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A photograph of the Beatles with Ed Sullivan, the television show host who helped introduce them to America, 1964. It is a primary source because it is raw and real evidence of the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show.

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(A) Photograph of the Beatles with Ed Sullivan

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(A) Photograph of the Beatles with Ed Sullivan

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A photograph of the Beatles with Ed Sullivan, the television show host who helped introduce them to America, 1964.

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The Digital Public Library of America brings together the riches of America's libraries, archives, and museums, and makes them freely available to the world.

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This is a video on Youtube titled "Beatles w/ Ed Sullivan Interview 1964." It is a primary source because it shows real and direct evidence of an interview of the Beatles with Ed Sullivan.

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This is a useful source of data that talks about how The Beatles impacted the pop culture of America when they first appeared on American television, "The Ed Sullivan Show". This article was written in 1989, which is a secondary source at that time period, but now this piece of evidence is now a primary source since it contains a lot of data within the article and is also written in the 1900's. 

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When the Beatles appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show" 25 years ago today -- their first live appearance on American television -- it was a communal moment that made the country absolutely giddy. No one could have guessed that this showcase would be so historic, or that the show's impact on pop culture would be so deep, particularly since the group was essentially still unknown to American audiences as 1963 turned into 1964. "The event was a pop explosion," cultural analyst Greil Marcus has noted, defining it as "an irresistible cultural upheaval that cuts across lines of class and race and, most crucially, divides society itself by age. The surface of daily life -- walk, talk, dress, symbolism, heroes, family affairs -- is affected with such force that deep and substantive changes in the way large numbers of people think and act take place." And large numbers of people were watching: 728 were in the audience at CBS' Studio 52, the lucky ones among the 50,000 who had requested tickets (an all-time Sullivan record; by contrast, only 7,000 had requested tickets for Elvis Presley's Sullivan debut in 1957). The biggest numbers, of course, came in the next day with Nielsen reports that 74 million people had watched "The Ed Sullivan Show," setting a record for the largest-ever audience for any entertainment show, and a total that has been surpassed only twice since for regularly scheduled programs (the last episode of "The Fugitive" in 1967 and the "Who Shot J.R.?" episode of "Dallas" in 1980). Among the 60 percent of televisions in America tuned to CBS that night was the one belonging to the Rev. Billy Graham, who was breaking his own rigid rule by watching television on the Sabbath. ("They're a passing phase," he said the next day, calling them "symptoms of the uncertainty of the times and the confusion about us.") If the good guys were watching, so were the bad guys. Legend has it that the national crime rate for Feb. 9, 1964, was the lowest in half a century, and the Daily News reported that in all five New York boroughs, not a single hubcap was stolen. In Washington there were no arrests of teen-agers during the show. It was an event that produced a fixed memory, one of the few in the last 30 years where, if you ask people where they were at the time, the great majority are likely to remember, just as with the assassination of John F. Kennedy. That event, 10 weeks before, had plunged America into a spiritual gloom. The Beatles, unknown here in November 1963, provided an emotional revival for much of America in February 1964. CBS' press release was somewhat mild, identifying "The Beatles of London" as a "wildly popular quartet of English recording stars." Also on the show were comedians Mitzi McCall and Charlie Brill, impressionist Frank Gorshin, a tumbling act called the Four Fays and 37 members of the cast from the Broadway musical "Oliver!" (including Artful Dodger Davy Jones, who a few years later would surface in a prefab four, the Monkees). The Beatles' appearance had been set up three months earlier when manager Brian Epstein ventured to New York, at least partly to encourage Capitol Records to show a little interest in the group. Sullivan's scouts had already taken notice of the reaction in Europe, and Sullivan himself had witnessed the phenomenon at a London airport when the Beatles came back from a Swedish tour and he sensed the same degree of hysteria that had attended Presley. Sullivan, the great dour presence, seemed more animated than usual the night of the show, treating those in the audience like what they were, hyperactive children, and asking the girls in particular to stay in their seats. He told the audience Elvis Presley had sent a congratulatory telegram wishing the Beatles "a tremendous success"; actually Col. Tom Parker had sent the