February 1964: Unannounced visit to 81st Street Beach for a publicity photo shoot: Seventy-three million Americans had just seen them perform live on The Ed Sullivan Show.
A witness described what happened:
“It was a visit to 81st Street Beach for publicity photos. After their stay in New York, The Beatles were in Miami to appear on the Ed Sullivan show. The Beatles came unannounced from the Deauville hotel, just down the road (southwards) on Collins Avenue.
When the entourage, a limo and a car full of photographers, a dozen Miami Beach police cars and motorcycle cops arrived I was one of only a few people at 81st St. Beach, which at that time was undeveloped. Within half an hour a crowd had developed, as people came running from both directions. The police quickly hustled them back to the motorcade as the crowd swelled. It was all over in half an hour, tops.” (source: Youtube)
Harry Benson:
The band’s visit to Miami’s 81st Street beach was a surprise trip, planned by photographer Harry Benson because he needed something to show his newspaper picture editor in London. Benson said it was not difficult to persuade the band to go to the beach: “We’d all come from a freezing Britain and New York, and suddenly there was sunshine, sea, and girls in swimsuits hoping to meet a Beatle,” he said.”
