The Monkees (1966–1968)

The misadventures of a struggling rock band.

Stars:

Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork

Won 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Davy Jones	...	Davy (58 episodes, 1966-1968)
Micky Dolenz	...	Micky (58 episodes, 1966-1968)
Peter Tork	...	Peter (58 episodes, 1966-1968)
Michael Nesmith	...	Mike (57 episodes, 1966-1968)

Storyline

Not very long running comedy about the extremely Beatles-esque band, The Monkees. The group of four (Micky, Davy, Mike, and Peter) encounter interesting events and tie-in their music with each episode to encompass fast-moving scenes of comedy.

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Plot Keywords:

the monkees | california | fictional band | psychedelic rock | singer | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Music

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Details

Official Sites:

The Monkees Home Page

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 September 1966 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die Monkees

Filming Locations:

Columbia/Sunset Gower Studios - 1438 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

National Broadcasting Company (NBC), Raybert Productions, Screen Gems Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min 30 min (58 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Pathécolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Monkee Mobile was a modified 1966 Pontiac GTO. The trunk was shortened in volume and a third seat was added, the front end had a fiberglass grille and headlight shroud and the exhaust pipes exited from the back of the front wheel wells. The huge air scoop and supercharger were fake and added to the top of the engine for display and for filming. There are three Monkee Mobiles, each can be differentiated from the others by the size of The Monkees logo on the door.

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Goofs

In a number of second-season episodes, Micky's hairstyle changes back and forth from a straight hairdo to a curly "permed" look. This was due to the fact that second-season episodes were filmed at two different times, the spring of 1967 (when a number of the actual episode storylines were filmed) and then later that fall (during which time all the song performances were filmed). During the summer break, Micky let his hair grow out. The difference is perhaps most notable in the episode "It's a Nice Place to Visit," when at one moment Micky is performing a song with his hair curled, and is then seen leaving the stage with his hair straight.

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Quotes

Peter: Oh no, foot prints! Someone else is on this island!
Micky: Oh don't worry, those are ours, we don't have a larger set so we had to use the same one twice.

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Crazy Credits

"The Christmas Show" ends with the Monkees giving the TV audience a Christmas wish of peace. The group then brings the crew-members on to the set and gives them all a very happy and raucous opportunity to give their loved ones at home a Christmas greeting, all while the closing credits play over this.

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Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: Indestructible Man (1992)

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Soundtracks

" (What Am I Doin') Hangin' Round?"
Written by Travis Lewis (Michael Martin Murphey) and Boomer Clarke (Owens Boomer Castleman)
Performed by The Monkees
Produced by Chip Douglas

User Reviews

Pivotal Series In TV & Pop Music History

The Monkees may have been created as a Beatles-of-America series, but like The Fab Four the show and the group within had a pivotal role in pop music history. While the concept of quick-edit rock music pieces began with A Hard Days Night and its sequels, it was The Monkees that really fleshed out the concept that today is known as the music video.

The power of television proved itself with Monkee-mania, and seeing the series and listening to the records four decades after their debut reveals how fresh and engaging both still are. The sit-com concept was basically parodied, and the free-wheeling styles of Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork, and David Jones made the parodies all the more cutting and funny. There is a magnetism to Micky, Mike, Peter, and Davy that still shows in the show and the music; the use of session hipsters in the backing tracks certainly created a strong baseline at the beginning, but in concert with session help or all on their own (in the album Headquarters and the songs from which the show made use), it was Micky, Mike, Peter, and Davy who gave the music a stamp that was undeniably theirs.

The same is true of the show - other singers have shown engaging humor (Alison Krauss is one of the funniest), but none show the magnetic zaniness of The Monkees (if anything, Ms. Krauss' sense of humor is more like Mike Nesmith's than anything).

This is why the show and the group will always endure.