Beatles in Miami: 2. Buddy Dresner and Beatles Photos

 The Beatles had a police escort throughout their stay in the form of Buddy Dresner. This included having a meal at his home, shown here on his son's website. Buddy's wife Dottie was quoted in this article in the Fort Lauderdale News, 26.10.86:

The Miami Herald, 8.12.85 (by Joel Achenbach) and The Palm Beach Post, 13.4.90, had good interviews with Dresner:

There is a long video interview with Buddy here. He recalls that Morris Lansburgh took the group to see Don Rickles in the Musketeer Room of the Deauville Hotel (Miami News, 13.2.64).

Buddy's son speculates in the interview that the line "And so I quit the police department" in 'She Came In Through The Bathroom Window' may have been inspired by Dresner being ribbed by Rickles in that performance. It is supported by this out-take (at 1:20 "get a job cop" is a piece of banter that The Beatles might have used to tease Dresner in Miami) and also by Paul's comments on Rickles here. Buddy also states that one of Ruth Regina's jobs was to blow-dry The Beatles' hair after they came back from the beach or pool and took showers (Regina, whose salon had been in Miami since 1948 and was based at 7437 Collins Avenue, had been contracted by CBS, and would subsequently work on the Jackie Gleason American Scene Magazine show after it switched to Miami in 1964: Miami Herald, 8.2.64; Miami News, 27.12.64). Another of Regina's roles was to put Cynthia in a wig when she needed to be disguised.

Buddy claimed also that the hotel rooms were allocated by CBS and that The Beatles ate dessert before the other courses instead of at the end. They were unfamiliar with gefilte fish. John discussed the Vietnam War with Buddy, who was hawkish at that time and blamed the British for their treatment of Israel in the 1940s. Ringo did not like swimming or spicy food (perhaps related to his childhood illnesses).

This collection of photos comes from the Miami News, 4.2.84:

There are more photos on Barry Dresner's website here.

Ringo took photos himself but this one has been found to have been taken in New York, not Miami.

The original plan had been for The Beatles to stay at the Deauville for 84 hours (Miami Herald, 14.2.64) but the group decided to extend their stay in Miami to February 21st. They spent a couple of days water-skiing off Star Island (Paul had learned how to water-ski while on holiday in Corfu). They were sneaked out of the hotel in large laundry carts and visited the home of Mr and Mrs Malachi Garvey (Mal died in 2010). They had previously spent time on the boat of Bernard Castro.

Beatles in Miami: 1. Arrival on February 13, 1964

 Arrangements for their arrival are contained in a telegram from Deauville Hotel manager Morris Lansburgh to Ed Sullivan, 10.2.64 [https://pbase.com/donboyd/memories_music_radio_new]:

Lansburgh owned and ran the hotel with Sam Cohen. Both were jailed in 1973 for mob activities (Tampa Bay Times, 28.4.73.

Policing arrangements were contained in this letter [source]:

The following details are from the Miami Herald, 14.2.64.

The Beatles traveled on a National Airlines DC-8 and landed just before 4pm at Gate 27. Carol Snary, a stewardess, said 80 passengers collected 240 autographs, while Ringo slept due to exhaustion. Teenagers stood on airport countertops and smashed up several fibreglass chairs and jalousies. A ground-floor window was also smashed. Fans threw jelly beans on the concrete apron. The Herald estimated that 7,000 teenagers were at the airport, packing Concourse 3. 

The Beatles were driven away in two limousines, rented at $11 an hour. Seven girls received medical attention for cuts and scratches. Chief of Police Rocky Pomerance (obituary) blamed radio stations WQAM and WFUN (Larry Kane's station) for stirring up the kids. The Herald also reported that Ruth Regina would be doing the band's make-up.

When Ringo arrived at the hotel, he was greeted by one of his female friends, Kitty, whom he had met in Sweden (Orlando Sentinel, 14.2.64):

The Beatles were interviewed at the hotel by Sheila Moran of the Sun Sentinel.

I believe Moran later wrote for the Los Angeles Times, such as here, but I have no trace of her after 1981.

