The Monkees (TV series)

The Monkees
File:The Monkees (TV series).jpg Season One title card
Genre	Sitcom Musical
Created by	Bob Rafelson Bert Schneider
Developed by	Paul Mazursky Larry Tucker
Starring	David Jones Micky Dolenz Michael Nesmith Peter Tork
Theme music composer	Tommy Boyce Bobby Hart
Opening theme	"(Theme From) The Monkees"
Ending theme	"For Pete's Sake" (second season only)
Composer(s)	Stu Phillips (score)
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	58 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Bob Rafelson Bert Schneider
Producer(s)	Bob Rafelson Bert Schneider Ward Sylvester (season 2)
Cinematography	Irving Lippman Richard H. Kline
Editor(s)	Mike Pozen (and others)
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	25 minutes
Production company(s)	Raybert Productions Screen Gems
Release
Original network	NBC
Original release	September 12, 1966 (1966-09-12) – March 25, 1968 (1968-03-25)
Chronology
Related shows	Head 33⅓ Revolutions per Monkee Hey, Hey, It's the Monkees New Monkees
External links
[{{#property:P856}} Website]

The Monkees is an American television musical sitcom that first aired on NBC for two seasons, from September 12, 1966, to March 25, 1968. The series follows the adventures of four young men (The Monkees) trying to make a name for themselves as a rock 'n roll band. The show introduced a number of innovative new-wave film techniques to series television and won two Emmy Awards in 1967, including Outstanding Comedy Series. The program ended in 1968 at the finish of its second season and has received a long afterlife through Saturday morning repeats (CBS from 1969-72 and ABC from 1972-73) and syndication, as well as overseas broadcasts.

It later enjoyed a 1980s revival, after MTV aired reruns of the program in 1986. It aired on Sunday afternoons on MeTV beginning on February 24, 2019, three days after the death of cast member Peter Tork, and ending on April 26, 2020. The network aired four episodes on December 12, 2021, as a tribute to Michael Nesmith, who died two days earlier, followed by a 'Weekend Binge' on December 11 and 12.

Overview

Main article: List of The Monkees episodes

This is a list of episodes of the television series The Monkees which ran on NBC from 1966 to 1968, on Monday nights at 7:30 PM Eastern (6:30 Central).

All songs listed are from the original NBC broadcasts. Tracks with different mixes or versions as compared to the album versions are indicated.

Episodes

Season 1 (1966–67)

Debuting on September 12, 1966, the series aired on Monday nights preceding I Dream of Jeannie and opposite The Iron Horse (ABC) and Gilligan's Island (CBS).