wire, since Elvis hated the Beatles, possibly sensing that their beginning marked some kind of ending for him. Although Sullivan's was the most popular variety show on television, he and his staff had been unprepared for the crush of hundreds of reporters and photographers invading the studio in the days before the show -- something he mentioned on the air. "These veterans agree with me that the city has never witnessed the excitement stirred by these youngsters from Liverpool who call themselves the Beatles," he told the audience. After a commercial for Aero Shave, Sullivan said, "Let's bring 'em out!" and the curtain parted. A dozen white arrows pointed in on the Beatles -- set designer Bill Bohnert later said he was trying to symbolize that the group was "HERE" -- and they stood there with no visible signs of nervousness, as if they had no idea of the size of their audience. Which no one did, of course. After the surge of screams and a slight "a-one-two-three-four!" the Beatles launched into their first song, with Paul McCartney singing lead (as he did on four of the five songs performed on the show). "Close your eyes and I'll kiss you, tomorrow I'll miss you ..." There was none of the scandal that had occurred just a few years before with Presley, when Sullivan had bowed to demands that he show Elvis from the waist up. The Beatles had no magic hips, were in fact quite sedate in their matching, perfectly pressed, collarless Edwardian jackets, shirts and neckties. Their hair, deemed outrageously long at the time, fell in bangs across their foreheads and stopped at midneck. Boyish Paul McCartney, 21, sang earnestly at one microphone and stroked his bass. Shy George Harrison, 20, was in the middle on lead guitar. John Lennon, 23, on rhythm guitar, harmonized at another microphone. Stolid Ringo Starr, 23, sat high above them on a platform, pounding out beats on the drums. The first set consisted of "All My Loving," "Till There Was You" and "She Loves You"; after a commercial for Griffin Shoe Polish came the second set of "I Saw Her Standing There" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand." Press reaction was not particularly kind. The Washington Post described the Beatles as "asexual and homely." The New York Herald Tribune dismissed them as "75 percent publicity, 20 percent haircut and 5 percent lilting lament." The New York Daily News decided that "visually, they are a nightmare: Tight, dandified Edwardian beatnik suits and great pudding-bowls of hair ... Musically, it's near disaster -- guitar and drums slamming out a merciless beat that does away with secondary rhythms, harmony and melody ... The lyrics, punctuated by nutty shouts of yeah, yeah, yeah, are a catastrophe, a preposterous farrago of Valentine-card romantic sentiments." As usual, the press had no impact on popular taste. What's intriguing is to think about what might have happened. As late as the day before the show, George Harrison had missed the rehearsals because of illness, with road manager Neil Aspinall filling in. At one point, a worried Sullivan threatened to don a Beatle wig and sit in for Harrison if he had to. Mercifully, he didn't have to. Before Sullivan, the Beatles had actually appeared on television -- in a brief Jan. 3 clip on "The Jack Paar Show" that focused on fan hysteria. Still, even with the surge of attention and success, they received only $2,400 for each of the three Sullivan shows (one the next week from Miami and one, three weeks later, that had been taped Feb. 9, though no one seems to remember whether it was before or after the live show). That fee, incidentally, was half the going rate for the show (Elvis had gotten $50,000) and the Beatles also had to join AFTRA before they could even rehearse. Additionally, they had been granted special "H2" work permits, which allowed only for a two-week visit and the right to perform "so long as unemployed American citizens capable of performing the work cannot be found." The Beatles did get $3,500 for each of the three concerts that followed Sullivan, including their American debut at the Washington Coliseum and two shows at Carnegie Hall, shows that Epstein booked partly to offset costs not covered by CBS. Obviously, the crafty manager had weighed these reduced rates against the shows' promotional value, and the promotional values of the Sullivan show could never have been measured, though there were certain tangibles: In the month after Sullivan, the Beatles sold 2.5 million records in the United States alone. They had no chart presence five weeks before, but five weeks afterward they owned the singles chart, with all Top Five spots ("Can't Buy Me Love," "Twist and Shout," "She Loves You," "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "Please Please Me"), as well as numbers 16, 44, 49, 69, 78, 84 and 88. Who'd a thunk it? Twenty-five years later, the Beatles' appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" seems not only important but a crucial restorative. After 10 weeks, America needed to recover from its collective shock after Dallas. In "Shout," his fine study of the Beatles, Phillip Norman writes that "America had been struck dumb by a great and terrible event, and now found her voice again through an event which no psychiatrist could have made more therapeutically trivial ... a moment simultaneously gratifying America's need for a new idol, a new toy, a painkilling drug and a laugh." Yeah, yeah, yeah.

