The Monkees First Season - Episode No. 30:

“THE MONKEES IN MANHATTAN”
(a.k.a. “THE MONKEES MANHATTAN STYLE”)

In New York City, The Monkees fend off an irate hotel manager as they
help a producer get backing for a Broadway rock and roll musical.

Technical & Telecast Info:

Production No.4728
Final Draft:September 15, 1966
Revised Final Draft:September 29, 1966
Filmed At:Screen Gems Studios 2 and 10, Hollywood, CA, and Columbia Ranch Stage 34, Burbank, CA.
Filming Dates:October 5 (8:00 a.m.)-7, 1966
Original Air Date:April 10, 1967
Ratings:18.7 rating/31.4 share (10,270,000 viewers)
© Raybert Productions; 4-10-67; LP37677
Sponsor This Week:
Kellogg’s™
Rerun Dates:May 23, 1970, July 22, 1972 (CBS)

Production Credits:

Written byGerald Gardner and Dee Caruso.
Directed byRussell Mayberry.
Produced byRobert Rafelson and Bert Schneider.
Script & Story Editors: Gerald Gardner and Dee Caruso
Associate Producer:Ward Sylvester.
Background Music Composed and Conducted by Stu Phillips.
“Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)”:Written by Neil Diamond; Produced by Jeff Barry.
“A Girl I Knew Somewhere”:Written by Michael Nesmith; Produced by Douglas Farthing Hatlelid.
“Words”:Written & Produced by Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart.
“The Girl I Knew Somewhere” (1969–72 Repeats):Written by Mike Nesmith.
“Acapulco Sun” (1969–72 Repeats):Written by Steven Soles and Ned Albright.
“Words” (1969–72 Repeats):Written by Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart.
Music Assistant (1969–72 Repeats):Brendan Cahill.
Guest cast:

Mr. Baker............................................ Dick Anders
Butler.................................................... Doodles Weaver
Waiter................................................... Olan Soule
Dr. Correl............................................. Alfred Dennis
Groom................................................... Geoffrey Deuel
Conventioneer.................................... Foster Brooks
Compton............................................... John Graham
Bride...................................................... Susan Howard
Phillip Ober as Weatherwax

Releases On Home Video:

  • The Monkees: The Collector's Edition - VHS Tape #8 (Columbia House #19937, May 22, 1995)
  • The Monkees Deluxe Limited Edition Boxed Set - VHS Tape #11 (Rhino R3 2960, October 17, 1995)
  • The Monkees - Season 1 DVD Boxed Set - Disc 5 (Rhino RetroVision DVD R2 976076, May 13, 2003)
  • The Monkees - Season 1 DVD Boxed Set - Disc 5 (Eagle Rock Entertainment DVD EM351359, September 27, 2011)
  • The Monkees - The Complete Series - Blu-Ray Disc 4 (Rhino BD2-552705, July 8, 2016)

Synopsis:

In hijinks reminiscent of an old Marx Bros. routine (Room Service [RKO, 1938]), The Monkees arrive in The Big Apple from Los Angeles via The Blem Line (“It’s Such A Pleasure To Take Blem And Leave The Driving To Them”) and enter the Compton Plaza Hotel lobby, where, at the desk, Buntz, the concierge is on the phone. The Monkees explain that they’ve come to see McKinley Baker, Broadway producer, who saw them perform and wants them to star in his new rock and roll musical. Buntz is unimpressed (“More showbiz types…”), and distractedly tells them Baker is in 304. Baker greets The Monkees, lets them into his room and allows them to lodge with him since they don't have any more money, having spent it all on busfare. But trouble soon follows when hotel manager Mr. Weatherwax and Buntz come in to kick Baker out for not paying his bills. Baker is waiting for his backer to send money. Weatherwax gives them one hour.

