This program has a new start and end time.
On February 11, 1964, just days after their electrifying debut on "The Ed Sullivan Show," four mop-topped young Brits played their first concert in American to an overflow crowd of screaming local teens at the Washington Coliseum. Fifty years later, the musical and cultural impact of the Beatles’ arrival in America still reverberates. On the anniversary of this milestone, join Bob Santelli, executive director of the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles, in conversation with Mark Lewisohn, foremost Beatles authority and writer of the recent New York Times bestselling Tune In – the first volume of his groundbreaking biographical trilogy The Beatles: All These Years. The evening's discussion looks at the crucial impact of America on the Beatles before they in turn transformed American music, how Brian Epstein made breaking into America an early goal of his Beatles management, and how they had to endure numerous frustrations before their seismic arrival.
Come early, to take advantage of extended hours for the Constitution Café. After the program, Mr. Lewisohn will sign copies of Tune In, while Smithsonian curators present select rarely seen objects related to the Beatles.
Devoted to America’s film legacy and exploring how the American experience has been portrayed through film, the theater has been made possible through a gift from Warner Bros. Entertainment, a subsidiary of TimeWarner.
Assistive listening and Rear Window Open Captioning devices available.
Program subject to change.
Smithsonian Connections
Take a look at a few of the items in Smithsonian’s collection of Beatles memorabilia—and find out what other acts were on the bill for their American debut concert.
