This Week's Monkees TV Almanac (9/7-13/08)

[AH3RD]

Numerous firsts and lasts abound this week...


SEPTEMBER 8, 1975

The Monkees television show, 58 episodes in color and distributed exclusively by Columbia Pictures Television, premiered in local syndication, 2 years after completing a neat 4-year run on CBS and ABC Saturday Afternoon (September 1969 - August 1973). The first 7 TV stations to have the honour of carrying the series locally were KBHK-TV in San Francisco, WFLD-TV in Chicago, WKBS-TV in Philadelphia, WKBD-TV in Detroit, WLVI-TV in Boston, KDNL in St. Louis, and WDCA-TV in Washington D.C. (Peter Tork's hometown!!). For 9 years the show played on and off these and other local markets until the group's 20th Anniversary in 1986 put them over worldwide.

SEPTEMBER 9, 1968

“The Monkees Watch Their Feet,” Episode No. 49 of The Monkees (prod. #4743, aired on NBC January 15, 1968), was repeated at 7:30p.m. (EDT) on NBC.

This repeat marked the farewell appearance of The Monkees television series on NBC in prime time (not, as misbelieved, the August 19, 1968 repeat of Episode No. 56, “Some Like It Lukewarm”). It was replaced a week later in its 7:30 Monday stead by I Dream Of Jeannie, which, ironically, followed The Monkees in its first season.

SEPTEMBER 9, 1972

“The Case Of The Missing Monkee,” Episode No. 17 of The Monkees (prod. #4731, aired on NBC January 9 and July 24, 1967), was repeated at 1:00p.m. (EDT) on ABC.

This was the first repeat of The Monkees on ABC Saturday Morning.

SEPTEMBER 11, 1967

"It's A Nice Place To Visit..." (prod. #47??) first aired at 7:30/6:30 Central Time on NBC as the 33rd episode of The Monkees. The sponsor of the week was Kellogg’s™, and the song featured was “What Am I Doing Hangin’ ‘Round?” (Murphy / Castleman).

This episode introduced The Monkees TV series' second season on The Peacock Network. Also on this day, 12 1/2 hours before "It's A Nice Place To Visit..." was scheduled to air, The Monkees themselves, after a long, grueling summer of touring and recording (the upcoming 4th album, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones, Ltd.), reported to Screen Gems Studio 7 in Hollywood to resume production on their television show; first on the agenda was Peter Meyerson's "Hillbilly Honeymoon" (a.k.a. "Double Barrell Shotgun Wedding").

SEPTEMBER 11, 1971

“The Monkees On The Line,” Episode No. 28 of The Monkees (prod. #47??, aired on NBC March 27, 1967), was repeated at noon (EDT) on CBS, with a new song added: "Little Girl," written by Micky Dolenz.

With this repeat, The Monkees TV show entered its third and final season on CBS Saturday Afternoons.

SEPTEMBER 12, 1966

“The Royal Flush” (prod. #4701) first aired @ 7:30/6:30 p.m. Central Time in Living Color on NBC Television as the premiere episode of The Monkees, a comedy-fantasy series from Raybert/Screen Gems TV Productions heavily influenced by The Beatles' A Hard Day's Night (United Artists, 1964) and Help! (United Artists, 1965), which reflected the misadventures of an unknown, young, longhaired, modern-dressed group and its dreams on the way to fame and fortune. Produced by Robert Rafelson and Bert Schneider, it starred David Jones, Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork, all of whom were chosen from a lot of 437 applicants who answered an ad in the September 8, 1965 issues of The Hollywood Reporter and Daily Variety.

The sponsor of the week was Kellogg’s™, and the songs were were Boyce & Hart's “This Just Doesn’t Seem To Be My Day” and Goffin & King's “Take A Giant Step.” The third Monkees episode to be filmed, “The Royal Flush” was the first to be helmed by James Frawley, an initial member of innovative NYC comedy troupe The Premise, who would go on to direct the bulk of The Monkees' 58 half-hour segments (32 to be exact). Frawley would soon be greatly rewarded for his efforts on “The Royal Flush”; it won the Emmy for Outstanding Directorial Achievement In A Comedy Series for 1966-67.

The success of the TV series and the hit records it helped generate made The Monkees the rage of America, imitating and, at times, even eclipsing The Beatles' own success! The series cranked out 58 episodes for 2 seasons on NBC, finally ending in September 1968. But what a following The Monkees have had during the course of that run: 2 Emmy Awards, 4 #1 hit albums, 3 #1 hit singles, and 2 sold-out concert tours...not to mention the admiration and adulation of fans worldwide, something which continues to thrive to this very day!!

SEPTEMBER 12, 1970

“The Monkees Watch Their Feet,” Episode No. 49 of The Monkees (prod. #4743, aired on NBC January 15 and September 9, 1968), was repeated at 12:30p.m. (EDT) on CBS.

This retelecast precipitated a second season of repeats of The Monkees on CBS Saturdays, taking place on the fourth anniversary of the series debut.

SEPTEMBER 13, 1969

“I Was A Teenage Monster”, Episode No. 18 of The Monkees (prod. #47??, aired on NBC January 16, 1967), was repeated @ noon (EDT) on CBS, with a new song added: "Good Clean Fun," written by Michael Nesmith.