The Miami News 14.2.64 reported that The Beatles had dinner in their rooms at 8.30pm while officer Joe Basler and Pinkerton agent Ken Davis patrolled the lobby (black and white carpet). At 11.00pm they went with tour manager Brian Somerville and security guard Police Sgt. Buddy Dresner to the Peppermint Lounge, where the headline act was Hank Ballard & The Midnighters:

Next stop was the Wreck Bar of the Castaways Motel, 16375 Collins Ave. This bar was opened in the basement in 1957 and had a licence to sell liquor until 5am (Miami Herald, 26.6.2006). The architect who built The Castaways, Charles McKirahan, was killed on February 12, 1964, when his car swerved off the Turnpike at 70mph into a concrete bridge abutment (Miami Herald, 14.2.64).

In the Miami News, (photos online) airport director Alan C Stewart estimated the damage caused by fans at $2,000 and, echoing the Police Chief, blamed the radio stations for creating the frenzy. However, WQAM Operations Manager Charlie Murdoch claimed that the station had urged students not to skip school.

Beatles 1964 US Tour Part 7: Local Florida Issues

 Jacksonville secured a major scoop when it signed up The Beatles. Miami and Tampa had also expressed an interest in hosting the group, galvanized by fan pressure and the interests of local radio. Tampa's spark was a letter from 11 year old Debra [Debbie] Stilley, described by Patrick Kelly in the Tampa Tribune of 12.7.64, p.19-A:

It is notable that Tampa's elite was taking The Beatles seriously as a cultural force, even though Florida's newspapers still assumed their mature readers did not rate The Beatles as songwriters or musicians. The same article goes on to describe the Tribune's first correspondence with The Beatles' US representatives in New York:

The other "Southern city" was Kansas City, discussed here and here, whose promoter Charles O. Finley eventually got the group for $150,000 but made a loss.

By July 22, the mayor, Nick Nuccio, had written directly to Brian Epstein, as reported again by Kelly (Tampa Tribune, p.2-B).

Nuccio's plea had an amusing fate. At the Jacksonville press conference on September 11, Derek Taylor handed Paul McCartney the keys to the city on Nuccio's behalf but mispronounced Nuccio's name twice (see Carol Stubbe's report here). At the same press conference, available on Youtube, Jean Morris asks John Lennon about coming to Tampa (from: 1:06). 

Three fans who believed that Nuccio had gained them access to the press conference were turned away disappointed (Tampa Times, 14.9.64, p.5-D)

Snobbery was still expressed in many quarters. Many newspapers refused to review the book edition of "A Hard Day's Night", or "Love Letters To the Beatles", published mid-July 1964, edited by Bill Adler, including the Miami Herald on August 30th, which made a point of snubbing both. 

Radio stations played a far more supportive role but were also competitive. Sponsor WAPE in Jacksonville discouraged Tampa from trying to host a Beatles concert, and showed its proprietorial rights by having its logo on the tickets. However, radio stations in Tampa and Miami, such as WALT and WFUN, among others, supplied trains and planes to the concert. My thanks to Courtney O'Connell for supplying these:

Larry Kane's station WFUN gave away 100 tickets for Florida Tours super constellation flight to the concert (Miami News, 19.9.64, p.8-B). Rival station WQAM reportedly gave away 123 tickets (Miami News, 12.9.64, p.3-A).

Beatles 1964 US Tour Part 6: Jacksonville, FL, 11.9.64

 Jacksonville was a difficult experience for The Beatles in several respects. The wind was still strong from the outer edge of Hurricane Dora; other Florida cities, such as Tampa, wanted to grab a part of the prestige of The Beatles being in the state; the group's management had to demand that the audience not be segregated and that unauthorized filming equipment be removed; and they had to join a union in order to be allowed to perform (1):

The group's act was described by Courtenay O'Connell, 13, the granddaughter of Arthur Sears Henning (who had a prominent journalism career in Chicago, such as here). Courtenay was hired by The St. Petersburg Times for the concert after sending a letter to the paper (2, 3):

The Tampa Tribune sent another 13 year old, Carol Stubbe, who was able to witness Paul accepting the keys to the city at the press conference: (4)

Photos from the concert can be seen here (5):

(1) Miami Herald, 12.8.64, p. 2-B.

(2) St Petersburg Times, 11.9.64, pp. 1-B, 15-B.

(3) St Petersburg Times, 13.9.64, pp. 1-B, 3-B.

(4) Tampa Tribune, 14.9.64, pp. 1-B, 2-B.

(5) Miami News, Final Home Edition, 12.9.64, pp. 1, 3A.