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When the Beatles appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show" 25 years ago today -- their first live appearance on American television -- it was a communal moment that made the country absolutely giddy.

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This is a newspaper article written only two days after the Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show. It is a primary source because the man who wrote it witnessed the show live on TV at the time.

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(D) "As I See It: Sullivan Wasted Time with Beatles" Newspaper

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(D) "As I See It: Sullivan Wasted Time with Beatles" Newspaper

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As I See It: Ed Sullivan Wasted Time with The Beatles - About The Beatles

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One man's opinion about Ed Sullivan featuring The Beatles on his show on February 9, 1964. By author Paul Jones from an unnamed newspaper.

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Beatles Historical Artifact from The Ed Sullivan Show Hits the Music Collectibles Market - Send2Press Newswire. This is a primary source because this was an artifact that the real Beatles signed on the day the Ed Sullivan show happened. 

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(E) Artifacts of Autographs the Beatles gave the Night They First Appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show

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(E) Artifacts of Autographs the Beatles gave the Night They First Appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show

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Beatles Historical Artifact from The Ed Sullivan Show Hits the Music Collectibles Market - Send2Press Newswire

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LOS ANGELES, Calif., Feb. 11, 2021 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Music collectors take note. Fifty-seven years ago, on February 9, 1964, The Beatles made history with their first live American television appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show." It had one of the largest viewing audiences ever, changed the course of music and influenced generations to follow.

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This source is a biography about what happened during the Ed Sullivan show when The Beatles first appeared on American television and how that ended up impacting not only the Beatles', but also Ed's career. It is a secondary source because it is not a first-hand account of the event, but uses information from another source to write the article.

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(F) Artist Biography of Beatles appearing on the Ed Sullivan

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(F) Artist Biography of Beatles appearing on the Ed Sullivan

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A record setting 73 million people tuned in that evening making it one of the seminal moments in television history. Nearly fifty years later, people still remember exactly where they were the night The Beatles stepped onto Ed Sullivan's stage.

In the weeks leading up to the performance, several Beatles records had already hit number one on the U.S. charts, and the radio airwaves were saturated with their tunes. The delirium and ground swell of anticipation surrounding The Beatles' arrival from England had not been seen around since Elvis Presley on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1956. But even that experience could not have prepared the Sullivan staff and the New York City authorities for what was about to happen.

The story of how The Beatles landed on The Ed Sullivan Show began with the group's formation in Liverpool in 1960. They spent their first couple of years playing in small clubs throughout Europe. During late night gigs in the city of Hamburg, Germany, sometimes playing as long as eight hours a night, The Beatles perfected their act. However, it was not until an appearance on the British television show, "Val Parnell's Sunday Night at the London Palladium" and the 1963 release of their first album, Please Please Me that "Beatlemania" began to spread. That March the album hit number one on the British charts, and by the end of the year, The Beatles' music permeated UK radio. The "Fab Four" even performed for the royal family. It was only after this burgeoning success at home did The Beatles and their manager, Brian Epstein, choose to launch their American invasion. They decided when they had a #1 song on the U.S. charts, then they would lock in the date of their Ed Sullivan debut.

Urban legend tells the story that Ed Sullivan first heard about the Beatles when he and his wife were at London airport returning to New York and witnessed 1,500 screaming fans welcoming the Beatles back to England after a successful tour in Sweden. But Ed knew about the Beatles months before that. Jack Babb, who was the Talent Booker for the show, spent summers in Europe scouting acts for the upcoming season. Babb worked with Peter Prichard, a London-based agent who also worked for Sullivan pitching notable talent to Sullivan and Jack Babb throughout the year. Peter Prichard was a friend of Beatles manager Brian Epstein and more than once brought the Beatles to both Babb's and Ed's attention. During the summer of 1963 Peter Prichard brought Jack Babb to a Beatles concert to see them in action.

