Shortly before 10 on a hot August night in Los Angeles, the entourage of black limousines set off. In one of them were the Beatles, who had had ‘a couple of cups of tea’ in the back seat. They were hysterical…very nervous. At last, They were going to meet their idol, Elvis Presley. The host was waiting for them, watching his color television, in the large circular living room of his large mansion. As Lennon would say: “A small home gathering, with some friends and a little music“.
Elvis was his idol. Hence, the famous phrase by John Lennon: “Without Elvis there would be no Beatles”. That’s why they wanted to meet him. They had put all their effort into it. ““We had tried for years, but we had never succeeded,” says Paul McCartney in ‘Anthology’. They received evasions from his manager, Colonel Tom Parker. “We didn’t feel ignored. It was what we deserved. After all “Who were we to want to know him?”. The answer is simple: They were the new idols, a true global phenomenon. And Presley knew it.
The Beatles at a press conference in 1965 / Cal Montney
During the summer of 1965, at the height of ‘beatlemania’they had crossed the pond for the second time and they devastated in each of his performances in the United States. They unleashed madness wherever they went. In the midst of that busy schedule, they managed have six days off in Los Angeles. Brian Epstein rented Zsa Zsa Gabor’s mansion for the occasion, a large secluded house in Beverly Hills where those from Liverpool were able to rest and take a dip in the pool. They arrived on August 23rd. By chance, Elvis Presley was also in the Californian city. He was filming the film ‘Paradise Hawaiian style’ at the Paramount Studios in Hollywood. He lived in a two-story mansion in Bel Air.
Elvis Presley for the movie ‘Paradise Hawaiian Style’ / Hulton Archive
“But finally we received an invitation to see him when I was shooting a movie in Hollywood,” Paul explained. NME journalist Chris Hutchins, who accompanied the English group on that tour, previously met with Colonel Tom Parker and Elvis himself and prepared the meeting. He announced it in his publication: “In this city, full of palm trees and stars, “The movie of the century is going to be celebrated: The reunion of Elvis and the Beatles.” The manager Parker also visited group and confirmed that they could have that long-awaited talk.
Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, and George Harrison / Bettmann
“To get them to see each other it was necessary three days of planning, surrounded by the most absolute discretion for prevent the two armies of Beatles and Presley fans from congregating in one”Hutchins wrote. The first and fundamental rules were established: The press would not be invited, no photographs or recordings would be taken, the meeting would not be leaked… no one wanted the meeting to become a media circus.
Elvis Presley signing autographs / Bettmann
On August 27, 1965, shortly before 10:00 pm, the procession set off English; a convoy of three big black limousines. Harrison recalled the journey (of a quarter of an hour) in ‘Anthology’: “We went around and around Mulholland, it was fun because when we were near his house we forgot where we were goingwe had taken a couple of ‘cups of tea’ in the back seat. But all we were hysterical. someone said ‘Oh, yeah, let’s go see Elvis!’”. I was waiting for you watching your color television with the sound off and playing bass. She was in its large circular hall bathed in red and blue light, with a jukebox, crescent-shaped sofas, board games, a bar, a grand white piano… and the members of the famous ‘Memphis Mafia’ guarding and caring for their boss.
The Beatles leave the Warwick Hotel in a limousine towards Shea Stadium / New York Daily News Archive
“I was very excited. We were all nervous as hell. There were a lot of guys around him… ‘and he had pool tables.’ It seemed like a nightclub“Lennon wrote in ‘Anthology’. At first no one spoke. Elvis told them, “If you damn boys, You’re going to be sitting there looking at me all night, I’m going to bed“John was the first to speak and He asked him why he didn’t already make those great rock and roll songs and only focused on ballads for the cinema.. Elvis remained silent. He smiled and shook everyone’s hands.
Photo of Elvis Presley in 1965 / Hulton Archive
According to Chris Hutchins, the only journalist who was present, The ice was quickly broken when Presley asked, “Can anyone bring guitars?” Three guitars arrived and were plugged into the amplifiers scattered around the room. “That’s how I play bass. Not too much, but I’m practicing,” Elvis told Paul. They ended up becoming the accompaniment to a whole selection of American and British albums. Everyone except Ringo, who just stared seriously and tapped his fingers on the nearest wooden furniture. Elvis consoled him, “What a shame, we left our batteries in Memphis!” And so the first hour passed… a ‘jam session’ in which everyone sang, among other songs, ‘You’re my world’ by Cilla Black
When they got tired of the music, they sat down and relaxed. Meanwhile, Elvis’ team supplied drinks. But The host neither drank, nor smoked, nor swore.. John Lennon, putting on a Peter Sellers accent, exclaimed, “This is how it should be. A small home gathering with some friends and some music“. Elvis smiled. In the back, Brian Epstein and Colonel Parker sat chatting and watching over their respective stars as if they were their parents.
“Some fun things have happened to you on the road, right?” the guy from Tupelo asked them. And he began an exchange of ‘little battles’. Paul said: “We’ve had some crazy experiences. One guy ran across the stage unplugging the amps and said, “One move and you’re dead.” For his part, Elvis confessed: “I used to be quite scared sometimes.” The conversation then turned to their experiences on flights, which made the rocker especially nervous. “I once took off from Atlanta in a small plane that only had two engines and one of them failed. Actually, I was very scared. We had to take the sharp objects out of our pockets and put our heads on pillows wedged between our knees. When do we land our pilot was drenched in sweat even though there was snow on the ground”. And the ‘cars’ moment could not be missed.
John Lennon’s Rolls Royce / PA Images
“I have a Rolls Royce Phantom Five…”, said the American. And Lennon responded, “I just have the same one. I have painted the chrome parts black.” Shortly after 02.00 am – early for the Beatles, but late for Elvis – someone decided it was time to leave. The song ‘Softly as I leave you’ by Matt Monro was spinning on the record player while Paul, John, George and Ringo shook Elvis’s hand and thanked him for his gift: a large box with all of his records. As they boarded their limo, a handful of fans alternately chanted, ‘Elvis is the King!’ and “We love the Beatles!” And Lennon, in a rare imitation of Hitler, shouted, “Long live the king!”, said his press officer, Tony Barrow on the BBC. On the way home,The four of them chatted about the experience and agreed that this meeting had been unforgettable.…something they would keep in a prominent place in their memory for the rest of their lives.