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	1	"Royal Flush"	James Frawley	Robert Schlitt and Peter Meyerson	September 12, 1966
The Monkees rescue Princess Bettina, Duchess of Harmonica (Katherine Walsh) from her evil uncle Archduke Otto (Theodore Marcuse). Songs: "This Just Doesn't Seem to Be My Day," "Take a Giant Step"
2	2	"Monkee See, Monkee Die"	James Frawley	Treva Silverman	September 19, 1966
The Monkees spend the night in a haunted house to collect an inheritance. Songs: "Last Train to Clarksville," "Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day"
3	3	"Monkee vs. Machine"	Robert Rafelson	David Panich	September 26, 1966
In a computerized toy factory, the Monkees foil an efficiency expert (Stan Freberg) who wants to replace an old toymaker (Walter Janovitz) with automation. Songs: "Saturday's Child" (alternate vocal track), "Last Train to Clarksville"
4	4	"Your Friendly Neighborhood Kidnappers"	James Frawley	Dave Evans	October 3, 1966
A shady PR man (Andre Philippe) kidnaps the Monkees to prevent them from winning a talent contest in order for his clients (a rival band) to win. Songs: "Let’s Dance On," "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone," "Last Train to Clarksville"
5	5	"The Spy Who Came in from the Cool"	Robert Rafelson	Gerald Gardner and Dee Caruso	October 10, 1966
The Monkees get mixed up in a spy ring (Jacques Aubuchon, Arlene Martel) after Davy accidentally purchases a set of red maracas containing secret microfilm. Songs: "The Kind of Girl I Could Love," "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone," "All the King’s Horses," "Saturday's Child" (album version)
6	6	"Success Story"	James Frawley	Gerald Gardner & Dee Caruso and Bernie Orenstein	October 17, 1966
Davy's grandfather (Ben Wright) visits, and the Monkees try to convince him that his grandson is wealthy and successful. Songs: "I Wanna Be Free," "Sweet Young Thing"
7	7	"Monkees in a Ghost Town"	James Frawley	Robert Schlitt and Peter Meyerson	October 24, 1966
Stranded in a ghost town after their car runs out of gas, the Monkees are held prisoner by bank robbers (Len Lesser, Lon Chaney, Jr.) and their boss, "The Big Man" (Rose Marie). Songs: "Tomorrow’s Gonna Be Another Day," "Papa Gene’s Blues," "(Theme from) The Monkees"
8	8	"Don't Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth"	Robert Rafelson	Dave Evans	October 31, 1966
Davy is given a horse, which The Monkees have to hide from their landlord, Mr. Babbitt (Henry Corden). It is returned to a heart-broken child (Kerry MacLane) and father (Jim Boles) after Davy rides it to victory. Songs: "Papa Gene’s Blues," "All the King’s Horses"
9	9	"The Chaperone"	Bruce Kessler	Dee Caruso and Gerald Gardner	November 7, 1966
Davy's feelings for retired General Harley Vandenberg's (Arch Johnson) daughter Leslie (Sherry Alberoni) leads Micky to pose a female chaperone at a party after the real chaperone (Diana Chesney) gets drunk. Songs: "This Just Doesn’t Seem to Be My Day," "Take a Giant Step" (single vocal track), "You Just May Be the One,"
10	10	"Here Come the Monkees (Pilot)"	Mike Elliot	Paul Mazursky and Larry Tucker	November 14, 1966
The Monkees play a sweet sixteen party and help the birthday girl (Robyn Millan) with her studies after she falls for Davy. Songs: "I Wanna Be Free" (rock and original versions), "Let’s Dance On"
11	11	"Monkees à la Carte"	James Frawley	Gerald Gardner & Dee Caruso and Bernie Orenstein	November 21, 1966
The Monkees pose as the Purple Flower Gang to save their favorite Italian restaurant from a gangster (Harvey Lembeck). Songs: "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone," "She"
12	12	"I've Got a Little Song Here"	Bruce Kessler	Treva Silverman	November 28, 1966
Mike is fleeced by a phoney music publisher (Phil Leeds). Songs: "Gonna Buy Me a Dog", "Mary, Mary"
13	13	"One Man Shy" "Peter and the Debutante"	James Frawley	Gerald Gardner & Dee Caruso and Treva Silverman	December 5, 1966
Bashful Peter tries to win the heart of lovely debutante Valerie Cartwright (Lisa James) while dealing with her haughty boyfriend Ronnie Farnsworth (George Furth). Songs: "You Just May Be the One," "I'm a Believer"
14	14	"Dance, Monkee, Dance"	James Frawley	Bernie Orenstein	December 12, 1966
The Monkees sign up for lessons at Renaldo's Dance Au Go Go (Hal March), and then find out that their contracts are for life. Songs: "I’ll Be Back Up on My Feet" (original version), "I'm a Believer"
15	15	"Too Many Girls" "Davy and Fern"	James Frawley	Teleplay: Dave Evans and Gerald Gardner & Dee Caruso Story: Dave Evans	December 19, 1966
An domineering stage mother (Reta Shaw) tries to use Davy to furtherj her daughter's (Kelly Jean Peters) career. Songs: "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone," "I'm a Believer"
16	16	"Son of a Gypsy"	James Frawley	Teleplay: Gerald Gardner & Dee Caruso and Treva Silverman Story: Treva Silverman	December 26, 1966
A band of gypsies, headed by powerful Maria (Jeanne Arnold), force the Monkees to steal a priceless statuette called the "Maltese Vulture." Songs: "Let’s Dance On," "I'm a Believer"
17	17	"The Case of the Missing Monkee"	Robert Rafelson	Gerald Gardner and Dee Caruso	January 9, 1967
