MIAMI BEACH - February 19, 1964
One of my favorite aspects of the job as The Sports Time Traveler™ is going back in time virtually for an extended stay in one era so I can really get a feel for what’s going on.
Often I find out about two major events that are taking place in nearly the same place and time that are connected in a way I would have never known about from my normal vantage point in 2024.
A great example is happening right now in 1964.
I’ve been virtually hanging out here in Miami Beach precisely 60 years ago.
I came here because the Beatles were scheduled to be on the Ed Sullivan Show live from the iconic Deauville Hotel for their 2nd national TV appearance in America.
But when I got here I found out that Cassius Clay (who will later change his name to Muhammed Ali) is working out at the 5th street gym, right here in Miami Beach, just 6 miles down Collins Avenue from where the Beatles are staying.
Clay, who just turned 22, is here because in just 1 week on February 25, 1964 he is challenging Sonny Liston for the heavyweight championship of the world in boxing.
Liston, the reigning champion since he defeated Floyd Patterson in 1962 in a first round knockout, is the prohibitive 6 to 1 favorite to retain the title.
I could not believe that both of these iconic events, the Beatles 2nd live performance on Ed Sullivan, and Cassius Clay’s first appearance in a title match, were taking place at nearly the same time in Miami Beach.
The Beatles first album in America was released less than a month ago, on January 20, 1964, and was titled, “Meet The Beatles.”
This got my mind stirring as I thought did Cassius Clay meet the Beatles?
Well yesterday, February 18, 1964 at 12:50pm, they did meet!
And The Sports Time Traveler™ was there virtually to experience it.
Clay was working out at the 5th Street Gym and the Beatles stopped by.
And you can see it right here!
In the link below there is a fantastic photo of Cassius Clay and the Beatles at the 5th Street gym that was taken here yesterday.
Cassius Clay Meets The Beatles on February 18, 1964 in Miami Beach
That picture ran in the New York Times this morning with the caption, “Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, George Harrison and Cassius Clay, the poetic pugilist.”
The Times sports writer Leonard Koppett was there. He wrote, “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Cassius Clay met the Beatles today.”
Clay was in his usual form providing more witty lines than the Times sports writer could fit to print.
Clay introduced himself to the Beatles by saying, “Hello there Beatles. We ought to do some road shows together. We’ll get rich.”
Then the Beatles all got into the ring with Cassius Clay.
And in this video you can watch it. Fast forward to the 1:10 mark on this 2 minute video.
Poetry in Motion
Clay wasn’t done with his theatrics. He recited a poem for the Beatles:
“When Liston reads about the Beatles visiting me,
He’ll get so mad I’ll knock him out in three.”
Koppett wrote that after hearing the poem, “The Beatles jumped up and down with glee and clapped their hands.”
After the Beatles left, escorted by police, Clay was still at it. Tommy Fitzgerald of the Miami News recorded Clay, the enormous underdog for the title fight, yelling, “I’m going to upset the whole world.” And he continued to rant that Sonny Liston is, “scared to death.”
The Beatles meanwhile were on vacation, having already completed their big show here in Miami Beach.
The Beatles on Ed Sullivan Again
The Beatles performance at the Deauville hotel, was broadcast live nationwide on the Ed Sullivan Show on CBS, 3 nights ago on February 16, 1964, and you can watch their entire 2 set performance right here:
Here’s the highlights with the time stamp on the video for easy viewing:
1:00 - Ed Sullivan introduces The Beatles and they immediately launch into “She Loves You.”
3:30 - The Beatles sing “That Boy.”
6:10 - Paul speaks to the audience, the only Beatle to do so, and introduces “All My Loving.” This is the last song of the 1st set.
8:50 - Ed Sullivan introduces The Beatles for their 2nd set and they begin to play, “I Saw Her Standing There.”
11:30 - The Beatles sing “From Me to You.”
13:30 - Paul talks to the audience one more time and tells what is apparently meant to be a joke. He says, “We’d like to finish off this bit with a song which has always been a great favorite of ours. This is one that was recorded by our favorite American group Sophie Tucker.”
In the entire building the only person who laughed was John Lennon. And then the Beatles began their #1 hit, “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” which incidentally was written by Lennon & McCartney, not Sophie Tucker.
Sophie Tucker, for those who don’t know, is a singer & comedian who was one of America’s biggest stars in the vaudeville era in the first half of the 20th century.
Bedlam by the Beach
Prior to the live show there had been bedlam as fans tried to get inside the 4,000 seat theater in Deauville hotel. The Miami News wrote yesterday, “If the Beatles’ promoters sought to achieve the effect of having huge crowds clamoring to see the mopheads, they were successful… for 45 minutes they scrambled through, squeezing, gouging.”
The Miami Herald noted, “People surged forward as if the last loaf of bread was behind the barricade.”
The Tampa Bay Times sent a reporter to cover the scene and he wrote, “It was a mad, mad, mad, mad world this weekend in this South Florida tourist hot-spot.”
The Liston - Clay Fight
In the theater there was another connection point between The Beatles and the big fight coming up next week.
The Miami Herald wrote, “Two people who didn’t have to shove their way in were heavyweight champion Sonny Liston and the former titleholder, Joe Louis.” Joe Louis held the crown from 1937 to 1949.
Louis’ wife is Sonny Liston’s attorney and according to the Miami News yesterday, Joe Louis, “is a daily watcher of Liston’s workouts and sort of technical adviser.”
Louis was asked by the Miami News about Clay’s chances to beat Liston and offered this, “He can run, but he can’t hide. He can move his head, but he can’t move his body… I’m afraid Clay will look like an amateur running away.”
Sportswriters also give little chance for the brash boisterous challenger. Writing in the Los Angeles Times just prior to Christmas, Jim Murray, the witty columnist wrote about a piece about gifts that would be appropriate for famous athletes, “For Cassius Clay, a year’s free orthodonture redeemable right after the second round of his fight with Sonny Liston. If there is one, that is. A second round, I mean. Or a fight for that matter. I think the United Nations would certify it as an atrocity.”
The fight is next Tuesday night, February 25th, at the Miami Beach Convention Center. The Sports Time Traveler™ will be listening to the ABC radio broadcast of the bout which will feature an up and coming lawyer turned sportscaster named Howard Cosell.
I can’t wait!
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