DAYTIME REVOLUTION (2024, doc)

October 9, 2024

Greetings again from the darkness. Is it nostalgia? Is it history? Is it activism? Is it entertainment? This documentary from Erik Nelson is all of the above and more. It’s an incredible treat for viewers as well as providing a snapshot in time of a week that influenced changes in daytime television talk shows. In 1972, the host of the most popular daytime TV show invited John Lennon and Yoko Ono to co-host “The Michael Douglas Show”. Was it a clash of cultures? Yes it was. Was it TV magic? Absolutely.

Let’s be real … this was quite a risk for the time. Mike Douglas was a popular host because his daytime show was relatively benign and moderately entertaining for those watching television during the day. To invite John and Yoko, the ‘radicals’ accused not only of breaking up The Beatles, but also for being quite extreme in their counterculture thoughts and actions, was a courageous act and one that risked turning off a substantial portion of the audience. And this wasn’t just one show on one day. Douglas went all in – John and Yoko were to co-host a full week … five shows where they selected the guests.

Director Nelson wisely divided the documentary into segments of the five shows in order so that we can follow along. Show number one aired February 14, 1972 – a fitting date since John and Yoko stated they were looking to spread love and peace with their message. The first show featured some honest admissions from Lennon, as well as an in-depth interview with Ralph Nader. Just 38 at the time, the uber-intelligent Nader was viewed as an alarmist and extremist, though much of what he preached has since come true. Ninety-year-old Nader appears in the documentary recollecting his appearance and proving that he remains engaged and sharp even today.

The second show included folk singer Nobuko Miyomoto and activist and anti-war demonstrator Jerry Rubin. It’s fascinating to see Mike Douglas have a discussion with Rubin, and obviously Lennon and Yoko shared many of the same beliefs as Rubin, who comes across as a passionate, level-headed spokesperson. The third show is a musical highlight as John Lennon meets (for the first time) one of the rock pioneers he idolized, Chuck Berry. The two legends shared the stage to perform “Memphis, Tennessee”. We hear them harmonize, watch Chuck Berry do his duck walk, and are subjected to Yoko screeching into the microphone. Two other guests on the show were Macrobiotic diet chef Hilary Nedleaf and David Rosenbloom, the latter whom demonstrated his biofeedback music utilizing brainwaves. Both are also interviewed today about their appearance on the show. Singer and Broadway performer Vivian Reed performs on the fourth show while modern day Vivian Reed giddily watches the clip of herself. Black Panthers leader Bobby Seale discusses the charity programs he’s involved with and still manages to get his beliefs on the record. It’s on this show where John Lennon performs his classic, “Imagine”.

The fifth and final show has George Carlin as a guest, as well as a doctor lamenting the importance of reducing one’s blood pressure. It’s probably the most disappointing segment since we get very little of young Carlin and his quick wit. TV Producer E.V. Di Massi provides periodic commentary, and Yoko instills a bit of her performance art in the use of a broken cup that slowly gets reassembled as the week progresses. It’s a bit surprising to learn that Roger Ailes, who later became CEO of Fox News had been a producer on “The Mike Douglas Show”, but mostly we are amazed that given the times (Nixon, etc) that a popular network show allowed Lennon (only age 31 at the time) so much freedom to spread the message of the ‘movement’. And if you are wondering, the week provided terrific ratings. For those paying attention, the similarities between then and now are quite clear.

Opening in theaters on October 9 (John Lennon’s birthday)

WATCH THE TRAILER

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Posted by David Ferguson

THE BLACK PANTHERS: VANGUARD OF THE REVOLUTION (doc, 2015)

November 19, 2015

black panthers Greetings again from the darkness. Black lives matter. We hear the phrase frequently these days, and director Stanley Nelson (Freedom Summer) takes us back 49 years to the beginning of the Black Panther Party, and then walks us through the rise and fall. Rather than the usual textbook approach that focuses on the famous photos of angry black men wearing leather jackets and berets while toting firearms, this is a much more comprehensive look at the complexities of the organization and its members.

The familiar names of the Black Panther leaders include Huey Newton, Bobby Seale, Eldridge Cleaver, Kathleen Cleaver, Elaine Brown and Fred Hampton. Despite the fact that first hand interviews weren’t possible with the big three – Newton and Cleaver are no longer living, and Seale declined the opportunity, there are some fabulous video clips and photographs, many of which have been rarely seen.

It’s the interviews with former Black Panther members that provide the most insight. Their stance is that the original plan was a non-violent approach to bring attention to police brutality and the lack of equality in Black America. Many social programs were started to assist kids and the poor, but things turned more aggressive when the passive approach didn’t yield the desired results. Newton studied the laws and realized open carry was permitted on public property, and that’s where most of the famous photos originated.

The segment on J Edgar Hoover’s counterintelligence plan for the FBI to do what was necessary to prevent the expansion of the Black Panthers is one of the film’s best. Hoover even described them as “the greatest threat to the internal security of the country” (yes, this was during the Vietnam War). He was especially concerned about the rise of a “messiah”, and that led to what most consider the assassination of Illinois chapter leader Fred Hampton while he slept.

Oakland is widely accepted as the central hub of the Black Panthers, and it was surprising to learn that “most” members were teenagers and a majority were female. The interviews with the former members are fascinating and void of any pomp or bluster … just matter-of-fact recollections. What really stands out is just how media savvy the leaders were. They understood how to get headlines and bring attention to the issues.

We also learn that Jane Fonda hosted fundraisers and meetings, and we see a clip of Marlon Brando supporting the Black Panthers. These celebrities brought legitimacy to the organization, but didn’t stop the fracture that occurred when Huey Newton and Eldridge Cleaver began feuding over the best direction. Seeing clips of Bobby Seale running for Mayor of Oakland in 1972 certainly brought a contemporary feel, as the black voter registration drives continue to this day.

As one of the former members states “making history” was “not nice and clean”. We learn that more than 20 former Panthers are still in prison today, and the parallels between the mid-60’s and the movement for equality today are undeniable. Director Nelson offers an informative education without preaching or romanticizing the Black Panthers.

watch the trailer:

 

 

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Posted by David Ferguson