Peter becomes involved with the disappearance of the respected Professor Milo Schnitzler (Norbert Schiller) and then disappears himself. Songs: "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone"
18	18	"I Was a Teenage Monster"	Sidney Miller	Teleplay: Gerald Gardner & Dee Caruso and Dave Evans Story: Dave Evans	January 16, 1967
A mad scientist (John Hoyt) hires The Monkees to teach his monster (Richard Kiel) music—and then transplants their musical talent into the monster. Songs: "Tomorrow’s Gonna Be Another Day," "Your Auntie Grizelda"
19	19	"Find the Monkees" "The Audition"	Richard Nunis	Dave Evans	January 23, 1967
When television producer Hubbell Bensen (Carl Ballantine) hears a tape of the Monkees, he frantically stages auditions in the hope of finding them, unaware they are desperately trying to audition for his new television show. Songs: "Sweet Young Thing," "Papa Gene’s Blues," "Mary, Mary"
20	20	"Monkees in the Ring"	James Frawley	Gerald Gardner and Dee Caruso	January 30, 1967
A crooked fight promoter (Ned Glass) prepares to cash in on a big bet by making Davy a stooge in a bout with the champ. Songs: "Laugh" (without background vocals on first verse), "I’ll Be Back Up on My Feet" (original version)
21	21	"The Prince and the Pauper"	James Komack	Teleplay: Gerald Gardner and Dee Caruso Story: Peter Meyerson	February 6, 1967
Davy doubles for a lookalike Peruvian prince in order to win find a bride (Heather North) or forfeit his throne to evil Count Myron (Oscar Beregi, Jr.). Songs: "Mary, Mary"
22	22	"Monkees at the Circus"	Bruce Kessler	David Panich	February 13, 1967
To save a bankrupt circus, the Monkees pose as a troupe of dazzling, supreme high-wire artists from France known as the Mozzarelli Brothers. Songs: "Sometime in the Morning," "She"
23	23	"Captain Crocodile"	James Frawley	Teleplay: Gerald Gardner & Dee Caruso and Peter Meyerson & Robert Schlitt Story: Peter Meyerson & Robert Schlitt	February 20, 1967
The Monkees appearance on popular children's show The Captain Crocodile Show is sabotaged by its host (Joey Forman), who fears that his guest's popularity is diminishing his own. Songs: "Valleri" (original version), "Your Auntie Grizelda"
24	24	"Monkees à la Mode"	Alex Singer	Gerald Gardner and Dee Caruso	February 27, 1967
The Monkees are chosen as "Typical Young Americans of the Year," by Chic magazine, a haughty publication that runs a bogus article on the group molding them into a false image of clean cut young men. Songs: "(Theme from) The Monkees" (excerpts), "Laugh," "You Just May Be the One"
25	25	"Alias Micky Dolenz"	Bruce Kessler	Teleplay: Gerald Gardner & Dee Caruso and Dave Evans Story: Dave Evans	March 6, 1967
The police cash in on Micky's striking resemblance to imprisoned crime kingpin Baby Face Moralles in an attempt to locate robbery loot. Songs: "The Kind of Girl I Could Love," "Mary, Mary". Note: Davy Jones does not appear.
26	26	"Monkee Chow Mein"	James Frawley	Gerald Gardner and Dee Caruso	March 13, 1967
Peter finds a secret message in a fortune cookie at a Chinese restaurant, forcing Monkeemen to come to his rescue. Songs: "Your Auntie Grizelda"
27	27	"Monkee Mother"	James Frawley	Peter Meyerson and Robert Schlitt	March 20, 1967
Middle-aged widow Millie (Rose Marie) moves in with the Monkees as a new tenant, resulting in the boys' trying to find her a husband. Songs: "Sometime in the Morning," "Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)"
28	28	"Monkees on the Line"	James Frawley	Gerald Gardner & Dee Caruso and Coslough Johnson	March 27, 1967
Hired by a telephone answering service, the Monkees are soon plunged into mix-ups, hang-ups and crossed wires leading to pursuit by a crooked bettor (Milton Frome). Songs: "Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)"
29	29	"Monkees Get Out More Dirt"	Gerald Shepard	Gerald Shepard and Dee Caruso	April 3, 1967
The Monkees' friendship is threatened when they all fall for the same girl, luscious proprietress April Conquest (Julie Newmar), owner of the local laundromat. Songs: "(Theme from) The Monkees," "The Girl I Knew Somewhere"
30	30	"Monkees, Manhattan Style" "Monkees in Manhattan"	Russell Mayberry	Gerald Gardner and Dee Caruso	April 10, 1967
In New York City, the Monkees fend off an irate hotel manager (Philip Ober) as they help a producer (Richard Anders) get backing for a Broadway musical. Songs: "The Girl I Knew Somewhere," "Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)" (with extra instrumental passage), "Words" (original version)
31	31	"Monkees at the Movies"	Russ Mayberry	Gerald Gardner and Dee Caruso	April 17, 1967
The Monkees have a run-in with a snobbish movie idol (Bobby Sherman) on the set as extras in a beach movie. Songs: "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You," "Last Train to Clarksville," "Valleri" (original version)
32	32	"Monkees on Tour"	Robert Rafelson	Robert Rafelson	April 24, 1967
A mini-documentary chronicling a Monkees concert gig in Phoenix, Arizona during their first public appearance tour. Songs: "The Girl I Knew Somewhere," "I'm a Believer" Concert songs: "Last Train to Clarksville," "Sweet Young Thing," "Mary, Mary," "Cripple Creek," "You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover," "I Wanna Be Free," "I Got a Woman," "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone." Note: First episode with no laugh track

