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Just about the time you get Peter (Herman) Noone figured out, how he is and where he's at, he switches moods and you have to start figuring again from scratch. It's very confusing. His personality has more sides than an octahedron which, if you know your geometry, is a solid having eight plane faces. Peter has at least eight.
Sometimes he's as relaxed as spaghetti, then again he's uptight as a guitar string. He can grin and bear a load of aggravations or fall apart over some small hangup. Although he's completely comfortable with one or two groovy pals, he turns stiff and stand-offish when besieged by flocks of females who can't talk, who only stare or tear. Groupies make him nervous as a bee in a bottle. When he can't think of anything clever or witty to say, he clams up. This gives some people the impression that he thinks he's God's gift to women. It ain't really so.
We've gathered the recorded impressions of several Noone-lovin' gals who have dated the boys, guested at their Hollywood hacienda or met them on tours or on the set of their MGMasterpiece, Hold On! Together they give a birds-eye view of Herman and the others.
Let's shoot first with the hangups they had during their stay in the Hollywoods.
One of the worst was the uninvited fans who stormed the gates and swept through the house., like the scene described by Janet Atkinson and Linda Dail, both 15, who were invited to the house.
"While we waited at the gate for our names to be checked off the guest list, other girls began crying real tears, demanding to be let in if we were. The guard cleared us and we met Peter Noone by the pool. We were talking quietly when suddenly dozens of little bubble-gummers came screaming down the driveway like a stampede of cattle. They charged through the house, trampled on things, swarmed through all the rooms and took items of clothing, jewelry and other personal possessions for souvenirs. Herman locked himself in the bathroom. Charlie Silverman, the road manager, tried to calm them down and get them out but they wouldn't go. It was terrifying. We left and I don't know what happened after that.
Sue Bennett, 17, told me another story: "All the Hermits are happy guys. They love to laugh and have fun. But one night Pete Noone seemed so fed-up that I asked what was wrong. He told me that he'd bought $200 worth of clothes at a Hollywood shop in the afternoon. That evening, many strangers, boys and girls, had trooped through the house like they owned it. Now he had discovered that all his newly-bought clothes had been stolen before he had opened the packages and wrappings. Even Lek's eyeglasses had been stolen, and he's quite blind without them. That's mean!"
Pete and the lads were depressed, recalls Jodi Gable, when she saw them the day after a Saturday night house party which came on a brawl when another English group (which shall remain nameless) really got smashed.
"One of them crashed into a plate glass door. He wasn't hurt but the glass was shattered to splinters. They wrecked some patio furniture, spilled whisky on the carpets and poured it into the swimming pool. Others tried to cook bacon and eggs and splattered bacon grease over the kitchen curtains and other things.
Pete felt awful. The Beatles had left the house spotlessly clean and in perfect condition, he said, and the owner would think Herman and the Hermits were a bunch of irresponsible hoodlums. His guests were taking advantage of his hospitality. Pete hates rude behavior."
Reported Lori Barth, 16, "When I first met Pete Noone he was very nice and I just loved him. He's about six feet, skinny as a rail, with a beautiful head of hair and a clear complexion. As we were leaving, Charlie Silverman asked us to return later when the others had gone away. You never knew what to expect next up there. We had a marvelous time that night."
Marilyn Caldwell: "When I called the house for an interview, they not only said I could have an interview but I could stay for dinner as well, if I liked. I liked! So, armed with paper and pencil and a rather nervous appetite I headed for 2850 Benedict Canyon Road, (formerly occupied by the Beatles. (Next occupants: The Rolling Stones). We had lamb chops for dinner but I was too nervous to eat. They were plenty hungry, though, and I understood why when they told me a work day at the studio was from six to six.
"The next night, not long before his party guests were to arrive, Peter was up on the road giving fans rides on his motorcycle. Keith does a lot of reading. The others enjoy horse-back riding. At the house they swim, play pool, listen to records, entertain friends informally and sometimes have a friendly fight and throw their road manager into the pool with his clothes on."
Lori Barth: "When Herman and the H's arrived in town this time, I determined I would meet them. My friend Earl Leaf advised me to go to the house alone, not with a boyfriend or a gang of girls.
"Next morning before school I sent Peter a telegram saying I was coming and to please telephone me if I wasn't welcome. He didn't call so I went up there all by myself which I think is the only reason they let me in. They don't like to see tribes of teenagers whooping around. Too hard to control. Charlie Silverman came to the gate and escorted me in. Charlie is the most wonderful person in the world. I just loved him. He took me through the living room to the pool where Lek and Barry were swimming. Keith was sunning in a chair. Herman was lounging in the cabana. He invited me to sit with him and we talked for about 20 minutes. He asked me to swim with him but I had no suit so I couldn't. He jumped in.
"Everyone was playing around. Keith came over and talked with me for a long time. They had one of those exercycles in the patio and were trying to get 10,000 miles on it before they left town but so far they'd only pumped 365 miles. I tried my judo and karate on Peter. When I had to go home, they all invited me to come back the next day and bring some of my girl friends, so I brought Joy, Sue, Gail and Joanne with me. We spent many wonderful hours with them during the next two weeks."
Girl-talk about the Hermits individually:
KEITH HOPWOOD
JODY GABLE: "Keith is very shy, doesn't say much, dresses very neatly and is immaculate in his person. Very quiet-spoken. He cares deeply what other people think. He loves California life and California kids who are different than others he's met." LORI" "I like him the best. He's a very sincere person and will tell a person exactly what he thinks. He's just the greatest ever!"
