Powerhouse exhibition The Beatles in Australia recalls the madness of the Fab Four's 1964 tour Down Under

A signed card with Dezo Hoffman photo on the front and a bio on the back were available at Australian service stations in 1964. Picture: Powerhouse Museum Source: Supplied

 

"He saw The Beatles and said, 'That's a good name, let's have them'," says Powerhouse Museum curator Peter Cox.
"There was no written contract for another six months but on the strength of that handshake he secured The Beatles for a very low price."
When Brodziak signed them, the Fab Four were pretty much unknown in Australia. By the time they arrived here in June 1964 they were the biggest musical act in the world.
To celebrate next year's 50th anniversary of that 13-day tour, during which Beatlemania erupted with unparalleled intensity, the Powerhouse and Arts Centre Melbourne have curated an exhibition called The Beatles in Australia.
"It's not actually about The Beatles, it's about the impact that the tour had in Australia. And so we are looking at the way it was reported through newspapers, magazines, radio coverage, TV and newsreels," Cox says.
"We've got a lot of media on display and scrapbooks with fantastic clippings to show the frenzy that the media was in as well as the fans.
"The Beatles were so co-operative when they were here. They did so many press conferences - when they probably didn't need to in terms of selling tickets - and beguiled the Australian press with their charm and witty answers."
The Arts Centre Melbourne holds Brodziak's archive in its performing arts collection.
"It's a fantastic resource because it contains a lot of documents that shed light on how the tour was planned and managed," Cox says.
"People think The Beatles played for that original price negotiated in July of 1963 which was Pound1000 a week but that's not quite true. Documents reveal the price increased twice - in October and November of 1963 as The Beatles rose to fame.
But it was only increased to Pound2500 per week. By the time they got here they were the biggest entertainment act in the world and they could have got more than 10 times that if they'd gone to America."
The exhibition also features a suit worn by John Lennon in 1964, lent by London's Victoria and Albert Museum, and all manner of vintage merchandise - from Beatles wallpaper to crockery, clothing and a board game.
There's also an interactive quiz and interviews with people involved in the tour.
"I think this event changed Australia, which was a very conservative place in 1964. You could almost say that from this time the pace of social change accelerated, not just in music and fashion but in attitudes and lifestyle," Cox says.
"It woke Australia up a bit. From being the end of the Earth, suddenly the biggest thing in the world was happening here. I think that gave Australia a boost in self-confidence."

The Beatles in Australia, Powerhouse Museum, September 26 - February 16, 2014. Free with general admission. Info: www.powerhousemuseum.com

Source: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au