Season 2 (1967–1968)

The series aired on Monday nights preceding The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, and The Champions and opposite Cowboy in Africa (ABC) and Gunsmoke (CBS). "For Pete's Sake" from the Headquarters album replaced the "Monkees Theme" as the closing song during this season.

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
33	1	"It's a Nice Place to Visit..." "The Monkees In Mexico"	James Frawley	Treva Silverman	September 11, 1967
In El Monotono, Mexico, Davy is captured by a bandito (Peter Whitney) and his minions for being "captivated" with El Diablo's girlfriend (Cynthia Hull). Song: "What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round"
34	2	"The Picture Frame" "The Bank Robbery"	James Frawley	Jack Winter	September 18, 1967
Peter must prove the Monkees' innocence when they unwittingly rob a bank in the pretext of making a movie for two con men (Cliff Norton, Kelton Garwood). Songs: "Pleasant Valley Sunday," "Randy Scouse Git"
35	3	"Everywhere a Sheik, Sheik"	Alex Singer	Jack Winter	September 25, 1967
It is a "harem-scare 'em" scene as Davy faces the prospect of marriage to a lovely Nehudian princess (Donna Loren). Songs: "Love is Only Sleeping" (alternate mix), "Cuddly Toy"
36	4	"Monkee Mayor"	Alex Singer	Jack Winter	October 2, 1967
Mike casts his wool hat into the ring to stop a crooked construction tycoon (Monte Landis) from turning the city into parking lots. Songs: "No Time," "Pleasant Valley Sunday"
37	5	"Art for Monkees' Sake"	Alex Singer	Coslough Johnson	October 9, 1967
At an art museum, Peter copies an old painting for two guards (Monte Landis, Vic Tayback) who are actually thieves bent on snatching the real painting. Songs: "Randy Scouse Git," "Daydream Believer"
38	6	"I Was a 99-pound Weakling" "Physical Culture"	Alex Singer	Teleplay: Gerald Gardner & Dee Caruso and Neil Burstyn Story: Jon C. Andersen	October 16, 1967
To win a beautiful girl, Micky starts a health program under the guidance of a physical cultist (Monte Landis) who is a fraud. Songs: "Sunny Girlfriend," "Love is Only Sleeping" (alternate mix). Note: Michael Nesmith does not appear.
39	7	"Hillbilly Honeymoon" "Double Barrel Shotgun Wedding"	James Frawley	Peter Meyerson	October 23, 1967
The Monkees are caught in a hillbilly feud in Swineville with Davy staring down the barrel of a shotgun wedding. Song: "Papa Gene's Blues" (extended edit)
40	8	"Monkees Marooned"	James Frawley	Stanley Ralph Ross	October 30, 1967
On a desert island, the Monkees go hunting for treasure—and are hunted by a mad Australian (Monte Landis) and his man Thursday (Rupert Crosse). Songs: "Daydream Believer," "What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round"
41	9	"The Card Carrying Red Shoes"	James Frawley	Treva Silverman	November 6, 1967
Peter is the target of a romantic prima ballerina (Ondine Vaughn) — and a dastardly plot choreographed by the rest of the ballet company. Song: "She Hangs Out" (alternate mix)
42	10	"The Wild Monkees"	Jon C. Andersen	Teleplay: Stanley Ralph Ross Story: Stanley Ralph Ross and Corey Upton	November 13, 1967
The Monkees turn chicken when they unwittingly befriend the girlfriends of a tough motorcycle gang. Songs: "Goin' Down" (sung live over instrumental track), "Star Collector" (without Moog synthesizer)
43	11	"A Coffin Too Frequent"	David Winters	Stella Linden	November 20, 1967
A sinister scientist (George Furth), his goony cousin (Mickey Morton), and his kooky aunt (Ruth Buzzi) use the Monkees' pad for a séance to summon a relative from beyond. Songs: "Goin' Down," "Daydream Believer"
44	12	"Hitting the High Seas"	James Frawley	Jack Winter	November 27, 1967
Thoughts of mutiny are bountiful as the Monkees try to stop the hijack of a cargo ship by a vengeful sea captain (Chips Rafferty). Songs: "Daydream Believer," "Star Collector." Note: first second season episode without a laugh track
45	13	"The Monkees in Texas"	James Frawley	Jack Winter	December 4, 1967
In the Lone Star State, the Monkees outwit Black Bart (Barton MacLane), his cohort Red (Len Lesser) and the gang to save Mike's Aunt Kate's (Jacqueline deWit) ranch. Songs: "Words," "Goin' Down" (sung live over the instrumental track). Note: no laugh track
46	14	"The Monkees on the Wheel"	Jerry Shepard	Coslough Johnson	December 11, 1967
In Las Vegas, the Monkees are mistaken for crooked gamblers by a roulette dealer (Rip Taylor) and policeman (Dort Clark) and try their luck at exposing the real gang (David Astor and Pepper Davis). Songs: "The Door Into Summer," "Cuddly Toy". Note: no laugh track
47	15	"The Monkees' Christmas Show"	Jon C. Andersen	Teleplay: Neil Burstyn Story: Dave Evans and Neil Burstyn	December 25, 1967
The Monkees try to instill the spirit of Christmas in a cynical little boy (Butch Patrick) who has soured on the whole idea. Song: "Riu Chiu". Note: no laugh track
48	16	"Fairy Tale"	James Frawley	Peter Meyerson	January 8, 1968
A Monkee pantomime romp through Fairy Tale Land sees Peter rescuing a haughty princess (Michael) from death by her fiendish fiancee (Murray Roman). Song: "Daily Nightly". Note: no laugh track
49	17	"The Monkees Watch Their Feet" "Micky And The Outer Space Creatures"	Alex Singer	Coslough Johnson	January 15, 1968
A documented film report by the Department of UFO Information headed by Pat Paulsen, shows the Monkees foiling an invasion from Planet Zlotnick. Song: "Star Collector". Note: Michael Nesmith only appears in opening and closing segments with Pat Paulsen.
50	18	"The Monstrous Monkee Mash"	James Frawley	Neil Burstyn & David Panich	January 22, 1968
The Monkees attempt to rescue Davy from his girlfriend Lorelei (Arlene Martel), Count Batula (Ron Masak), a Wolfman (David Pearl), Mummyman, and a Frankenstein-looking monster in a creepy castle. Song: "Goin' Down". Note: no laugh track
51	19	"The Monkee's Paw"	James Frawley	Coslough Johnson	January 29, 1968
A broken-down magician's (Hans Conried) magical monkey's paw starts to bring the equally broken Monkees luck, unfortunately, all bad. Songs: "Goin' Down", "Words". Note: no laugh track
52	20	"The Devil and Peter Tork"	James Frawley	Teleplay: Robert Kaufman and Gerald Gardner & Dee Caruso Story: Robert Kaufman	February 5, 1968
At an eerie pawn shop, Peter unwittingly sells his soul to a devilish character (Monte Landis) in order to purchase a golden harp. Songs: "Salesman," "Pleasant Valley Sunday" (harp instrumental), "I Wanna Be Free" (harp instrumental), "No Time"
53	21	"The Monkees Race Again" "Leave the Driving to Us"	James Frawley	Dave Evans and Elias Davis & David Pollock	February 12, 1968
Davy drives the Monkeemobile in an auto race when the British entry is sabotaged by Baron Von Klutz (David Hurst) and his Klutzmobile. Song: "What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round". Note: no laugh track
54	22	"The Monkees in Paris" "The Paris Show"	Robert Rafelson	Robert Rafelson	February 19, 1968
The Monkees take a vacation from the studio grind and are chased all over the French Capital by girls and gendarme. Songs: "Love is Only Sleeping" (album mix), "Don't Call on Me," "Star Collector," "Goin' Down". Note: no laugh track
55	23	"Monkees Mind Their Manor"	Peter H. Thorkelson	Coslough Johnson	February 26, 1968
Davy inherits an English manor but must first win a tournament against Sir Twiggley Toppen Middle Bottom (Bernard Fox) with lances, swords, and vocal cords. Songs: "Iranian Tango," "Greensleeves," "Star Collector". Note: no laugh track
56	24	"Some Like it Lukewarm" "The Band Contest"	James Frawley	Joel Kane and Stanley Z. Cherry	March 4, 1968
To enter and win a band contest hosted by radio DJ Jerry Blavat, David poses as a girl and falls in love with Daphne (Deana Martin), posing as a boy. Songs: "Last Train to Clarksville," "The Door Into Summer," "She Hangs Out". Note: no laugh track
57	25	"The Monkees Blow Their Minds"	David Winters	Peter Meyerson	March 11, 1968
The Monkees swing to the rescue when a mentalist (Monte Landis) gains control of Peter's mind to use him in a nightclub act. Songs: "Valleri" (1968 version), "Gonna Buy Me a Dog" (instrumental track), "Daily Nightly". Note: no laugh track
58	26	"The Frodis Caper" "Mijacogeo"	Micky Dolenz	Teleplay: Micky Dolenz and Dave Evans Story: Jon C. Andersen and Micky Dolenz	March 25, 1968
The Monkees match wits with the insane Wizard Glick (Rip Taylor), who is out to control the minds of television viewers worldwide. Songs: "Zor and Zam" (Original version), "Song to the Siren" (performed by Tim Buckley). Note: no laugh track

