The “do you have any hobbies?” bit lasts exactly eight seconds — 1:19 through 1.26. The idea isn’t to make you “laugh” but feel a slight ripple of a chuckle about sexual perversity, or John Lennon‘s cavalier sharing of same as a way of tweaking social propriety. Here’s the thing: If Richard Lester had cut on the female journalist’s shocked expression at 1:27 instead of 1:26, the bit wouldn’t land. 1:27 would have been an ounce too much — 1.26 is just right. It’s very, very hard to make a comedic bit work just so. Timing is everything.
