Any Four Guys Could Have Been The Monkees Myth Debunked!

A fun little video that debunks the myth that any four guys could have been the Monkees.

 

Davy I was never this short...thanks for the lift.
50 years on, Monkees still makes me
Maybe that's one of the reasons why I rate them higher than The Beatles.

Darryl

 

Said it before, will say it again, ad infinitum... With all the "pre-fab" bands that have been put together for various TV, movie, cartoon, and whatever other projects, there is a reason The Monkees are the only one we still talk about 45 years later.

They lucked upon the *perfect* blend of personalities and talent when they put this group together. And they couldn't do it again in a thousand years....

 

I do agree that the 4 guys they picked were a perfect combination for the show, but going by the criteria of the clip the unsung star of The Monkees is the casting director.

 

Yeah, man, I know what you mean. Just the other day I was feeling down and all so I cranked up Pepper looking for some yucks. No luck. Then Revolver -- no guffaws at all. What a scam.

 

I don't disagree with the idea that not any four guys could have been The Monkees, but what is the proof that they could, as the video says, "act well"? They must mean something besides the TV show, right?

 

Luckiest casting director ever.

 

Agreed. None of the 4 have any real acting chops... So, ignore that part. They just had to be funny with strong personalities and be able to recite lines from a script without slobbering all over themselves or hurting any of the crew. Oh, and then there's that music thing.

Come to think of it, KISS tried to act once... They were not as good as any of the 4 Monkees, so they had to be able to act a little.

 

The Monkees had no acting chops? Oi yoi yoi!

Both Davy Jones and Micky Dolenz were child actors, Micky even starred in his own TV series in the 1950's Circus Boy and his parents were both actors. Before the Monkees Micky appeared in several TV series including Peyton Place alongside Robert Redford.

Davy Jones appeared in the long running British series Coronation Street and went into theater where he originated the role of the Artful Dodger in the musical 'Oliver!' in which he earned a Tony nomination, and appeared with the original Broadway cast of 'Oliver!' on the very same Ed Sullivan Show the Beatles made their American debut on.

Both Nesmith and Tork had acting experience in regional theater and student films, and were accomplished live music performers, Tork coming out of the same Greenwich Village music scene as Bob Dylan, the Lovin' Spoonful, Mamas & Papas and other artists from that period and Nesmith was part of the Sunset Strip music scene along with the likes of Neil Young and others from that scene and was one of the mc's at the Troubadour Club. Micky Dolenz was also part of of the LA music scene and was in several bands before auditioning and winning a role on the Monkees.

A simple Google search would have settled the matter.

Another Monkees myth debunked!

Read my book if you want to learn more of the Monkees history:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1496112288/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1444167672&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=fred velez&dpPl=1&dpID=51ZQVu2AtJL&ref=plSrch

 

To expand on my previous post, Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones have both performed on Broadway. Micky is highly regarded in Broadway community having performed in several musicals, and just finished a successful run with his one man show 'A Little Bit Broadway, A Little Bit Rock & Roll' and released a cd of the show.

 

I've always thought that Nesmith was the best actor by miles.

The screen tests that came out a few years back with alternate guys acting out scenarios do show that the chosen four had a spark the others lacked. Sorry, Wendell and S.J.!

 

That's what I wanted to know--whether there was something beyond the TV show. Thanks.

 

This scene from the Monkees episode 'Success Story' has become much more poignant since Davy Jones passing.

 

You're welcome, and I hope you read my earlier post too.

 

I love the four we have.

 

Of course I did. Do you think I would have "liked" it without reading it?

 

The NEW Monkees failure is all the myth debunking ammo you need.

 

The Monkees should have been DOA, given the lame concept and slapped-on formulaic construction, but the four men they chose turned out to be absolutely right. They each projected a clear and distinctive winning personality that showed up on screen (no easy trick) and made the best of some underbaked scripts. The fact they didn't get along that much in real life only showcases their collective brilliance; they found some zen place they made their own.

 

Thanks, and I hope you'll check out my book too!

 

Any Four Guys Could Have Been The Monkees Myth Debunked!
And i think the new monkees project in the mid 1980's prooved that.

No disrespect to the guy's that were a part of that new Monkees project..But it was a lousy idea, And prooved that they could never recapture the chemistry that
Micky, Davy, Mike & Peter had on the screen, & The recording studio.

 

"The hipsters could not be more wrong".

OK, which one of one, or your spouses, created that video?

 

The term was as relevant then as it is now.

 

It obviously couldn't have been ANY 4 guys, but it could very easily could have just as easily been a different four guys than the ones hired to fit the script.
It could not have been 4 gray haired middle aged fat guys.
It could have been any 4 young guys who had a little bit of acting skills and the ability to be taught instruments and to sing.

 

These are the original Monkees screen tests from 1965 which include four other actors, among them longtime Monkees pal Bill Chadwick who resembles Micky, who were part of the final eight being considered for the parts.