- Timeline More from year 1967
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- Westbourne Suite, Royal Lancaster Hotel, Bayswater Road, London, UK
Timeline
More from year 1967
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About
On this day, to celebrate the completion of the “Magical Mystery Tour” TV special and in anticipation of its broadcast on December 26, 1967, The Beatles hosted a dress party turned into a Christmas party. Paul McCartney and Jane Asher arrived in costumes as the Cockney Pearly King and Queen.
I was instructed by the boys to organise a party for everyone who had anything to do with it. That turned out to be quite a do. It was at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in Bayswater Road and, as it was heading towards Christmas, they decided to turn it into the Christmas party for all the Apple employees. That meant more work. Then John rang. ‘Al,’ he said. ‘We’re making it fancy dress.’ Great, I thought. I hope that’s the end of the instructions. The invitation list seemed to get longer and longer. […] I sat on Paul’s table with Jane and her parents. […]
Alistair Taylor – From “With The Beatles“, 2011
When filming eventually ended I thought it was back to normality or what passed for normality in 1967. Wrong! One morning, late in November, John, Paul, George and Ringo strode into my office. They sat on any available surface. They were grinning.
John was the first to speak.
“Al, how about making The Beatles’ Christmas Party a Magical Mystery Tour Party?”
“Great idea,” I said as I tore up the plans for the original party. I expanded the guest list and chose a larger venue and things were falling into place.
Two days later, The Beatles trooped into my office. Once again they were grinning.
This time it was Paul who spoke.
“AI, we have been talking. The Christmas Party. We’ve decided to include all of the people at Apple. Is it a problem?”
“No,” I said, trying to sound casual.
We now had “The Beatles and Apple Magical Mystery Tour Christmas Party”. I was just wondering how to fit that little lot onto the invitations when George said, “in fancy dress.”
I laughed loud and long before I realised that they were serious!
I hired a huge suite at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in Bayswater and it turned out to be a fantastic evening. I went dressed as a matador and Lesley as a Peruvian Princess. Paul and Jane Asher arrived dressed as Pearly King and Queen. And Lennon? He turned up dressed as a rocker, what else? We had a great, great time celebrating. […]
Alistair Taylor – From “The Making of The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour” by Tony Barrow, 1999
It was a fantastic night. I went as a Spanish matador, Lesley, my wife, went as a Peruvian princess. Paul and Jane went as Pearly Kings and Queens. John went as a Teddy Boy.
Alistair Taylor– From “The Beatles: Off the Record” by Keith Badman, 2008
I had originally planned to turn up as a Musketeer, but, at the last minute, John suddenly exclaimed, ‘Let’s go as Teddy Boys, and dress the way we always wished we could when we were at school. Let’s do it properly this time.’ We both made a terrific impression at the party, but were nonetheless eclipsed by such inspired impersonations as Peter Brown’s periwigged King Louis XIV of France, and Apple press officer Derek Taylor’s, Nazi-uniformed, Hitler. Cilla Black and her husband, Bobby Willis, came as, respectively, a Cockney labourer, and a Nun. However, Freddie Lennon, who appeared as a trash collector, achieved the most realistic impression of all.
Pete Shotton – From “The Beatles: Off the Record” by Keith Badman, 2008
BEATLES HOST CHRISTMAS PARTIES
The Beatles invited Fan Club Area Secretaries from all over the U.K. to London on December 17. Forty secretaries plus their guests travelled to the capital — all expenses paid — and saw a preview colour screening of “Magical Mystery Tour”. Afterwards they chatted with John and George over tea before seeing “The Beatles at Shea Stadium”. Ringo was still in Rome filming “Candy” and Paul was up in Scotland so both missed the get-together. A few days later the Beatles again played hosts to over 200 guests at a “Magical Mystery Tour” Christmas Dinner Party held at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, London. The cast and production team of the T.V. film, plus the entire staff of Nems Enterprises were amongst those invited. Everybody wore fancy dress for the occasion.
