by Scott Patrick, Philadelphia, PA

The Beatles cartoons were screened in the US from September 25, 1965 to April 20, 1969 on ABC Television. That’s how I “met The Beatles.” My household was filled with the strains of the “beautiful music” and then chart topping “Broadway show tunes” that my parents listened to on the big console stereo upstairs. “Kid’s Music”, and alas the pre-Pepper Beatles were tagged as such, was relegated to my Kenner “Close and Play” phonograph, a toy record player which automatically put the needle on the record (dance! dance!) when the lid is lowered. I had a copy of “The Grasshoppers Sing the Beatles Hits” (Diplomat D2337, 1964), the Grasshoppers knocking off not only the Fab Four, but also gimmick of Alvin and The Chipmunks.

You couldn’t help to know who the Beatles were, as the mania was in full bloom then! I got to “know” the Beatles through their cartoon show. It was positively the progenitor of the MTV and the music video. Each half hour cartoon show featured two Beatles songs and sing-a-long segments, complete with on-screen lyrics. I was too young to go to Shea Stadium or any of their concerts. This was my brush with “Beatlemania” as it was happening! And they came into my living room every Saturday!

In 1968 the brilliant animated film Yellow Submarine was released (I was 6!) and a whole wave Beatle merchandising was aimed at kids. I even had a Yellow Submarine mobile! By 1968 the “real” Beatles were nothing like their “kid friendly” cartoon counterparts, and by 1969, “the dream was over”. The Beatles TV cartoon series has all but disappeared locked deep in the Apple vaults somewhere. But the Yellow Submarine lived on!

By high school, I was a full fledged Beatle maniac. I screened a 16mm print of Yellow Submarine for friends in my living room. I even arranged for Yellow Submarine to be screened one summer at Golden Slipper Camp, where previously they had shown stupefying dull movies such as “Gigi”. Being one of “the Beatles People” brought the teenage me into contact with other Beatle People, particularly girls (Hi Diane, Lisa, and Riva & Nan!)

The cartoon Beatles and Yellow Submarine in particular continue to work their magic to this day. It was the way, now via DVD, that I introduced Beatles music to my daughter. Likewise, my kid sister did the same with her children. (I teased her since “The Glove” scared the hell out of her as a kid!)

John: Break the glass.

George: We can’t!

Paul: It’s Beatle-proof.

John: Nothing is Beatle-proof!

Even today, watching Yellow Submarine makes the “Blue Meanies” of adult life disappear, and is always a refreshing experience.

Hear Yellow Submarine 

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/UhMclqH9C54" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]