After seeing the Beatles reception on October 31, 1963 at the airport, Ed had interest in booking the Beatles. Prichard contacted Brian Epstein saying he would broker the deal, but Epstein preferred to handle it alone. On November 5 th, 1963 Epstein flew to New York and Prichard contacted Sullivan. Sullivan said he needed an angle to book the group. Prichard let him know that the Beatles had just performed in the Royal Variety Show where they were the first "long-haired boys" to be invited to appear before the Queen although it was her younger sister Princess Margaret who attended the show. Sullivan decided to confirm a booking!

On Monday, November 11, 1963 Epstein met Sullivan at the Delmonico Hotel and the deal was done on a handshake. The next evening, producer Bob Precht joined Sullivan and Epstein for dinner at the hotel where Precht was informed the Beatles had been booked for three performances, two live and one a taped rehearsal.

Prior to their debut on the Sullivan show, The Beatles' record "I Want to Hold Your Hand" was leaked in advance of its planned US release to radio stations across the country. When attorneys for Capitol Records were unable to stop American DJs from spinning the tune, the record label relented and, on December 26, 1963, dropped the album ahead of schedule. The record sold 250,000 copies in the first three days. By January 10, 1964 it had sold over one million units and "I Want to Hold Your Hand" was the number one song on the Billboard charts by month's end. In the weeks leading up to The Beatles' performance on The Ed Sullivan Show, Beatlemania went viral. Radio stations played the band's music nearly non-stop; teenaged fans sported "Beatle" wigs, and bumper stickers across the country warned, "The Beatles Are Coming."

The Beatles touched down at New York's Kennedy Airport on February 7th, 1964. They were met by a throng of reporters and a hoard of three thousand screaming fans. Upon disembarking the plane, The Beatles were whisked to a press conference hosted by Capitol Records in which they playfully answered questions from the media.

When asked "How do you find America?" Ringo Starr jokingly replied, "Turn left at Greenland."

While The Beatles spent the next two days cooped up at The Plaza Hotel, fans did all they could to get closer to the band. Groups of teenagers set up camp outside The Plaza, some even posing as hotel guests in an attempt to see their favorite group. As the show approached, over 50,000 requests for seats came into CBS. However, The Ed Sullivan Show, which originated from CBS's TV Studio 50, could only accommodate an audience of 700.

For weeks, celebrities were calling in to get tickets for their kids. Walter Cronkite and Jack Paar scored seats for their girls; composer Leonard Bernstein tried but failed; while Richard Nixon's 15-year old daughter, Julie, became one of the lucky few to get a seat. Even Sullivan himself had trouble getting extra tickets. On his show the week before The Beatles' debut, Ed asked his audience, "Coincidentally, if anyone has a ticket for The Beatles on our show next Sunday, could I please borrow it? We need it very badly."

It should be remembered that while this hullabaloo was happening, there was still an air of gloom in America. Just 77 days prior to The Beatles' appearance on Sullivan, President Kennedy had been assassinated. By now, the country was ready for some much needed diversion, and it came in the form of four young lads from Liverpool - their sound, their look, their energy and their charisma.

At 8 o'clock on February 9th 1964, America tuned in to CBS and The Ed Sullivan Show. But this night was different. 73 million people gathered in front their TV sets to see The Beatles' first live performance on U.S. soil. The television rating was a record-setting 45.3, meaning that 45.3% of households with televisions were watching. That figure reflected a total of 23,240,000 American homes. The show garnered a 60 share, meaning 60% of the television's turned on were tuned in to Ed Sullivan and The Beatles.

Ed opened the show by briefly mentioning a congratulatory telegram to The Beatles from Elvis and his manager, Colonel Tom Parker and then threw to advertisements for Aero Shave and Griffin Shoe Polish. After the brief commercial interruption, Ed began his memorable introduction:

"Now yesterday and today our theater's been jammed with newspapermen and hundreds of photographers from all over the nation, and these veterans agreed with me that this city never has witnessed the excitement stirred by these youngsters from Liverpool who call themselves The Beatles. Now tonight, you're gonna twice be entertained by them. Right now, and again in the second half of our show. Ladies and gentlemen, The Beatles! Let's bring them on."

At last, John, Paul, George and Ringo came onto the stage, opening with "All My Loving" to ear-splitting screeches from teenaged girls in the audience. The Beatles followed that hit with Paul McCartney taking the spotlight to sing, "Till There Was You." During the song, a camera cut to each member of the band and introduced him to the audience by displaying his first name on screen. When the camera cut to John Lennon, the caption below his name also read "SORRY GIRLS, HE'S MARRIED." The Beatles then wrapped up the first set with "She Loves You," and the show went to commercial. Upon return, magician Fred Kaps took the stage to perform a set of sleight-of-hand tricks.

