DAYTIME REVOLUTION (B) - Mike Douglas was a square who hosted a daytime talk show for housewives in the 1960s and '70s. He would have co-hosts who sat in with him for a week at a time. He would start out each show singing old-fashioned versions of modern hits. In February 1972, the former big-band crooner started out one week by singing the Beatles' "Michelle," a horrific slice of cheese that sets into motion a documentary about one of the most improbable TV experiences you'll find: John Lennon and Yoko Ono co-hosting five episodes of the "The Mike Douglas Show."
Journeyman director Erik Nelson puts together a perfunctory but pleasing chronicle of the societal clash between John & Yoko -- with their counter-culture and new-age friends as guests -- and whatever passed for entertainment late afternoons in the early '70s. Nelson takes 108 minutes to casually unfold the events of that week, in which America would have a good chunk of time to reacquaint themselves with the former Beatle and his avant-garde wife. Guests included yippie Jerry Rubin, Black Panther Bobby Seale, consumer advocate Ralph Nader and comedian George Carlin. Soon after the shows aired, President Nixon would add Lennon to his enemies list and have the government harangue the singer for three years over his green card.
Nelson mixes insightful talking-heads commentary with leisurely extended clips that allow the songs and conversations room to breathe. You might have seen videos over the years -- especially Lennon jamming with Chuck Berry on "Memphis Tennessee" (note Berry's eyes widen when Ono's warbling kicks in) -- but the key here is placing that slice of cultural curiosities into full context. We proceed day by day throughout the week, and each day's clips are preceded by snippets of the day's news reports. The method immerses the viewer into a very real time and place.
Both Lennon and Ono come off as earnest and charming, especially as they grow more comfortable with the format as the week progresses. Lennon points out to Douglas that he didn't write "Michelle," as Douglas claimed, though he did pen the middle eight. He has kind words for his former songwriting mate when an audience member asks his opinion on the first Wings album. Ono, ever the conceptual artist, supervises a project in which a teacup is broken into pieces and then glued back together one piece at a time over the course of the week.
"Mike Douglas" producer E.V. Di Massa (also a producer on the documentary) shares his institutional knowledge from behind the scenes back in the day. (Fox News ogre Roger Ailes got his start on the show.) Bit players from that week provide some of the most insightful memories 50 years later, including folk singer Nobuko Miyamoto, macrobiotic chef Hillary Redleaf (again, watch Berry's reaction when he bites into one of her fried creations), and experimental musician David Rosenbloom, whose stint involved the group gathered cross-legged on the floor while John and Yoko wore headbands fixed with sensors to create biorhythms for him to translate through a keyboard and synthesizer. (Not everyone, apparently, was invited by the guest hosts for their alt sensibilities; glimpse veteran comedian Louis Nye at the end of one show, unmentioned.)
The film grows wistful by the end -- it notes matter-of-factly that Lennon finally secured his green card and lived with Ono in New York "until December 8, 1980" -- and a soulful version of "Imagine" doesn't hurt. It's a luxury to hang out so casually with my favorite Beatle, as he and his soul mate sought to spread their message of "a brotherhood of man" into living rooms across America. It was a delightful notion, and "Daytime Revolution" is a quaint exercise that allows us to dive back into a time of turmoil and idealism, when there nonetheless was hope that we could transform that mess into a more enlightened world.
BONUS TRACKS
One of the highlights of "Daytime Revolution" is an acoustic version of Ono's best song, "Sisters, O Sisters," accompanied by Lennon on guitar. Here is the studio version from "Some Time in New York City":
It's so hard to find videos of Lennon's performances that week on YouTube, but here is an audio version of "It's So Hard," with Elephant's Memory:
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