Releases On Home Video:

• The Monkees TV Show 4 (VAP Video VHS Tape VPVU-63088 [Japan], October 5, 1992)
• The Monkees - Special TV Collection - Disc 4 - Side 2 (VAP Video VPLU-70215 [Japan], December 1, 1992)
• The Monkees: The Collector's Edition - VHS Tape #5 (Columbia House #13227, May 22, 1995)
• The Monkees Deluxe Limited Edition Boxed Set - VHS Tape #5 (Rhino R3 2960, October 17, 1995)
• The Monkees - Volume 6 (Rhino VHS R3 2240, June 18, 1996)
• The Monkees - Season 1 DVD Boxed Set - Disc 4 (Rhino RetroVision DVD R2 976076, May 13, 2003)
• The Monkees - Season 1 DVD Boxed Set - Disc 4 (Eagle Rock Entertainment DVD EM351359, September 27, 2011)
• The Monkees - The Complete Series - Blu-Ray Disc 3 (Rhino BD2-552705, July 8, 2016)

Synopsis:

During a nice, quiet drive in The Monkeemobile, The Monkees encounter Arcady Circus, saddling up and making ready to thrill yet another crowd with another show. They sneak into the tent and begin toying around with juggling clubs and other asundry circus props. Propping himself against a knife target board, David remarks on how he loves the circus and the camaraderie that surrounds the people who work in the circus, until until Victor, a sullen, maniacal knifethrower, arrives and sadistically uses David as a target, continuously throwing knives at the target just missing David and scaring the other Monkees. Victor rebukes them for trespassing and warns them to leave or he will call the police, to which Micky responds, "You do and I'll be sorry!" A traumatized David then chides Michael for not intervening when Victor assailed him with the knives; Michael says he didn't want to antagonize Vic...who, off-camera, tosses yet another near-missing knife at David!

The boys soon learn the truth when Victor, complaining to the other performers of the poor conditions and pay, attempts to rally the others into leaving since people have all but lost interest in the circus and that the circus is dead. One performer in the crowd blames the rock-and-roll discotheques for being the major contribution to the circus’ downfall, rousing Micky's ire. David then spots and instantly falls in love with Susan Arcady, young daughter of ringmaster/owner Pop Arcady, who explains that the circus is folding because people have stopped coming to see it and that she and her father can’t afford to pay the performers or feed their animals. She then echoes what some of the others have pointed out, that nobody comes to see the circus anymore because they would much rather go to see the "rock & rollers". David interrupts Victor's rally and gets him to admit that he is a 20-year veteran of the circus and a third-generation performer; he then give a moving speech to encourage the performers not to give up because the circus is a tradition, and manages to convince them to stay, because "the kids'll come back; you just have to be here when they do". David's words stymie Victor's rally—for the moment, and he and the others disperse.

Susan thanks David for his words, and is again hopeful that the crowds will come the next day. She explains that Victor, who’s their star performer, is bitter because people choose seeing rock n’ roll bands over him and when she asks what they do, the boys don’t dare disclose their identity to her, presenting themselves as brain surgeons (except for Michael, who claims to be a cotton picker in the summer)! Susan is called away, and The Monkees begin a dream sequence, in which Peter, Micky, Michael and David don the guise of, respectively, a ringleader, a lion tamer and his lion, and an acrobat as they take part in a wacky circus scene: Micky as Clyde Greedy, "the world’s greatest lion tamer," known to his lions as "Lefty," and Michael as his lion and soon they argue as Michael ends up getting his tamer Micky to jump through the hoop; David is The Great Zambini who without using a net holds on to a trapeze with his teeth suspended only a mere few inches off the ground!

Not long after, they overhear Victor giving an ultimatum to Pop: a petition signed by Victor and the other performers threatening to quit unless they receive their back pay immediately. In a desperate attempt to stop the exodus, The Monkees break in clad as aerialists, posing as Amazing, Incredible, Colossal, and Stupendous, The Mutzarella Brothers, the toast of Paris. They announce they are joining the troupe to help out, talking up their talents to the point where Victor is impressed, and he goes to convince the others to stay. But to Susan's dismay, Pop is also unwittingly impressed and goes to phone the newspapers to advertise their show. Susan is upset, aware of The Monkees’ deception, and worries what will happen when the crowds come to see an aerialist act which doesn’t really exist!