From The Beatles Monthly Book – January 1968
BEATLES HAVE A BALL IN FANCY DRESS
A couple of hundred invitations went out a few days beforehand. They didn’t give much away. Just that something to do with “Magical Mystery Tour” was due to happen on the evening of Thursday December 21 in the Westbourne Suite of the Royal Lancaster Hotel, the plushy new place opened just recently by the Rank Organisation on Bayswater-road, London W.2. Not too far from the H.Q. of The Beatles Monthly Book, in fact. “Fancy Dress” said the cards.
It turned out to be the biggest-ever Beatle Party, a shindig to be remembered. The Beatles invited the entire cast of “Magical Mystery Tour”, all the “backroom boys” who had worked the lights and the cameras for them, the staff of NEMS, the staff of Apple plus a few carefully selected buddies, pals and mates. Not to mention relatives. People began to arrive soon after half past seven.
Even before things got under way guests were greeted by decorations which were, in themselves, breathtaking. Imitation trees with scores of colourful balloons “blossoming” from their branches were “planted” all round the enormous room. Clever lighting helped to make everything look even more splendid.
Then, while people picked up their first drinks, there was the fun of finding out who had dressed up as what. There were cow-boys galore, a heavily bearded Mystic, some lovely Eastern beauties, Cilla Black dressed as Charlie Chaplin and her boyfriend (Bobby Willis) looking very much like a nun. There was little Lulu dressed as a Little Girl with a wig styled in cute ringlets (looking very much like the wig she wore on the final “Juke Box Jury” programme on telly the following Wednesday!).
PAUL AND JANE FANCIED THE ROLES OF PEARLY KING AND QUEEN. RINGO CAME AS A REGENCY BUCK BUT SOME OF THE NEWSPAPERS DECIDED TO DESCRIBE HIS OUTFIT AS A “RINGMASTER’S COSTUME”. MAUREEN WAS A TINY RED INDIAN PRINCESS WEARING HEAP SHORT MINI-SKIRT! JOHN LOOKED LIKE ONE OF HIS OWN EARLY PHOTOGRAPHS — REMEMBER THE LEATHERY PICTURES OF HIM TAKEN SEVEN YEARS AGO IN HAMBURG AND AT THE CAVERN? HE CURLED HIS HAIR INTO A BIT OF A WAVE ABOVE THE FOREHEAD AND LOOKED LIKE EARLY-VINTAGE ROCKER LENNON! CYNTHIA LOOKED MARVELLOUS (AS ALWAYS) IN A FULL AND FLOWING LILAC DRESS AND BIG FEATHERED HAT. I’M NO GOOD AT PLACING PERIOD COSTUME AND TWO DIFFERENT “EXPERTS” CLAIM SHE WAS FROM THE VICTORIAN AND EDWARDIAN ERAS. ANYWAY SHE LOOKED MARVELLOUS! GEORGE AND PATTIE ARRIVED A BIT LATE—BY WHICH TIME THE NEWSPAPERS HAD TAKEN THEIR ARRIVAL-TYPE PHOTOGRAPHS AND GONE TO PRESS. SO A COUPLE OF REPORTS SAID THE HARRISONS WERE MISSING. NOT SO! GEORGE LOOKED ELEGANTLY HEROIC IN A SORT OF ERROL FLYNN OUTFIT, COMPLETE WITH CAVALIER’S TIGHTS AND GLEAMING SWORD. PATTIE LOOKED PERFECT DRESSED AS AN EASTERN PRINCESS.
Shortly before nine everbody was invited to take seats for dinner. What a splendid – feast THAT proved to be — full-scale Christmas Dinner with turkey and Christmas pud!
After the eating came the entertainment. Certainly no shortage of THAT! Music For Dancing was provided by The Chasers, The Symbols and The Dave Bartram Quintet. Music For Eating had been supplied by a small Palm Court Orchestra!
A special surprise came when The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band took to the stage to begin one of their hilarious sessions. A second surprise (for The Bonzo Band as well as the guests!) came when various unbilled performers joned in the musical entertainment! These included Mr. Freddie Lennon, John’s father, who was (and probably still is) staying with him out at Weybridge. And there were Beach Boys Mike and Bruce who had just flown in from Paris to become very welcome last-minute guests.