Since Baker's backer won't have the rent money until noon which is three hours late, The Monkees plan to buy time while Baker sneaks out the back to get the money. Meanwhile, Weatherwax informs Bunz, his desk clerk, the real reason to get Baker out is that, in an hour, a bigshot from a rabbit breeder’s convention will be given his room. Just then the drunken conventioneer arrives with two rabbits and decides to wait at the bar for his room. When Weatherwax and Bunz arrive at room 304 to evict them, Micky disguised as a doctor pretends to treat Peter who has polka dots all over face, claiming that he has the plague. To make sure Peter really is sick, Weatherwax sends for the hotel doctor but Micky manages to frighten him off by threatening to sic the ethics practice committee on him.

Weatherwax then plans to starve them out as the drunken rabbit breeder’s conventioneer keeps returning at the desk from the bar with more rabbits each time. Michael reacts to his plan by sending Bronislaw Kolinovsky, a waiter, to room 305 which is occupied by a newlywed couple on their honeymoon. Michael calls him to their suite and manages to get him on their side by promising him a part in their show. Finally, an impatient Weatherwax and Buntz summon the house detective to throw The Monkees out, resulting in a chase all over the hotel, fire escape, outside the hotel and through New York City to the tune of “The Girl I Knew Somewhere.” After eluding them, The Monkees sneak back into their room via the fire escape to eat lunch provided by the waiter. Weatherwax comes to kick the boys out again but he accidentally barges in on the honeymoon couple shouting, “All right, you’ve had your hour; your time is up!” He realizes the mistake, backs off and apologizes. Weatherwax notes that 304 should be across the hall; deducing The Monkees changed the room numbers, he bursts in on them declaring the room is “under siege.” The bride and groom unexpectedly come in ask for help with the cork, the Bride making the suggestive complaint that, “He can’t do anything!” Micky walks into the shot in his Stetson and holster say it’s “High Noon!”—the same time Baker should get back from his backer, which he does. However, Baker has bad news: his backer backed down. Weatherwax threatens to call the police if they’re not gone in 20 minutes, and The Monkees and everyone start shouting. The groom gets the cork out and it breaks the window, finally opening the bottle, and the bride is thrilled and hugs her hubby.

Finally conceding defeat, The Monkees help Baker pack. Actually at first, they unpack him as he hands them things, while Michael tries to convince him that “there’s got to be more than one person in New York who’s willing to produce a show that’s written by an unknown, and directed by an unknown, and starring The Monkees”; then they realize the hopelessness of the situation and start to pack again. On leaving The Compton Plaza, Peter notices a Millionaire’s club across the way. The Monkees see this as a chance to find a new backer and save McKinley’s play, and so they go there in disguise as millionaires: David as David Armstrong Jones, who claims his family dates back 400 years to the earliest rich people; Micky as Sheik Veroob Dolenza (who offers a new wing to the building as charity!); Michael as H.L. Nesmith, owner of a Texas ranch called Houston; and Peter as Peter DeWitt, a rich man’s son (who’s in garbage disposal!). They succeed in conning their way into the club to have a look around. Having gotten comfortable with the members, The Monkees try to sell the show to potential investors. Michael does a wipe with his arms and they enter into another romp, to the tune of “Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)” in a sequence of better Monkeeshines gone by; one of the millionaires dances along with a girl in a bunny costume, and David and Peter look in on the action wearing bunny ears. By the end of the song, the guys discover all the members fast asleep courtesy of the butler with a glass of brandy. Having backed up a few shows in the past, the impressed butler decides to back up the show himself to their amazement.

Back at the hotel, Baker decides to decline the butler’s backing because the butler insists on replacing the four boys with four girls. However, The Monkees insist Baker grant the butler’s wish so he can get his own producing career going, as it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity he must take, and there'll be other shows The Monkees can star in. Just as they are about to depart The Compton Plaza, Weatherwax informs them of their staggering hotel bill of $180 for their room, food and incidentals! Since they can’t afford to pay for the bill, they wind up as employees with Michael as desk clerk and Micky, Peter and David as bellhops bearing cages full of the conventioneer’s rabbits, offspring of the original pair.

Tag Sequence:

The Monkees’ express their feelings of success on them; David and Peter hamming it up with makeup artist Keeva Johnson; Michael explains the importance of owning his own house; The Monkees singing “Words”.

