Ottawa Journal's "Hit Parade"
January 18, 1964

FLASHBACK -- A MEDIA PERSEPECTIVE ON THE MANIA AND THE ADVERTISING!!!

The Saturday Evening Post reports in their March 21, 1964 edition: "These are the Beatles, four young men who brought with them to America a phenomenon known as Beatlemania. So far, Beatlemania has traveled over two continents. In Stockholm the arrival of the Beatles was greeted with teen-age riots. In Paris another congregation held screeching services at the airport and the Beatles' performances at the Olympia Theatre were sold out for three weeks. In the Beatles' native Liverpool 60 youngsters collapsed from exposure after standing all night in a mile-long line of 12,000 waiting to buy tickets to the Beatles performance. When a foreman shut off the radio in the middle of a Beatles record at a textile mill in Lancashire, 200 girls went out on strike."

Regarding the advertising from Capitol Records in the USA, the company "poured $50,000 into a promotional campaign." Claimed Capitol's V.P. Voyle Gilmore: "Sure there was a lot of hype, but all the hype in the world isn't going to sell a bad product."

Ottawa Journal's "Hit Parade"
January 25, 1964

Slot #	Song Title	Artist
1.	THERE! I'VE SAID IT AGAIN (1)	BOBBY VINTON
2.	ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN (5)	THE BEATLES
3.	FORGET HIM (2)	BOBBY RYDELL
4.	SURFIN' BIRD (10)	THE TRASHMEN
5.	SHE LOVES YOU (27)	THE BEATLES
6.	AS USUAL (7)	BRENDA LEE
7.	DON'T HAVE TO BE A BABY (4)	THE CARAVELLES
8.	DOMINIQUE (3)	THE SINGING NUN
9.	LOODY LO / HOOKA TOOKA (9)	CHUBBY CHECKER
10.	HEY LITTLE COBRA (13)	THE RIPCHORDS
11.	DAISY PETAL PICKING (11)	JIMMY GILMER
12.	I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND (-)	THE BEATLES
13.	MOVE OVER DARLING (23)	DORIS DAY
14.	WHISPERING (18)	N. TEMPO AND A. STEVENS
15.	EVERYBODY (6)	TOMMY ROE
16.	POPSICLES AND ICICLES (14)	THE MURMAIDS
17.	FOR YOU (20)	RICK NELSON
18.	I'M LEAVING IT UP TO YOU (12)	DALE AND GRACE
19.	MOVE OVER (22)	BOBBY CURTOLA
20.	YOU DON'T OWN ME (40)	LESLEY GORE

Ottawa Journal's "Hit Parade"
February 1, 1964

FLASHBACK -- BEATLES HUMOR SHINES!

Ottawa Journal's "Hit Parade"
February 8, 1964

FLASHBACK -- Though teenage fans really went wild for the Beatles, the Milwaukee Sentinel newspaper's editorial declared: "Fortress America has been breached. The Beatles, unkempt, untalented, lunatic noisemakers, are inside our gates. The kindest thing we can say about their homeland is that here is the final crushing evidence that the sun has set on the British Empire."

Ottawa Journal's "Hit Parade"
February 15, 1964

FLASHBACK -- Mrs A.C. McMillan, an elderly woman, had this to say when she sent in her letter to The Ottawa Journal regarding the Beatles appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show:

"Sirs: -- After watching the Beatles on the Sullivan Show last Sunday, may I put in my two cents' worth opinion?

I think they are four clever and intelligent young men who have gotten together and are satirizing all guitar-strumming and wailing ones who have preceded them, the public has fallen for it.

I am in my seventies but enjoyed the boys for themselves not for the show they put on." MRS. A.C. McMILLAN. 5 Raleigh Street, Ottawa.

Ottawa Journal's "Hit Parade"
February 22, 1964

FLASHBACK -- Locally, Canadian Beatle album "TWIST AND SHOUT" went on sale at Sherman's Musicland, Metropolitan Store Record Department, Zeller's Limited regularly priced for $4.20. Another retailer, Simpson-Sears would eventually sell this album and "BEATLEMANIA! WITH THE BEATLES" at a specially reduced price of $2.99 offered for a limited time only.

