HOW THE BEATLES OFFICIALLY ENDED AT DISNEY'S POLYNESIAN VILLAGE

 
TECHNICALLY, IT IS  HARD TO PINPOINT THE EXACT MOMENT WHEN THE BEATLES ENDED AS A GROUP.

JOHN LENNON HAD OFFICIALLY "WALKED OUT" OF A MEETING AT APPLE RECORDS, WITH THE OTHER THREE BEATLES PRESENT, ON SEPTEMBER 2O, 1969. HIS IMMORTAL WORDS, JUST BEFORE HE HAUGHTILY EXITED, WERE:

I WANT A DIVORCE. JUST LIKE THE ONE I GOT FROM CYN (HIS FIRST WIFE).

OTHER THINGS WERE SAID, BUT SUFFICE TO SAY, WITH THESE WORDS, THE DIE  WAS CAST. INTERESTINGLY, RINGO HAS ALREADY "QUIT" THE BAND BACK IN AUGUST OF 1968, DURING THE RECORDING SESSIONS  FOR THE WHITE ALBUM. IN JANUARY OF 1969, DURING THE FILMING OF THE BEATLES' LAST MOVIE LET IT BE, GEORGE HARRISON GOT TOO FED UP WITH THE QUARRELING AND THE SNIPING - AND YOKO ONO - AND HE TOO, MADE FOR THE NEAREST EXIT.

SEE YOU AROUND THE CLUBS, GEORGE SAID AS HE BOLTED.

BOTH GEORGE AND RINGO WERE EVENTUALLY TALKED INTO RETURNING. PAUL WAS THE FIRST TO PUBLICLY "ANNOUNCE" AN END TO THE FAB FOUR, ON APRIL 10, 1970, WITH A FORMAL NEWSPAPER INTERVIEW, DECLARING, IN SO MANY WORDS, THE FACT THAT: I'M QUITTING THE BEATLES.

ALTHOUGH THE FOUR HAD SPLIT UP IN THE REAL WORLD, THERE WAS STILL A LOT OF LEGAL "RED TAPE" TO BE CUT BEFORE THE "OFFICIAL" SPLIT COULD ACTUALLY TAKE PLACE. FINALLY, AFTER FOUR LONG YEARS OF COURT BATTLES, LAWSUITS, SUBPOENAS, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ACRIMONY, AND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, THE OFFICIAL DISSOLUTION OF THE BEATLES WAS ABOUT TO TAKE PLACE.

WITH JUST A FEW KINKS LEFT TO IRON OUT, THE DISSOLUTION MEETING WAS SET TO TAKE PLACE AT THE PLAZA HOTEL IN NEW YORK CITY- IRONICALLY (AND SADLY) THE FIRST PLACE THE BEATLES STAYED IN AMERICA WHEN THEY FIRST ARRIVED THERE IN 1964 - THE DISSOLUTION MEETING WAS SCHEDULED FOR DECEMBER 19, 1974.

BOTH GEORGE AND PAUL MADE SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS AND FLEW IN TO BE PRESENT FOR THE JOINT SIGNING OF THE REQUIRED PAPERS. RINGO WAS TO BE THE ONLY BEATLE NOT PRESENT FOR THE HISTORIC OCCASION - HE HAD ALREADY SIGNED THE NECESSARY DOCUMENTS BACK IN ENGLAND.

AT THE PLAZA, GEORGE ARRIVED WITH HIS LAWYER AND HIS BUSINESS MANAGER. PAUL CAME ACCOMPANIED BY HIS OWN LAWYERS AND RINGO'S LAWYER AND BUSINESS MANAGER WERE PRESENT ON HIS BEHALF. TWO TEAMS OF LAWYERS FOR APPLE RECORDS (ONE FOR THE U.S. AND ONE FOR THE U.K.) GATHERED AROUND A VERY LARGE TABLE TO GET ALL THE SIGNATURES ON THE PAPERWORK DISSOLVING THE PARTNERSHIP.

RINGO WAS ON THE PHONE - LONG DISTANCE - TO CONFIRM HE WAS "ALIVE". PAUL AND HIS WIFE LINDA HAD A CAMERA SET UP TO DOCUMENT THE HISTORIC OCCASION.

FINALLY, AFTER A LONG WAIT, GEORGE SAID WHAT EVERYONE WAS THINKING: WHERE'S JOHN?

GOOD QUESTION, REPLIED HIS LAWYER.

INCREDIBLY, JOHN HAD PLAYED HOOKY AND DUCKED THE MEETING. TO ADD TO THE GROWING ANGER OF ALL PRESENT, JOHN LIVED WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE (OR AT LEAST A SHORT CAB RIDE) OF THE PLAZA, RIGHT IN NEW YORK CITY.

GEORGE'S LAWYER PUT IN A CALL TO JOHN. (AT THE TIME, JOHN WAS LIVING WITH HIS SECRETARY, A PRETTY GIRL NAMED MAY PANG. HE WAS GOING THROUGH A SEPARATION WITH YOKO.)

