"Hey hey we're the Monkees." - Monkees theme
The Monkees: Season 1 DVD Review
By Jonathan Boudreaux
In the early 1960s, producer Bob Rafelson came up with an idea for a TV series centered on the exploits of a fictitious band. Unimaginative television executives scorned the idea, however, until the Beatles films came along and proved that there was a massive audience hungry for a new form of entertainment. In 1965, ads were placed in trade magazines announcing auditions for the series, and hundreds of hopefuls showed up for a shot at fame, including, legend has it, Charles Manson.
The producers ultimately chose Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork. As a child, Dolenz had starred in the TV series Circus Boy, but at this point was preparing for life after acting. Jones was a former jockey who had found some success on the Broadway stage in Oliver! Nesmith and Tork were both musicians in the "folk rock" mold. Together, they became The Monkees, and the TV series of the same name, which had its NBC premiere on September 12, 1966, became a Monday night staple for two seasons.
The Monkees is a defiantly stupid hybrid of sitcom, silent movie and Saturday morning cartoon. The plots are often ludicrous, but that is the point. In the first season alone they have several run-ins with royalty, visit a haunted mansion, go to the circus, and meet all manner of strange adversaries, from kidnapper gypsies to mad scientists. Each episode combines broad physical humor, sight gags, and bad puns with musical sequences in which The Monkees cavort maniacally while one of their soon-to-be hit singles plays on the soundtrack.
It may sound like a mess, but somehow the formula works. The episodes have a goofy, innocent charm. This is partially due to the imaginative look and feel to the series. The images and camerawork often achieve a trippy beauty, displaying more offhand care and thought than found in the entire run of most kids' shows.
Although derided as The Prefab Four by critics, these episodes are a perfect reminder of how strong The Monkees' songs really are. Many of their tunes are sheer pop perfection, sounding as fresh and fun now as they did back in the '60s. This is a testament to both their stable of songwriters, including Carole King and Neil Diamond, and to The Monkees themselves. Sure, they were not allowed to play their own instruments for much of the first season, but that does not negate the fact that these songs are terrific. After all, how many performers then - or now for that matter - really play on their albums?
The 32 episodes that comprise season 1 are divided onto six discs. For years, Rhino has released compact disc boxed sets in elaborate, imaginatively design packaging. While their output of such sets appears to be diminishing, their designers have obviously turned an innovative eye to the company's DVD packaging. The six discs are housed in cardboard sleeves that are designed to look like mini Monkees singles, complete with original artwork. The sleeves slide into a cardboard holder imprinted with a phonograph turntable. This holder fits into an outer box cleverly designed to look like a mini portable record player. The underside of the box lists the episode numbers and titles along with brief descriptions. The backs of the individual disc sleeves also list this information along with original airdates, the writers and directors, and the songs featured in the episodes.
Hardcore fans of the series will be interested to learn that Rhino has gone through the trouble of restoring, whenever possible, the episodes included here to the format in which they originally aired. It seems that subsequent to The Monkees' initial run on NBC, the shows were reedited. For example, product placements that ran during the closing credits were eliminated and some of the older songs were replaced with new ones so as to push then-current albums. Those reedited versions are the ones that have been seen in syndication for years. This DVD set, however, restores the original songs and even some of the product placements.
Video and Audio
The episodes look and sound better than they have in years. There is still a bit of dirt and blemishes, but that is to be expected in a series of this age. Otherwise, the colors are crisp and clear.
Extras
There are many extras included in this boxed set. Spread over the six discs are separate commentaries on selected episodes by Davy Jones, Peter Tork, Michael Nesmith, director James Frawley, creator Bob Rafelson, and songwriter Bobby Hart. While there are twelve commentaries, some of the episodes have two or even three separate commentaries, thus reducing the number of episodes commented upon to six. This, frankly, makes the commentaries less interesting since the same episodes have to be viewed so many times.
A sampling of half of the commentaries, one by each person, reveals a mixed bag. On episode 1, Davy sounds almost drunk at first, but as he eventually warms up to the task, he comes up with some nice reminiscences about the episode. James Frawley comments on the same episode. He gives some background information, but mostly he is just jazzed to be watching his first ever directing assignment all these years later. Still, his commentary is charming.
On episode 3, creator and director Bob Rafelson's self-deprecating commentary reveals the inspiration behind the series. Sometimes his stories seem to be going off on a tangent, but Rafelson always manages to bring them back around in an interesting way. Peter Tork's commentary on the same episode lacks focus and insight. Mercifully, he is mostly silent.
On episode 32, prodigal Monkee Michael Nesmith, who in recent years has shunned his Monkees past, provides a warm, friendly, funny commentary. Songwriter Bobby Hart's commentary on the same episode provides background on the Monkees' music and the insanity surrounding their tours.
The discs also allow the viewer to watch only the musical portions of the show, sort of like a video jukebox.
Each episode also boasts several screens worth of trivia. Sometimes this trivia delves a bit too deeply into Monkees minutia, but some fun facts are revealed.
The remaining extras are included on disc six. Foremost is the original 16mm pilot film of The Monkees. The audio and video are below par, but this is an incredible artifact and shows the Monkees concept in embryonic form. When this sample episode was filmed, there was not enough time to actually record songs with the new band members, so they actually lip sync to the original Boyce and Hart demo versions.
Eight vintage commercials starring the Monkees are also included. Six of the commercials are for Kellogg's cereal products, one is for Yardley Black Label cologne and one is for the show itself. The film and audio quality of the commercials are mostly poor, but they are still fun. As related by James Frawley in his episode 1 commentary, the Monkees actually filmed their first batch of commercials before a single episode was completed.
In a 24 minute interview, songwriter Bobby Hart discusses his career, the formation of The Monkees, the song selection process, the recording of the songs, and the afterlife of the Monkees. Some of this is interesting stuff, but 24 minutes of a talking head can get a tad dull. This material would have been much better as part of a documentary or an edited interview with everyone involved. Some of his material is also repeated in the episode 32 commentary.
The Memorabilia Gallery contains approximately 60 images, including publicity stills, casting sheets, press releases, cast info sheets, magazine articles, and production photos. The casting sheets - which refer to the show as The Monkeys - list some of the actors who auditioned to be Monkees along with brief notes about the reactions of the casting directors and producers.
The packaging for disc six lists a Monkees discography, but it does not seem to be included on the disc itself.
Summary
With its amusingly cornball humor and timeless music, The Monkees remains a highly entertaining series. That, combined with Rhino's highly creative packaging, makes this set a must have, both as a source of entertainment and as a collectible.
7/1/03
