Herman in concert, top, drove fans wild. With Shelley Fabares, center, Herman's co-star in latest MGM film. All five Hermits, plus a character from movie, arrive at crowded airport.

A teenager talks with Herman's Hermits! Here, in Leslie Sim's own words, is her account of her interview with the English quintet who've captured the hearts of America (and Leslie Sims).

Herman's Hermits are probably the nicest, most natural, most courteous, most clean-cut . . . well, they're just the most. And when they were in Los Angeles recently, filming "No Place Like Space" for MGM, I was lucky enough to interview them for TeenSet on the movie set (and even have lunch with them in the MGM commissary! ).
    This was the second movie for the gear group at MGM (the first was"When the Boys Meet the Girls"), and this time they were the stars. The plot, as told to me in bits and pieces by the Hermits, is a romantic musical, with Shelley Fabares as the girl Herman meets when he comes to California for a Rose Bowl concert. Her-man actually did give a concert at the Rose Bowl, which I saw -- along with about 40,000 other screaming fans. In addition to the boy-meets-girl story, there's a kind of sub-plot revolving around plans to name the next space ship after the Hermits, a name which was chosen by the children of the astronauts. There are all kinds of complications, like being locked in a hotel room (this was the scene they were shooting when I was on the set).
    All five Hermits kid around a lot, and sometimes the going gets a little rough. You all know how Herman lost his tooth just "horsing around" with the others. They have loads of fun together, whether it's a make-believe gunfight or a little dance, or just joking around.
    Peter (no one calls him Herman) sat across from Barry at lunch and they had a little "swordplay," using a fork and a butter knife.
    They all seemed to be starving, eating all the bread and crackers in sight before the food got there. I understood why when they told me they had to get up at 5 in the morning so they could start working by 7. They would go straight through until 12:30 or 1 without a break!
    Like other boys their age, they're interested in cars, surfing,

food, girls, dancing, and of course music, Peter even gave detailed instructions on how to make Yorkshire pudding, and at that point Keith, who has a great, but quiet, sense of humor (and a goose bumpy way of looking at you out of the corner of his eye), said he could fry bacon pretty well...
    They all learned to surf in Miami, and they've realized every surfer's dream of riding the waves off Hawaii. They've all tried it, but Karl seemed the most enthusiastic about the sport. Karl is a great kidder; he likes to wear a holster and pretend he's Gary Cooper or some western star practicing a fast draw.
    I asked Keith who chooses the songs they record and who does the arranging. He told me that they all have a hand in it, but their producer, Mickie Most, usually comes up with the songs. If they can't agree on a song or how it should be done, they just don't do it Keith and Lek have written a couple of songs, and one of them is on an album. It's called "Tell Me, Baby." I talked to Keith and Barry the most because they sat next to me at lunch, across from Peter and Karl. Lek was farther down the table, so I'm afraid I didn't get to talk with him as much as the others.
    I asked Barry what he thought were the best and worst things about American girls. He had to think a minute, then said, "The worst thing is that you can't tell how old they are .They all look older than they really are." The best thing? "Enthusiasm" he said.
    We all started discussing fan magazines, especially the ones that print exaggerated stories or just plain lies. Peter said that "the worst thing about those magazines is that people actually believe what is printed in them."
    After lunch we went back to the set, and while Peter was running through a scene by himself a photographer took pictures of the four Hermits. They even took one of me with them, which is now enlarged, framed, and hanging in my bedroom!
    As I said at first, Herman's Hermits are really the most -- of everything. I'll never forget how nice they were and how they were so helpful in answering my questions. I know they were very busy, but they were so patient and courteous you'd think I was the first person who had ever interviewed them.If they ever read this, I'd just like to say thank you all over again --to Peter, Keith, Barry, Karl and Lek -for a truly wonderful time!

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