Beatles 1964 US Tour Part 5: Key West, 9.11.64 to 11.9.64

 After being diverted from their planned Jacksonville stay by Hurricane Dora, The Beatles had an unscheduled rest at the Key Wester Motel on September 9-11, 1964. An aerial view of the motel can be seen here. It can be seen that the motel was sandwiched between the airport and the ocean, which is becalmed by the protection of a coral reef. The perimeter road is South Roosevelt Boulevard. The motel had been built in 1951 by Charles Helberg and Benjamin Kilpatrick. Helberg died on January 30, 1967, in the motel.

Larry Kane states that, "Not a creature was stirring at 4 a.m. when the plane touched down, other than a few police officers, a representative from the hotel and a handful of fans, who kept their distance."(1) This was due to Kane agreeing with Brian Epstein to delay telling WFUN about the diversion until 9am. However, the Miami News stated that the arrival time was 3.30am and that 500 fans were in attendance (2):

On Thursday September 10, The Beatles' clothing went to the laundry and "John Ringo" bought a shirt (3):

Fans had gathered in large numbers by Thursday (4):

However, The Beatles were able to take a drive up the Keys, with John getting all the way to Key Largo, a trip of over 90 miles (5).

(1) Kane, Larry. A Ticket to Ride: Inside the Beatles' 1964 Tour That Changed the World (Kindle Locations 1851-1853). Dynamic Images, Inc.. Kindle Edition.
(2) Miami News, 9.9.64, p.5
(3) Palm Beach Post, 11.9.64, p.48.
(4) Miami Herald, 11.9.64, p.8-B
(5) Miami Herald, 12.9.64, p.1-B

Beatles 1964 US Tour Part 4: Use Of An Anti-Jewish Slur

Larry Kane's tour memoir, Ticket To Ride, contains an unsettling revelation about the use of the word 'kike' by a Beatle in 1964. British journalist Ivor Davis summarized the incident here:

"I was sitting next to Jewish journalist Larry Kane on the plane and he got upset when he heard the word 'kike' coming from where The Beatles were sitting.

"I challenged Derek Taylor as to who it was, even though I knew it was John.

"He had a very black sense of humour - I remember being in a hotel suite with him while he performed Hitler salutes. It peed Brian off and he used to tell him off.

"I know it sounds as though John was antisemitic, but I don't think he was - he just satirised, rather wickedly, whatever he fancied."

Kane gave this account in an article for Esquire in 2014:

Another time, we were flying to Seattle and I sat about five rows from where they were in the back and I heard someone say the word kike. I don't know what made me do this, but some things sort of make you explode. So I got up, went to the back, and said, "I'm not going to take that kind of shit." I know they weren't talking about me, but I grew up in a very bigoted environment in southwest Miami and I was unhappy. So I went back to my seat and everybody on the plane was like, "Oh my God, what's going on?" John, George, and Ringo each individually came up to me and sort of leaned down and explained they were being silly and apologized. Paul came by and said, "You okay?" I still felt weird about it days later.

Interestingly, Kane feels that this helped his bond with Taylor and The Beatles. Immediately after he had complained on the plane, Lennon made amends:

we had a relaxed and compassionate conversation about the roots of prejudice in Liverpool. It was a good talk. As we spoke, Ringo and George walked by. Ringo gave a wink, and George just said, "How you doing, Larry?" Paul didn’t make a special trip. He did pass by on the way to the bathroom and said, "Great working with you, Larry." It was, I interpreted, his way of smoothing the episode over. I felt good, but still self-conscious that I had responded so aggressively. Whatever the roots of the prejudice, and whatever the reasons someone had spoken that word, I knew I would never hear it again for the remainder of the tour. And this incident did something else; it showed me that the Beatles possessed genuine compassion and feeling [Kane, Larry. A Ticket to Ride: Inside the Beatles' 1964 Tour That Changed the World (Kindle Locations 687-693). Dynamic Images, Inc.. Kindle Edition]. 

On Taylor, he reveals that:

Two years later, Derek, who was by then the former Beatles press secretary (he was released after the 1964 tour by Brian Epstein), accompanied another rock group, the Byrds, on a publicity tour to Miami. At a private dinner with me, he brought up the subject. I had long forgotten, but Derek had not. He confirmed that he wasn’t the one who had said the word and that the boys had been embarrassed. When I asked him who’d said it, he changed the subject. 