Unproduced episode

• "Monkees Toy Around" (written by Coslough Johnson; first draft: February 27, 1967)

Movie

The Monkees also filmed a movie called Head that started filming in early 1968 and aired in cinemas just after their TV show was cancelled. It included six new songs and was not received very well by the public.

Later television episodes

The Monkees' television series was canceled after its second season. The group hoped to take the television show in different directions and NBC wanted the show to stay the same; both parties mutually decided to throw in the towel. After the series was canceled, NBC contracted with The Monkees to create and broadcast three longer television specials.

33⅓ Revolutions Per Monkee was the first of these longer television productions. It aired on April 14, 1969. The second two planned television specials were never produced. Peter Tork quit the group between the filming of 33⅓ Revolutions Per Monkee and its broadcast.

The Monkees returned to broadcast television with Hey, Hey, It's the Monkees which was broadcast on ABC on February 17, 1997. The "real" Monkees do comedy and sing songs.

Notes

• Episodes frequently finished short of the allotted thirty minutes; this led producer Rafelson to film candid backstage interviews with the boys that lasted one minute, and led to a frequent quip, "We're a minute short." For the episode "Find The Monkees" the epilogue interview lasted three minutes.
• During the series' original NBC run and during CBS Saturday-morning repeats, some episodes were updated with music from the band's current releases. The Monkees ceased releasing new records in 1970, but altered episodes continued on CBS until 1972.
• Some prints of the first season, such as those commonly shown in the United Kingdom and seen on MTV in the 1980s, use the first season opening credits.
• Many of the episodes, particularly those of the second season, are known by more than one title. This is largely due to the episodes not having their titles shown on screen; and rerun episodes sometimes billed with different titles from that given on the original showings. Occasionally, the early draft titles were confused with the final title; and slogans from promotional advertisements (such as those in TV Guide) may also be confused with the actual episode title.
• The use of a laugh track was officially dropped starting with the second season episode "Hitting the High Seas' with the exception of "The Monkees Watch Their Feet" and "The Devil and Peter Tork" as they were produced before the practice went into effect.
• A majority of Season 2 episodes were leftover scripts from Season 1. This explains the difference in appearances for each of the Monkees. An example of this: "The Monkees Blow Their Minds" as compared to "The Wild Monkees." The differences show up in "The Monkees in Paris" between the teaser and epilogue (featuring Micky with his hair curled up) and the bulk of the episode (where Micky's hair is combed).

References

The series centered on the adventures of the Monkees, a struggling rock band from Los Angeles, California consisting of Micky, Davy, Michael, and Peter. The comic elements of the storyline were provided by the strange and often surreal encounters that the band would have while searching for their big break.

Production

Conception and casting

In the early 1960s, aspiring filmmakers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider had formed Raybert Productions and were trying to get a foot in the door in Hollywood. They were inspired by the Beatles' film A Hard Day's Night and decided to develop a television series about a fictional rock and roll group. Raybert sold the series idea to Screen Gems in April 1965, and Paul Mazursky and Larry Tucker completed a pilot script by August entitled "The Monkeys". Rafelson has said that he had the idea for a TV series about a music group as early as 1960, but had a hard time interesting anyone in it until 1965, by which time rock and roll music was firmly entrenched in pop culture.

