IIRC they were taped the last week of December 1968, so yes, it would have been immediately after Peter left or just as he was leaving. I remember seeing a photo of the three of them shoved together in one square. I bet that was fun.
I wish I knew about Kotter. I have been meaning to pick up the rest of the series. Had Season 1 since it was first released. Have watched it recently on MeTV. Holds up fine for me. YMMV
Shout Factory had a flash sale : http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/welcome-back-kotter-dvd-24-hr-flash-sale-shout-factory.462700/ .
Watched the whole Monkees set with my kids and am now part way through the Partridge set - which is a vastly better show.
I haven't really watched the Partridge shows since I was a kid. But from what I remember, it was a more linear show, a standard family situation comedy of the time, which probably went down better with mainstream audiences, then and now. I liked the music but I really haven't revisited it and it didn't make any significant impact on me the way the Monkees music did. I have had the whole Partridge series on DVD for years but I have watched maybe 2 episodes. I'll need to get around to revisiting it some time. The main things I remember are how Danny seemed to be the brains behind everything, and how the youngest son mysteriously changed actors after the first season. I always wondered what happened (I've read up on it since) and I liked the second kid better. And I remember some guy saying to Laurie, "we used to take baths together."
Yes a much more traditional show. Great comic dynamic between Danny and Reuben. I love the music on both shows. Lots of the same musicians. On Changes the Monkees music gets a bit funkier and sounds more like the Partridges.
I like some of the Changes funk groove. It's an album you really have to take on its own terms, and meet it where it's at, as opposed to comparing it to something like Pisces. I want to say "funk and bubblegum," but "bubblegum" to me means someone singing about how he wants to chew you up, lick you and swallow you.
In reference to the post - There is an 'art' to the series when you look at it from a film standpoint with the thought bubbles, sped up film, cutaways to some random joke etc. It was just more outwardly silly so a lot of that stuff is looked over. With Batman - at it's peak, there was a different approach to the silliness by playing it straight and there definitely was an art to it. Then it got wise to it's own joke over time and became an outright comedy and very silly (any season 3 episode). Onward to some other random thoughts. I don't know if there ever will be a 'stripped down' version of this release because in comparison to Batman, there are no 'bonus's' like trading cards or a Monkeemobile to cut out. Whereas Batman was a widespread commercial release (and I remember so many really complaining about the price tag on that one), this is going to be a limited edition sold exclusively on one website so the target audience is a little more narrow. Plus, as much of a fan I am of the Monkees I would argue that Batman has more mainstream appeal than the Monkees show has these days. Funny that it started out as a show yet the focus these days is really about the music where the show has somewhat faded from memory IMO. Hopefully this release will be somewhat of a rediscovery for some. The only thing you could cut out would be the vinyl 45 but if you remove that, how much does that take off the bottom line? There was a post on FB the other day where they said they are spending or have spent nearly a quarter of a million dollars restoring the show from the original elements so where some may feel the price tag is 'gouging', they do have to cover their costs and investment in the restoration. If people want to buy it....great. If they don't....great. Good thing is that it is there is a release for those of us who are interested.
That is correct Mark. That is from an episode with Tony Geary (Ain't Loveth Grand) from season three. He grew up on the same block as the Partridges (and took baths with Laurie) and grew up to be Minister. In the episode, they are spending a lot of time together and Shirley is worried that Laurie is going too fast. I don't think they took a bath together during the episode though.
There were a lot of great guest stars on PF (many unknown at the time) A few I have noticed while re-watching so far: Richard Pryor, Farrah Fawcett, Jaclyn Smith, Cherryl Ladd, Mark Hamill, Ray Bolger, Margaret Hamilton, Jackie Coogan, Johnny Cash, Norman Fell, Morey Amsterdam, Howard Cosell, Rob Reiner, Jodie Foster, Bobby Sherman
I went through a phase in the early 1990s when I found The Monkees show less enjoyable. It can seem a bit silly and tedious on certain episodes. Lately, however, I'm really enjoying it again especially the first season. "Monkee vs Machine", "Success Story", "I Was a Teenage Monster", "Monkess on Tour" "Monstrous Monkee Mash", The Devil and Peter Tork" are some of my favorite episodes and I always enjoy watching them. More and more I'm the sort of enjoying the more freeform Marx Brothers approach then I used to. I really enjoy the "wink, wink" "nudge, nudge" feeling the group have in the episodes. I also enjoy the Partridge episodes - more from the first two seasons. Looking forward to seeing The Monkees episodes in better quality and the bonus content!!!
