Exactly Fifty Years + One Sunday Ago

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Mitzi McCall and Charlie Brill–
a husband & wife comedy team,
performed on Ed Sullivan Show
on February 9, 1964.

In rehearsal, Mr. Sullivan thought
their act was "too sophisticated 
for the mosty 14-year-old
audience."

McCall & Brill returned to their
dressing room. While "feverishly
reworking their routine."
But...

There was a knock on the door
and then they saw him
standing there.


“This darling kid,” says McCall [fifty years later], 
 says....‘Give us a Coke, luv.’ ”
 And Brill gave him a dime.

 The couple, only 23 years old themselves at the time,
 figured out he was with the band they had heard about.

“As he’s leaving, I look out the window at the crowd,”
 McCall says.

“Can you believe this is all for you?” she asked the young Brit,
 whom she later learned was John Lennon.

“And this cute kid said, ‘Ahh, it’s not for me. It’s for Ringo.’ ”

 The Beatles played two sets that night, and the comedy duo
 went on right before the second one.

“A lot of times during our act, I couldn’t hear Mitzi,” says Brill.
“The crowd was still yelling, screaming, hollering.”
“They didn’t want us,” McCall adds.
“It was like, ‘Who are those idiots? Get them off.
 We want to see our lads again.’ ”

-From the New York Post



The next Beatles' page is here.
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