In what is now a largely forgotten episode in television history, John Lennon and Yoko Ono transformed The Mike Douglas Show into a vibrant platform for activist discourse, surprisingly bridging the gap between mainstream America and a counterculture facing repression.
The most shocking takeaway from Erik Nelson’s charming documentary is the overwhelmingly congenial atmosphere, even amidst the flammable reputations of guests like Jerry Rubin and Bobby Seale.
Nelson expresses a desire for the film to embody the essence of that transformative week rather than be a retrospective analysis, showcasing Mike Douglas’s warmth and intelligence during interviews.
Despite the high stakes of Lennon’s anti-establishment history with the Nixon administration, the show itself had a playful mood with musical segments and present-day guest interviews lending a lightness to the narrative.
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