Beatles US debut now on DVD

Published on Tuesday 7 September 2010 18:33

A NEW DVD about The Beatles' first appearances on US television's The Ed Sullivan Show has been released.

It presents the programmes exactly as they appeared on the night - complete with hapless magicians and comedians, commercials and illustrations of how the pace of television has changed.

The first night, 9 February, 1964, is a landmark in television. An estimated 73 million Americans tuned in, the largest ever for a TV show at the time.

Film clips of The Beatles on the Sullivan show have been available, but never the whole event until the release yesterday of The 4 Complete Ed Sullivan Shows Starring The Beatles.

SOFA Entertainment, which owns the archive of Sullivan shows is releasing it after getting permission from the Beatles' Apple Corps company.

Sullivan clearly knew the high stakes involved that night and gave The Beatles two spots on the first show.

The Beatles' power seemed muted the first time they hit the stage. Their first two songs, All My Loving and Til There Was You, both strongly focused on Paul McCartney and the band did not really hit its stride until the powerful She Loves You. Even then, the cameras seemed to short-change John Lennon in favour of McCartney.

Their performances on the following week's show from Miami are regarded as much better. Cutaways to the audience show young girls who can barely stay in their seats from the excitement of it all. The Beatles' cheekiness, enthusiasm and talent was bracing. As Andrew Solt, chief executive of SOFA, explained: "It's like they were in colour and everybody else was in black and white."