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The Monkees (TV series)

The Monkees
The Monkees (TV series).jpg
Genre Sitcom
Created by Bob Rafelson
Bert Schneider
Starring Davy Jones (as David Jones)
Micky Dolenz
Michael Nesmith
Peter Tork
Theme music composer Boyce and Hart
Opening theme "(Theme From) The Monkees"
Ending theme "For Pete's Sake" (Second season only)
Composer(s) Tommy Boyce
Bobby Hart
Peter Tork
Joseph Richards
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 Television
Distributor Columbia Pictures Television (1975–1985, 1990-1996)
Colex Enterprises (1986–1988)
LBS Communications (1989–1990)
Columbia TriStar Television (1996-2002)
Sony Pictures Television (2002-present)
Release
Original network NBC
Audio format Monaural
Original release September 12, 1966 (1966-09-12) – March 25, 1968 (1968-03-25)
Chronology
Followed by New Monkees
Website

The Monkees is an American situation comedy that aired on NBC 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. The program ended on Labor Day 1968 at the finish of its second season and has received a long afterlife in Saturday morning repeats (CBS and ABC) and syndication, as well as overseas broadcasts.

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 encounters that the band would have while searching for their big break.

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. Inspired by the Beatles' film A Hard Day's Night, the duo decided to develop a television series about a fictional rock 'n' roll group. In April, 1965, Raybert sold the series idea to Screen Gems, and by August, a pilot script titled "The Monkeys" was completed by Paul Mazursky and Larry Tucker. 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.

On September 8, 1965, trade publications Daily Variety and The Hollywood Reporter ran an ad 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 after audience research, Raybert chose their final four.


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