Ha HA! I know you all tuned in to see me, The Riddler!

February 9, 1964 stands out as one of the most important nights in American music history with those four mop-topped lads from England, The Beatles, making their US debut on The Ed Sullivan Show.  That first of three consecutive appearances by The Beatles has made that show that aired 59 years ago today quite legendary.  So much so, that nobody remembers or cares who else shared the spotlight with The Beatles on 73,000,000 television sets in the United States that evening…..

But The Nest does!

Dutch magician Fred Kaps had the unenviable task of following The Beatles on stage after their first set.  Well….. kinda.  He required special set for his act and thus his performance was pre-recorded.

Comic impressionist Frank Gorshin performed a skit involving a fake Senate committee hearing (hoo boy, after the Beatles?).  While well known at the time, he’s pretty much only remembered today for being The Riddler on the 60’s Batman series…

If you thought squirrels were the only acrobatic act you’d ever find on The Nest, you’re wrong!  Wells and The Four Fays are long forgotten about, other than one of the members of the troupe being Toni Basil’s (Oh Mickey, you’re so fine…) mom…

Yoga in the 60’s.

The husband and wife comedy team McCall & Brill was also a part of that show.  And there was a performance by the cast of the Broadway show Oliver…. and while the star of that ensemble was an actress named Georgia Brown, the young lad playing the Artful Dodger would go on to become almost as big as The Beatles himself….

No, I’m not joking…. Davy Jones just happened to be on the same show The Beatles made their American debut on, and seeing the crowd’s reaction to the Fab Four inspired him to try out for The Monkees two years later, the American made for TV group very much inspired by The Beatles success.  You can’t make this up….

And for more stuff I can’t make up, here are my answers to this week’s Share Your World questions from Di!

It’s been a hard day’s night…

What kind of vacations did you have as a child?

Certainly not the iconic Disneyworld or cross-country affairs considered a part of Americana.  No, we were poor, so “vacations” often consisted of local attractions.  Four short trips to Paducah, Kentucky in the 80’s followed by a tour of small towns in Illinois for bowling tournaments was pretty much all of the away-from-home excitement I ever got in my childhood years.  And that was fine…

You haven’t lived until you’ve gotten the chance to rub the nose on the Abraham Lincoln statue in Springfield.

Have any of those remained favorites now that you’re an adult?

Meh, most of them blended together… especially the four Paducah trips.  The first bowling trip in 1989 was to the Chicago suburb of Lockport (I believe we stayed in Naperville).  Somewhere up that way, we ate at a Ponderosa steakhouse and I remember the ribeye I got was literally dripping blood on the plate…. which shouldn’t have happened since I’ve always gotten my meat well done (burnt, even).  Anyway, one of the few mementos from an early vacation I still have is the little plastic flag they stuck in my steak that day which says “medium-rare,” which is not only wrong, but is still a far cry from dripping blood on the plate…

USDA Choice possum, medium-rare anyone?

What has been your best vacation ever?

Well, even though it didn’t quite go according to plan (in more ways than one), my 2001 excursion to New York City to try my hand at Who Wants To Be A Millionaire probably still comes out on top…

Fancy NYC hotel furnishings.

Do you prefer resorts where there are no kids allowed?

I prefer ANY place where no kids are allowed.  I wish we didn’t allow them in Mecca, but unfortunately children legally have the same rights and privileges as “service animals” in public places…

Including mandatory leash laws.

Gratitude:

Speaking of vacays….