The next day, while the guys are hanging out with troupe with Michael watching the swordsman swallow a sword, Micky juggling with the juggler, Peter watching the strong man trying to lift a 1,000 lb. dumbbell with difficulty which Peter can lift easily as David watches with the midget, each informs them that The Mozzarella Brothers are coming to save their circus and the guys become oblivious to their own obvious duplicity. Then the boys go on to attempt to practice their so-called highwire routine, but, inexperienced as aerialists, they botch every part of it, as Susan bears painfully witness. Susan is frightened that with the sell-out crowd expected they'll be a disaster and truly finish the circus off, and wonders how they'll amuse the crowd; Micky suggests leaving town as The Monkees' first act! With the expectation that only she will hear, David finally reveals to her that they're actually rock musicians, but an enraged Victor overhears his confession and exposes them to the troupe as frauds and they all decide to quit after all, leaving Susan in tears, and with nothing else to do, The Monkees themselves are about to give up and leave until David suggests that they could cheer her up. They then go into a musical romp set to “Sometime In The Morning” with a pantomimical clown act that is witnessed by Susan and the other performers; Susan's mood brightens up, and so impressed are the performers (sans Victor), they reconsider leaving, deciding instead to do a show.

On the night of the performance, the circus tent is filled to capacity, but a still-brooding Victor refuses to go on with his knife throwing act, so David manages to coax him out by introducing himself as The Invincible Victor (with Susan as his target). Horrified by David’s near-misses as a knife thrower, Victor changes his mind and takes over the ring. Pop Arcady thanks The Monkees for their help in bringing the crowds back to their circus and then tells them they need to get ready to do their own act, which surprises them since they’re not really aerialists; Pop then says just to do what they do best, putting them at ease. Then Pop announces The Monkees in which now dressed in suits they do a rendition of “She.” to an appreciative crowd, with the other performers, even Victor, dancing along to the music. Finally, while Susan makes out with David, the troupe, as a token of their appreciation for saving their circus, each give them one of their equipment: David a large golden key from the midget, Michael a sword from the sword swallower that becomes stuck in his throat, Peter the 1000 lbs. dumbbell from the strong man which he can now barely lift and Micky on a unicycle, juggles and a lion’s head from the juggler. The Monkees then depart in their Monkeemobile towards their next gig.

Production Notes:

Broadcast Notes:

Continuity Goof:

Trivia Notes:

This episode marks a return to the big top for Micky, once Corky on TV’s Circus Boy (NBC, 1956–58), the theme song for which he happily hums to Michael (“It’s great! It’s terrific!/It’s the best show on earth!”); and, by coincidence, aired on Peter Tork’s 25th birthday! (Interesting footnote: Irving "Lippy" Lippman, The Monkees' chief cameraman, previously worked with Micky Dolenz [nee Braddock] on the set of Circus Boy as cameraman as well!)

Micky makes a second use of the phrase "Little joke, about that big!"; the first occurred in Episode No. 14, “Dance, Monkee, Dance”.

“The Monkees At The Circus” employs the use of footage from The Monkees' musical number for “She”, which first appeared at the outset of Episode No. 11, “The Monkees A La Carte”, whereas snippets from the musical interlude in this episode featuring The Monkees performing “Sometime In The Morning,” were reused for Episode No. 27, "Monkee Mother."

In his guise as a cotton picker, Michael Nesmith does a parody of America's longest-running agricultural news program, The U.S. Farm Report ("Pigs is down to 3, hawgs is down to 5, and cows is fine like they are!"). 10 episodes later, in No. 32, “The Monkees On Tour”, the show's first season finale, in the scene where The Monkees take over the KRUX radio station in Phoenix, AZ, Papa Nez lampoons The Report once again.

Michael and David are seen here wearing the same shirts they did in Episode No. 27, “Monkee Mother”. (David wears his black turtleneck shirt in these episodes and also in Episode No. 24, “The Monkees A La Mode”, No. 32, “The Monkees On Tour”, No. 37, "Art For Monkee's Sake", and No. 58, "Mijacogeo" [a.k.a. "The Frodis Caper"].).

Susan's job at her father's circus, it is revealed, is a Living Target for The Invincible Victor's knifethrowing act. We also learn that Victor is a third-generation circus performer.  

“The Monkees At The Circus” and Episode No. 26, “Monkee Chow Mein”, are the last 2 episodes of The Monkees in which Michael Nesmith is seen wearing his dark green wool hat.

In his guise as The Great Zambini, David Jones can be seen wearing Monkeeman cape and trunks. In their disguises as The Mutzarella Brothers, The Monkees wear their red Monkeeman leotards (with the "M" on the front cleverly hidden by sleveless gold mesh shirts) and boots. These exact same costumes can be seen worn by The Four Martians in Episode No. 19, “Find The Monkees” (a.k.a. "The Audition").

Peter, as "Fantastic Mutzarella," calls to The Monkees' aerialist act The Budapest String Quartet. In the NBC-TV "Remember Next Year" 1967-68 Fall Preview (which promoted The Monkees TV show's second season) hosted by game show host Jan Murray and the late Danny Thomas, Thomas reports The Monkees are not The BSQ. Also in the preview, a reference is made to Darwin's theory, which foreshadows a role portrayed by Brian Auger in The Monkees' 1969 NBC-TV special 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee.

