Cinderella 1964
By Helen Sadler
It was the most exciting time of my life. Barely a year out
of high school and I was lucky enough to be hired as an assistant to a stage
manager for The Ed Sullivan Show. My father knew this man, and when he
heard that I was young and eager to work in show business, he offered me a job
as a Gal Friday of sorts on the show. My boyfriend, he’s rather jealous you
know, said, “Diane, he just hired you because you wore that mohair sweater to
the interview.”
Men. They just don’t get it.
Anyway, I had graduated in June of 1963 and it was a year of
promise. We had this young, wonderful president, and he started the Apollo Space
Program. We were going to land on the moon! Let me tell you, it was the best
time to be young.
After high school I worked in a typing pool for an
architectural firm. It was pretty boring, and I daydreamed a lot. New York City was thrilling, and I was eager for something
exciting to happen to me. Although there weren’t tons of opportunities for
girls my age, I was determined to be a part of the action if I could. I had a lucky
rabbit's foot as a keychain just to keep that dream alive.
In November of 1963 our country had its saddest day when
John Kennedy was shot down. I
never thought something so terrible could happen. Our entire nation grieved,
especially when we saw his widow and the children left behind.
It was hard for me not to cry whenever I saw a picture of
them, and lots of people said the same thing. We were all in the dumps for while after that.
Even as something bad was happening in America, something crazy
was happening in England. There was this new musical group called the Beatles,
and they had everyone over there in hysterics. I saw the pictures on television
of the thousands of people at Heathrow Airport waiting for the Beatles to
return from a European tour. It was a madhouse. Girls screaming. Girls
fainting. Girls crashing fences. Police officers
-- I think they’re called bobbies there – everywhere, trying to control
the crowds. Pretty hopeless,
really.
And I heard their music. It was good. Different. Definitely
can dance to most of it. And after all the sad stuff we had been through, we
were ready for something new to take our minds off of the tragedy.
So back to my new job! I started at The Ed Sullivan Show in early February 1964. There was a lot of
excitement about what was going to happen that weekend. You see, the show was
done live, right there in New York, and the Beatles were scheduled to be on. I
had to work on Saturdays because that is when the first rehearsal was. Then on
Sunday I had to be there all day because there were more rehearsals and even a
taping for a later show. A lot was happening, and it was so keen to be part of
it all.
We got through all rehearsals, but I never got to see the
Beatles, except on the monitor. My boss kept me busy doing some minor paperwork
and running errands. My girlfriends had made me promise I would get autographs,
but I didn’t know if that was going to happen. Each of my friends liked a
different Beatle. My friend Maria, she liked John. She always goes for the bad
boys, the James Dean types. Mary Beth liked Ringo. She goes for the odd looking
guys. Patty likes Paul, of course; he is the cutest. But give me George any
time. The strong silent type! They say still waters run deep. That is George in
my eyes.
Sunday came, and things got pretty tense. Mr. Sullivan seems easygoing on T.V., but in reality he is a nervous wreck. He has to control everything. The theater only seats about 700 people, and they had over 50,000 requests for tickets. The Beatles were huge! Only a few fans actually got tickets, and they weren’t allowed to scream until the stage manager said so. They had to behave because this was Mr. Sullivan’s show, and they were not allowed to ruin it.
Now, Mr. Sullivan had always presented the best Rock 'n' Roll acts. I remember watching Bo Diddley, Elvis Presley, and Buddy Holly on
his show. He knew how to spot talent. But this American debut of the Beatles,
it was bigger than anything he had done before. They represented a huge change
in music, hair length, and fashion. Jack Paar had said they were the downfall
of British civilization. Most parents thought that it was just another fad. But
I knew what it really was. The beginning of Beatlemania!
Being at that time and place was amazing. I finally got to
get closer to the Beatles when they were ready to go on stage. There was a lot
of laughing and joking going on, much of it I couldn’t understand because of
their British humor and accents. They didn’t seem nervous at all! I didn’t want
to approach them for autographs. I was afraid I might get fired. I kept hoping
someone would introduce me, but everyone was too busy to notice.
Finally, they came out and sang. “All My Loving,” “Till
There Was You,” “She Loves You,” “I Saw Her Standing There.” And then my very
favorite: “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” I was mesmerized. I would not have even been able to tell you I was standing in the Ed
Sullivan Theater in New York City, USA. I was worlds away. I was staring at
Paul’s dimple, John’s smile, George’s gentle swaying, Ringo keeping the perfect beat. I was gripped by
Beatlemania at that moment, let me tell you, it was like hot and cold, fire and
rain all at one time. I had chills, yet I was sweating. I had to stifle a
scream. Really, it was that exciting.
Afterward, I felt dizzy. They walked right past me, and I
swear on a stack of bibles that George looked at me and smiled. My girlfriends
were mad that I didn’t get any autographs. I tried to explain. But there is no
explaining the unexplainable. And that night, February 9, 1964 was the epitome
of unexplainable.
I didn’t work for The
Ed Sullivan Show for very long. It turns out my boyfriend was right. I was
just hired for my looks and because the stage manager who knew my dad liked to
play around with young girls. And he was married. With kids! Sicko psycho. I
got fired when I refused to play along. Such is a woman’s life. But my mom says
that can change. She gave me a book to read by this woman called Betty Friedan.
Feminine Mystique? I don’t know.
Maybe things can change for us.
After all, the music did.
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