The Monkees 

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 / ... 58 episodes, 1966-1968

Storyline

Short-lived 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 comedic scenes.

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Plot Keywords:

slapstick comedy | 1960s | named car | the monkees | teen idol | 

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Taglines:

Who's putting who on? You'll never know till you see this show!

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Genres:

Comedy | Music

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Official Sites:

The Monkees Home Page

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 September 1966 (USA)

Also Known As:

The 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 (58 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Pathécolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Danny Hutton, later of Three Dog Night, auditioned at the original tryouts but was turned down.

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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: Cross at the green, not in between!
Davy: He's been out in the sun too long.
Micky: He was no bargain in the shade.

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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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Alternate Versions

The episode "Too Many Girls" (aka "Davy and Fern") was originally censored (By NBC's Standards and Practices Dept.) showing a blurred lens-view of the scene where Fern is wearing a bikini. In later prints of the episode that were shown in syndication, alternate angles were reportedly used for this same sequence.

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Connections

Referenced in South Park: Spontaneous Combustion (1999)

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Soundtracks

The Kind of Girl I Could Love
Written and Produced by Michael Nesmith
Performed by The Monkees

User Reviews

TV Show That Never Gets Old

I have enjoyed watching this show for years since I first saw it in syndication on local television back in the late 1970s. From the first time I watched The Monkees I was hooked and have watched the show ever since. Whenever it would be shown over the years I was there to watch it, including the revival in popularity that arose in 1986 when MTV ran a Monkees marathon that exposed their antics to a new generation of fans. The show had a great zaniness that blended a unique mixture of music and comedy, which made the show a delight for me. As a kid I enjoyed the entertaining plots and thought it would be cool to hang around with these 4 guys. I did, though, always look forward to the musical numbers that occurred in each episode.

The music on the show was what really appealed to me and made me a fan in the beginning. Their albums from the 60s still make up part of my music collection. The show was never that popular when it was originally airing on commercial television, but the music really helped push the popularity of the band giving The Monkees a cult-like status similar to The Beatles at the time. I especially like the music of Michael Nesmith. The songs that appeared in the show by Nez were most appealing to me and this carried over to his solo career as well. Another thing that was a great part of the show was the comic timing of Mickey Dolenz. He always cracks me up with his wacky style of voices and improvisation. All four were talented in their own way, but Mickey Dolenz was the funniest to me.

It is still one of my all time favorite shows and has left a lasting impression on me that will stay with me my whole life. One of the more memorable shows was the parody of Faust called The Devil and Peter Tork. It had some seriousness, but that helped the comedy to play. Some episodes played out better than others with the second season being a little more reflective of the 60s culture that was growing popular during that period in America.

Was it a TV show? Was it a rock n' roll group? It was neither, and it was a little of both. Mickey Dolenz equated their becoming a group to Leonard Nimoy becoming a Vulcan. No matter what you believe, we can all agree that The Monkees, although brief in its original run, was about a group that did play, that did perform their own music and the way they did it left an impact on generations both young and old and will do so for years to come.