“The Beatles At Shea Stadium” is premiered on BBC 1

Beatles’ Give concert for TV

THE Beatles’ massive Shea Stadium, New York, concert is to be screened by BBC Television “Sometime in March.” The date is believed to be March 1, though this was not confirmed by BBC-TV at press time. The concert was filmed by 12 cameramen and lasts 50 minutes. It shows Beatlemania in America during the Beatles concert at the stadium last August. The decision about whether the film will be repeated on BBC-2 or even BBC-1 will be made after the first screening.

From Melody Maker – January 22, 1966

SHEA FILM REPEAT

“THE Beatles At Shea Stadium”, the 50-minute film of the group’s fantastic New York concert last summer, is to be repeated on BBC-TV, but no date has been set at present for the re-screening.

A spokesman for the BBC told the MM: “The film will be shown again, but we do not know when or on which channel — BBC-1 or BBC-2 — at present.“

No progress has been made in finding a suitable script for the Beatles’ third film, reports producer Walter Shenson.

“We are still looking for a suitable story,” he told the MM on Monday. “The Beatles have said, and I agree with them, that they don’t want to do a story that isn’t right. We have a contract to make a third film, it’s just a matter of finding the right script.’’

From Melody Maker – March 12, 1966

THE OFFICIAL BEATLES FAN CLUB

“THE BEATLES AT SHEA STADIUM Fan Club exclusive! Two unique souvenirs of the Beatles’ greatest-ever concert will be mailed free to members at the end of April. Full-colour photo book with pictures taken directly from the actual film! plus an exact replica of a Shea Stadium concert ticket.

New members who enrol immediately will qualify for both these special items. For membership until May, 1967, send S/- P.O. and S.A.E to Anne Cottingham, The Official Beatles Fan Club, 13 Monmouth Street, London, W.C.2.

From New Musical Express – April 1, 1966

SHEA STADIUM CONCERT

A threequarters of an hour film on the boys’ performances at the Shea Stadium in New York on August 15 last year, is due to be shown on Television early in March. When the Beatles arrived at the studio to add some of the sound track, which had been too muffled when the film was actually shot, they found that they had no instruments. So they rang up Sound City in London and a complete set of Beatles Guitars and amplifiers was sent round within the hour.

From The Beatles Monthly Book – February 1966

Beatles US TV film next week

TEN songs will be featured by the Beatles when the spectacular filmed at America’s vast Shea baseball Stadium is screened by BBC-TV on Tuesday (March 1).

The 50-minute show goes out at 8 p.m.

The Beatles’ songs are “I’m Down,” “Twist And Shout,” “I Feel Fine,” “Dizzie Miss Lizzie,” “Ticket To Ride,” “Act Naturally,” “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “Baby’s In Black,” “A Hard Day’s Night,” and “Help!”

The Shea Stadium show was filmed last August before 56,000 American fans. Also on the bill are Brenda Holloway, Sounds Inc., and famous American deejay, Murray The K Kaufman.

The Beatles will be seen arriving at the stadium by helicopter, and their comments before the show will also be heard.

From Disc – February 26, 1966

Shea Stadium TV show — was it a knockout?

AT last — a successful attempt at the sort of TV documentary the Beatles have been denied for so long. That was “The Beatles At Shea Stadium,” screened by BBC-1 on Tuesday.

Even this programme fell slightly short of the enormous possibilities in 50 minutes of Beatle dissection. But it was a good programme, capturing like nothing else has yet done the reality of Beatlemania, the urgency of the Beatles’ personalities.

Musically it wasn’t the best of the Beatles: photographically it was a trifle too busy. We could have done without so much of the dancers, Sounds Incorporated and Brenda Holloway. But there WAS a sense of all-happening. This concert in New York last August was attended by 56,000, and the vastness of the crowd WAS brought across.

The Beatles came over with their usual zest, and George’s comments at the end set the seal on the best TV Beatles show yet. They still missed out, though. Where were the interviews with the police, first-aid people, fans? “The Beatles At Shea Stadium” appeared to want to do a documentary without actually getting involved. Still, it was spectacular enough.

