During the week of February 14, 1972, daytime television was thrown for a loop as John Lennon and Yoko Ono joined “The Mike Douglas Show” as co-hosts, bringing along a selection of unlikely guests to provoke and entertain the show’s Philadelphia-based studio audience and a national viewership of 40 million.
Erik Nelson’s documentary “Daytime Revolution” recalls that unlikely but invigorating week of television programming that included the instant classic live performance of Lennon and Ono with Chuck Berry along with Douglas having in-depth conversations with the likes of Ralph Nader, George Carlin, Yippie founder Jerry Rubin and Black Panther Chairman Bobby Seale – figures who never turned up in the happy realm of daytime television.
“Daytime Revolution” provides fascinating insight on two intertwined stories – Lennon and Ono’s effort to reach a wider audience for their music and sociopolitical agenda through Douglas’ daytime show, as well as Douglas’ willingness to move away from too-safe acts by giving controversial figures time in his spotlight. Most fascinating is Douglas’ interaction with Rubin – Douglas rarely gets his due as a masterful talk show host, yet this conversation shows his ability to tackle complex subjects in a cordial yet insightful manner. Indeed, Douglas took a lot of risks by opening his show to discussing such hot-button topics as the anti-war movement, police brutality and women’s liberation, but the risks paid off with some of the most memorable programming of that decade.
The new DVD and Blu-ray release for this wonderful documentary has some fine bonus features not included in the recent theatrical version including uncut musical performances by John Lennon and Yoko Ono of “It’s So Hard” and “Luck of the Irish” plus their teaming with Chuck Berry on “Memphis, Tennessee.” And at the risk of sounding like a corny old pitchman, the home entertainment format release “Daytime Revolution” would make a great holiday gift for the serious Lennon fans.