Concerned that The Beatles' shrieking fans would steal attention from the other acts that evening, Ed Sullivan admonished his audience, "If you don't keep quiet, I'm going to send for a barber."

As hard as Ed tried to protect them, the other acts that night suffered from the excitement surrounding The Beatles. Numbered among those performers were impressionist Frank Gorshin, acrobats Wells & the Four Fays, the comedy team of McCall & Brill and Broadway star Georgia Brown joined by the cast of "Oliver!"

The hour-long broadcast concluded with The Beatles singing two more of their hits, "I Saw Her Standing There" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand" to the delight of the fans in attendance and those watching at home.

The show was a huge television success. As hard as it is to imagine, over 40% of every man, woman and child living in America had watched The Beatles on Sullivan.

A week later, the February 24th issue of Newsweek magazine's cover featured a picture of The Beatles with the title, "Bugs About Beatles." Inside, the review of The Beatles debut on The Ed Sullivan Show began, "Visually, they are a nightmare: tight, dandified, Edwardian/Beatnik suits and great pudding bowls of hair. Musically, they are a near-disaster: guitars and drums slamming out a merciless beat that does away with secondary rhythms, harmony, and melody. Their lyrics (punctuated by nutty shouts of "yeah, yeah, yeah!") are a catastrophe, a preposterous farrago of Valentine-card romantic sentiments." The article ended with the following prediction, "...the odds are they will fade away, as most adults confidently predict."

So much for adult odds makers. But even at that, it was impossible to imagine what a lasting impression the night would leave.

John Moffitt, then Assistant Director of The Ed Sullivan Show recalls, "Nobody realized the impact to come, how momentous it would be. We didn't talk about making history. It was more like, 'What are we going to do next week? Not only are we doing this again, we're on location.'"

That's because The Beatles' second appearance on February 16th, 1964, was broadcast from The Deauville Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida. Moffitt remembers how fans took over the venue, and when it was time for The Beatles to perform, a teaming throng of teenagers blocked the group's access to the ballroom. As security guards wedged a passageway through the crowd for The Beatles, the show was being broadcast to America. Unaware of the delay, Ed was about to introduce them. Moffitt recalls...

"Ed is saying 'And now, here are-(a beat)-The Beatles right after this.' And he went to a commercial. And during the commercial, finally at the end, The Beatles broke through, they came running up the aisle, they got hooked up, and I believe there was one microphone that didn't get hooked up. But you couldn't tell because all you could hear was the screaming."

Audio difficulties aside, the boys plowed through "She Loves You," "This Boy" and "All My Loving" for their first set, then turned the stage over to the comedy team of Allen and Rossi ("Hello, Dere"), singer/dancer Mitzi Gaynor, acrobats The Nerveless Knocks and monologist Myron Cohen.

The Beatles returned to close the show with performances of "I Saw Her Standing There," "From Me to You" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand." After they finished, Ed called them over and congratulated them, passing along word that legendary composer Richard Rodgers was one their "most rabid fans."

Again, The Beatles on Sullivan proved a huge ratings success, nearly duplicating the record-setting performance of their first appearance. The second show also attracted 40% of the American population.

The Beatles third and-according to their contract-final performance on The Ed Sullivan Show was technically their first. The show was taped prior to their live February 9th debut, but saved for broadcast until February 23rd, 1964. On this show, The Beatles sang "Twist and Shout", "Please Please Me" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand." Other guests that night included stand-up comedian Dave Barry, Gordon and Sheila MacRae, and the legendary American jazz singer Cab Calloway.

On September 12th, 1965, The Fab Four returned to the Ed Sullivan stage one last time. They played "I Feel Fine," "I'm Down," "Act Naturally," "Ticket to Ride," "Yesterday," and "Help!" This performance was taped in New York on August 14th, 1965, just one day before The Beatles kicked off their North American Tour with a concert at Shea Stadium that set the attendance record for an outdoor show at the time.