Meanwhile, on other related local news, an "all-girl" band called "THE LADYBUGS", entertained Ottawa area teens with their impressions of the Beatles. The girls names were: Sharon Presley (Paul), Colleen Presley (George), Bonnie Lee (John) and Carmela Licandro (Ringo).

Ottawa Journal's "Hit Parade"
February 29, 1964

FLASHBACK -- BEATLEMANIA! WHAT WAS THE FUSS ALL ABOUT?

Beatle author Brian Kendall reports that "across Canada, teenage boys started combing their hair down in front, Beatle-style. Outraged school principals banned the look because of its so-called disruptive influence. Four boys attending Ottawa's Lisgar Collegiate were ordered to comb their hair differently or stay at home. The principal at Vancouver's St. George's school told an offender that he could keep the new style if he also wore short pants to show how immature he was. F.L. Burnham, principal of Sir Winston Churchill School in Vancouver, explained that he couldn't permit anything outlandish that might cause giggling and other foolery in class."

Kendall went on to report in his book: "No act in entertainment history had ever made this type of impact -- not Frank Sinatra, not even Elvis Presley when he exploded onto the scene several years ago." Meanwhile, New York Times reporter John A. Osmundsen outlined the psychologists and psychiatrists viewpoints regarding the sociological impact of the Beatles as being symbols of: 1) "Adolescent revolt against parental authority;" 2) "Status that comes from belonging to a group (of other Beatlemaniacs); 3) "Sex, both from the supposed erotic nature of The Beatles' music and the way they perform it and from the appeal they seem to have the "mother instinct." 4) "Success by persons who are seen as fellow teenagers (although none of The Beatles is under 21 years of age) and as "underdogs" who came from the wrong side of the tracks and have made good." 5) "The frenetically felt urgency for having a good time and living life fast in an uncertain world plagued with mortal dangers."

"Any or all of those explanations of Beatlemania may be more or less correct..."

Ottawa Journal's "Hit Parade"
March 7, 1964

FLASHBACK -- Did we ever imagine, for one moment back then, that all of our Beatle records and memorabilia would one day be worth a lot of money? Not a chance! But one Beatle collector who seemed to "go over-the-top" as it were, scooped up a lot Beatle memorabilia. The AP news service reported on September 4, 1964 about a 16-year-old female fan by the name of Geone Regester for holding the record for most Beatle pictures: 8,820 of them! Said Geone Regester, "The have cost me about 50 pounds but the Beatles are worth every penny."

Ottawa Journal's "Hit Parade"
March 14, 1964

Ottawa Journal's "Hit Parade"
March 21, 1964

FLASHBACK -- Locally, the demand for Beatle albums was much greater than anticipated. The Ottawa Journal reported in their newspaper about a deal which was made between Capitol Records of Canada and the RCA Victor pressing plant in Smith Falls...RCA was contracted to work around-the-clock turning out Beatle records just to keep up with the demand from fans. On other news, nationally, the Beatles performed in three Canadian cities during their 1964 tour: Vancouver's "Empire Stadium" on August 22; Toronto's "Maple Leaf Gardens" on September 7; and Montreal's "The Forum" on September 8 (the first and only time they would play in Montreal because someone gave advance notice of intent to shoot Ringo! The Beatles honored the contract but never returned to Montreal to perform as result of the threat.)

Ottawa Journal's "Hit Parade"
March 28, 1964

FLASHBACK -- The Saturday Evening Post covered off an article on the Beatles for their August 8-15 edition which included coverage of "A Hard Day's Night", the Beatles first critically acclaimed major motion picture. On noting their international fame and success, then 34-year-old Alan Williams had this to say: "...the Beatles don't belong to Liverpool anymore, they belong to the world. You know, I used to manage the Beatles. It was all done on a handshake. One bloody nasty paper said I now cry myself to sleep. That's ridiculous. I couldn't have done what their present manager, Brian Epstein, did for them."

Ottawa Journal's "Hit Parade"
April 4, 1964

Ottawa Journal's "Hit Parade"
April 11, 1964

FLASHBACK -- Some of the items that were sold in EATON's "Beatle Bar" in Vancouver were: