For the first time in eleven years of using eBay, I have a problem with a purchase. I bought five copies of this fantastic photo of Prue Bury sitting between Pattie Boyd and John Lennon.
I waited ten days, then I checked eBay and saw that the seller was no longer registered. Not good. I wrote to him, and although the mail didn’t bounce he didn’t reply. I escalated this as a dispute in PayPal, then he suddenly appeared again on eBay. But now that I’m looking at his alleged positive feedback, it appears to all be fake.
At this point PayPal is expecting a reply from the seller, and if none is received within ten days I’ll supposedly get my money back. I’d rather have the picture, so I could post it here and send a copy to Prue. I am, of course, now on the lookout for another print of the same shot.
September 25th, 2009
The Beatles flood continues. In a perfect world, when the Beatles arrived in the United States for the first time they would have been followed by a film crew. What’s that? They were?? Incredible!
There’s a lot more footage available on YouTube, but here are ten interesting minutes I’ve edited, starting with their arrival on Friday, and ending when they left the Plaza Hotel suite on Sunday for CBS studios, and their famous appearance on Ed Sullivan’s variety show.
- At the airport press conference John says “we need money first” before they can sing. Later, Paul and Ringo seem to have no recollection of John’s quip.
- The reporters took the Beatles as a joke. It seems silly now that their hair was such a big deal.
- The boys appeared excited seeing themselves on TV.
- Walter Cronkite can be heard closing his CBS broadcast with news of the Beatles’ visit. Cronkite was one of the first American newscasters to feature the Beatles in 1963.
- The boys seemed genuinely tired from jet lag, discussing the time difference and the prospect of going out later. A hard day’s night.
- John really was very cutting when he felt he was suffering fools. Murray “the K” Kaufman, with his toupee, had no idea that “wacker” meant “a stupid person.”
- “Cyn” is, of course, John’s wife Cynthia. She’s told to watch Channel 2 at 8.
- John plays around with a mouth organ. Three years later, the tune would become the opening to “Strawberry Fields Forever.”
- Love the Pepsi transistor radios.
September 25th, 2009