Production Notes:

The set of Room 304 in The Compton Plaza Hotel was previously filmed as a room adjoining The Royal Suite at The Ritz Swank Hotel in Episode No. 1, “The Royal Flush”.

“The Monkees In Manhattan” (a.k.a “The Monkees Manhattan Style”) and “The Royal Flush” are the only 2 episodes of the series in which The Monkees wore their grey business suits throughout nearly an entire episode.

This is one of 2 directorial efforts for The Monkees by Russell Mayberry; his other was the next episode; "The Monkees At The Movies." Both were filmed early, in August and October of 1966, but were withheld from airing on NBC because they were too short! They only aired late in the season after being padded with extra musical numbers and interview segments.

The version of “Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)” used in “The Monkees In Manhattan” (a.k.a “The Monkees Manhattan Style”) features an intricate organ solo part that was deleted from the final version which was used on the More Of The Monkees LP. For “The Monkees In Manhattan” (a.k.a “The Monkees Manhattan Style”)'s retelecasts on CBS Saturday afternoon, this extended cut of “Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)” was redubbed with the Steven Soles/Ned Albright tune “Acapulco Sun”, a track from the 1970 LP Changes.

Collector's Note: This longer version would remain unreleased until 2001, when it was finally released as part of Rhino's Monkees Music Box compilation (R2 76706); another mix can be found as a Bonus Selection on Disc 2 of Rhino's August 15, 2006 2-CD Deluxe Edition reissue of More Of The Monkees (R2 77744). A similar version featuring officiating vocals by Peter Tork was included as a bonus selection on Rhino's November 15, 1994 CD rerelease of More Of The Monkees (R2 71791). And a stereo remix and the original Mono TV Mix were bonus cuts on Disc One of Rhino Handmade's limited-edition, December 22, 2017 3-CD, 100-track set, More Of The Monkees (Super Deluxe Edition) (R2-560125).

Some footage from “Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)”'s accompanying romp seen in “The Monkees In Manhattan” was later used in the "Remember Next Year" NBC-TV 1967-68 Fall Preview with Jan Murray and Danny Thomas.

Look carefully at the musical number for “Words”---appearing here in an early version of the song that was later remade for the B-side of the Colgems 66-1007 single and The Monkees' fourth album, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones, Ltd.---and you will notice a slight difference in The Monkees’ musical roles: they have all been swapped! Here, David is playing the drums, Micky is playing the tambourine, Peter the guitar, and Michael the bass.

Collector's Note: The original “Words” was finally released 22 years later on Rhino's Missing Links Volume 2 (R2 70903), in a mix which, unlike the TV version, adds an intricate "backwards tape" section! Another mix was included as a Bonus Selection on Disc 2 of the 2006 2-CD Deluxe Edition reissue of More Of The Monkees. And the original Mono TV Mix was included as a bonus track on Disc Two of Rhino Handmade's limited-edition, December 22, 2017 3-CD, 100-track set, More Of The Monkees (Super Deluxe Edition) (R2-560125). 

"The Monkees In Manhattan" incorporates footage (used and unused) from Episode No. 2, "Monkee See, Monkee Die", No. 3, "Monkee Versus Machine", No. 4, "Your Friendly Neighborhood Kidnappers", No. 7, "The Monkees In A Ghost Town", No. 9, "The Chaperone", No. 10, "Here Come The Monkees (orig. pilot film)", No. 12, "I've Got A Little Song Here", No. 14, "Dance, Monkee, Dance", No. 16, "The Son Of A Gypsy", No. 17, "The Case Of The Missing Monkee", No. 22, "The Monkees At The Circus", No. 23, "Captain Crocodile", and No. 27, "Monkee Mother".

Snippets from this segment featuring Peter wearing lopsided bunny ears and grinning and Michael, after the “Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)” romp, saying "Uh, hello?" can be seen in the Season-2 opening for The Monkees.

