The Beatles, Britain’s rock ‘n’ rollers with the haystack hairdos, blew up a teen age storm by arriving here.
At Kennedy Airport Friday, about 3,000 delirious, shrieking, hooky – playing youngsters, many of them carrying Beatle banners, strained against police baricades to welcome the singing, guitar-strumming quarlet.
It was mostly girls, girls, girls.
“I love them I love them!” cried one.
“They’re so cute!” said another
“Their singing tears me apart and lets out all frustrations” sighed a Brooklyn girl.
Pelted by jelly beans and candy kisses, all loving every bit of it, were Beatles Paul McCartney: 21, George Harrison, 21; Ringo Starr, 23 and John Lennon 23. Lennon’s pretty blonde wife Cynthia accompanied the group but stayed well in the background
The Beatles their records best sellers for months, were almost an American institution before they got here. Already on sale are Beatle wigs, boots, T-Shirts, sweatshirts, toss, pillows and scarves. I Britain, 20,000 rah-mop wigs have been sold.
The adulation of the Beatles is reminiscent of the grip Frank Sinatra had on teen-agers some years ago and, more recently, of Elvis Presley.
But when a newsmen described them as “four Elvis Presleys” the foursome shouted in unison “No, no no!”
The Beatles began their debut in a Liverpool jazz cellar 15 months ago for about $20 a week. They now command $10.000 a performance and are reputed to have earned $17 million.
Zooming into Manhattan, each in his own limousine, the Beatles created consternation at the staid old Plaza Hotel, where they’re staying. There was a screaming crowd waiting there, and foot patrolmen and mounted troops had to take over.
The Beatles appear Sunday night on television. On Tuesday they go to Washington for a concert. On Wednesday they will give two shows at New York’s Carnegie Hall – already sellouts. Another stop during their tour, which ends Feb. 17, is Miami Beach.
ads
[wp_ad_camp_2]