This launched a 4-year stretch of retelecasts of The Monkees television series on Saturday Afternoons.

Rebuilding New Orleans one great episode of The Monkees at a time!

 

[oldiesfan6479]

SEPTEMBER 12, 1966
“The Royal Flush” (prod. #4701) first aired @ 7:30/6:30 p.m. Central Time in Living Color on NBC Television as the premiere episode of The Monkees

This first season was not seen in Tucson (unless you had a real big outdoor
antenna pointed toward Phoenix) as KVOA-TV did not carry the show.

I recall from a press item that KVOA offered 4:30pm Saturday but NBC
rejected it. The network did accept an offer for Jeannie of 5:00pm
on Saturday (network slot Monday 8:00/7:00).

They did carry the show in its second season however.

Do you recall any other NBC affils that did not carry The Monkees in its
first season (or both for that matter)?

BTW, the previous (65-66) season KVOA-TV did not run these NBC shows:
John Forsythe Show
My Mother The Car
Camp Runamuck

 

[mleach]

I too am curious as to knowing which NBC afflilates back in the 60's refused to carry the Monkees? In one of my trivia books, that fact was mentioned but it didn't say where other than many of those stations were in "the South".

With that being said I wonder about the other rock & roll TV shows at the time like Shindig or Hullabaloo. Where there any stations that refused to air those either?

I know American Bandstand didn't air in a number of cities for various reason. Baltimore's WJZ-TV was one of them. At first it was due to WJZ's Buddy Deane who had a similar show like Dick Clark's American Bandstand, but even once deane's show ended, it would be 20 years plus before American bandstand would air on WJZ. I have always heard that the reason behind that decision came from Dick Clark who had this hatred towards WJZ and Buddy Deane ( Clark felt Deane's show would be competition to his own show ), but I have my doubts even though it has been said over the years that Dick Clark was known to hold a grudge that could last for years.

 

[rwells2265]

Re: Monkees (also other 'rock' shows)

I too am curious as to knowing which NBC afflilates back in the 60's refused to carry the Monkees? In one of my trivia books, that fact was mentioned but it didn't say where other than many of those stations were in "the South".

With that being said I wonder about the other rock & roll TV shows at the time like Shindig or Hullabaloo. Where there any stations that refused to air those either?

Count me as another inquiring mind.

Another short-lived 'rock show' seen in limited markets was ABC's Music Scene (Fall '69).

I know American Bandstand didn't air in a number of cities for various reason. Baltimore's WJZ-TV was one of them. At first it was due to WJZ's Buddy Deane who had a similar show like Dick Clark's American Bandstand, but even once deane's show ended, it would be 20 years plus before American bandstand would air on WJZ. I have always heard that the reason behind that decision came from Dick Clark who had this hatred towards WJZ and Buddy Deane ( Clark felt Deane's show would be competition to his own show ), but I have my doubts even though it has been said over the years that Dick Clark was known to hold a grudge that could last for years.

IMO, I wouldn't put it past Clark to hold a grudge. But was Clark able to dictate to ABC which stations didn't air AB? (fwiw, I worked for a short time at the radio station Buddy Deane bought after leaving Baltimore - KOTN/Pine Bluff, Ark.; even met Deane - was a true gentleman and all-around nice guy)

I know this was already discussed a few years back, but I'll bring this up again for the benefit of those with lives who don't have time to dig back to find these haystack needles: Two large markets notable for not carrying Bandstand were Dallas (WFAA-8) and Memphis (WHBQ-13). Dunno about how long in DFW, but in Memphis' case, AB wasn't cleared between 1972 and 1985.

Birmingham didn't get AB until after 1965 or so. When WBRC-6 flipped to ABC in 1961, they didn't air the daily Philly version and - for a time, I believe (BPatrick?) - didn't clear Saturday mornings, either. I did see a TV GUIDE issue where WBMG-42 (now WIAT) picked up AB soon after signing on in 1965. I believe it was 1967-68 before WBRC began running the show. In the middle of all this, however, WBRC did carry Where the Action Is (local top-40 WSGN hosted a couple of "Action" shows in B'ham).

Little Rock (KATV-7) seemed to be off and on with Bandstand in the '60s and early '70s.

But the real head-scratcher is WLBT-3/Jackson, Miss. - ABC secondary prior to 1970 - which DID carry the daily Bandstand show, and, for a time, Action. WLBT under Lamar Life (lost its license in 1971 due to racial discrimination; had Klan-related literature in its lobby) was the last station one would've expected to clear Bandstand, especially given a secondary affiliation with the network.

--Russell

 

[Ultimajock]

SEPTEMBER 12, 1966
“The Royal Flush” (prod. #4701) first aired @ 7:30/6:30 p.m. Central Time in Living Color on NBC Television as the premiere episode of The Monkees

This first season was not seen in Tucson (unless you had a real big outdoor
antenna pointed toward Phoenix) as KVOA-TV did not carry the show.

I recall from a press item that KVOA offered 4:30pm Saturday but NBC
rejected it.

...hmm. That strikes me a bit odd, since I distinctly recall WTMJ-TV/4 Milwaukee running The Monkees at 4:30 on Saturday afternoons. However, WTMJ has always had a lot of clout with NBC, probably more than KVOA at the time, so I think that may have played into the situation a bit...