He concludes:

In a strange way, this episode added to the familiarity developing between the Beatles and me. Certainly such episodes weren’t the best way to get acquainted, but sometimes adversity can bring people closer [Kane, Kindle Locations 695-699].

Lennon had a tendency to take his anger and sense of humour out on Jews up to his death. In his December 1970 interview with Jann Wenner, Lennon said, "Eastman is a Wasp Jew, man, and that’s the worst kind of person on earth." In his September 1980 Playboy interview, he jests about the "Jewish schmaltz" of Sid Bernstein and jokes to Yoko about the time "when you went to the meeting with the ten Jewish lawyers wearing an Arab headdress that we brought back from the pyramids (Sheff, pages 12 and 79)." However, I am inclined to agree with Ivor Davis that, rather than being antisemitic, Lennon "just satirised, rather wickedly, whatever he fancied."

Beatles 1964 US Tour Part 3: Las Vegas, 20.8.64

 The background to the booking of this leg of the tour has been provided by John Romero:

When I asked Sahara Director of Entertainment Stan Irwin how he won the Beatles, he gave me one of those professional looks and said, “Simple.” And it was—if you had his straight ahead gut instinct. Here’s Stan the Man to tell you the whole story:   

“There was a guy named Roy Gerber, a theatrical agent based in New York. He was also my agent when I did standup comedy. Roy represented the General Artists Corporation, which no longer exists, and he was always scrambling around looking for clients.  

“So GAC got word to Roy that the Beatles wanted to see Las Vegas and play a date there, and he and his partner, Norman Weis, grabbed the next plane. Roy once had a Las Vegas office and knew all the right people in the entertainment business.  

“When booking agents came to Las Vegas in those days (1964) they’d start with the closest hotel to the airport and work north down the Strip. So from the Tropicana on, Roy and Norm worked the major casinos. Later they told me they got the same answer everywhere—only a handful of talent bookers had ever heard of the Beatles. Crazy, isn’t it? The Beatles played the Ed Sullivan TV show in February, just four months earlier, and 73 million people watched them. Or maybe it was 73 million kids. Anyway, Roy and Norm talked to Desert Inn publicist Gene Murphy, who told them there was a new young guy at the Sahara who might be interested. I was that ‘new young guy.’ 

“I’d been a standup comic at the old Club Bingo in 1949. Then they put me in charge of entertainment, publicity, promotion and advertising. So when the Bingo was rebuilt and named the Sahara in l952, they asked me to come back as the entertainment director—and I accepted.  

“When Roy came in and mentioned the Beatles, I said ‘British guys, pretty good,’ and I thought he’d fall over. After a few seconds I said okay, I’ll take them, but I want them for two shows. And since the boys seldom worked two shows in a night, Roy had to do some convincing. Finally the Beatles agreed.  

“I’d been thinking of putting them in our main showroom, the Congo Room, but it held just 600 and there was no way to get any more seats in the place. I said, Hold it, these guys belong in the Convention Center, and I rushed over there to check the seating. They told me they could put 7,000 a show in the rotunda. I said that was still too small, and asked for the balcony, too. They agreed, and that pushed the total seating for each show to 8,408." 

Romero, John. Las Vegas, the Untold Stories: ...That Made Sin City the Entertainment Capital of the World (Kindle Locations 1583-1603). Abbott Press. Kindle Edition. 

Did this perhaps make the venue unsafe? According to Mitch McGeary's website:

8,408 people were put in an Arena designed to hold 7,500 people per show. Patrons were put behind the stage to make this possible, and the fire laws were taken to the Nth degree as far as spacing between aisles and seating.

One of the inducements for the Beatles to come to Las Vegas was that they wanted to see Las Vegas. What they saw was the airport, a limousine, a hotel, the Convention Center, the hotel, a limousine, and the airport. Because the Beatles wouldn't be seeing any of Las Vegas, slot machines were brought up to their suite for them. It wasn't a manner of win or lose, they just wanted to see what it was like.

Newspaper reports give details of The Beatles' arrival (1):

Unknown to The Beatles, the authorities received a bomb threat (2)

On payment, Romero says: “We paid them $25,000, priced the top ticket at $25 and the lowest price at $12.50. The Sahara netted $52,000 on ticket sales. Not bad for booking a group even our regular clientele had never heard of.” (Kindle Locations 1621-1623).

(1) Boston Globe, 20.08.64, p.27.

(2) Hanford Sentinel, 21.08.64, p.2.