The final appearance of the Beatles on Ed Sullivan, like those in February 1964 aired in black and white. However, at the end of the evening, Sullivan broke the news that the following week, his show would start broadcasting in color.

So The Beatles were just a week from having their performance captured and preserved forever in color.

These four historic Beatles performances on The Ed Sullivan Show featured 20 Beatles songs-seven of which became Number One hits. Cumulatively, the four shows attracted an audience of a quarter of a BILLION people. In terms of percentage of America's population, the first two shows remain the highest viewed regularly scheduled television programs of all time.

The Beatles' success on The Ed Sullivan Show paved the way for future rock 'n' roll groups dubbed the British Invasion, including The Rolling Stones, The Animals, The Dave Clark Five, Herman's Hermits, The Searchers, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Peter and Gordon, etc.

The genius of The Beatles and the American institution that was The Ed Sullivan Show combined to create one of the most defining and indelible moments in the history of music, television and pop culture. It was a remarkable convergence that came at a special time in America, making an impact on the world that will never be duplicated.

Yeah, yeah, YEAH!

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A record setting 73 million people tuned in that evening making it one of the seminal moments in television history. Nearly fifty years later, people still remember exactly where they were the night The Beatles stepped onto Ed Sullivan's stage. In the weeks leading up to the performance, several Beatles records had already hit number [...]

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This is a cartoon that was created about the song that the Beatles performed on their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show; "I Want To Hold Your Hand". This is a secondary source because of how this cartoon was created years after the actual event occured.

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"I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND" BEATLES CARTOON.

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This is a documentary of the Beatles containing information about their appearance on the Ed Sullivan show called "Rare and Unseen: The Beatles Video." It is a secondary source because it was made decades after and not narrated on first-hand accounts.

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This encyclopedia is another secondary source because it took information from something else to write this in the encyclopedia. It talks about how The Beatles performed on "The Ed Sullivan Show" and how it rocked the Billboard list, holding the top five slots for top sellers.

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THE BEATLES Formed: 1957, Liverpool, England [1]; Disbanded 1970 Members: George Harold Harrison, lead guitar, vocals (born Liverpool, England, 25 February 1943; died Los Angeles [2], California [3], 29 November 2001); John Winston (later changed to Ono) Lennon, rhythm guitar, harmonica, voca

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This source is an article created by the "Internet Beatles Album" on the Beatles' performance on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. It talks about the excitement that people had in reaction to the performance. This article is a secondary source because it tells us about an event that took place years before.

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(J) Article of The Story Behind The Beatles on Ed Sullivan

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(J) Article of The Story Behind The Beatles on Ed Sullivan

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Glass Onion

Every Little Thing

Dear Sir or Madam...

The John Lennon Series
by Jude Southerland Kessler

Hello, Goodbye

Comment? Question?
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The Story Behind The Beatles on Ed Sullivan

by Bruce Spizer, Beatles author and historian

On Sunday, Feb. 9, 1964, over 73 million Americans gathered around television sets to see what all the excitement was about. For several weeks American radio stations had been saturating the airwaves with Beatles music. The power of radio had led to sales of millions of Beatles singles and albums. For weeks, the country had been warned "The Beatles Are Coming!" The American press picked up on the story, with several magazines and newspapers running feature stories on the group. Two days earlier, CBS and ABC showed film of The Beatles' arrival in America at New York's Kennedy Airport on their evening news shows. But the big event was The Beatles' first live appearance on American television, which took place on the country's most popular variety program, "The Ed Sullivan Show".

The excitement began shortly after 8 p.m. EST when Sullivan gave his famous introduction: "Now yesterday and today our theater's been jammed with newspapermen and hundreds of photographers from all over the nation, and these veterans agreed with me that the city never has the excitement stirred by these youngsters from Liverpool, who call themselves The Beatles. Now tonight, you're gonna twice be entertained by them. Right now, and again in the second half of our show. Ladies and gentlemen, The Beatles. Let's bring them on."

Sullivan's last words were drowned out by the screaming young girls in attendance at CBS Studio 50. After Paul McCartney's count-in, the group opened with one of the more popular tracks from their Capitol album, "All My Loving". It was an energetic performance that showed The Beatles had total command of the situation. The girls yelled and bounced in their seats for the entire song. Upon its completion, the crowd screamed even louder and wildly applauded as the group bow in unison.