JOHN REFUSED TO COME TO THE PHONE. MAY TOOK THE CALL AND TOLD THE LAWYER THAT JOHN HAD DECIDED NOT TO COME TO THE MEETING AT THE PLAZA.

HIS OFFICIAL REASON: THE STARS AREN'T RIGHT.

IT WAS ONE THING TO PUT UP WITH JOHN'S FADS AND PASSIONS AND IDIOSYNCRASIES, BUT TO NOT ATTEND THIS IMPORTANT MEETING BECAUSE OF THE MISALIGNMENT OF HIS ASTROLOGICAL CHARTS WAS PUSHING THE ENVELOPE A BIT TOO FAR.

GEORGE WAS ALREADY IN A  DOUR MOOD. HE WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF A TOUR, HE WAS GETTING LOUSY REVIEWS, AND HIS  VOICE  WAS STRAINED AND NEARLY SHOT. FIRST, HE BLAMED HIS LAWYER FOR JOHN NOT COMING. SOON, ALL THE OTHER LAWYERS ERUPTED AT GEORGE'S LAWYER.

THEN, FURIOUSLY, GEORGE PICKED UP THE PHONE.

TAKE OFF YOUR G** DAMN SHADES AND GET THE F**K OVER HERE!, HE BARKED AT HIS FORMER BANDMATE. (GEORGE, ALTHOUGH HE DID HAVE A STRONG TEMPER, NONETHELESS ALWAYS IDOLIZED JOHN, NO MATTER WHAT LENNON HAD EVER PUT HIM THROUGH OVER THE YEARS. GEORGE SAYING SUCH A VIOLENT THING TO JOHN WAS COMPLETELY OUT OF CHARACTER. IT WAS VERY CLEAR THAT THE STRESS OF HIS OWN UNSUCCESSFUL TOUR, PLUS THE WEIGHT OF THE MOMENT, HAD OVERTAKEN THE NORMALLY "LEVEL-HEADED" EX-BEATLE.)

MAY ASKED INNOCENTLY IF GEORGE WANTED TO TALK TO JOHN.

NO! JUST TELL HIM WHATEVER HIS PROBLEM IS, I STARTED THIS TOUR ON MY OWN AND I'LL END IT ON MY OWN! GEORGE BARKED AND SLAMMED THE PHONE DOWN.

JOHN WAS LISTENING OVER MAY'S SHOULDER. PAUL AND HIS WIFE LINDA CAME BY TO VISIT JOHN THE NEXT DAY, REALIZING HOW UPSET HE WAS OVER THE AGREEMENT.

PAUL ASSURED HIM: WE'LL WORK IT ALL OUT.

GEORGE'S RAGE DIDN'T LAST LONG. A MESSAGE ARRIVED AT JOHN'S HOME:

ALL IS FORGIVEN. GEORGE LOVES YOU AND HE WANTS YOU TO COME TO HIS PARTY TONIGHT.

JOHN AND MAY DID GO TO THE PARTY AT THE HIPPOPOTAMUS CLUB, WHERE GEORGE, JOHN, AND PAUL ALL HUGGED.

JOHN AND MAY LEFT NEW YORK THE FOLLOWING DAY TO SPEND CHRISTMAS AT WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA,  ON DECEMBER 29, 1974, THE VOLUMINOUS DOCUMENTS WERE BROUGHT DOWN TO JOHN IN FLORIDA BY ONE OF APPLE'S LAWYERS.

TAKE OUT YOUR CAMERA, JOHN INSTRUCTED MAY, WANTING HER TO CAPTURE THE MOMENT FOR POSTERITY. THEN HE CALLED GEORGE'S LAWYER TO GO OVER SOME FINAL POINTS. WHEN JOHN HUNG UP THE PHONE, HE LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW WISTFULLY. ACCORDING TO MAY, SHE COULD ALMOST SEE HIM REPLAYING THE ENTIRE BEATLES EXPERIENCE IN HIS MIND.

JOHN FINALLY PICKED UP HIS PEN AND, IN THE UNLIKELY BACKDROP OF DISNEY WORLD, AT THE POLYNESIAN VILLAGE HOTEL, OFFICIALLY ENDED THE GREATEST ROCK 'N' ROLL BAND IN HISTORY BY SCRAWLING HIS NAME AT THE BOTTOM OF A PAGE.

Comments

[settles]

That was a good read. I never heard the details before. Thanks!

[james brown]

My parents saw the at the Bradford Alambra theatre in England.I've loved them ever since I found their records around the house as a kid.Thanks for that write up , it was really interesting

[Brian]

Thanks so much Eddie! Someone has posted a partial video of George and Paul signing the documents, claiming it to be on 4/14/70 and you helped me in researching the proper time period. I could tell by their haircuts that it most definitely was NOT 1970.

By the way, i used to work at B&N at the Glendale, Americana. Hope you're well!