The Beatles in The Tonight Show (May 1968)

John Lennon and Paul McCartney interview
The Tonight Show
May 1968

[azloii]

They literally shared each other’s sentences. These guys were the tightest duo in history

[tdunph]

The fact that Johnny wasn't there to interview these guys is a travesty.

[Kohntarkosz]

"I was going to nearly be a teacher, but that fell through, luckily". Great line from Paul.

[micheleta]

So I was fortunate enough to be able to see them inside the limo inside the side Rockefeller garage where the limo was waiting that very day. I along with a friend, Mary, ventured into NYC that day to see if we could catch a glimpse since they taped earlier in the day. We gathered with some other girls trying to do the same thing and we were successful - great memory. Up so close only separated by a car window.

[jasonb]

John and Paul thinking….”Where in the hell is Johnny?”

[ADAMSIXTIES]

May 14th, 1968. Guest host Joe Garagiola who is totally clueless as to what to say.-- I'm sure they were all. disappointed Johnny Carson was absent. Other guest Tallulah Bankhead. This is a great find! NBC erased the original tape, but a fan pointed their movie camera at the screen.

[markwood]

It's really sad and pathetic that there are no good interviews of them during this period.

[jubalcalif]

Thanks for sharing this bodacious "blast from the past" ! Til now I never knew Joe Garagiola had ever hosted The Tonight Show ! I only knew of him as a former athlete, sportscaster, game show host & commercial spokesman. Fascinating mixture : two of the Beatles and Tallulah Bankhead ! Sad that she passed away only 7 months later (Dec 12th, 1968). 😞

[TNbear]

Of all nights for Mr. Carson to have off. He, like Dick Cavett, just did this sort of thing better than most.

[simonjones]

Completely fascinating, and in the part that we don't see Tallulah Bankhead was less than complimentary about The Beatles. John and Paul here, as there were really throughout the 60s, at the very heart of what was happening and cool in popular culture. Apple was of course a disaster, but a fascinating one, and mostly because it was several decades ahead of its time. It was the first business of the 21st Century in some ways.

[tammylewis]

I was only a few days old when John and Paul came on the show!!

[VirginiaWolf]

Wow! This is an awesome clip. Thank you for posting this.

[VolumedMusicMan]

I wish Johnny Carson was there. It would’ve been interesting and flow nicely.

[jefftoons]

I believe Tapes of Carson's first 10 years on the Tonight Show were not saved. Which Johnny referenced on his Last Tonight Show appearance. So I guess we're lucky to have this, as crappy as it is.

[victorsuarez]

At this time in TV, they did not have this episode of the Tonight Show on video tape. Like others on the show. People used their 8mm cameras and a tape recorder to tape this show.

[lennoelon]

How is this the best quality video of this interview??

[howie]

Funny Lennon talking that way about NY and later moved there.

[tinygardens]

you’d think there’d be a better recording of this considering that they’re the beatles

[Happyboymargarine]

Really? This is the best video of these two?

[arpeggiomikey]

No wonder J. & P. were disappointed with this interview! If I knew that the greatest songwriting team in history were to grace the TV studio from which I would be broadcasting that evening, I would have had a TEAM scrambling to formulate intriguing questions to ask them, and keep them fully engaged in a fun, humorous give-and-take conversation (e.g., like Dick Cavett did routinely). This was essentially a waste of their time, and, on some level, somewhat lazy and disrespectful....😕