John Lennon interviewed in Cannes – 25 May 1965

Q: When was the Cannes interview broadcast?

The interview was screened on The Merv Griffin Show on CBS from 11pm on 1 June 1965.

Q: What was John Lennon doing in 1965?

The Beatles were filming Help!, their second feature film. 'Ticket To Ride' was a major hit. Lennon's second book, A Spaniard in the Works, was published in June 1965, and the Beatles' MBEs were announced the same month.

Q: Who was Cynthia Lennon?

Cynthia Powell was John Lennon's first wife, known since Liverpool College of Art. They married in August 1962 and had a son, Julian, born in April 1963. The marriage ended in 1968. Cynthia died in 2015.

May 25, 2026

John Lennon interviewed in Cannes – 25 May 1965

Tuesday 25 May 1965 | John Lennon, Television
Cannes, France

On 25 May 1965, John Lennon was interviewed on the seafront at Cannes by reporter Martin Agronsky for CBS Television's The Merv Griffin Show. Lennon and his wife Cynthia had made a brief trip to the south of France to attend the Cannes Film Festival, returning to England later the same day. The interview was broadcast on Griffin's show from 11pm on 1 June 1965.

The Cannes Film Festival, 1965

The Cannes Film Festival in May 1965 was the 19th edition of the event. By 1965 it was already the most prestigious film festival in the world, drawing directors, actors, and cultural figures from across Europe and beyond. Lennon's presence there — as a visitor rather than a participant in any official capacity — reflected his growing status as a cultural figure who transcended music. He was not simply a pop star attending a glamorous event; by 1965 he was one of the most recognisable and discussed public figures in the world.

The trip was a brief one. Lennon and Cynthia arrived, attended the festival, gave the interview on the seafront, and returned to England the same day — the kind of fleeting, high-profile appearance that characterised the Lennons' public life at the height of Beatlemania.

Martin Agronsky and The Merv Griffin Show

Martin Agronsky was one of the most respected broadcast journalists in American television — a veteran reporter who had covered the Second World War, the McCarthy hearings, and major political events across three decades. His presence at Cannes to interview Lennon was a measure of how seriously American television was taking The Beatles as a cultural phenomenon, not merely an entertainment one.

The Merv Griffin Show was one of the leading American talk and variety programmes of the era, broadcast on CBS. Griffin's show was a significant platform — an interview aired there reached a substantial prime-time American audience. The Lennon interview was screened on 1 June 1965, beginning at 11pm.

Lennon in 1965

May 1965 was a remarkable moment in Lennon's career. The Beatles were at the absolute peak of their commercial and cultural dominance:

'Ticket To Ride' had reached number one in the UK in April 1965 and was a major US hit.
The group were in the middle of filming Help!, their second feature film, directed by Richard Lester — shooting had begun in February and would continue through May.
Lennon's second book, A Spaniard in the Works, was published on 24 June 1965 — just weeks after this interview — following the success of In His Own Write (1964), which had established him as a literary figure of genuine wit and originality.
In June 1965, it would be announced that all four Beatles were to receive MBEs — a decision that provoked controversy in equal measure to the pride it generated.

Cynthia Lennon

Cynthia Powell Lennon (1939–2015) had been John Lennon's girlfriend since their days at Liverpool College of Art in the late 1950s. They married in August 1962, shortly before The Beatles' breakthrough, and their son Julian was born in April 1963. Cynthia was a largely private figure during the Beatlemania years — the marriage was kept quiet at Brian Epstein's insistence, for fear of alienating female fans — but she accompanied Lennon on trips such as this one to Cannes. The marriage ended in 1968, following Lennon's relationship with Yoko Ono.

Key Facts: 25 May 1965

Event: John Lennon interviewed for CBS TV
Interviewer: Martin Agronsky
Programme: The Merv Griffin Show (CBS)
Location: Cannes seafront, France
Occasion: Cannes Film Festival (19th edition)
Broadcast date: 1 June 1965, from 11pm
Accompanied by: Cynthia Lennon
Returned to England: Same day, 25 May 1965

Frequently Asked Questions

Why was John Lennon at Cannes in 1965?

Lennon and his wife Cynthia made a brief visit to the Cannes Film Festival in May 1965. It was a short trip — they returned to England the same day — but it resulted in a CBS television interview on the seafront.

Who interviewed John Lennon at Cannes?

Martin Agronsky, a veteran CBS broadcast journalist, interviewed Lennon on the Cannes seafront on 25 May 1965 for The Merv Griffin Show.

When was the Cannes interview broadcast?

The interview was screened on The Merv Griffin Show on CBS from 11pm on 1 June 1965.

What was John Lennon doing in 1965?

The Beatles were filming Help!, their second feature film. 'Ticket To Ride' was a major hit on both sides of the Atlantic. Lennon's second book, A Spaniard in the Works, was published in June 1965, and the announcement of the Beatles' MBEs came the same month.

Who was Cynthia Lennon?

Cynthia Powell was John Lennon's first wife, whom he had known since Liverpool College of Art. They married in August 1962 and had a son, Julian, born in April 1963. The marriage ended in 1968. Cynthia died in 2015.