Trade publications Daily Variety and The Hollywood Reporter ran an ad on September 8, 1965, seeking "Folk & Roll Musicians-Singers for acting roles in new TV series." As many as 400 hopefuls showed up to be considered as one of "4 insane boys". Fourteen actors from the audition pool were brought back for screen tests and Raybert chose their final four after audience research.

Micky Dolenz, son of screen actor George Dolenz, had prior screen experience under the name "Mickey Braddock" as the 10-year-old star of the Circus Boy series in the 1950s. He was actively auditioning for pilots at the time and was told about the Raybert project by his agent.

Englishman Davy Jones was a former jockey who had achieved some initial success on the musical stage, appearing with the cast of Oliver! on The Ed Sullivan Show the night of the Beatles' live American debut. He was appearing in Columbia Pictures productions and recording for the Colpix record label and had been identified in advance as a potential star for the series.

Texan Michael Nesmith's mother Bette Nesmith Graham had invented a correction fluid and founded the company that became Liquid Paper. He had served a brief stint in the U.S. Air Force and had also recorded for Colpix under the name "Michael Blessing". He was the only one of The Monkees who had come for the audition based on seeing the trade magazine ad. He showed up to the audition with his laundry and impressed Rafelson and Schneider with his laid-back style and droll sense of humor. He also wore a woollen hat to keep his hair out of his eyes when he rode his motorcycle, leading to early promotional materials which nicknamed him "Wool Hat". The hat remained part of Nesmith's wardrobe, but the name was dropped after the pilot.

Peter Tork was recommended to Rafelson and Schneider by friend Stephen Stills at his audition. Tork was a skilled multi-instrumentalist who had performed at various Greenwich Village folk clubs before moving west, where he worked as a busboy.

Development

The Monkees in the spring of 1966, shortly after production for the first season had begun

Rafelson and Schneider wanted the style of the series to reflect avant garde film techniques — such as improvisation, quick cuts, jump cuts, breaking the fourth wall, and free-flowing, loose narratives — then being pioneered by European film directors. Each episode would contain at least one musical "romp" which might have nothing to do with the storyline. In retrospect, these vignettes now look very much like music videos: short, self-contained films of songs whose style echoed the Beatles' recent ventures into promotional films for their singles. Rafelson and Schneider also believed strongly in the program's ability to appeal to young people, intentionally framing the kids as heroes and the adults as heavies.

Rafelson and Schneider hired novice director James Frawley to teach the four actors improvisational comedy. Each of the four was given a different personality to portray: Dolenz the funny one, Nesmith the smart and serious one, Tork the naive one, and Jones the cute one. Their characters were loosely based on their real selves, with the exception of Tork, who was actually a quiet intellectual. The character types also had much in common with the respective personalities of the Beatles, with Dolenz representing the madcap attitude of John Lennon, Nesmith affecting the deadpan seriousness of George Harrison, Tork depicting the odd-man-out quality of Ringo Starr, and Jones conveying the pin-up appeal of Paul McCartney.

A pilot episode was shot in San Diego and Los Angeles on a shoestring budget — in many scenes, the Monkees wore their own clothes. Initial audience tests (which were just then being pioneered) produced very low responses. Rafelson then re-edited the pilot and included some of the screen tests to better introduce the band members to viewers. (Dolenz was credited in this pilot as "Micky Braddock".) The re-cut pilot tested so well that NBC placed an order for two seasons of episodes (the edited pilot was broadcast November 14, 1966, as the tenth episode of the first season, with Dolenz credited under his real last name, as for all other episodes).

Filming

The Monkees debuted September 12, 1966, on the NBC television network. The series was sponsored on alternate weeks by Kellogg's Cereals and Yardley of London.

The series was filmed by Screen Gems, and many of the same sets and props from The Three Stooges short films made by the studio were used on The Monkees: A pair of pajamas with a bunny design on the front that had been worn by Curly Howard in shorts such as Cactus Makes Perfect and In the Sweet Pie and Pie were the same ones worn by Peter Tork in various episodes, such as "A Coffin Too Frequent" and "Monkee See, Monkee Die".

Due to the young men routinely wandering off set and being hard to find when needed for filming, any of the four Monkees who was not needed in front of the cameras was sequestered in a repurposed meat locker. In the DVD commentary, Tork noted that this had the added benefit of concealing any marijuana use that might be going on, although he admitted that he was the sole "serious 'head'" of the four of them (in the 1980s, Tork gave up alcohol and marijuana use and volunteered time to help people recovering from alcoholism). In a studio outtake included in the 1990s re-release of Headquarters, Nesmith quips, before launching into "Nine Times Blue": "Only difference between me and Peter is I'm just stone legal."

Due to the loosely scripted nature of the series, some episodes would come in too short for air. The producers decided to fill time with various "extras", including the Monkees' original screen tests and candid interviews with the group (conducted by Rafelson off-camera); these interviews usually lasted one minute, hence the frequent joke, "We're a minute short as usual," though the episode "Find the Monkees" featured a three-minute epilogue interview (in which the Monkees gave their opinions on the then-recently occurred Sunset Strip curfew riots). Although the early episodes contained a laugh track, which was standard practice at the time, the show eventually did not add one and half of the episodes from Season 2 had no canned laughter.