Paul took the spotlight again on "Till There Was You". A lovely ballad from "The Music Man" that even the adults in the audience could appreciate. Although the girls were quiet at first, the screaming resumed early on, with one youngster shouting "Ringo" as George Harrison took a solo on his Gretsch Country Gentleman guitar. During the song, the camera focused on each member of the group, with his first name superimposed on the screen. When it came time for John Lennon, "SORRY GIRLS, HE'S MARRIED" appeared below his name. The relative calm of the ballad was quickly shattered by a rocking version of "She Loves You" that provided a bold demonstration of the big beat sound. The loudest screams occurred each time John, Paul, and George went "Woooo" and shook their heads. When it was over, The Beatles took their customary bow.

Thirty-five minutes later, Sullivan introduced the group's second segment with a simple, "Ladies and gentlemen, once again." The Beatles then played boot-tapping versions of both sides of their Capitol single, "I Saw Her Standing There" and the No. 1 hit "I Want to Hold Your Hand." During these songs, as well as the earlier performances, the cameramen did a superb job of capturing The Beatles and the excitement of the event despite being unable to hear the director's instructions through their headphones over the screaming girls. The last song effectively mixed long shots, close-ups, crowd shots and a move in and out on drummer Ringo Starr by a mobile crane camera.

After taking their bows, John, Paul and George removed their instruments and Ringo jumped down from his drum riser. The group then headed over to Sullivan to shake hands and wave to the crowd.

For many, The Beatles on "The Ed Sullivan Show" was a defining moment comparable to "Where were you when Kennedy was shot?" or man's first steps on the moon. The powerful sounds and images of those performances are forever embedded in our minds. For 40 years, the story of The Beatles on Sullivan has been told in countless books, articles and documentaries, but often with myths and misinformation.

The official version of how Ed Sullivan learned about The Beatles begins on Oct. 31, 1963. On that day, Sullivan and his wife were at London Airport. It was an unusually busy day at the airport with the prime minister due to fly out and contestants for the Miss World contest (being held that year in London) arriving. Although the city was experiencing a heavy rainstorm that day more than 1,500 youngsters lined the rooftop gardens of the Queen's Building and others congregated on the ground. Sullivan asked what all the commotion was about and was informed that it was for The Beatles, who were returning from a tour of Sweden. He replied, "Who the hell are The Beatles?" Sullivan was told that the Beatles were a well-known pop group. Although Sullivan would later claim that the incident caused him to immediately inquire into booking The Beatles on his show, the true story is a bit more involved.

Jack Babb, who was the talent coordinator for the Sullivan show, spent his summers in Europe checking out potential acts for the program. He was assisted by Peter Prichard, a London theatrical agent who was also employed by Sullivan as his European talent coordinator. Prichard became good friends with Sullivan and Babb. He also knew Beatles manager Brian Epstein, who sometimes called him for advice.

During the summer of 1963, Prichard took Babb to see The Beatles on at least one occasion. Although The Beatles were developing a following on the British concert circuit and had two No. 1 singles and a chart-topping album, the group had yet to become part of the national consciousness. Because no British pop act had ever achieved prolonged success in America, neither Prichard nor Babb gave consideration to booking The Beatles on the Sullivan show.

By September 1963, The Beatles were gaining coverage in the British press and were receiving tremendous radio and television exposure. But their big break through was a widely-watched and well-publicized television appearance on "Val Parnell's Sunday Night at the London Palladium", which was televised throughout the U.K. during prime time Sunday evening and was the British equivalent of "The Ed Sullivan Show". The Beatles headlined the Oct. 13, 1963, Palladium show, which was seen by more than 15 million people. The bedlam caused by the group both inside and outside the theater caught the attention of British news editors, who elevated The Beatles from a successful entertainment act to a national news phenomenon. The Daily Mirror described the hysteria as "Beatlemania!" The term stuck.

