I Saw Them Standing There, Debbie Gendler
I Saw Them Standing There, Debbie Gendler
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I Saw Them Standing There
Adventures of an Original Fan during Beatlemania and Beyond

Author: Debbie Gendler

Narrator: Debbie Gendler, Robb Weller

Unabridged: 13 hr 51 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 03/26/2024

Synopsis

After February 9, 1964, everyone wanted to be Debbie Gendler. She was one of a handful of lucky fans who were in the live audience for the Beatles' historic performance on the Ed Sullivan Show. Everyone has a story about where they were when they watched the appearance, but very few were there in person—and even fewer would go on not just to meet the Beatles but end up building a career around the band. But Debbie did.

This is the story of a New Jersey teenager who managed to accomplish what millions only dreamed about. Prior to the Beatles arrival in America, Gendler met with the group's manager regarding the establishment of a U.S. fan club. At the start of the Beatles' 1965 summer tour, she was the only teen to welcome them to America, and after their press conference at the Warwick Hotel she finally met them.

Debbie recounts her unique and sometimes wacky experiences having witnessed first-hand some of the most historic events in pop culture. Organizing fans to sleep on Broadway to purchase tickets, representing the official fan club on television, and promoting the Ringo for President novelty record are just some of the requests she fulfilled as one of the band's leading ambassadors. This coming-of-age tale details the journey of a devoted Beatles fan against the backdrop of the 1960s and a shifting cultural landscape.

About Debbie Gendler

Debbie Gendler is a four-time Emmy nominated Talent and Development Executive and Producer formerly at CBS New York and Los Angeles, and ABC, and who also served as Women in Film's (LA) first Executive Director. Debbie is responsible for developing over 9,000 episodes of television with Weller/Grossman Productions for thirty-six broadcast and cable networks including the launches of HGTV and the National Geographic Channel in the United States. Identifying talent and building show concepts is Debbie's expertise with many of today's notable hosts and experts being introduced to networks by Debbie. As an "original" Beatle fan who was in the studio audience for the group's first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, she has given countless interviews on television, radio, and podcasts including the CBS Grammy 50th Beatle Anniversary Show where her interview traveled around the world as part of a Grammy exhibit, and on the accompanying DVD to Ron Howard's feature documentary on the Beatles. Now sixty years later Debbie works as a research consultant and coproducer at SOFA Entertainment, owner of the Ed Sullivan Show.

Debbie is a magna cum laude graduate of Boston University's College of Communication and enjoys the non-housewife life with her husband in Beverly Hills, California.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Silver Screen Videos

Many people marvel today at the enormous popularity and fan adulation of Taylor Swift. However, 60 years ago, the Beatles were the equivalent of four Taylor Swifts as they took the United States by storm, beginning with a legendary 1964 performance on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” Debbie Gendler was at th......more

Goodreads review by C.G.

Debbie Gendler loved the Beatles before anyone in her small NJ hometown loved them. She was Beatlemania before there was Beatlemania. A year after the 14-year-old was introduced to the Liverpool lads through a family friend who brought back one of their albums from the UK, when the band appeared on......more

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