Scarce original program for the infamous appearance of the Beatles at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London on November 4, 1963, for a royal variety performance before Queen Elizabeth II and the Queen Mother, 8.25 x 11.75, 52 pages, signed inside next to their band image in black ballpoint, “Paul McCartney,” “Ringo Starr,” and “John Lennon,” who signed upside-down, and in black ink, “George Harrison,” who signed at a later date. The iconic image of the band was captured on August 22, 1963, by famed British photographer Robert Freeman in the dining room of the Palace Court Hotel, Bournemouth, England. It would go on to be used as the front cover of their second UK album With the Beatles, which would be released on November 22, 1963, and two months later as the front cover of the group’s U.S. debut album, Meet The Beatles, released on January 20, 1964.
The program is also signed by many other artists that appeared on the bill that night, including Marlene Dietrich, Susan Maughan, Eric Sykes, Joe Loss, Max Bygraves, Charlie Drake, Tommy Steele, Harry Secombe, Donald Swann, Buddy Greco, and Joe Loss. The program also contains attractive images of Queen Elizabeth II and The Queen Mother, as well as pictures of the other acts and musicians. The consignor notes that the autographs were obtained in person by British autograph hunter Peter Bland who, unable to obtain Harrison’s autograph that night, managed to secure it in person at a later date, thus completing the program. In fine condition. Accompanied by an unsigned glossy photo of the Beatles with Marlene Dietrich, a certificate of authenticity from Tracks, and a letter of authenticity from noted Beatles expert Frank Caiazzo, who states: “This is an historic set of Beatles autographs from this monumental night in the history of the band, on a signed program so rare, that less than 10 are known to exist.”
The appearance was the group’s biggest show to date. The Beatles appeared seventh on a 19-act bill, and performed ‘From Me To You,’ ‘She Loves You,’ ‘Till There Was You,’ and ‘Twist And Shout.’ This was also the event where Lennon took a jab at the Crown with his famous bit of stage banter: 'For our last number I'd like to ask your help. The people in the cheaper seats clap your hands. And the rest of you, if you'd just rattle your jewelry.' Fully signed programs from their historic Royal Variety Performance are exceedingly scarce and highly prized by collectors.
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