#december 1960

[get-back-homeward]

Davidwache Police Station | Painting by Klaus Voormann Prior to being deported, Paul McCartney spends a night in the Davidwache police station.

In the meantime, the final four could start playing [at the Top Ten club] now, and move themselves into the bunk-bed accommodation at the top of the building.c Tony Sheridan was already here, possibly others too, and the Beatles were welcome to shoehorn themselves in. It was neither the Ritz nor the pits. John was the first to move. Then Paul and Pete went back to the Bambi to grab their gear.

The place was in near darkness, as usual. They had to strike a match to see their way about … and then they decided to leave Koschmider a little gift. Pete had a few “spunk bags,” and he and Paul had the idea to hang them on nails in the wall in the long concrete passageway and set light to them. “The place was dank and dark,” says Pete. “They spluttered, they stank, and OK, maybe they singed a tiny bit of tapestry on the wall. It caused nothing but a little smoke and a few scorch marks and then they went out.”41 It was the ultimate fuck you, Bruno, or so they thought.

They got to play one night in the Top Ten, and it seems to have been a good one, pulling business away from the Kaiserkeller, but it was just this one night. Having been shafted once by Eckhorn, when he’d prized away the Jets and Tony Sheridan from the Kaiserkeller, Koschmider wasn’t going to sit back and let it happen again. He might also have guessed the Beatles would make some grand gesture for his “benefit”—they could even have hinted of it—because an inspection was made of the Bambi’s rooms very quickly. When the stinkende qualmende Piedeltüten were found, he decided to form the view it was an attempt to burn down his cinema, and informed the police.

The chronology of events over the next twenty-four hours is rife with confusion and contradiction, but may have gone something like this. Paul was picked up by the police while walking along the Reeperbahn, taken by car to the Davidwache police station (two hundred meters from the Top Ten) and locked in a cell. Pete and John were also arrested. Koschmider didn’t know which of them was responsible for the “attempted arson,” so the Polizei rounded them all up. As Stuart wrote in a letter back to Liverpool a few days later:

I am living in the lap of luxury and contentment. Better than the cell I spent a night in last week. I was innocent this time though accused of arson—that is, setting fire to the Kino (cinema) where we sleep. I arrive at the club and am informed that the whole of Hamburg Police are looking for me. The rest of the band are already locked up, so smiling and very brave on the arm of Astrid, I proceed to give myself up. At this time I’m not aware of the charge. All my belongings, including spectacles, are taken away and I’m led to a cell where without food or drink I sat for six hours on a very wooden bench, the door shut very tight. I fall asleep at two in the morning. I signed a confession written in Deutsch that I knew nothing about a fire, and they let me go.42

John was also allowed to go. It was now clear who’d done the dirty deed, and for them the ordeal continued; Paul would always remember the little one-way peephole in the door of their detention room, through which he sensed they were watched. It seems he and Pete were then allowed to leave, but a few hours later—early the following morning—they were dragged out of their Top Ten bunk beds and interviewed a second time. Pete suggests they were taken to Hamburg’s main prison at Fühlsbuttel, Paul remembers it being “the Rathaus … it doesn’t mean rat house, it just felt like one.” They were interviewed by an official of the Bundeskriminalamt (Federal CID), one Herr Gerkins, and it was definitely inadvisable to snigger. Instead, they requested permission to contact the British Embassy, like people did in the films, and were refused; then they were taken for a car ride. “We tried our best to persuade him it was nothing,” Paul says, “and he said, ‘OK fine, well you go with these men.’ And that was the last we knew of it. We just headed out with these couple of coppers. And we were getting a bit ‘Oh dear, this could be the concentration camps’—you never know. It hadn’t been that long [since the war].”43

Criminal charges were not pressed, but Koschmider, inevitably, had the last laugh. It wasn’t a camp to which Paul and Pete were being taken, but the airport—and in handcuffs, according to Stuart. They were being deported, and banned from reentering Germany unless they lodged an appeal within a month. Auf Wiedersehen, Piedels! Handed their passports at the gate, they were put on the London plane, set to fly for the first time in their lives. It then got even tastier for Koschmider because Eckhorn was billed for at least part of the cost of the plane tickets. Bruno must have been rubbing his hands with joy.

—Tune In, Ch. 17 (Oct 1–Dec 31, 1960)

Sources: 41 Author interview, March 7, 1985. Pete says (Beatle!, p72) there were four rubbers and always speaks of them in plural, Paul speaks of one. 42 December 12, 1960, sent to Ken Horton. This letter provides the only suggestion that John was arrested in the roundup; he’s not mentioned in other accounts. 43 Interview by Paul Gambaccini, Rolling Stone, June 12, 1979. Rathaus means “city hall.” Instead of the main prison at Fühlsbuttel, it’s more likely Paul and Pete were taken to the remand prison near St. Pauli called Untersuchungsgefängnis (easier done than said).

