John Lennon and Yoko Ono Become Talk Show Hosts on ‘Daytime Revolution’

INTERMEDIATE: It may sound hard to believe, but John Lennon and Yoko Ono became the hosts of the daytime talk show more than 50 years ago – Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson or Drew Barrymore of their time. Only one week.

New documentary The Daytime Revolutiondirected by Erik Nelson, it chronicles that pop culture moment in February 1972 when John and Yoko took over. The Mike Douglas Showproducing and co-hosting the afternoon speaker. Kino Lorber plans to release the film on more than 50 screens nationwide on October 9 – what would have been Lennon’s 84^th birthday.

“The Daytime Revolution takes us back in time, as we see John and Yoko engage with a transformed studio audience to reveal Q and A moments where John Lennon was surprisingly open about his life after the Beatles,” the release notes. “John and Yoko also got to choose guests, some of which were controversial at the time [anti-war activist and Yippie] Jerry Rubin and Black Panther Bobby Seale, and Ralph Nader and George Carlin. In addition, the shows featured hot musical performances, including a famous duet with Chuck Berry, and a soulful rendition of the now classic ‘Imagine’. Fantasy art events and even cooking segments are woven into the crazy fabric of the format. ”

Yoko Ono explained in a press conference in 1972, “We wanted to make exhibitions to show that we are working for peace and love, and to change the world, not with violence, but with love. And everyone we’ve chosen is participating in efforts to change the world. ”

1972, of course, was a presidential election year (and the year of the Watergate break-in), when the incumbent President. Richard Nixon will face the Democratic presidential nominee, George McGovern. Fifty-two years later, we are in another important presidential election cycle. Director Erik Nelson has not lost time.

“We are very locked up At noon down in the fall of 2022, but we made the logical decision to hold off on the release until after the 2024 Election, as we felt strongly that the film’s message of hope and optimism would be a ‘welcome letter from home’ for our closeness. we reached what promised to be an apocalyptic and tension filled November 5th^th,” Nelson noted. “We were clearly right in that thought!”

Nelson’s directing credits include Cold Blue (2019), Fear and Glory: 1945 (2021), The Gray State (2017), and Dreams With Sharp Teeth (2008). He produced Werner Herzog’s classic Emmy-winning documentary The Grizzly Manand Herzog’s Cave of Forgotten Dreamsagain In the pit of the abyss. He served as executive producer on Herzog’s Oscar-nominated documentary Meeting at the End of the World.

The Daytime Revolution will premiere in October at the Hamptons International Film Festival shortly before the film’s theatrical release. Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon served as creative consultants for the film. Amy Briamonte produced The Daytime Revolution. Executive producers include Bob Emmer, Jeffrey Peisch, W. Clark Bunting, Lynn Fero, Adam Licker, EV Di Massa Jr., and Dave Harding.

Paul Marengo and Daniel Mooney edited the film; original music by Mark Leggett.

The Daytime Revolution is one of two new documentaries exploring key moments in the lives of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. One to One: John and Yokodirected by Oscar winner Kevin Macdonald, will premiere at the Venice Film Festival, followed by its North American premiere in Telluride. That film also took place in 1972 as the couple made plans for the One to One Charity for Special Needs Children concert, “John Lennon’s full-length concert after the Beatles and before his death.”

Important for Beatles fans: The Venice Film Festival will also play the world premiere of the documentary. TWST – Things We Say Todaydirected by Andrei Ujică, “a period piece in New York City between August 13-15, 1965, set by the Beatles’ arrival in the city and their first concert at Shea Stadium.”