The Beatles - Press Conference at JFK Airport (1964) 

A rare time when popularity and talent intersected.

The boys already knew how to handle reporters....Mick Jagger called them "a four headed monster' when it came to handling the press

Its funny how they got shit about how long their hair was considering this was pretty much the shortest it ever was.

Ringo Starr's response to the question about being Elvis rip-offs is the greatest piece of wit and improvised humor in the history of mankind.

love the way they handle the press, by just using their own humour and personalities

You'll never know pain until you fall in love with the twenty year old version of a seventy year old Beatle...

Pure cheek without being vulgar, and no pre-scripted "talking points." Truly they were the Fab Four.

"Will you have haircuts?". "No." (George) " I had one yesterday,"

What the press didn't know was by the time they came to the US, they were veteran performers in every sense of the word.

I am always impressed by The Beatles' poise when watching this. Their first U.S. press conference really sealed the deal for them in America. The Beatles outwitted the press and beat them at their own game.

John is the quickest wit of them all!! I love The Beatles!!

They charmed the press and off they went - charming everybody else too. They had magic, that's for sure.

The beatles can never be repeated in thousands of years..

Still the GREATEST rock n roll band in the world on earth today

This is a big reason why the Beatles made it in America when others had failed. The press were out to get them and they gave it to them right back. Not in a rude or nasty way, but by winning them over with their sense of humor.

This was one of the great events for The Beatles. They changed the world and their music will be heard forever.

The reason they made American press look stupid is because the Americans thought they could outwit Liverpudlian humour.

Ring has always been my favorite. I laughed so hard the first time I seen him do The Elvis impersonation. Love it.

This is the stuff of legend! Thank God we have it on film.

Wow, none of those men took them seriously. And the Beatles kept their cool. They were so ready for their success and couldn't care less what the naysayers were up to...

The absolute very first time that America saw the Beatles as people, just speaking and being themselves and not performing.

2:11 CBS reporter : 'Will you tell Murray the K to cut that crap out' ! 😅😅😅😅😅

hard to believe just 3 years later these 4 made Sgt. Pepper...

They were so funny and cute, such naturals.

Reporter: How much money do you expect to take out of this country? John: About half a crown.... 10 dollars hahahahhahaha but then again this whole interview was hilarious

So much for reporters.... most intelligent thing they could talk about was their hair...

I like the way John used to say smart-ass stuff and then just duck his head and give that impish grin like "what, me?" Paul mentioned he used to do that with his glasses when it was just the two of them. He'd say something biting or nasty and then slide the glasses down and say, "it's just me." It's quite a contrast seeing how relaxed they are and how they are genuinely enjoying the moment here with their press conferences from their final tour in 66. You can tell how just two years of Beatlemania has worn them down by that point. By the time you get to that last conference they gave in L.A., even Paul, who was usually the Pollyanna type was giving smart-ass sarcastic answers to dumbass ridiculous questions. It seems the bigger they got, the dumber the press became. Anyway, this was neat. Thanks for posting. I was feeling kinda down and needed a pick-me-up and the Beatles are always good for that.

"If we knew we'd form other groups and be managers." - John Lennon. lol

i had one yesterday aww that was the cutest thing

58 years ago today...Feb.7, 2022-Feb.7, 1964....and NOTHING has ever been the same!!!

you have to admire their fearless irreverence at such a young age. this was out of the norm at the time, and considered disrespectful by many... they were in uncharted waters and handled it beautifully. george was 20, paul 21, ringo and john both 23. they were going toe to toe with the american press, who were largely skeptical of their talent and popularity, treating it like a fluke, and mocking their hair was a way of discrediting them as serious musicians. typically american in that way, the "establishment" reviling change as a threat to their "traditional values". young people immediately saw the value in adopting this cultural change, if nothing more than to ridicule the status quo.

To think that their hair was considered "long" back then! :D

I'm sure the press was ready to crucify these British invaders who had turned their daughters into screaming lunatics, but instead found themselves laughing during the entire press conference. Ringo Starr is THE star of the conference!! He seems so cool and down-to-earth. I can watch his response to the Elvis question over and over again.

Ringo was so SMALL.

Beatles 1, Press 0 = Beatles Win!!!

The greatest of all time and there will never be another..glad I was old enough to witness and enjoy it all.

Ringo got the most fan mail!

Imagine if they'd been surly and quiet. A huge part of their charm was how FUNNY they were

Everything scripted now, this is a complete free-for-all handled flawlessly. Beyond amazing

"Can you please sing something" *GEORGE'S MIND* "I have an idea"

Really funny and witty for such young guys. And totally off the cuff too.

50 years ago...Wow. I can't believe music is so dead today....Sure, some people are popular today, but I can honestly predict 50 years from now and people will look at music from 2014 and just roll their eyes.

Genuine wit and charm the likes of which no longer exists.

My God those are some stupid questions.

Nothing's changed in 50 years! Reporters still ask the dumbest questions.

Reporter: Will you sing for us? John, adjusting cufflinks: No. We need money first. Game, set, match

I really love their wittiness PLUS their CUTENESS in this eraaaaaa

- Are you for real? - Come and have a feel Hah hah

1:55 "No, we need money first" - Hilarious!

God, George's just laughing and I find it too cute. Ahh, their humor is so out of this world hahaha 😂. John and Ringo is so funny here especially that elvis one... And George about haircut hehe.

