When the Beatles arrived in Indianapolis in 1964, one WISH-TV cameraman was determined to make history. 

At 1am on September 3rd, 1964, a British invasion touched down in Indianapolis. As the Beatles disembarked their chartered plane at the Weir Cook Municipal Airport, they were met by 60 police officers, and a flurry of cameras and reporters. John Lennon kept his face covered with a pair of dark sunglasses while Ringo Starr’s neck was adorned with a long slim tie. Only 15 days into a 33-day long North American tour that spanned 23 cities, the Fab Four were preparing for a two-show engagement at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. 

Shortly after arrival Indiana state troopers escorted the rock stars to the Speedway Motel on the west side of Indianapolis. As fans outside craned their necks for a better view, police kept a close watch.  

Later that day, as the Beatles made their way to the Indiana State Fair Coliseum, a cameraman was plotting an invasion of his own. Despite filming being banned from the concert venue, WISH-TV Chief Photographer Jim Curtis devised a way to sneak his camera into the coliseum. 

Screaming fans, mostly teenage girls, clamored outside waiting for their chance to get in. At the same time, jealous teenage boys, suddenly no longer finding themselves the center of attention from the fairer sex, purchased “I Hate The Beatles” buttons and proudly flaunted them on their lapels before the concert began. 

Paul, Ringo, George, and John bounded onto the stage at 6:21pm for the first show of the evening. Almost immediately, more than 12,400 fans, mostly teenage girls, began to scream in unison. “It was nonstop standing and screaming,” says Shelia Sweitzer, who attended one of the shows that evening. “You could hardly hear the Beatles.”

At some point this evening, Jim Curtis executed his plan. “We knew there was gonna be great security, and to be able to shoot what we wanted to shoot was probably going to be difficult,” says Dave Smith, a longtime WISH-TV Program Director.

Somehow, Curtis was able to smuggle his camera into the coliseum, and proceeded to crawl on his stomach under rows of seats to the front row and film one of the concerts right in front of the stage. Alternating between shots of the Beatles and screaming fans, Curtis was able to capture one of the most historic events in Indianapolis entertainment history. “I don’t know how he got in with his camera,” Smith said.   

After the first concert ended, the Liverpool-based band was shuttled to a nearby building for a press conference. It was here that WISH-TV journalist, and also a Liverpool native, Bill Aylward, interviewed Paul McCartney. Some light teasing from McCartney seemed to catch Aylward off guard. Noting a lack of his Liverpool accent, having since lost it after years of living in America, the Beatles frontman flashed a quick smile at the reporter.     

When asked by Aylward if the crowds in the USA differed at all from those in the United Kingdom, McCartney said there didn’t seem to be anything notable, outside of the larger venues the band played in America.   

After the press conference, the Beatles made their way back to the Indiana State Fair Coliseum for a second show, this time in front of a larger crowd of almost 17,000 fans, mostly teenage girls. Theri setlist for this showing didn’t change from their first, and most of the rest of the tour. The band opened with Twist and Shout, later continued with hits like She Loves You and Can’t Buy Me Love. The show ended with a cover of the Little Richard chart-topper Long Tall Sally.     

On their way back to the Indianapolis airport, the band were treated to a lap around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in a Cadillac. George Harrison noted of the experience, “It was fantastic. I couldn’t believe how long the straightway was, and to be on the banking and see all the grandstands was great.” 

A few weeks after the historic event, WISH-TV aired the television special, Our Fair Beatles. The special 15-minute special chronicled one of the most historic days in Indianapolis history, and of course, included the exclusive footage of the concert filmed by Jim Curtis.