KARL GREEN
SUE: "Sometimes movie stars and popular music idols get so carried away that they think they are super people, but Karl is not like that. He treated us like we were equals to him, not just kids who came to look at them. And he's gorgeous!"
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JODY:"Karl and Barry are the closest pals of the group. Karl is the champion girl-watcher and Barry is a close second. Karl seems to be the leader. JOY: "He has the most sex-appeal of all."
DEREK LECKENBY
JODY: "Lek is very smart. He's about six feet tall and looks like a typical Englishman with glasses. He only talks to people when he has to, not to be sociable. And if he doesn't like you, he won't bother to talk to you at all. He's also very tight with his money, hates to spend anything." GAIL: "He seemed friendly enough but he was very sick for more than a week and stayed in his room most of the time."
BARRY WHITWAM
MARILYN: "Barry is the outdoor type and would rather swim, ride horseback and hike than anything else." JODY: "Barry loves to mix - with one girl at a time. When there's a big group of girls around he will pluck one aside and make her his very special friend for the day, the evening or the week. He's terribly romantic."
CHARLIE SILVERMAN
All the girls are crazy about Charlie, 21, the HH road manager, handsome, super-intelligent, charming, kind-hearted, understanding, and full of fun." LORI: "He's a little guy with black hair, white English skin and the most infectious laugh." JOY: "Charlie is fantastic, he's terrific, he's just the greatest guy in the world." JODY: "If anyone wants to meet, get an interview or shoot pictures of Herman and The Hermits, he has to arrange it through Charlie Silverman. Charlie is so soft-hearted he hates to say no to anybody at all and he never fails to do his best. He's awfully young to bear so much responsibility. I've never heard him use a harsh word or lose his temper. I adore him."
Blonde and beautiful teenager Jody Gable has palled around with the Hermits since their first visit to Hollywood. She was the first girl they met here. Her story:
"One evening in December, 1964, my girl friend Kay Zar and I were driving along Sunset Boulevard. We heard over KRLA that Herman and the Hermits had arrived in town so we decided to check out one of the hotels on the Strip to see if they were registered there. As we drove in, we saw them arrive in a limo from the airport. After a while I called Herman on the house phone. They connected me at once and we chatted for several minutes. He said he would love to see some of southern California so we agreed to meet in the morning. We met in the coffee shop of the hotel next morning. After breakfast they asked us to take them to the British Consulate. We went there but it was closed, so they bought some records at Music City and clothes at a shop next door.
"They wanted to see some of the night clubs and asked if I could get a girl for each of them. Kay and I made some phone calls and rounded up some more girls. We met at the Shindig rehearsal, then went to Gazzari's club That was the only place that would let them in because they're so young. It's Boss, the teenage night club wasn't open then. We split up. Herman and I walked along Hollywood Boulevard and he was fascinated by the the bronze stars imbedded in the sidewalks.
"The next morning we went to a recording studio and bumped into the Beach Boys which was strange because I used to be president of the Beach Boys fan club in Hollywood.
"In the afternoon Herman, Lek, Diane and I went to Knott's Berry Farm. They didn't like that either although they loved the western shops, the cowboy shirts and boots. We lunched at one of the restaurants there. They didn't like that either. Herman said he didn't like the baked beans, and he squashed his cigarette in them. Herman wasn't very well-mannered, eating his salad with his fingers. A whole bunch of people came over to their hotel that night and sat around talking until two o'clock in the morning. Early next morning I drove them to the airport. We wrote a few letters then I heard nothing for a long time.
"Much to my surprise, last summer I received a call from their states manager saying they wanted me to meet them at the airport when they returned to do more TV shows and start a movie. So I was there and drove them to their hotel.
"Keith called me and wanted to go out driving in his rented car. We got lost on the freeway on the way back - and ended up in Watts during the riots. We didn't know how to get out of there. A man in a service station gave us the right directions. He was very nice to us but were we glad to split that scene!
"The Hermits left for a two weeks' concert tour. I wanted to see Keith again but not the others. I don't know what happened on the road but when they returned to start working on their film they were changed again - for the better. They had dropped their snobbish attitude and were as friendly as people can be.
"I dated Keith or double-dated with Lek and his girl friend, Norma, who works for MGM. Keith had to drive the other guys around because Pete and Charlie had had their drivers' licenses suspended in England. Pete told me if you get so many violations in England they take your license away for good.
"I spent a lot of time with them in their Benedict Canyon home but they didn't have many parties. They had to get up at 5 a.m. and often worked at the studio until until 7 p.m. and were beat when they came home. Friday nights they liked to go out to the clubs and Saturday nights have friends to the house. Their favorite hangout was the Trip where the Byrds and the Grass Roots were fantastic but they didn't like the Byrds at all. Keith came to my house and met my parents and we took long drives throughout the countryside in the moonlight. Keith drove me to places I'd never seen or heard about.
"One of the nicest things they did was invite their parents to visit them in Hollywood. Pete's folks also brought his little sister, Suzanne. They stayed at hotels in Beverly Hills.
"It was amazing to see the changes in Pete from sweet to cold to sweet again. At first success went to his head but he had enough sense to snap out of it. I couldn't believe the quick change and how sincere and nice he is now. After all, he was only 17 years old. It takes some maturity to cope with the smashing successes he's had in one year.
"And it takes a real man to admit he was wrong. He may only be 18 now - but take it from me, he's a real man!"
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