul McCartney would marry British actress, Jane Asher after the evening performance beat the Beatles into town but proved unfounded – just as McCartney and his fellow songsters and they would.
“Yeah, I’ve heard of her,” McCartney said when asked at a news conference if he knew Miss Asher. “It’s a joke. How did it start—does anybody know?”
“Absolutely untrue,” said press agent Tony Barrow.
But reports persisted Miss Asher would fly to Seattle incognito as “Jane Collins.”
Meeting airplanes, reporters and photographers saw many pretty girls, none of whom said shew as either Miss Asher or Miss Collins.
Noisy as it was, this was a fairly calm evening for the Beatles. Their stage was 10 feet high, and a fence used to hold back hockey fans served similar duty against Beatles lovers.
Pickets outside the Coliseum carried hand-lettered signs, one of which said “Beware False Prophets.” The handful of marchers said they were protesting Beatle John Lennon’s statement that the Beatles were more popular than Christ.
Zollie M. Volchok of Northeast Releasing, the sponsor said the gross take was $118,071, largest in Seattle entertainment history.
Shortly before midnight, as both rumors and teenagers faded away, the Beatles boared a plane for Hollywood from whence they had come.