The Beatles appear on the Ed Sullivan Show for the second time

On Sunday February 16, 1964, The Beatles appeared a second time on the Ed Sullivan show, this time transmitted from the Napoleon Room in the Deauville Hotel, Miami, Florida.

At 2pm The Beatles had a full rehearsal. According to some sources this was taped and intended for broadcast, but this never happened.

The Beatles performed from 8 pm till approximately 9pm and about 2,500 fans attended. More than 3,500 tickets had been given out by CBS, so the Miami police had a lot of work to contain the 1,000 fans who were not allowed to enter.

Other artists on the bill included: - Mitzi Gaynor (an actress, singer and dancer who was born as Francesca Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber): She performed for an unprecedented nine-minute segment and "Too Darn Hot" and a blues medley
- Myron Cohen, the comedian
- Joe Louis, a professional boxer
- Sonny Liston, a professional boxer who would later fight against Cassius Clay (whom the Beatles would soon meet)

The Beatles performed six songs: She Loves You, This Boy, All My Loving, I Saw Her Standing There, From Me To You and I Want To Hold Your Hand.

The first Ed Sullivan had 73 million viewers, and this one about 70 million.

The Beatles in the Napoleon Room

Today, on 15 February 1964, the Beatles rehearsed for their second Ed Sullivan show. The CBS show would be broadcast from the Napoleon Room in the Deauville Hotel, and that is where the rehearsal took place. On the internet you can find lots of pictures that show The Beatles in swim trunks inside the Napoleon Room!

After the rehearsal there was a second rehearsal (called "dress rehearsal) in front of an audience of 2,500 people.

The next part of the day they went fishing

Relaxing in Miami

Valentine's day 1964 saw the Beatles still in Miami, getting ready for the second Ed Sullivan show which was scheduled for 16 February.

The went to the set (at the Deauville Beach Resort) and did some basic rehearsals (sound & lights check)

Afterwards they relaxed at the pool of an employee at Capitol Records. Reporters from LIFE magazine were allowed to take pictures, and they are among the most famous photographs taken in 1964.

They also met Bernard Castro, inventor of the convertible couch (no relation to Fidél) who lent them his yachts. Ringo managed to damage the boat but according to an interview with him, the owners didn't seem to mind.

At night they went to the hotel's nightclub and saw entertainers Don Rickles, Myron Cohen and Carol Lawrence.

Don Rickles was an agressive loud-mouth comedian, and The Beatles were not accustomed to hearing comedy that was so personal and direct (they grew up with a complete different sense of humour).

He was a very different kind of performer, very close to his public and approachable. Probably his first job as a salesman in the garment industry played a role in that!

Carol Lawrence finally was a singer and actress who rose to fame in her role as Maria on the Broadway production of West Side Story. Younger readers might remember her as the matriarch Angela Eckart on General Hospital

The Most Important Night in Television

Yes, this is it. 50 years ago to the very day, The Beatles changed the way popular music was perceived.

Many historians have called 9 February 1964 at 8pm the most important night in Television. The Big Bang of Rock 'n' Roll. A giant leap for mankind...

At that exact moment, Ed Sullivan addressed the American audience (73,000,000 in a time when there was only one TV set in the house...if there was a TV set!) and shouted: "Ladies and Gentlemen, The Beatles".

Goosebumps everywhere, and many kids thought "I want to be a rock 'n' roll singer", just like Pat DiNizio of the New Jersey rock band The Smithereens.

Often people still remember where they were when Kennedy was shot. But do you know where you were when the Beatles performed on the Ed Sullivan Show, singing five songs: All My Loving, Till There Was You, She Loves You, I Saw Her Standing There, I Want to Hold Your Hand

Where were you on February 9th, 1964 around 8pm?

Many people still remember where they were when JFK was shot in Dallas. Or for the younger generation: where they were when they heard about the deaths of Lady Di/Kurt Cobain/Michael Jackson.

But who remembers the Ed Sullivan show of February 9th, 1946? The "Night that Changed America" as it is sometimes called. The night when The Beatles appeared for the first time on an American show and 73,000,000 (almost 40% of all Americans at that time) sat in front of their TV set to watch the Fab Four from Liverpool, England perform 5 songs.

So, here is my question to you all: where were you? Did you get the chance to see it live?