A moment in time...

gjw

The show was an attempt to copy the style of the Beatles in the 1965 movie "Help!" (which came out just a year before NBC brought "The Monkees" to the airwaves), with its wacky mix of absurdist slapstick comedy and pop/rock music.

Truth be told, Mickey, Davy, Mike & Peter actually displayed more on- screen charisma than the Beatles had in that particular film (which wasn't exactly the high point of their career). Both the show and the movie borrowed heavily from the Marx Bros' sense of lunacy, but neither quite managed to capture Groucho's wry, biting humor (although they certainly tried).

The show initially found its niche with teens & tweens at the time who were too young to fully embrace the Beatles, but who liked pop-rock and wanted some group to get excited over. They were, to some extent, a safe embodiment of the '60s social revolution, at a time when long hair was still unacceptable in many parts of the country, and the peace sign competed with "Love It or Leave It" stickers.

It's easy to forget just how big they were at their prime. At one point (in 1967), the Monkees actually outsold the Beatles and the Rolling Stones combined.

I've seen Dolenz and Jones in concert together on several occasions over the years, in various reincarnations of the Monkees, and despite early critics' claims, they actually are very solid entertainers - and the Monkees' collection of songs is a great one -- with hit after hit.

The show? Well, it was successful because of the personalities of the four leads, and the music, of course - almost in spite of the sometimes dreadful efforts at comedy. Like its inspiration, "Help!", some episodes of the show can be almost painful to watch... if it wasn't for the music, and the winking sense that Davy, Mickey, Peter & Mike were well aware of the inanity of what they were doing.

score 6/10

gjw 26 July 2012

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2649599/