The Monkees, in their guises as The Mutzarellas, dub themselves "the toast of Paris" -- little suspecting that a later episode, No. 54, "The Monkees In Paris" (a.k.a. "The Paris Show"), would propel them into The French Capital for a 30-minute romp.

As The Monkees enter the circus tent, Peter uses a megaphone to mimic firing a machine gun. This gimmick would later be adapted by Micky, who would be seen doing so in Episode No. 25, “Alias Micky Dolenz”, No. 35, "Everywhere A Sheik Sheik", No. 48, "Fairy Tale", and No. 49, "The Monkees Watch Their Feet" (a.k.a. "Micky And The Outer Space Creatures").

Guest Cast Notes:

Richard Devon (Victor) had a recurring role on Lassie (CBS/Syndicated, 1954-74) as Merle Dixon, played Sergeant Alden on Richard Diamond, Private Detective (CBS/NBC, 1957-60), and partook in numerous films, including Blood Of Dracula (American International, 1957, as Detective Sergeant Stewart), Kid Galahad (United Artists, 1962, as Marvin, Danzig Hood), and The Seventh Sign (Tri-Star, 1988, as 2nd Cardinal). Devon appeared with Monkee guest actor Tony Giorgio ("Mijacogeo" [a.k.a. "The Frodis Caper"]) in the 1973 Dirty Harry film Magnum Force (Devon as labor racketeer Carmine Ricca and Giorgio as mob boss Frank Palancio); with Monkee guest alumni Ben Wright (“The Success Story”) and Joe Mell (“I've Got A Little Song Here”), he previously turned up in a January 19, 1962 episode of The Twilight Zone (CBS, 1959-64), "Dead Man's Shoes."

Donna Baccala (Susan) later played Marguerita on The Survivors (ABC, 1969-70), Miss Anderson in The Last Movie (Universal, 1971), the third Dr. Gina Dante Lansing on the ABC Daytime drama General Hospital between 1978 and 1979 (preceded by Anna Stuart in 1977 and Brenda Scott in early 1978), and Mrs. Keller in Brainscan (Columbia/Tri-Star, 1994), her most recent work to date.

Felix Silla (the midget) portrayed Cousin Itt on The Addams Family (ABC, 1964-66). Silla is best remembered for his role in the TV series Buck Rogers In The 25th Century (NBC, 1979-81) as Twiki. Silla only played the body of Twiki; the voice was provided by Mel Blanc throughout the first season. Silla did provide the voice of Twiki for the firsthalf of the second season, but was (thankfully!) replaced by Blanc for the remainder of that season. Other Monkees guest alum to appear on Buck Rogers were Diana Chesney (cockney cleaning lady Ms. Weefers in “The Chaperone”) in the February 19, 1981 episode "The Golden Man," and Eldon Quick (Rob Roy Fingerhead in “The Monkees A La Mode”) and Walker Edmiston (Typesetter's Union publisher in "Monkee Mayor") in the series' finale, "The Dorian Secret." Silla was seen with Monkee guest alum Billy Curtis (“The Spy Who Came In From The Cool” ) in an October 26, 1967 episode of Bewitched (ABC, 1964-72), "The Safe And Sane Halloween." Felix Anthony Silla passed away on April 16, 2021, having waged a losing battle with pancreatic cancer, at age 84.

The late Raymond Forrest Lewis (Pop Arcady) was generally known for supporting roles in the Universal pictures Has Anybody Seen My Gal (1952), All That Heaven Allows (1955) (with Jacqueline deWit ["The Monkees In Texas"]),  and Man's Favorite Sport? (1964).

Carl Carlsson Wollbruck (Sword Swallower) appeared in several films and television shows including Hogan's Heroes (CBS, 1965–71), The Girl From U.N.C.L.E. (NBC, 1966–67), Combat! (ABC, 1962–67), Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace (New Line Cinema, 1995) and the December 5, 1982 TV movie The Juggler of Notre Dame. Fellow "Monkees At The Circus" guest Ruth Carlsson (Juggler), a Vienna-born juggler and film actress in Hollywood, was Carl's wife; they were real-life circus performers.

Felix Silla and Carl and Ruth Carlsson, all members of “The Monkees At The Circus”'s guest cast, previously appeared together in a December 6, 1966 episode of The Girl From U.N.C.L.E. (NBC, 1966-67): "The Romany Lie Affair."

Gene Rutherford (Strong Man) had a recurring role in three episodes of The High Chaparral (NBC, 1967-71) as Bart Kellog.

Extra Color/B&W Episode Photo Stills: