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From the Memphis Press-Scimitar
Poem Inspired by Beatles
Penned by student at Sacred Heart
By Gerald W. Dupy: Press-Scimitar Staff Writer

In Memphis the Beatles inspired a poem by Nancy Ross, 15, a student at Sacred Heart. Here is part of her poem called, of course, “The Beatles Poem.”

George, John, Ringo, Paul,
For you, the Beatles, I’d
give my all.
To hear you sing is bliss
Devine.
I’d give the world if you
were mine.

Nancy, and many like her, have been thusly affected. Girls only? No – work is under way to grow crops of hair that will go unharvested on the male side, too, to look like a Beatle.

There have been rumors that the Beatles would be in Memphis in March. The fact is they probably won’t even be in the U. S. in March. Tough luck!

Do the Beatles bug you? Well then, don’t go to the MSU Student Center. Just about every other song on the juke box there is a Beatle one.

MikeHettinger, student…

(I don’t have the rest of the article. MSU stands for Memphis State University. The university has undergone a name change since then. It is now the University of Memphis.)

This is a syndicated article by Hedda Hopper that showed up in a Memphis newspaper.

I found the article in the Chicago Tribune also.

The article seems to have first been published on August 27th. It was in the Chicago Tribune on the 28th. I don’t know the date it was in the Memphis newspaper.

I spent some time tracking down the background information about the article. Here’s @Joe’s page about the event mentioned in the article. The actual event took place on August 24th. Here another site with some video of the event.

My aunt’s copy is missing some of the wording so I am taking the wording from her article and the Chicago Tribune copy.

The Memphis paper begins the article with: “Beatles Meet, Please All–Especially Hedda.” The Chicago Tribune begins the article with: “Hedda Meets Favorite Four at Party”.

Hollywood. – I shook hands with the Beatles at a charity party where over 400, including many stars and their children, paid $25 a ticket to see them, and another 300 who couldn’t get in screamed their joy behind a barricade at the end of the street.
I’ve watched all kinds of reactions to celebrities from the hysteria over Rudolph Valentino to the swoons for Frank Sinatra, but the only thing comparable to the Beatles was Charles Lindbergh’s visit our town after he flew the Atlantic. My son was a little boy then. After meeting Lindy, he wouldn’t wash his hand for five days. Now I have a granddaughter who won’t go near the water because she touched the fabulous four.
****
I can understand why children love them. They’re absolutely natural. Once when a reporter asked if they really thought they had talent, one said, “We never really thought so but I guess we were wrong.” Nobody ever enjoyed success more than this quartet. They shook hands with every child and parent, patted the babies’ cheeks, and were as interested in the celebrities as the stars were in them.
****
Director Josh Logan was a rabid spectator. He and Nedda brought their children and Princess Yasmin, daughter of Aly Khan and Rita Hayworth. Josh couldn’t get close enough for an interview, but listened in to some of the boys’ remarks.
When Mayor and Mrs. Sam Yorty came in with their son, nobody made a move to take them thru the receiving line, and Yorty didn’t want to interrupt. So I led the way. When I made the introduction, the Beatles said, “Hi, mayor! So nice of you to come. Thank you.”
Edgar Bergen’s sophisticated 18-year-old Candy froze completely and couldn’t utter a sound when introduced.
Ringo said to Sharon Heinz, the 15-year-old pickle heiress, “Haven’t I met you before?” “Oh, I wish you had,” she sighed. Later she worked her way behind him and combed his hair. “That feels good,” he smiled.
****
I asked Ringo how he became a hero here [his photos outsell the other four-to-one]. “I can’t figure it out, Miss Hopper. Until I came to America I was just a drummer.” Maybe it’s because we always go for the underdog.
Zsa Zsa Gabor’s daughter said: “Do you remember me? I’m Francesca Hilton–I met you at the Palladium.”
David Bercutt, 11-year-old son of Jack Warner’s head publicist, let his hair grow all summer and looks exactly like a Beatle. The fellows invited him to go along on their tour, but papa said no. David has an I. Q. of 180, goes to a special school for gifted children, and didn’t get to sleep until 2 a. m. after his encounter with them.
****

The Memphis paper has “[ar]mored trucks and bring them in. That company has transported much precious cargo, but they turned him down: ‘Somebody might get hurt.'”

I guess someone didn’t want to carry the precious cargo of BEATLES.

Hedda Hopper mentions The Beatles in some of her other articles also.

Excellent catch, @sigh butterfly. It is Candice Bergan.

Her parents are mentioned: http://m.imdb.com/name/nm0000298/bio

And her nickname of Candy: http://m.imdb.com/name/nm0000298/

An interview with the Beatles after the NO concert (with footage from the concert)

From the Memphis Press-Scimitar

Beatles Face Hairy-Kari When They Visit Japan

Picture 1: Paul, John, George and Ringo and the most famous hair in the world.
Picture 2. Paul, John, George and Ringo and our artist’s idea of what they may look like if Japanese threats are carried out.

TOKYO. – (UIP) – Is there a plot afoot to shear the Beatles when they come to Japan next week?

Japanese ultra-rightist groups, upset about the Beatle’s six-day visit starting June 28, have sworn they will shave the singers’ heads “at the risk of our lives.”

The right wingers are angered because five concerts by the Beatles were scheduled at the Tokyo Budokan Hall. The Hall was built especially for the judo competition of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and there has been a great deal of public opposition to the appearance there of the Liverpool quartet.

But the hall, with a seating capacity of 10,000, is the only building the Beatles would agree to perform in. The right wingers are one of the man reasons 3,000 policemen have been assigned to protect the Beatles.

The anti-Beatles say the group is a sign of the decadence of Western society and a reason the Communists are doing so well in Viet Nam.

Bin Akao, leader of the Greater Japan Patriotic Society, which has distributed 300,000 leaflets and over 10,000 “Beatles Get Out” posters, said there is a strong mood among the right wing parties to shave the Beatles’ heads “and send them home looking different.”

His main complaint, and the complaint of many people in Japan including Prime Minister Eisaku Sato, is the use of the Budokan for the concerts.

Meant for traditional martial arts like judo, archery, sumo wrestling and fencing, and located near the Imperial Palace, the publicly owned building is something of a shrine to many Japanese.

——–

Joe’s page on the topic.

For some reason I had it in my head that the Budokan Hall was an old structure. It was only 2 years old when The Beatles performed there. Learned something new today.

I wonder if any of those California girls started saying things such as “You’re such a Wilson” after they heard John say it was Brit slang.