Beatlemania hit big when the Fab Four crossed the pond and appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964.  Local reaction was swift:

• Reviewers in the TV Times could hardly think of enough synonyms for “trash.”
• On February 5, Will Jones of the Minneapolis Tribune reported that from the moment the Beatles arrive, WDGY will follow their progress with five one-minute beeper-telephone reports daily, supplied by Radio Pulsebeat News.  Before the ink was dry on the Trib, KDWB “worked a fast shuffle” and signed with the same company, edging out their rival, Jones reported the next day.  Curses!  Foiled again!

• Front page headline on the Tribune, February 10:  “‘Beatlemania’ Hits City.”  It was not pretty, calling it a “disease,” “malady” and “epidemic” caused by a “germ.”  Ringo was called “homely” and complained about teenagers combing their hair down to their noses or, if they were in a hurry, buying Beatle wigs.  Buyer for Woodworth’s couldn’t keep the darn things in stock.  Kids were accused of rebelling against “conformity to cultural stereotypes.”  They haven’t even seen the Stones yet.

• Meanwhile, back in St. Paul, the Beetles (formerly the Tornadoes) performed at the Belmont Supper Club in Beatle wigs on February 12, 1964.

• On February 15, KDWB’s Ed Rudy was the station’s Eastern Correspondent covering the Beatles’ first American tour.

• In the February 22, 1964, edition of the TV Times there were extensive ads for Beatle wigs at two drug stores and a Ben Franklin in Wayzata.  Plus there was a coupon for 50 cents off on said Beatle wig.

• Speaking of Beatle wigs, Will Jones described the Compleat Beatles kit he received from Capitol Records:  “besides copies of their first single records and album to be released in this country, a large lapel button bearing photos of all four and the command, ‘Be a BEATLE Booster!’  There’s also a newsletter and a tabloid newspaper devoted entirely to the Beatles.  the tabloid shows the Beatle-cut coif for women, and also four Capitol executives wearing Beatle wigs.  There’s an ad for Beatle wigs (‘reasonably authentic’) for $2 each.”

• KDWB’s music survey for March 14, 1964 advertises the Beatles Closed Circuit TV show on the giant screen, March 14 and 15 at the St. Paul Auditorium Theatre and the Minneapolis Armory.  Tickets were $2 and available at Field-Schlick and Melody Music City. The show was promoted by National Talent Consultants, Beverly Hills, represented in Minneapolis by 23-year-old Larry Goldblatt.  At the Armory, a group of kids showed up at 2am the night before, and a National Guardsman let them in for their safety but kicked them out at sunrise.  About 100 kids were literally beating down the doors at 8 am, although fewer than 1,000 of the expected 7,000-8,000 seats were filled for the 11am show.