Remembering the events as they occured that day, Felice states, "Arriving for the conference was like arriving at an event where the President of the United States was appearing along with the Oscar Award Show going on at the same time! That’s how many fans and security surrounded all blocks around the Warwick Hotel in mid-town Manhattan. New York literally came to a stop around the entire perimeter of the hotel."
Felice recalls of the Beatles' entrance into the press conference, "The 150 winners went wild with screams when the doors right behind the Warwick conference table opened and the Beatles all appeared. I remember the four of them kind of jumping down a step onto the level of the conference table and then taking their seats. My idols, right there before my eyes! And so close even. About 10 feet away. How amazing the feeling was. The room went ballistic. It was magical... It was truly the best day of my life. All four Beatles looked even better in person than any photograph or movie I had ever seen them in. Paul had what I call 'Liz Taylor hair,' jet black and beautiful and darker than all of the photos we’ve all seen. And although he seemed totally shaven, he still had this dark 5 o’clock shadow on his face, which I remember, indicating how black his hair was. He was divine looking, of course amazingly handsome. And John’s hair looked way lighter than photos and movies had shown. You could tell he was originally a kind of blond kid when he was very young. He too was gorgeous and sexy. George and Ringo also had a kind of richness about their faces that had them looking fantastic."
Felice also had tickets for the Beatles' August 23rd 1966 Shea Stadium concert. "I had really bad, high up seats, but was still thankful that I was there. When the Beatles came out, they looked like four little ants really because I was so far away, but it was still exciting as hell. The screams were deafening. It sounded just like an extremely loud jet engine or siren-type noise that was right on top of you and that never, ever stopped through the whole concert. It actually hurt your ears... I have never heard that kind of sound at any event in my entire life. The electricity and energy in the air was amazing."
Some of the audio excerpts from the Beatles Junior Press Conference luckily have survived, as well as nearly one minute of black and white video. The text of the surviving excerpts is presented below.
- Jay Spangler, Beatles Ultimate Experience
Q: "Paul McCartney, are you going to get married with Jane Asher?"
(crowd of youngsters yell with excitement)
JOHN: (loudly) "Yay! Tee-hee!"
PAUL: "Umm, I'm PROBABLY gonna get married with Jane."
(crowd of girls scream)
Q: "I want to know who your favorite American group is."
JOHN: "Just one? There's a lot of them."
PAUL: "There's quite a few of them, you know. Beach Boys, Lovin' Spoonful, Byrds, Mamas And Papas."
Q: "I'd like to know, John, are you making a movie without the other Beatles?"
JOHN: "Yes."
Q: "When?"
JOHN: "When I get home from doing this."
Q: "Are you gonna have a lead part?"
JOHN: "No."
Q: "A small part?"
JOHN: "It's... you know. I wouldn't take a lead part. I wouldn't like to."
Q: "Will they put your name in the mo.. you know in the umm..."
JOHN: (jokingly) "I'm big enough to get a mench."
(laughter)
Q: "I'd like to ask Paul when the whole group is going to make their next picture."
PAUL: "The next picture -- We'll probably make it, I think, early next year. But at the moment the man's writing a script, and it depends on the script, you know, when we make it."
Q: "I'd like to ask John -- Is it true he went around London in a gorilla suit?"
(laughter)
JOHN: "No. That was a film called 'Morgan.' I've got a gorilla suit, which I've worn about twice to frighten a few people, and it's too hot."
Q: "I'd like to know -- Do you mean all the lyrics that you write?"
PAUL: "We mean them as lyrics. But I mean, if we write 'We all live in a Yellow Submarine,' we don't REALLY mean THAT."
(laughter)
Q: "Paul, is Eleanor Rigby cryptics? Does it got a hidden meaning?"
PAUL: "No, no. No. It's just a straight song."
JOHN: (comical voice) "That aint no hidden meaning, baby."
(laughter)
Q: "I wonder, being in a group with four people and becoming famous so young, how you managed to evolve with separate personalities."
PAUL: "The main thing is, it's true that we're a group of four people together with an image, but we don't believe that. We don't take that bit of us too seriously."
JOHN: "We're still us, you know."
PAUL: "We're still individuals."
Q: "I'd like to wish John a happy wedding anniversary."
JOHN: "Oh, thank you!"
(crowd yells and applauds)
Q: "I want to know if any of you know Patricia Flater in Cumberland, England."
PAUL: "Patricia who?"
Q: "Flater. F - L - A - T - E - R."
PAUL: (pause, then comically) "Suuuuuure!"
(laughter)
Q: "I'd like to ask Paul, who is Eleanor Rigby? I read in The Beatles Book that she is a person. Who is she?"
PAUL: "No, she isn't. It was just a name. It was nearly gonna be Daisy Hawkins."
(laughter)
Q: "I read that she was someplace with you fellas -- That she met you."
PAUL: "No, it's not a real person. It's only imagination."
Q: "In the beginning of your album (Revolver), right before Taxman, there's a lot of squeaking..."
GEORGE: "It's just the bit before we recorded it, what happened to be on the tape. That part usually gets cut off. We thought you'd like to hear it."
Q: "I want to know - How come you don't have the same 'Help' movie and 'Hard Day's Night' movie here in the United States... It's not as long... Why did you cut it?"
GEORGE: "United Artists cut the pieces out of it. Not us."
PAUL: "It's got nothing to do with us, you see. Other people do that -- Cut it. We just make it."
Q: "I heard that Sid Bernstein offered you to come back next year. Are you looking forward to it?"
JOHN: "We never heard about it."
Q: "What do you think of miniskirts, and do you think they will go higher?"
PAUL: "Well, I like miniskirts. I think they're fine. The thing is -- At the moment it's miniskirts, but in Victorian times people were ashamed to show their ankles, you know."
(girls giggle)
PAUL: "It's just got a bit higher, now. It may go even higher. (smiling and rocking his head side to side) WHOOPIE!"
(laughter)
Q: "George, do you have a cousin named Maggie?"
GEORGE: "No."
Q: "I'd like to know what you think of the boys that followed you from the airport last night."
JOHN: (jokingly, in effeminate voice) "We didn't notice them."
(laughter)
Q: "I'd like to ask any of you -- Have you seen the Beatles cartoon show?"
RINGO: "Yeah."
Q: "What do you think of it?"
RINGO: "It's okay."
Q: "Do you think it's a good portrayal of your character?"
PAUL: "It's not really like us, but it's fun."
Q: "I'd like to know if this press conference was your idea or if you're just here because of..."
JOHN: "Ours."
PAUL: "Yeah."
RINGO: "Everybody's having a good time."
(crowd yells)
Q: "Ringo, where do you get all your rings?"
RINGO: "Umm, people buy them for me, you know."
Q: "I'd like to know -- How do you decide who is going to sing the lead in any of your songs?"
JOHN: "Whoever knows most of the words."
(laughter)
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