From Disc And Music Echo – March 5, 1966

GREATEST-EVER BEATLES SHOW ON BBC-TV!

THE Beatles greatest-ever concert will be seen on television in a few weeks! After months of negotiating the BBC has bought the film of the opening performance — at New York’s massive Shea Stadium — of the group’s sensational American tour last summer.

Titled “The Beatles At Shea Stadium,” the programme will be screened in March—probably on the night of Tuesday, March 1. It will be repeated later in the year on BBC-2.

The film includes preparations for the show itself — in which the Beatles are seen singing eight numbers — and John, Paul, George and Ringo are heard answering questions from American interviewers.

56,000 fans — the biggest audience ever assembled for a pop show — crowded Shea Stadium for the event on August 15. Twelve cameras covered the show for Brian Epstein’s Subafilms and what they recorded has been condensed into 60 minutes of the most exciting pop television ever packaged.

It will give British viewers their first insight of American frenzy for the Beatles. Moments the cameras captured include the scene as the Beatles ran across the baseball diamond in the centre of the stadium to the tiny stage — and the attempt of hundreds of American teenagers to break down the barriers and follow them. More than 2,000 police were on duty at Shea that night to prevent the terrifying possibility of the Beatles being mobbed by overzealous fans. Dozens of stars — including Mick Jagger and Keith Richard — were among the audience.

From New Musical Express – January 14, 1966

BEATLES big date is fixed

THE film of the Beatles’ greatest-ever concert will definitely be screened by BBC-1 on Tuesday, March 1, the BBC confirmed this week. This was the date exclusively forecast in the NME five weeks ago. “The Beatles At Shea Stadium,” recorded before 56,000 fans in New York last August, will be televised in the 8-8.50 pm spot.

Granada-TV’s spectacular “The Music Of Lennon And McCartney” is likely to be repeated on the full ITV network this spring as a result of its selection as ITV’s entry in this year’s Montreux Festival. Others in the show include Cilla Black, Marianne Faithfull, Lulu, Henry Mancini and Peter and Gordon.

From New Musical Express – February 18, 1966

For the four likeable lads from Liverpool this was… THEIR HARDEST DAY’S NIGHT

You have never seen The Beatles quite like this. But then, there’s never been a show quite like this. Close on sixty thousand teenagers crowded into Shea Stadium in New York to give these eminent M.B.E.s a noisy and devoted welcome that’s still echoing around the world six months later in a fascinating film record of their hardest day’s night’s work. It’s on BBC 1 on Tuesday this week. Meanwhile, exclusively in WOMAN, here’s a look at them in colour. John, Paul, George and Ringo wrote their own comments to these scenes from the biggest pop spectacle ever staged.

“It’s like this,” said Paul, “you make a noise and they make a noise, and it’s the noise together that counts.” “Up there with the mike,” said John, “you don’t try to work out what it all means.” “You think of everything really,” said Ringo. “Your whole life sort of flashes before you.” “I suppose,” said George, “it’s a bit like dying.”

“The fans,” said Paul, “are always sending us crazy things.” “Not so crazy, really,” said John. “This thing’s a bit small for Julian maybe — he’s nearly four now.” “Just right,” said Ringo, “for Zak.” “The hat or the coat ?” said John. “Fathers !” said George. “You wait, Wack!” said Ringo.

“Were they really going on like that about us ?” asked Ringo. “It’s the Bible really, with Cecil B. de Mille and sixty thousand extras,” said Paul. “They might as well have been sixty thousand parking meters for all we knew,” said John. “All with sixpence in the slot,” said Paul, “going buzz-buzz.” “It’s fantastic really,” said George, “the way this Beatles’ thing gets bigger.” “You don’t realize how big it is,” said Ringo, “till you see them like this, and you know it’s you they’re screaming for.” “You’d think we’d won the cup,” said Paul, “or something !“

From Woman Magazine – March 5, 1966