Aug. 25, 1964 - The Beatles are scheduled to leave Los Angeles tomorrow for Denver after a frenzied three-day visit that left thousands of teenage fans emotionally exhausted and security officers just plain exhausted.
The last 24 hours were the worst for the Bel-Air Patrol and L.A. police charged with holding back a guerrilla-like army of young fans who had discovered the Beatle sanctuary — a rented mansion in the Bel-Air hills.
Inside the two-acre estate, the four British musicians slept, ate, swam, and played cowboys and Indians with toy pistols, while outside hundreds of fans sought to infiltrate the hideaway.
Clutching transistor radios blaring Beatle music, the determined hordes climbed trees, squirmed under gates, and tried to scale walls for a glimpse of their idols. Two girls from Huntington Beach were hauled off a laundry truck just as it rolled through the gates.
Meanwhile, the Beatles were enjoying what their agents called their first “holiday” in weeks.
They slept later after an all-night party, then bounded out of bed to dip in the pool and staged a mock shootout with toy pistols sent over by Elvis Presley, another idol of the teenagers.
Celebrated for their elegant Victorian outfits, Paul, John, Ringo, and George made a strange scene, dashing about the modern Bel-Air mansion with holsters and the other trappings of the Wild West.
Everybody — the cook, the butler, the two maids, and the houseboy supplied by the Casserole Catering Service, as well as patrolmen — said the Beatles were polite and gentlemanly lads.
Support this project at patreon.com/realtime1960s
Comments