Sunday, March 18, 2001
All you need is love (and the price of admission to the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Museum) for a ticket to ride -- er, tour -- & quot;The Beatles: Now and Then, & quot; the smashing exhibit on display until June 17. Curated by Hubbard native Douglas McCombs, & quot;Now and Then & quot; is a treasure trove for rock 'n' roll enthusiasts and nostalgia buffs alike.
The centerpiece of the exhibit is the photo gallery devoted to the work of award-winning British-born lensman Harry Benson. Benson accompanied The Beatles on the group's first tour of America in 1964 and remained in the States. & quot;I came to the U.S. with John, Paul, George and Ringo, and I never left, & quot; Benson is quoted as saying. His photos document the life and times of The Fab Four's careers -- together and apart -- from 1964 until the present.
Photos you'll find: Among the more memorable Beatles pictures included here are:
* The boys in Central Park, posed against the West Side skyline (visible is the Dakota apartment building, where John would one day live and die).
* Their appearance on the "Ed Sullivan Show," in which Sullivan himself donned a Beatles wig.
* The Miami Beach meeting between Cassius Clay (later Muhammad Ali) and the band in February 1964.
* Candid shots taken on the set of & quot;A Hard Day's Night. & quot;
* The controversial 1966 press conference at which John remarked that The Beatles were & quot;more popular than Jesus. & quot;
* A 1976 Wings tour.
* Contrasting images of Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon from 1985 and 1995.
From the intimacy and directness of Benson's work, it's obvious the shutterbug had unprecedented access to the band, both collectively and individually. Therefore, Benson's captions (e.g., & quot;Paul was the kindest Beatle & quot; and & quot;Ringo got the most fan mail: Women seemed to think their chances were better with him & quot;) carry formidable weight. Don't be surprised if more than one of these photographs gives you goose pimples.
A bit of memorabilia: The wide range of Beatles memorabilia on display is probably worth a fortune (many of the artifacts are on loan to the museum from local fans). My favorites included:
* "Twist and Shout," The Beatles very own version of interactive 1960's favorite, "Twister."
* & quot;Do You Want to Know a Secret? & quot; -- a Beatles Trivial Pursuit game with categories like & quot;Introducing the Beatle & quot; and & quot;She Loves You. & quot;
* & quot;Screamers, & quot; Gordon Currie's 1964 Beatles miniposters featuring wacky caricatures of the band.
* The & quot;Beatles in the 'Burg & quot; board game, which commemorates the group's Pittsburgh Civic Arena appearance in September 1964 with & quot;Help! & quot; and & quot;Get Back & quot; cards.
* An & quot;In My Life & quot; jigsaw puzzle game.
* Beatles stamps, which fans affixed to letters, schoolbooks and more to express their formidable devotion.
* Novelty Beatles toys such as a & quot;Yellow Submarine & quot; and & quot;Magical Mystery Tour & quot; bus; dolls; quiz books; collector's buttons; record player; and musical instruments.
Interactive part: Many visitors stop and jot down their favorite Beatles memory in the & quot;There Are People I Remember & quot; Memory Book, but nearly everyone spins the wheel on the karaokelike & quot;What Would You Do If I Sang Out of Tune? & quot; game. When the arrow lands on a song lyric ( & quot;Love Me Do, & quot; & quot;When I Was Younger, & quot; etc.), contestants have to finish the phrase.
For Beatles-challenged players, a song sheet is close by.
Don't leave without taking the 15 minutes needed to watch & quot;Pittsburgh Remembers, & quot; a locally produced video devoted to Pittsburgh fans and their firsthand memories of the band's Civic Arena concert. Included is never-seen footage of that Beatles' performance and a TV interview conducted at the airport when they arrived.
In explaining the phenomenal popularity of The Beatles and how they took the nation by storm in the winter of 1964, area fan Marianne Dougherty suggests that the band was instrumental in ending the period of national mourning triggered by the assassination of President Kennedy three months earlier.
Whether you remember this British Invasion of mop-topped rockers as though it were yesterday (or merely wish to share that memory with loved ones too young to have experienced it themselves), & quot;The Beatles: Now and Then & quot; is a glorious blast from the past.