![]() ![]() In the 1968 book, The Making of Star Trek, Roddenberry shared a memo he wrote in 1966 to casting director Joe D’Agosta, wherein he said: “Keeping our teenage audience in mind, also keeping aware of current trends, let’s watch for a young, irreverent, English-accent Beatle type to try on the show, possibly with an eye to him reccurring. Inspired by Davy Jones, who was breaking hearts as the Monkee dreamboat with the English accent, Roddenberry opted to woo youthful fans by hiring long-haired Walter Koenig, who played Pavel Chekov, the Russian navigator of the Enterprise in the second and third seasons. After the first season of going where no man has gone before, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry decided he needed to add a young, mop-top character to the Enterprise’s crew to attract more teenage eyeballs. Whew!Ĥ) Beam Chekov up, Scotty! - Speaking of Star Trek, there is a bizarre link between The Monkees and the iconic sci-fi series. Apparently being in prison kept him out of the Monkees. While Stills, composer/singer Paul Williams and singer Harry Nilsson all tried out, there is reportedly no truth to the rumour Charles Manson had an audition. Actor Micky Dolenz was referred by his agent, while British singer/actor Davy Jones, who had already starred on the musical stage in Britain, had been tagged in advance as a potential cast member. Among those who auditioned unsuccessfully was singer Stephen Stills, who recommended his pal Peter Tork. It’s said he showed up to the audition toting his laundry and impressed the producers with his laid-back style, symbolized by the signature wool hat he wore to keep his hair out of his eyes. Reportedly, 437 people responded to the casting call, but Texas musician Nesmith was the only one cast via the ad. The show creators have said the “must come down” line was a sly drug-culture reference to being high. Must come down for interview.” According to various online sources, Ben Frank’s was a popular 24-hour coffee shop/hipster hangout on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. Running parts for 4 insane boys, age 17-21. Folk & Roll musicians-singer for acting roles in new TV series. 8, 1965, issues of the trade publications Daily Variety and The Hollywood Reporter that reflected the burgeoning youth culture of the mid-1960s. The creators of the TV show, Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider, knew exactly what they were looking for when they placed a casting ad in the Sept. In honour of their 50th anniversary, let’s monkey around with the Top Five Things You Didn’t Know about the Prefab Four:ĥ) Wanted: Four Insane Boys - No matter what the lyrics of their mega-hit theme song say, the four members of the Monkees weren’t just walkin‘ down the street getting the funniest looks from everyone they meet when they were cast in the new series. Initially ridiculed as a “fake” band, the Monkees, whose surviving members are on tour, eventually won creative control of their music and the right to play their own instruments. While the show was groundbreaking in its own right, the enduring legacy of the made-for-TV band is the music, including pop classics such as I’m a Believer, Daydream Believer, Last Train to Clarksville and Pleasant Valley Sunday. It ran for only two seasons and was cancelled after 58 episodes, but has continued to live in syndication and, like Star Trek, also launched in 1966, has become woven tightly into the fabric of popular culture. The show was an instant hit, capturing two Emmy Awards in 1967, including the award for outstanding comedy series, beating out such classics as The Andy Griffith Show, Bewitched, Get Smart and Hogan’s Heroes. ![]() 12, 1966, the NBC musical sitcom premièred and the world was introduced to an imaginary Beatles-style boy band - Micky, Davy, Michael and Peter - that lived in a beach house in Malibu and had madcap weekly adventures that paved the way for modern music videos. Hey, hey, they’re the Monkees, and it was 50 years ago this week they first came walkin’ down the street and into our living rooms in an iconic TV show that turned a faux band into real rock ‘n’ roll stars. This article was published (2527 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Free Press 101: How we practise journalism. ![]()
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