I love the Beatles, and don’t think there will ever be anyone else like them, but all the comments about how no modern popular artists are good or talented are just so pretentious and stupid. I’m not a huge fan of a lot of popular modern music, but thats just my opinion, and I think plenty of people in the mainstream are incredibly talented, and there always will be. There will never be another Beatles, so people are just going to have to do something new.

feb 7 1964 the beatles arrived in america

"Let the feasting beginnn"

Also George was definitely feeling the first stages of the flu here. So his being sick here and then being bedridden while John, Paul, and Ringo went out sightseeing in Central Park was a big reason why he became forever more known as “the quiet one.”

1:56 REPORTER 1: Could you please sing "Something"? BEATLES: NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! REPORTER 2: Is there doubt that you can sing? GEORGE: No, I haven't written it, yet!

Me impresiona tanto el carisma con el que brillaban!!! A pesar de haber atravesado el Océano Atlántico, era para que estuvieran cansados y fastidiados de un viaje tan largo, sin embargo, cada uno de ellos era sumamente ocurrente y simpático con la prensa!!! Nadie como estos legendarios monstruos sagrados de la música. Fueron y serán la mejor banda de todos los tiempos!!!

the way the policemen practically had to drag each of one of them out of the limo and rush them inside. beatlemania. wow

I was in a Chicago highrise elevator (lift) with several other passengers going way up. The elevator music played softly as we traveled. Suddenly I recognized the tune... Ticket to Ride. I made a face, looked at the man next to me, we all looked at each other... and shared a laugh and a moment of appreciation. The year was, 1980ish.

I think of this press conference when I think of trying to pinpoint a real changing of the times. Not just for the press, stuck in the 50's, but everything, music, fashion and a new way of thinking.

Part of their greatness was not taking themselves or things too seriously. They were as funny as JFK during a press conference.

Although they were virtually unknown to America, they had a huge amount of experience not only musically, but with handling audiences. At the time of their arrival in America, Lennon and McCartney had been together for 7 1/2 years and the Beatles had been performing in England and in Germany for nearly 4 years. Also, they were very well coached by Brian Epstein. So they were definitely up to the challenges of the American press and performing on nationally broadcast TV.

The Beatles are brilliant.

"would you please sing something?" NO!! 😂😂😂

The Beatles really was a great entertainer group icon way back in the day in the 60s just rocking and rolling and touring around the world and singing and playing their 🎶 music and performing in a stadium of screaming fans that was the Days of Beatlemania when the Beatles was the Famous fab 4

What a memory i will never forget

American reporter: "Are you going to get a haircut at all while you're here?" JOHN: "No." PAUL: "No." RINGO: "No." GEORGE: "I had one yesterday." STILL TO THIS DAY my favorite part of this press conference.

Thanks for posting! Some parts I never saw before.

3:57 Jeez, the hysteria was absolutely incredible.

1:00 John's first impression of Americans. "They're so rude.. I like it."

The press thought they had only just formed i think, and tried to make them look silly and put them down, but they were well seasoned in handling the press, they ended up making the press look silly.

lol,,,, Very funny!! Ringo Starr @ 2.21 impersonating Elvis saying "It's not true,,,, it's not true"

That Elvis part gets me everytime

I saw them at the Baltimore Civic Center in Sept of 1964. What a thrill!

John laughing at that guy telling everyone to shut up is everything.

Turn left at Greenland.

One of the funniest interview they have.. 😂 i love the beatles tha best forever!

thanks much....well done

1:55 "Could you please sing something?" "NO!!" That big "No!" gets me every time. Who was that woman anyway?

George 'let the feasting begin!' Lol

In February 1964, Paul was 21, Ringo was 23, George was 20, and John was 23. Beatlemania was mass insanity.

The press turned up to put a pin in the balloon but finished with egg on its face.

4 lads from my city. They make me so proud

I loved them since day 1. They came and got us out of our grief over the killing of President Kennedy.

Too bad the quality wasn’t better….getting off a plane, shoved into that and being so great!!! Love them :-)

Aren't you afraid of what the American Barbers Association is going to think of you? Hhahahaha laughed my ass of at that question

Beatles!!!

The press were ready to savage them but fell in love with them instead

The press was so rude to them...harassing them for their hair of all things.

The stuffy, arrogant and often intimidating US press corp. was simply out-matched & out-witted by four lads from "across the pond." For good or bad, this truly was a turning point in American journalism. Suddenly, it became acceptable to fight "fire with fire." Newsmen are also human and, like the rest of us, can act stupidly at times.

Silly questions vs the greatest band on earth.

They were just so likable. They had charisma, charm, humor, and looks. Not to mention their great songs.

This is sad when you think of how John died.

55 years ago today!!🥰🥰

Im fan of elvis.. but my love aparently introduce me this band.. im sorry elvis.. i love you but i love so much much much the beatles! Im only 27!! And yet loving 60's musics!

When someone talked and they all moved in unison hahaha.

absolute legends.

It's funny how only the left handed Beatles are alive (Paul and ringo)

they really knew exactly where they stood it seems hard to stay clear headed in that situation

If everyone was so concerned about their hair in 1964,imagine (no pun intended ) how they would feel several years later.

The Beatles were simply massive on both sides of the pond. They changed a generation, even Elvis was probably saying " this is something new."