#17oct1963

They did! Unbelievable as it sounds, Boyfriend Magazine ran a competition in the 13th July 1963 issue of Boyfriend to win a date with a Beatle (or four). 

The above picture is a scan from my own collection, from ‘Boyfriend Extra No.2: Date The Beatles’, which was published c. November 1963, but here’s the pages from Boyfriend’s feature on the winners (found online). 

Four lucky winners won, Karen, Vicky, Anne and Susan. On 17th October 1963, they went to meet the Beatles at their offices in Monmouth Street, London but only Paul turned up (!) They left a note for the other three Beatles and went on for lunch at a restaurant called ‘Old Vienna’ in Bond Street, London, accompanied by two members of staff from Boyfriend and a journalist from another newspaper (and, I assume, someone from NEMS, though this isn’t confirmed?) 

Large crowds met them at the restaurant and the girls and Paul had to have police assistance to get inside. (This “date” was five days after the Beatles Palladium Show, Beatlemania was gripping the nation!) They were later joined by John, George and Ringo. 

The competition prize was also supposed to include a visit to the Beatles recording session. They were to record The Beatles’ Christmas Record, You Really Got A Hold On Me, I Want To Hold Your Hand and This Boy at EMI Studios, Abbey Road (the Beatles ‘top secret location’ mentioned in the article) on this date, but due to the Beatles increasing popularity, George Martin had recently banned all ‘outsiders’ from the studios. Vicky Mitchell, one of the winners was quoted in the book, Beatles London, saying; “I remember Paul McCartney ringing up George Martin to ask if we could come along and listen in, and he said no. So Paul came back, and we sort of carried on eating for a bit.”

Here is the article transcript (as it may be a little hard to read - I’ve done my best! It was blurry in places: 

What would it be like to date the four most fabulous and exciting boys in show business - none other than the Beatles? 

Well, four girls did find out. They were the four lucky girls to win the Beatles Lunch Date competition in Boyfriend magazine. The girls were Karen, Vicky, Anne and Susan. The boys, of course, were John, Paul, George and Ringo. 

The four girls arrived at Boyfriend offices very punctually at quarter to twelve, all rather nervous. Vicky wore a brown tweed suit with an orange jumper, Karen wore a white dress with a black satin collar, Susan wore a grey dress with a Peter Pan collar, and Anne wore a long-sleeved grey dress. 

The plan was to go to the Beatles press office to pick them up in a limousine, hired specially for the occasion, but unfortunately the plan went wild. 

Paul was the first to arrive and he could think where he’d lost the other three. So we decided to go on, leaving a message for the others. As we went down into Bond Street, we noticed crowds of people. “The Queen or someone must be here,” Paul said. But no, the crowds weren’t waiting for Royalty. They were waiting for the Beatles. 

When the car pulled up in the midst of the crowds, Paul began to panic. “Quick - the door! We’ll be surrounded!” Be with the help of several policemen he entered the restaurant quite safely. 

The girls, meanwhile, had arrived at the restaurant exclaiming, “We can’t eat a thing! We’re petrified!” 

Paul was rather happy about being the only Beatle there with four very attractive girls. “This will serve them right for being late. Four lovely girls all for me!” 

Paul looked very handsome in a tweed jacket and light grey slacks. The girls by this time had lost their nervousness. Well, it’s hard to be nervous with someone as natural as Paul. He puts everyone completely at ease. 

Karen opened the conversation by asking Paul how he and Ringo enjoyed their holiday in Greece. “It was really great,” he said. “We just stretched ourselves out in the sun every day until it became unbearable and the we went into the shade and had an iced coke. That was just about our daily routine. Nothing to do but relax. Oh, we went water-skiing - have you ever tried it? It’s really great! You must have a go sometime!” 

What about the Palladium? 

“Oh, well, we were all a bit nervous about that. In fact, we were more nervous before the show. When we finally went on we felt okay.” 

What did they think of Bruce Forsyth? 

“Oh, he’s a really great guy. You know when he came on stage dressed like one of us? It was Ringo’s suit he was wearing! And all those girls outside! Whew, we didn’t think we’d ever get out! We would have liked to have seen the girls and met them if we could. But you know, it would have been impossible. They were a little wild, weren’t they?” 

Still no sign of the other three elusive Beatles. 

“I hope they’re all right,” said Paul. “They’re probably being torn apart by the crowds outside - and loving every minute of it!” 

Everyone was seated at the table, when there was a sudden commotion on the stairs, like an avalanche of boulders. No boulders, just John, Ringo and George hurtling in. 

They rushed up to the table, apologies flying in all directions as they removed their coats, then Paul, with a flourish, proudly introduced the four girls. 

George was wearing a dark navy suit, Ringo a dark suit with a dark shirt, and John a navy suit with a lavender gingham shirt. 

Everyone then ordered the meal. The girls went for shrimp cocktails, while the boys favoured fruit juice, Paul having melon. This was followed by steak, which everyone ordered except John. He was rather off his food, and asked for some jelly and a Coke!

The table seating had gone a bit beserk, too. Instead of the careful plan, there were three Beatles on one side, and one on the other. There were John, Susan, George, Anne and Ringo, with Vicki (sic), Paul and Karen opposite. But all the girls seemed quite happy. John got out some designs that a girl had sent them for new stage shoes and suits. The conversation then, naturally, turned to fashions and trends. The styles the boys favoured, and the girls agreed, were the military-style suits, and Paul went overboard for lace-up boots. 

George then broke into a chorus of ‘She Loves You’, much to the delight and amazement of Anne. Karen then asked Ringo about the Royal Command Performance. “Well, it’s one of those things that you’re really pleased, excited and honoured about, but you’ll be glad when it’s over. The only thing we’re worried about is that they won’t understand us, ‘cos we’ll be among a very exclusive class of entertainers.” 

But the girls quickly assured them that they would be a fabulous hit wherever they went. 

That fact nobody could deny. Within a few months they have topped the bill at the London Palladium, had a trip to Sweden, where they received a fantastic reception. And, of course, there’s the Christmas show to come. It’s sure to be a show to beat all others, with the [unreadable]

And that’s not all! There’s the January - February trip to Paris, where they will play in a show (?) at the Paris Olympia Theatre, [unreadable] …there’s the one thing they haven’t tried yet - a film!

When you take it all into consideration, the Beatles have got a lot on their hands (?) and it isn’t surprising that John, George and Ringo overslept a little!

Back at the ‘Old Vienna’, all the girls were still chatting away to their own particular favourite Beatle, with the meal just being rounded off with a large gateaux, specially made for the lunch date occasion, and of course, the Beatles favourite drink - a Coke!

Autographs and photos were then signed for the girls, and the manager helped make the Beatles’ day by asking them to sign their names on the walls. 

At this point, a police officer descended and announced that the poor chauffeur had been driving around in his huge, black limousine for the past half hour! 

There were great sighs of regret from both the Beatles, who had to rush off to a secret destination, and the girls, who were coming back to the Boyfriend offices. 

Yes, the time had flown all too quickly for Anne, Vicky, Karen and Susan. But it’s a lunch date I’m sure they won’t forget in a hurry. Well, would you?