#seeing the hq version of this painting and noticing the detail on pauls face #the dramaaaaaa #hamburg era #1960 #december 1960 #technically nov 30 is the fire #reading tune in #november 1960 #the image of paul and pete asking to speak to their embassy like in the movies sends me lmao #this whole episode is so amazing i cannot believe every biopic has just passed up on it #its got everything you want dumb dirty boys who get a big head the second they move up but not before they move out #an entire night in german prison cell and then questioned by some bigshot who has them shaking in their boots #john's first night in a prison cell over something he didn't even do #paul never ever admitting he did anything wrong bc individual sense of justice since age two #meanwhile poor george is being deported #stu's spectacles are taken away---wait he wore glasses?! #letters #top ten club #bundeskrinalamt (federal CID) i believe would be akin to being interviewed by the FBI in the US

[chicinsilk]

US Vogue December 1960

Marola Witt wears a shiny white brocade suit over a matching sleeveless blouse. By David Crystal. William Rose fabric of rayon, silk and nylon. Helena Rubinstein Makeup.

Marola Witt porte un tailleur en brocart blanc brillant sur une blouse sans manches assortie. Par David Crystal. Tissu William Rose de rayonne, soie et nylon. Maquillage Helena Rubinstein.

Photo Karen Radkai vogue archive

#us vogue #december 1960 #fashion 60s #1960-61 #fall/winter #automne/hiver #david crystal #william rose #marola witt #karen radkai #helena rubinstein

[theamericanpin-up]

Gil Elvgren - "Christmas Stocking" - 1960's American Dreams Calendar Illustration from Brown & Bigelow Calendar Co. - American Pin-up Calendar Collection

#gil elvgren #december #1960s #american beauties #calendar #illustration #brown & bigelow #pin up #american pin up #merry christmas #happy holidays

[beautiesofbygoneeras]

Cynthia Myers (September 12, 1950 – November 4, 2011) was an American model and actress, and Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month for the December 1968 issue. Her centerfold was photographed by Pompeo Posar.

#cynthia myers #1960s #1968 #dead playmates #miss december #okokorasgr #kneeling #rug #full nude #artistic #photographer #pompeo posar #beautiful #beautiful body #beautiful hair #extraordinary #favorite #magnificent #magnificent breasts #outstanding

[humanoidhistory]

Snapshots from the Gemini 7 mission, December 4-18, 1965.

#gemini 7 #gemini 6 #earth #space #history #nasa #project gemini #gemini program #1965 #1960s #december 4

[machetelanding]

Salesman's suitcase of Christmas light bulbs (1960s)

#christmas #holiday #december #christmas lights #light bulbs #lights #salesman #suitcase #samples #vintage #cool #awesome #1960s

[pixie-ass]

♡♡♡ Cilla

#coquette #pink girl #soft pink #balletcore #coqette #coqeutte #girlblogging #lana del rey #pink blog #priscilla movie #priscilla presley #priscilla 2023 #elvis presley #edit #winter #december #vintage #1960s #lizzy grant

[todaysdocument]

Rising Earth Greets Apollo VIII Astronauts

Record Group 306: Records of the U.S. Information AgencySeries: Master File Photographs of U.S. and Foreign Personalities, World Events, and American Economic, Social, and Cultural Life

This image is a color photograph of earth from lunar orbit.  The surface of the moon appears on the right edge of the image.  To the left, the earth appears to be floating in the blackness of space.  Just over half of the earth is visible, the rest is in shadow.

#archivesgov #December 29 #1968 #Apollo 8 #apollo program #nasa #nasa photos #space #space exploration #moon #1960s

[mariannefaithful]

#happy december everyone #the kinks #mick avory #pete quaife #ray davies #dave davies #1960s #60s

[cressida-jayoungr]

One Dress a Day Challenge

Anything Goes December

Down with Love / Renee Zellweger as Barbara Novak

This dress has been on my list since very early in this project, but I could never find a place for it, so it's going in now! It's a slightly caricatured version of an early 1960s sheath dress, made of sparkly lavender material. The "pouffe" around the bottom hem echoes the matching ostrich-trimmed wrap. Despite only getting a few seconds of screentime, it caught my eye and I found it memorable.

#down with love #anything goes december #renee zellweger #one dress a day challenge #one dress a week challenge #movie costumes #period film #1960s fashion #1960s style #2003 films #2003 movies #60s fashion #60s style #purple dresses #purple dress #sparkly

[chicinsilk]

US Vogue December 1960

Suit in pale candy pink jersey lined with white mink. Sleeveless lace blouse embroidered with small sequins. On order from Mainbocher. Harry Winston jewelry and gemstones.