“The Monkees In Manhattan”'s original Screen Gems Storyline reveals a frantic, yet futile attempt to get Mr. Compton, the hotel owner, to back the show.

Trivia Notes:

As The Monkees book into The Compton Plaza Hotel, David Jones can be heard singing "New York, New York" ("New York, New York, what a wonderful town!/The Bronx is up and The Battery's down!"). The song was composed by Adolph Green, Leonard Bernstein and Betty Comden and performed by Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Jules Munshin in the film On The Town (MGM, 1949).

While chatting with a member at the Millionaire's Club, David makes reference to the Mark Goodson-Bill Todman game, What's My Line? (CBS, 1950-67). Seven episodes ago, in No. 23, “Captain Crocodile”, The Monkees did an affectionate spoof of What's My Line?, called What's My Scene?.

When noon chimes, Micky, with cowboy hat and gun holster, draws and intones "High noon!," imitating Gary Cooper as Marshall Will Kane from the 1952 United Artists Western of the same name. Interestingly, "high noon" is also the time in Episode No. 33, "It's A Nice Place To Visit..." (a.k.a. "The Monkees In Mexico"), the Season-2 debut, where El Diablo (Peter Whitney) challenges Micky to a duel of honor! 

In the Millionaire's Club, David "Armstrong" Jones appears in the same tuxedo he wore in Episode No. 4, "Your Friendly Neighborhood Kidnappers", No. 14, "Dance, Monkee, Dance", and No. 23, “Captain Crocodile”, whereas Michael "H.L." Nesmith is seen in his guise as Billy Roy Hodstetter from Episode No. 15, “Too Many Girls” (a.k.a. "Davy And Fern").

Buntz's line "Good thinking, Chief." is an allusion to Get Smart (NBC/CBS, 1965-70); 99 tended to say "Good thinking, Max!" at various times, even though usually it was 99 who had come up with a good idea.

A circus midget and a juggler appear briefly during the “Girl I Knew Somewhere” romp; both are obvious throwbacks to Episode No. 22, “The Monkees At The Circus”.

Micky's disguise as Sheik Veroob Dolenza foreshadows events in Episode No. 35, "Everywhere A Sheik Sheik", and his encounter with The Black Sheik (William Baghdad) in the movie HEAD. (Coincidentally, "Everywhere A Sheik Sheik" also featured William Baghdad [as Curad]!)

Aside from numerous quickchange costume changes, The Monkees remain predominantly clad in their "mod" grey business suits throughout the whole episode, marking the second such occasion on the show the boys remain in one set of clothing for the entire duration of the show (besides Episode No. 18, “I Was A Teenage Monster”).

Michael uses his hands to simulate scintillating running signs on theater marquis. He also did so in “I Was A Teenage Monster”.

In its initial telecast on NBC, “The Monkees In Manhattan” (a.k.a “The Monkees Manhattan Style”) ran against The 39th Annual Academy Awards Show on ABC, hosted by Bob Hope. (Ironically, the 1966 Columbia picture A Man For All Seasons took top honors as Best Picture that evening.) While The Monkees evidently won their timeslot, their second time competing against The Oscars --- the NBC-TV special 33⅓ Revolutions Per Monkee opposite The 41st Annual Academy Awards, also on ABC, on April 14, 1969 --- met with less-than-stellar results. (Even more ironic was the film that won Best Picture that night: the 1968 Columbia Pictures musical Oliver!!)

During the “Girl I Knew Somewhere” chase sequence, there is a portion which sees Michael as a cop, Peter as a peanut vendor, Micky a streetcleaner, and David a newspaper boy. The magazines on the newspaper stand seen behind "Officer" Nesmith were the August 13 1960 issue of The New Yorker, the October 14, 1961 issue of The Saturday Review (1926-86), the March 1965 issue of U.S. News & World Report, and the July 21, 1961 issue of TIME

Guest Cast Notes:

The late Phillip Ober (Weatherwax) had a previous stint playing Gen. Wingard Stone in the first season of I Dream Of Jeannie (NBC, 1965-70). A second actor to play a general on Jeannie, the late Barton MacLaine (Gen. Martin Peterson), portrayed Black Bart/Ben Cartwheel in Episode No. 45, "The Monkees In Texas". Ober was seen with pre-Monkee guests Joe Perry (“The Monkees In The Ring”) and Bobby Sherman (“The Monkees At The Movies”) in an October 29, 1965 episode of Honey West (ABC, 1965-66), "The Princess And The Paupers."