Music

The theme song to The Monkees, "(Theme From) The Monkees" (released as a single in some countries in 1967), is one of the group's most well-known songs. The line "We're the young generation and we've got somethin' to say" reflected the new youth counterculture and their desire to give their own opinions on world events and choosing how to live their own lives instead of abiding by the traditions and beliefs of their elders.

For the second season, the show used a version of the song "For Pete's Sake" as the closing theme, which appeared on the Monkees' album Headquarters.

The Monkees' "pad"

The Monkees resided in a two-story beach house. The address 1334 North Beechwood Drive, Hollywood, California, was frequently given in 16 magazine as an address to contact Screen Gems and/or The Monkees. The front of the first floor was a combination of the living room, dining room and kitchen. In the back, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, was an alcove formed by massive floor-to-ceiling bay windows, where the Monkees kept their instruments and rehearsed songs. The walls were covered with various kitschy signs and posters. There were also two doors in the kitchen area; one led to a bathroom, the other to Davy and Peter's bedroom. The second floor (via spiral staircase near the front door) only consisted of Micky and Mike's bedroom. By the second season, the upstairs bedroom was occupied by all four Monkees. Also "residing" with the Monkees was Mr. Schneider, a mannequin who dispensed philosophical advice with the pull of his cord. Mr. Schneider was named after the show's co-producer Bert Schneider and was mostly voiced by main director James Frawley. During Season One, the boys also had to contend with their bad-tempered landlord Mr. Babbit, who was always yelling at them about various infractions that he thought they were responsible for or threatening to throw them out for not paying their rent.

Monkeemobile

Main article: Monkeemobile

The Monkeemobile

The Monkeemobile was a modified Pontiac GTO designed and built by designer Dean Jeffries. The car featured a tilted forward split two-piece windshield, a touring car T-bucket-type convertible top, modified rear quarter panels and front fenders, exaggerated tail lamps, a set of four bucket seats with an extra third row bench where the rear deck should have been and a parachute. The front grille sported the GTO emblem.

Awards and nominations

The Monkees won two Emmy Awards in 1967: Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy (James Frawley, for the episode "Royal Flush"). Frawley was nominated for the same award the following season (for the episode "The Devil and Peter Tork"). Its win for Comedy Series was considered somewhat of an upset, as it bested long-time favorites The Andy Griffith Show, Bewitched, Get Smart and Hogan's Heroes.

Decline and cancellation

For its first season (1966–1967), the series fared well in the television ratings bolstered by several hit records by the band. The Monkees became a huge pop culture sensation. However, the public did not realize the show and the band were just a regularly produced television series and the Monkees characters did not write or perform their own studio music except to provide the vocals. The only exception were their live performances. When the truth became known, there was considerable backlash from many fans and music critics. Liner notes for a 2006 re-release of More of the Monkees also noted that the album sales had consistently outperformed the TV show's Nielsen ratings; more were listening to the Monkees than watching The Monkees on TV. The West Coast American recording industry had many session musicians under contract performing for many musical acts, such as the Wrecking Crew, that recorded for the Monkees and many other music groups of this era, so this was nothing new.

However, NBC responded to the criticism and internal tensions by retooling the show in its second season with the Monkees now writing and performing much of their own music that was much less pop-oriented. Moreover, Don Kirshner, the producer for the Monkees for their first season and responsible for their first smash hits, was terminated by Colgems Records, resulting in a much less bubblegum rock sound for the band. In addition, the first season's clean cut looks were replaced by more hippy-looking attire. By 1968, both NBC and the band felt the series had run its course, as even with the changes, the formulaic premises of each episode were beginning to repeat themselves. The series was cancelled in 1968.

The series finale, Dolenz's original story "The Frodis Caper", was written as a satire of the industry and a parting shot thereto: an evil eye resembling the CBS logo is hypnotizing television viewers everywhere and the Monkees trace it to an alien plant being manipulated by a villain seeking world domination. When the plant emits smoke, it pacifies the villain, the meaning of which Dolenz stated he would leave to the imagination of the viewer. Tim Buckley, as a special guest, closes out the series with his "Song to the Siren".

Had the series been renewed for a third season, the Monkees had planned on abandoning the sitcom format and retooling the series. Ideas that had been bandied about included a music-centered live show, a variety show or a sketch comedy series.

In 1968, The Monkees starred in their own motion picture titled Head. Elements of the series were included in the film. The film did poorly at the box office and criticism was mostly mixed.

Saturday morning and Syndication

The Monkees enjoyed a resurgence on Saturday morning/afternoon television on CBS from September 1969 to September 1972 (sponsored by General Foods' Kool-Aid) and on ABC from September 1972 to August 1973. To coincide with the releases of The Monkees Present and Changes albums during this time period, many episodes replaced the older songs with tracks from these recent releases (this strategy was also employed during the summer of 1967, when many of the first-season episodes had their songs from the first two albums replaced with songs from the then-current single and from the third album Headquarters).

