ner, 40). The Beatles created many movies in addition to "Hard Day's Night." These included"Help!" which cost twice as much as the former. It was a complete success. They also did acartoon called "Yellow Submarine," which included many songs from Rubber Soul and Sgt.Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. This actually had a plot, although it was very fictional. Thismovie spawned a whole new line of products featuring the cartoons of the Beatles. Key chains andmagnets were among some of the most popular items. Recently in 1999, the cartoon has berestored and the "Yellow Submarine" action figures of John, Paul, George, and Ringo wererereleased (Schaffner, 50). Soon after creating the album Rubber Soul, the largest controversy surrounding the Beatlesarose because of a quote John made. He stated, "Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. Ineedn't argue about that, I'm right and will be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus Christnow. I don't know which will go first, rock 'n' roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right, but hisdisciples were thick and ordinary. It's them twisting it that ruins it for me." This quote caused manyparents to forbid their children from buying Beatles albums, and mass burnings of Beatle's recordswere held. The Beatle's manager, Brian Epstein, tried to insist that John only meant it to express his"deep concern" in the decline of religion. People did not buy this story, and sales declined severely. John decided to apologize to the public, and did so at a Chicago Press Conference. "I suppose if Ihad said television was more popular than Jesus, I would have gotten away with it. I'm sorry Iopened my mouth. I'm not anti-God, anti-Christ, or anti-religion. I was not knocking it. I was notsaying we are greater or better." The Vatican accepted the apology, and many people went back totheir Beatle-loving ways (Schaffner, 57-59). During this time George Harrison began to be interested in Eas...