Tailleur en jersey rose bonbon pâle doublé de vison blanc. Chemisier sans manches en dentelle brodé de petites paillettes. Sur commande chez Mainbocher. Bijoux et pierres précieuses de Harry Winston.

Photo Karen Radkai vogue archive

#us vogue #december 1960 #fashion 60s #1960-61 #fall/winter #automne/hiver #mainbocher #karen radkai #harry winston

[theamericanpin-up]

Bill Randall - "Fur Fun"- December 1960 Date Book Calendar Illustration - Kemper-Thomas Calendar Co. - American Pin-up Calendar Collection

#bill randall #december #1960 #date book #calendar #illustration #kemper thomas #pin up #american pin up #merry christmas #happy holidays

[clarabowlover]

Hayley Mills - Attending The Radie Harris Fundraising Dinner

New York City (December 1964)

(No.15)

#hayley mills #attending the radie harris fundraising dinner #new your city #december 1964 #beautiful british actress #1960s #teenager #cropped photo #b/w photography

[dateinthelife]

10 December 1960

John Lennon finally leaves Hamburg ten days after Paul and Pete are deported, though he still won't tell the others he's back for another five days.

#today in the life #the beatles #john lennon #hamburg #10 December #1960

[hobbyarchivist]

The Daughters of Eve on playing for The Beatles

(For those who don't know, The Daughters of Eve were one of the first all-girl rock bands, formed in the 1960's in Chicago, and had a song you might have heard that recently went viral called 'Hey Lover'!)

Here are some outtakes from my (soon to be published) article of my interviews with The Daughters of Eve:

Andrea: You know, my parents were very interesting. They were always very aware of what was going on in the world. They were very political, very sports-minded, very into music and entertainment and so if there was a new Broadway musical that came to Chicago, they always got tickets for the family and we got to see it, or when Elvis Presley was on the rise, I was in kindergarten but my parents got us all tickets to see Elvis Presley. I think I fell asleep in the midst of the concert because I was 5 years old when we went. My parents were always into-- if a famous politician came to town, we went to the rally. Queen Elizabeth passed through Chicago in 1958 or ’59, some point in there, and sure enough we were out in front of Buckingham fountain watching her motorcade pass by. We were always involved in what was current and happening in the city. And so, when the Beatles came to town, my parents got us tickets and so we went, my parents got tickets for Debi, myself and my best friend Sue. My dad took us to the concert and he said ‘Hey, why don’t you girls throw your guitars in the trunk’ and so we did. And while we were in watching the Beatles, my dad was outside of the venue, the amphitheater I think it was, talking to all the staff and somehow found out which hotel the Beatles were in. So, when we exited the concert, we all got in the car and my dad said ‘lets go to the hotel where the Beatles are and you girls can just take out your guitars and just start singing the Beatles songs’. And so sure enough we did, and at some point  The Beatles all looked out their hotel window— which it wasn’t a big high rise, they were probably up probably, in my memory, maybe the fourth floor. I do remember they all looked out the window and waved to us. And what a thrill!

Debi:  It was just an acoustic thing with the three of us singing. We sang their song, we serenaded them after the concert. But after they looked out the window... it was so weird. It was Andee, me, and my friend Sue. My brother and I used to have ‘hootenannies’ at our house on the weekends and we would play there, my brothers band would play in our basement in Chicago in our house. We started so kids would have places to go and parents knew where they’d be so they agreed to it. We served coffee and sodas and popcorn and it was fun. It was one summer we did that and then Suzy, Andee and I had a little singing group. The three of us would do all the Beatles songs and we would harmonize like the Beatles so when we went to the concert, one of the last concerts that they played in Chicago, we went to their hotel. I guess her parents drove us there. Then we got out and serenaded them. This is way before DOE. I think Andee was all of 12. We were really really young, we were just learning about life. Bob Dylan was coming around, a year later Joan Baez and Buffy Saint Marie. People like that, the folk music scene was very popular back in those days. And Newport jazz festival. It was a different time, it was fun. There was no computers, nothing like that, you had to make your own fun and something really cool came out of it.

#paul mccartney #the beatles #1960s #girl bands #chicago #the daughters of eve #vintage #retro #music #concert #john lennon #ringo starr #george harrison #december #women of rock #rock and roll #history #feminism #bob dylan #queen elizabeth ll #queen elizabeth #andrea levin #debi drums #debi pomeroy #writing #art #pop culture #writeblr #elvis #elvis presley