The 58 episodes were then sold to local markets for syndication in September 1975, where they typically appeared on independent television stations on weekday afternoons (the opening title sequence seen in the syndication package for all 58 episodes is from the second season of the original run). In many cases, episodes seen in the syndication package featured the updated soundtracks of the Saturday morning run or the earlier summer 1967 repeats.

A second, massive resurgence occurred when a Monkees marathon aired on February 23, 1986, on MTV. Within months, the 58 episodes were airing regularly throughout the United States on local stations (in edited form), Nickelodeon/MTV (uncut), as well as Canada on MuchMusic. Dolenz, Tork and Jones, already reunited for a "20th Anniversary Tour", went from playing small clubs to stadiums as the series caught on and the tour drew critical praise. The popularity led Columbia Pictures to create a "reboot" version of the franchise in 1987, New Monkees, but it flopped and was cancelled after a half season.

The series has aired edited versions on Antenna TV, a digital subchannel network that broadcasts classic programming from the 1950s-1990s era. IFC also picked up the series for reruns in spring 2015. FETV, a cable and satellite network, began airing the series in December 2017. In 2018, Canadian superstation CHCH in Hamilton, Ontario began carrying the series; the station is viewable over-the-air in areas of New York State and Michigan that border Ontario.

From March 3, 2019, to April 26, 2020, restored episodes of The Monkees aired on MeTV on Sundays at 5 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., following an overwhelming response to Peter Tork's death after MeTV aired two episodes on February 24, 2019, as a tribute to the late Monkee.

AXS TV began airing the series on April 7, 2023.

Catchy Comedy is scheduled to present a "Catchy Binge" of the series on August 19–20, 2023.

Rhino Records now serves as the underlying rights holder for this series, as they acquired the Monkees' music catalog, TV series and official logo from Raybert and Columbia Pictures in 1994. Sony Pictures Television, which has owned Columbia Pictures since 1989, remains the television distributor for syndication and cable.

Legacy

The TV show Miami 7, the debut of the British 1990s pop band S Club 7, had a very similar premise. It was the second time that a manufactured band had their own TV show on American television. Likewise, the Nickelodeon sitcom Big Time Rush followed the same basic format and premise; the producers of that show acknowledged The Monkees as their primary inspiration.

Dolenz said in a 2007 interview on the Roe Conn radio program that, while inspiration did come from the Beatles, the band's image was not meant to be a rip-off of them. He said that the Beatles were always depicted as superstars with legions of fans, whereas the Monkees were always depicted as unsigned and struggling to make a buck. This is reflected numerous times throughout the series, such as in the pilot, where Mike Nesmith is seen throwing darts at a Beatles poster and in the episode "Find the Monkees (The Audition)" where the Monkees struggle to see a famous television producer who is looking for a rock act for use in commercial advertisements; in the episode "I Was a 99-Pound Weakling", Micky is tricked into signing onto a bogus weight-training program, but objects by noting, "Where am I gonna get that kind of money? I'm an unemployed drummer." Also in a screen test, a Monkee asks what the Beatles have that they do not have. They sing "Thirteen million dollars!" Also, the last episode of the series, "The Frodis Caper", opens with the repetitive strains of the chorus of the Beatles' "Good Morning, Good Morning" from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

When commenting on the death of Davy Jones on February 29, 2012, Time magazine contributor James Poniewozik praised the show: "Even if the show never meant to be more than entertainment and a hit-single generator, we shouldn’t sell The Monkees short. It was far better TV than it had to be; during an era of formulaic domestic sitcoms and wacky comedies, it was a stylistically ambitious show, with a distinctive visual style, absurdist sense of humor and unusual story structure. Whatever Jones and The Monkees were meant to be, they became creative artists in their own right, and Jones’ chipper Brit-pop presence was a big reason they were able to produce work that was commercial, wholesome and yet impressively weird."

Home video

Six two-episode VHS volumes of the television series were distributed by Musicvision/RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video between July 15, 1986, and June 25, 1987, taking advantage of the group's 20th anniversary.

On October 17, 1995, with the Monkees' 30th anniversary looming, Rhino Home Video issued the complete series as a deluxe VHS boxed set containing all 58 episodes, plus the pilot and the 1969 special, 33⅓ Revolutions Per Monkee, in a total of 21 videotapes, along with a specially created full-color photo book that tells the history of the series, information about each episode and a variety of photographs from the series. First-run issues of the set also included a limited-edition wristwatch. A few months before, on May 22, Columbia House started releasing a Collector's Edition series also collecting all 58 Monkees episodes and the 1969 special; the one exception being the unaired 1965 Monkees pilot, which was available only on Rhino's video box set.

Rhino later released individual two-episode VHS volumes of the TV series between March 26, 1996, and April 11, 2000; it would be the last time The Monkees television show would be distributed on videocassette.

In 2003, Rhino Entertainment Company (under its Rhino Retrovision classic TV entertainment brand) released the complete series on DVD. Both seasons were re-released by Eagle Rock Entertainment in September 2011.

In honor of the band's 50th anniversary, Rhino released the complete series on Blu-ray on July 8, 2016.

External links

• The Monkees at IMDb
• The Monkees at epguides.com
• The Monkees at The Interviews: An Oral History of Television
• The Monkees Film & TV Vault
• Season Two episode reviews at The Anorak Zone