Volume 2 Issue 1	1 September, 1999	Online Edition

TV SALUTE COINCIDES WITH REISSUE OF EPSTEIN’S GREATEST COMMERCIAL TRIUMPH AS VISIONARY MANAGER OF THE BEATLES - “YELLOW SUBMARINE” - AND WITH THE VERY PRESTIGIOUS ISSUE OF THE U.S. MAIL STAMP COMMEMORATING THE BEATLES.

A&E NETWORK “Biography: Brian Epstein”

Friday September 17, 1999. 8pm and 12 midnight (ET) - 5pm and 9pm (PT)

Tuesday September 14, 1999 sees the release of several new Beatles productions relating to the restored “Yellow Submarine’ movie. The restored film will be released worldwide on VHS and DVD. And a brand-new Beatles album “Yellow Submarine Songtrack” will also be released. Coinciding with all of this activity Signatures Network (formerly Sony Signatures) has licensed no less than 250 new items of “Yellow Submarine” merchandising - the highest number of licensed items since the heday of Beatlemania.

With the unprecedented number of merchandising tie-ups the Beatles are confidently expected to gross in excess of one hundred million dollars ($100,000,000) just from merchandising. With income from the theatrical reissue, the new CD, home video and DVD - industry experts are projecting a gross approaching HALF A BILLION DOLLARS from the “Yellow Submarine” project - exceeding even the success of the “Beatles Anthology.”

And Friday September 17 sees the introduction of a Beatles stamp by the U.S. Mail - a very prestigious honor marking the mammoth impact on 20th Century popular culture of the Beatles.

Brian Epstein was the man who masterminded the Beatles’ breakthrough and guided them to mega-stardom. And Epstein was directly responsible for the “Yellow Submarine” project - championing it to a very reluctant group who initially wanted no part in the endeavor. (See additional info on this point at the end of this news release.)

Fortunately for millions of Beatles fans throughout the world - and even more fortunately for the Beatles’ coffers - he prevailed in his quest to see the project come to fruition.

On Friday September 17, 1999 - just three days after the “Yellow Submarine” reissue - and on the day that the Beatles U.S. stamp is issued - U.S. TV viewers will finally see the American premiere of the award-winning BBC TV documentary “BRIAN EPSTEIN” - a profile of the enigmatic Beatles manager who died 32 years ago - and who has been a comparatively forgotten man in recent times.

The American version of the documentary will air on A&E Network in the "Biography" series. There will be two screenings. 8pm and 12 midnight (ET) - 5pm and 9pm (PT)

“Biography” attracts approximately 2 million viewers per show.

However - the version American viewers will see is considerably shorter than the UK original. The BBC version (which premiered at Christmas 1998) ran 150 minutes - and in April of this year won the British equivalent of an Emmy (The 1999 BAFTA Award) for best documentary. The A&E version has to conform to the 60 minute commercial TV structure - which will result in a program of just 48 minutes duration.

(There are currently no plans for the full-length version to be seen on American TV or to be released on home video anywhere in the world.)

During the program Sir Paul McCartney dubs the Beatles manager with the title “The 5th Beatle.’ Many people have used this expression before - primarily to describe either Epstein or Beatles producer Sir George Martin. But this is the first time ever that a Beatle has made such a public pronouncement. As such it is considered by Beatles insiders to be an unofficial anointment. A declaration of ultimate respect by the Beatles after many years of comparative silence about the man who discovered them and who subsequently guided them to fulfilling his highly improbable 1962 declaration that they would be “Bigger than Elvis!”

In recent years there has been a campaign underway to restore public appreciation of the Beatles manager - who died of an accidental sleeping pill overdose in August 1967.

British humorist Martin Lewis (who is considered to be among the world’s leading Beatles scholars) is the founder and organizer of MBE! - a campaign to get Epstein inducted alongside Sir George Martin in the non-performers’ section of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall Of Fame. The campaign has already attracted over 15,000 signatures from around the world.

Lewis is also the creator and host of MBE! - The Official Brian Epstein website - which features an online petition for this campaign.

The campaign and website are named MBE! - in a nod to the prestigious royal award the Beatles received from The Queen in 1965. The letters stand for “Member of the British Empire.” However - when the Beatles were asked at the post-inauguration press conference what “MBE” stood for - Paul McCartney immediately responded “Mister Brian Epstein!”

As part of the campaign Lewis spearheaded the 1998 reissue of Epstein’s 1964 autobiography “A Cellarful Of Noise.” The new edition (Rhino/Pocket Books - $9.95) features a 15,000-word ‘companion narrative’ by Lewis - which details Epstein’s considerable achievements after the book’s 1964 publication and relates how Epstein’s death undoubtedly contributed to the breakup of the Beatles.

“After Brian died I knew that that was it. I knew we’d had it.” - John Lennon (1970)

Commented Lewis on news of the US TV premiere of the “Biography: Brian Epstein”

“It’s wonderful that Americans will get to see SOMETHING about Brian Epstein - even though it’s not the full 150 minute original film.

“The timing of the show though is wonderful.

“As the world again takes pleasure in the genius of the Beatles’ creativity - Americans will have a chance to learn more about the remarkable man who gave so much to the world - and who received so little recognition.

“The immense talent of the Beatles would never have found its way to the public without Brian Epstein. And there would never have been a “Yellow Submarine” movie without this man’s prescience and persistence.

“I hope that this TV show reminds everyone who was impacted by the cultural, social and political changes wrought by the Beatles (which is a huge proportion of the civilized world) to spare a thought of appreciation for Brian Epstein and express that sentiment to at least one friend.

“And if they want to seem him alongside Sir George Martin, Phil Spector and others in the non-performers’ section of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall Of Fame - the “Sign For Brian!” online petition is a few seconds away.

http://www.brianepstein.com/cgi-bin/petition.cgi

"Not a lot of time to give for the memory of the man who brought us the Beatles.”

FURTHER INFO ABOUT BRIAN EPSTEIN’S ROLE AS THE UNSUNG HERO OF “YELLOW SUBMARINE”

The Beatles had not seen the point in doing an animated movie. Brian Epstein saw the long-term potential benefits of a film which would enshrine them for children of future generations. He persuaded the doubting Beatles to commit to contributing four new songs for the project. Even after they agreed - the film was seen as Brian’s folly and the Beatles would joke that if a song wasn’t “good enough for Sgt. Pepper” that they should “give it to ‘Yellow Submarine.’”

The (erroneous) conventional wisdom about Brian Epstein is that for all his promotional talents and honesty - he was a poor businessman for the Beatles. This judgment is based just on one 1964 agreement whereby a poorly-advised Epstein was ripped off by sharks in the brand-new, completely uncharted waters of mass merchandising. It effectively discounts all the other superlative work that Epstein undertook for the Beatles. It also ignores his persistence in getting the Beatles to agree to “Yellow Submarine.” That persistence over 30 years ago will gross the Beatles hundreds of millions of dollars this year alone.

Not a bad legacy for the man who was supposedly a bad businessman.

Brian Epstein is the unsung hero of “Yellow Submarine.”

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