I would love to see as bonus footage, the MTV clips from when they reunited as this was how I was first exposed to the Monkees.
I wonder if, somewhere, there exists a full 'rainbow room' performance of Salesman. You see two brief clips of it in the romp in "The Devil and Peter Tork" but that is about it. One was obviously filmed but it was the only time the song was used in the show. Looking forward to hearing what else may be announced with this release over the next few months.
I've always wondered this also. There is one brief shot of Davy with maracas and Peter on bass, harmonizing. The remainder are a few shoulder and higher shots of Michael, which seemed to be obscured by the movement of a cymbal (?). No shots of Micky. I believe one of the still photos of Michael in the 1994 BBM reissue was taken from that sequence (white turtleneck, jacket, and aviator shades).
It would be nice if they found some other unused mimed performances. I'm not sure what was shot but you've got to think that the set-ups were so basic that it would have been beneficial to line up other tracks to mime to, just in case. I'm holding off ordering yet, I'm almost 100% I will be, but some more news about newly discovered footage would easily speed the process up.
Apparently I'm a minority here, for while I like the Monkees' music, IMHO their great achievement was the TV series. It was one of the most innovative TV comedies of the '60s (and ever), along with Ernie Kovacs and Laugh-In. Within the sitcom form it used jumpcuts, non-sequitur film insertions, and breaking the fourth wall to give us a modernized Marx Bros, and a style of anarchic comedy that has never been seen on TV since. The bit where Mickey walks off the set to consult with the writers is a masterpiece of 'Brechtian' self-awareness -- reminiscent of Hope and Crosby perhaps, but with its own cynical perspective ("Those guys sure are overpaid!").
By the way, "What Am I Doing Hanging Round" is a "Rainbow Room" song too -- but there is a southwestern backdrop obscuring the background. That would be cool, if the "Salesman" clip was found -- if indeed one was ever assembled. Maybe there was only ever raw footage?
It was groundbreaking for sure. I just prefer entertaining and at least minimally competent. The mimed music clips were the best part. And the Zappa bits.
I agree with JozefK above, that's a GREAT sequence when Mickey walks thru the crew.....i DO think, IMHO, the second season got a lot less.....fun, and more, well, loose, is the word I can think of.....I've read the Monkees day-by-day book and a ton of other stuff, but to me, it seemed like they weren't into the show as completely as they were the first season....oh, it has some great spots, Zappa and Tim Buckley among them, but they seem bored to me.....that said, most of the music is great! But, even being a fan and a semi-completist, I am SORTA considering it, even tho i don't even HAVE a Blu-Ray player.............and I AM one of the kooks who petitioned MTV back in 1986 to run the show, and a friend I worked with had cable, and when MTV ran the show, we both sat up and watched as many episodes as we could, and videotaped the whole run they broadcast as well.........ah, sweet, goofy youth.......
Not to derail the discussion, but I was just watching the Criterion Blu Ray of HEAD and caught a glimpse of Peter with the banjo and Davy playing bass during Circle Sky. Obviously they are playing You Told Me with this set up. Anyone else ever notice this hidden in the Circle Sky footage? Could this be part of the extras in the box set? Ben
Well, how do you like that? I guess it would make sense, with all the different (brief) shots cross-faded and superimposed, they might have used footage that didn't necessarily correspond with the audio we're hearing. You learn and discover new things every day!
I thought it was Tony Geary, thanks. When the whole "Luke and Laura" thing was happening on General Hospital it was a huge event in our household. My mother and sister followed that show religiously.