Any good Magical Mystery Party should have a Father Christmas. The Father Christmas who dished out bars of chocolate and similar goodies at this particular function looked suspiciously like Robert Morley. Indeed as soon as he began to speak we realised that it WAS Robert Morley.
The most unusual part of the night’s music came a little later on — after we’d all watched the “Magical Mystery Tour” film in colour on a large screen. A folk group called The McPeake Family was announced. There was quite a fittie story behind their appearance at the party. Apparently John and Paul had seen The McPeake Family on telly a few weeks earlier and been extremely impressed. John was so keen on the group’s “fairy music” that he wanted one of their pipes. So Alistair Taylor, General Manager of the Apple organisation, traced the Family in the North of England where they were preparing to head home to Belfast. Instead they postponed cheir return trip and came to London.
Their delicate playing and full-of-feeling singing impressed everybody at the party. When they’d finished Paul and Jane spent ages chatting to the Family — to father (Francis), son (also Francis) and daughter (Kathleen). Now and again the Family’s 84-year-old grandfather travels and performs with them but he had not accompanied them to London. The McPeake Family have performed all over the place — from Russia to America — winning something like 16 awards at top international music festivals. I wouldn’t be surprised if we hear more of them. Certainly we shall if The Beatles have their way!
By now it was well after midnight and the party took on a definite discotheque atmosphere. People started to get their second wind, so to speak. The beat grew boider, the singing sounded soulier and the floor filled up with two hundred curiously costumed merrymakers fully prepared to make a night of it!
The hosts of the Magical Mystery Party stayed right until the end. Amongst the very last to leave were Paul and Jane plus Ringo and Maureen. A thousand Christmas greetings must have been exchanged across that crowded reom in the last half hour – to the accompaniment of clinking glasses and bursting balloons.
A terrific success! A truly enjoyable party! A friendly thought on the part of The Beatles to gather together so many mates and business associates for such a fine Christmas celebration! It was thoroughly appreciated.
And talking of appreciation I must add a few words of special thanks to a party guest who combined work with his pleasure that night at the Royal Lancaster. I’m thinking of photographer John Kelly who took the party pictures you can see in this issue and gave us all some great souvenirs with which to recall a very pleasant occasion.
From the Beatles Monthly Book, N°55, February 1968
During the Christmas holidays, the Beatles threw a fancy dress party to launch their MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR TV Spectacular. Pictured in colourful costume at the celebrations were (left to right) MAUREEN STARR (an Indian Princess), RINGO STARR (a Ring-Master), the Commissionaire (how did he get in there JOHN LENNON (a Rocker) and PAUL McCARTNEY and JANE ASHER (a Pearly King and Queen). The Beatles have every reason to feel pleased with themselves this week for, despite unfavourable national Press reviews of their TV show, they occupy first and second positions in this week’s NME Chart.
From New Musical Express – December 30, 1967
All the Beatles and their partners attended the costume ball. John was an Elvis-style rocker while Cynthia Lennon dressed as a Victorian lady. Paul and Jane Asher wore matching King and Queen outfits. Ringo was a Regency gentleman and Maureen Starkey an Indian maiden. George came as an Errol Flynn-style swashbuckler while Pattie Harrison was in an Eastern Princess costume later described by Cynthia as “incredibly sexy in an eastern dancer’s seven-veils-and-not-much-else outfit.” At the party, the nineteen year-old singer Lulu, who was riding high on the success of her movie and single To Sir With Love, came dressed as Shirley Temple in a blond wig and carrying a large lollipop. Seeing a drunken John Lennon ignoring his wife and concentrating his attention on the sexily-dressed Pattie Harrison, Lulu went over to John and scolded him in a loud voice, waving her lollipop in the air at him. The normally-macho Lennon sat quietly and contritely with his head bowed, taking the criticism. Cynthia later wrote about the incident: “It was such a lovely sight, Lulu cornering John and giving him what for. John was much taken aback by Shirley Temple’s serious lecture on how to treat his wife.”
Last updated on May 7, 2023
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