DAILY DIRT: Ed Sullivan’s music director felt the Beatles would last about a year

“You wouldn’t see this on Lawrence Welk,” my dad said of the Beatles’ performance … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,066 of The Daily Dirt

1. Next up on our list of most impactful events tied to rock music is The Beatles’ first appearance on U.S. national television, a Sunday night 60 years ago that forever altered the musical and pop culture landscapes.

No. 2: The Beatles’ first appearance on ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ “At approximately 8:12 p.m. Eastern time, Sunday, Feb. 9, 1964, ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ returned from a commercial — for Anacin, a pain reliever — and there was host Ed Sullivan standing before a restless crowd,” began one account. “He tried to begin his next introduction, but then stopped and extended his arms in the universal sign for ‘Settle Down.’ 

‘Quiet!’ he said with mock gravity, and the noise died down just a little.”

I’m old enough to remember this. I was watching with my parents, but neither mom or dad was especially worked up over seeing John, George, Paul and Ringo. But all of these years later I can still remember the excitement of that night.It is estimated that 73 million Americans were watching that evening as the Beatles made their live U.S. television debut. When Sullivan gave his now-famous intro, “Ladies and gentlemen … the Beatles!”, what followed was a rapturous cheering from the audience.The Beatles then kicked into “All My Lovin’,” and 50 seconds in, the first audience-reaction shot of the performance showed a teenage girl beaming and possibly hyperventilating. Two minutes later, Paul is singing “Til There Was You,” accompanied by screaming at the end of every phrase in the lyrics.And then came “She Loves You,” and the place seemed to explode. “What followed was perhaps the most important two minutes and 16 seconds of music ever broadcast on American television— a sequence that still sends chills down the spine of many almost half a century later,” one writer remembered.No live performance on TV had ever generated such energy, or response from an audience. Personally, one of the things I remember most was that it seemed as if the Beatles were simply mouthing the words to the song because the screaming of the audience was so loud. Even though I was nothing more than a wee lad, I just knew this was an important night and I was glad I was watching. (I also remember my dad complaining, “You wouldn’t see this on Lawrence Welk.”) 

Here are some other items associated with that historic night:

The Beatles had all of their expenses covered, along with being paid $10,000 apiece for their appearance. In today’s money, that would be about $100,000 per performer, which would still be a bargain.

The live TV audience consisted of about 700. The show had received more than 50,000 ticket requests.

Ironically, Davy Jones (yes, THAT Davy Jones) was also on the show that night, but not as part of The Monkees. Jones was performing with the cast of Broadway’s “Oliver!”. Jones played the Artful Dodger, first in London and then in New York, and ended up being nominated for a Tony for the role.

The band failed to impress Ed Sullivan’s musical director. The crowd (and most of America) may have been going crazy when The Beatles performed, but Ray Bloch —the program’s musical director — wasn’t as impressed. When asked for a comment about the performance by a reporter, Bloch was blunt: “The only thing that’s different is the hair, as far as I can see. I give them a year.”

This brings us to No. 1 on Monday, and I readily admit I tossed and turned between which moment I felt deserved the top. Please stop by tomorrow and find out.

2. Did you know (Part 130)

• That there are universal male rules that must be followed, starting with groaning when when you stand up or sit down, even if there is no pain whatsoever.
• That when you leave anywhere it is required you check your pockets to make sure all-important items — your keys, change — are there.
• That “the nod” is required when approaching another guy, downward if you do not know the fellow, upward if you do.
• That if the hood of a car is open, it is required for all guys in the vicinity to stand in a circle around it.
• That you must stand by your friend or host if he is grilling, and make comments about “how awesome” the piece of meat in question will be when it is done cooking.
• That you must let out a sigh of satisfaction when sitting down on a lawn chair.

3. I always look back at the summer and early fall of 1966 as when I truly “discovered” music and all the joy that goes with it. From that time of year, here are my 10 favorite songs:

• 1. “You Can’t Hurry Love,” by the Supremes.
• 2. “Pied Piper,” Crispian St. Peters.
• 3. “I’m A Believer,” by the Monkees.
• 4. “Good Lovin’,” by The Young Rascals.
• 5. “Reach Out, I’ll Be There,” by the Four Tops.
• 6. “My Love,” by Petula Clark.
• 7. “Ballad Of The Green Beret,” by Sgt. Barry Sadler.
• 8. “Poor Side Of Town,” by Johnny Rivers.
• 9. “Hanky Panky,” by Tommy James and the Shondells.
• 10. “(You’re My) Soul and Inspiration,” by the Righteous Brothers.

Steve Thought O’ The Day – On Jan. 24, 1969, I attended a Supremes concert at then-Ashland College (now Ashland University) in Ashland, Ohio. My ticket cost $3.50, and I was in the first 10 rows from stage. I could have (almost) reached out and touched Diana Ross.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News, your source to hear from people who hate The Beatles.