The Beatles' triumphant Palladium appearance was quickly followed by the Oct. 31 airport reception witnessed by Sullivan and their playing before British high society at the Royal Command Performance, also known as the Royal Variety Show. Their presence on the Nov. 4, 1963, show drew more attention than the arrival of Royal Family. The Beatles, who were seventh on the bill of 19 acts, impressed the upscale crowd with "She Loves You", "Till There Was You", "From Me To You" and "Twist and Show". Prior to ripping into a rousing rendition of their closing rocker, Lennon said, "For our last number I'd like to ask your help. Would the people in the cheaper seats clap your hands? And the rest of you, if you'll just rattle your jewelry." While Epstein viewed John's remarks as being a bit risque, he was relieved that the crowd seemed charmed by the Beatle's cheeky humor. Before the show, John had joked to Brian that he was going to ask the Royals to rattle their "fookin' jewelry."

The next day Epstein headed to New York with Billy J. Kramer, a 20-year-old singer who was one of the other acts he managed. The primary purpose of the visit was to promote Kramer, whom Epstein hoped would develop into a successful cabaret crooner capable of headlining shows in New York and Las Vegas. The other purpose of his visit was to explore why The Beatles hadn't "happened" in America and, more important, perhaps do something about it by "spreading the gospel of The Beatles in the U.S.A."

Prior to leaving for New York, Epstein was contacted by Prichard, who said he should try to get The Beatles on "The Ed Sullivan Show" and offered to negotiate a deal. When Brian said that he would rather handle the negotiations himself, Prichard told Brian to call him when he got to New York so that he could set up a meeting with Sullivan.

As Epstein's plane was heading to New York, Prichard began workout his pitch to Sullivan for The Beatles. He later called Sullivan and gave him a report on the Royal Variety Show. Prichard mentioned the tremendous response The Beatles received and recommended that Sullivan book The Beatles for his show. Sullivan, remembering the large crowd at London Airport, was interested, but needed an angle to promote the group, which at the time was still unknown in America. Prichard informed Sullivan that The Beatles were the first "long haired boys" to be invited to appear before the Queen of England. That convinced Sullivan to consider the group for his show.

Epstein's 1963 appointment book indicates he met with Sullivan at his suite at the Delmonico Hotel on Monday, Nov. 11. This was followed by a 5 p.m. dinner meeting the next day at the Delmonico Hotel's restaurant.

The initial meeting was apparently attended only by Epstein and Sullivan. They tentatively agreed that The Beatles would appear on Sullivan's Feb. 9, 1964, show live from New York, and then the following week on a special remote show broadcast live from th4e Deauville Hotel in Miami Beach. Bob Precht, Sullivan's son-in-law and producer, was asked to attend the second meeting during which the deal was finalized. Upon his arrival at the Delmonico, Precht was introduced to Epstein and told by Sullivan that the manager had a great group of youngsters who were going to be "really big".

Although Sullivan paid up to $10,000 for a single performance, he offered Brian $3,500 for each show. He agreed to pay the group's transportation and lodging. Realizing the importance of having his boys on the Sullivan show, Brian agreed to the deal provided The Beatles received top billing. Although Brian claimed Sullivan gave in to this demand, it is unlikely that Sullivan did more than agree to consider top billing for the group. By the time the first show aired three months later, Sullivan eagerly promoted The Beatles as the headline act. However, Mitzi Gaynor received top billing for the Miami Beach Show. Precht suggest that in addition to the two live programs, The Beatles should tape a performance for alter broadcast. The parties agreed on a payment of $3,000 for the taped segment, thus bringing the total for the three shows to $10,000. As was often the case with Epstein's negotiations, the deal was then sealed with a handshake.

After leaving the meeting, Precht began having second thoughts about featuring the unknown British band on the show and called Sullivan at his suite to voice his concerns. Sullivan assured him that he felt it was worth the investment. And that ended the matter. The decision had been made. Sullivan later told The New York Times, "I made up my mind that this was the same sort of mass hit hysteria that had characterized the Elvis Presley days."

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This article is Copyright © 2006, Bruce Spizer, and may not be reproduced on other web sites or in print, in whole or in part, without expressed permission.

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The Story Behind The Beatles on Ed Sullivan - Internet Beatles Album

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Glass Onion Every Little Thing Dear Sir or Madam... The John Lennon Seriesby Jude Southerland Kessler Hello, Goodbye Comment? Question? Email us. The Story Behind The Beatles on Ed Sullivanby Bruce Spizer, Beatles author and historian On Sunday, Feb. 9, 1964, over 73 million Americans gathered around television sets to see what all the excitement was about.