Watch John Lennon and Yoko Ono Embrace Radical Politics in Doc Trailer

A new documentary, Daily revolutionwill look at everything that happened at John Lennon and Yoko Ono's legendary week-long residency in 1972 as guests of The Mike Douglas Show — the most popular daytime talk show at the time — and its impact. A trailer shows how the pair used the opportunity to discuss radical politics in addition to performing music. The picture opens in theaters on October 9.

“What would you like to talk about this week, John?” Douglas asks the former Beatle at one point. “Love, peace, communication, drugs, whatever,” Lennon replied. The pair chose their colleagues including Ralph Nader, Yippie founder Jerry Rubin, Black Panther Bobby Seale and comedian George Carlin.

“In February 1972, Yoko Ono and John Lennon had a brilliant idea, and that was to turn a mainstream, daytime talk show into a five-part conceptual art 'happening' that showcased the sharp end of the cutting edge of political, musical and very 'counter' culture,” says MD director Erik Nelson Rolling Stone. “They were partnered by Mike Douglas, an affable, very user-friendly host, who effectively handed John and Yoko the keys to his afternoon talk show, a program that reached an astonishing 40 million viewers daily. What's equally amazing is that Yoko and John's vision is as powerful today as it was 52 years ago — and that the 1972 election, when Richard Nixon crushed George McGovern, resonates today in this wildly polarized election year of 2024″.

The film includes new interviews with Nader, Presented by Mike Douglas associate producer EV Di Massa, folk singer Nobuko Miyamoto, chef Hilary Redleaf and performer Vivian Reed, among others. The film features music by Lennon and Ono, including a performance of “Imagine” and a collaboration with Chuck Berry.

“Yoko says, we're doing this show Mike Douglas; we have Bobby Seale and Jerry Rubin,” Miyamoto says in the trailer. “And I'll go, 'What?'

“Well, young people are notoriously cynical,” Nader says at one point, “and I tell them, nobody's smart enough to be pessimistic.”

Director Nelson, who previously served as producer USA vs. John Lennonsays the pair's appearance on the show speaks to “an enduring message of love, tolerance and, of course, great rock & roll.”