The late Olan Soule (the waiter) would later spend a great deal of his time providing the voice of the animated Batman, beginning with Filmation's The Batman/Superman Hour (CBS, 1968-69) and its sequels, and continuing through the many incarnations of Hanna-Barbera's Super Friends (ABC, 1973-75). Soule also played Mr. Pfeiffer in My Three Sons (ABC/CBS, 1960-72), Carmichael in Battlestar Galactica (ABC, 1978-79), Ray Murray in Dragnet 1967-1970 (NBC, 1967-70) and Ray Pinker in the original 1951-59 NBC version and the 1954 Universal big-screen version of Dragnet. With Monkee guest Allan Emerson ("The Monkees Marooned"), he previously appeared in the November 6, 1966 segment of The FBI (ABC, 1965-74), "Ordeal," and, with Stuart Nisbet ("The Monkees In Texas"), in an April 6, 1967 installment of Dragnet 1967-1970, "The Big Accident" (a.k.a. "The Big Hit-and-Run Driver").

Geoffrey Deuel (Groom) is the brother of the late Pete Duel, best remembered as the first Joshua Smith in the TV Western Alias Smith And Jones (ABC, 1970-73). Deuel also turned up on The FBI, appearing with Arch Johnson (“The Chaperone”) in the December 29, 1968 episode, "The Widow." 

The late Foster Brooks (a.k.a. "The Loveable Lush") created his famous drunk act (in which he plays a drunk trying to hide his drinking) in the 1960's. In reality, he was a spokesman for MADD (Mother's Against Drunk Driving) and did public service announcements on their behalf. A former newscaster and disc jockey, Brooks' national debut was on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (NBC, 1962-92), after entertainer Perry Como spotted Brooks doing his drunk act at a celebrity golf tournament; afterwards the singer invited Brooks to be his opening act at the opening of the new Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas. His television work included the role of Miles Sternhagen in Mork & Mindy (ABC, 1978-82), as well as being a regular Roaster on The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts.

Susan Howard (Bride) is best remembered for her role as Donna Krebbs in the TV series Dallas (CBS, 1978-91). Trekkies recognise her as Mara from the November 1, 1968 episode of Star Trek (NBC, 1966-69), "Day Of The Dove".

The late Winstead Sheffield "Doodles" Weaver (the butler who saves the play), well remembered at Stanford for his many pranks and practical jokes as well as a varied acting career (including his spoonerizing character for Spike Jones' Radio Show ["Professor Feitlebaum"]), was brother of NBC-TV executive Sylvester "Pat" Weaver and uncle of actress Sigourney Weaver. Doodles Weaver and fellow “Monkees In Manhattan” guest Foster Brooks happen to share a birthday, May 11; not only that, but both were actually born a full year apart: Weaver in 1911, Brooks, 1912.

The late Richard Ashton "Dick" Anders (Baker) made a plethora of guest shots on other Screen Gems series like Love on a Rooftop (ABC, 1966–67), The Iron Horse (ABC, 1966–68), Days of our Lives (NBC, 1965–2022) and The Flying Nun (ABC, 1967–70). He portrayed the character Bull in the biker films Hells Angels on Wheels (U.S. Films, 1967) and The Savage Seven (American International, 1968) and Bruno in Devil's Angels (American International, 1967). Later he guested on the TV dramas Judd For The Defense (ABC, 1967–69), Mission: Impossible (CBS, 1966–73), The High Chaparral (NBC, 1967–71) and Police Woman (NBC, 1974–78), as well as appearing in the January 10, 1993 NBC-TV movie Elvis and the Colonel: The Untold Story.

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