6 Things You Might Not Know About 'The Monkees'

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    1. Davy Jones didn’t know who The Beatles were the night of their shared Ed Sullivan Show performance. The 19-year-old Brit was completely oblivious to who John, Paul, George and Ringo were, and had never heard any of The Beatles' songs. He only took an interest in what they were doing because he wanted to figure out how to make girls scream too.
    2/8 1. Davy Jones didn’t know who The Beatles were the night of their shared Ed Sullivan Show performance. The 19-year-old Brit was completely oblivious to who John, Paul, George and Ringo were, and had never heard any of The Beatles' songs. He only took an interest in what they were doing because he wanted to figure out how to make girls scream too.
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    2. The original Monkees casting call ad was riddled with hippie-ish references. The creators of The Monkees TV show took out an ad in the September 8, 1965 edition of Variety looking for “spirited Ben Frank’s-types”. Ben Frank’s was a popular Sunset Strip restaurant “where long-haired beatnik weirdos mused over burgers and fries.” The ad also included the line, “Must come down for interview,” which was “a sly reference to being high.”
    3/8 2. The original Monkees casting call ad was riddled with hippie-ish references. The creators of The Monkees TV show took out an ad in the September 8, 1965 edition of Variety looking for “spirited Ben Frank’s-types”. Ben Frank’s was a popular Sunset Strip restaurant “where long-haired beatnik weirdos mused over burgers and fries.” The ad also included the line, “Must come down for interview,” which was “a sly reference to being high.”
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    3. Michael Nesmith attended the celebrity-filled recording session for the Sgt. Pepper song 'A Day In The Life.' The Texas guitarist was there among the cream of the British musical crop - John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Marianne Faithfull, Donovan - in February 1967.
    4/8 3. Michael Nesmith attended the celebrity-filled recording session for the Sgt. Pepper song 'A Day In The Life.' The Texas guitarist was there among the cream of the British musical crop - John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Marianne Faithfull, Donovan - in February 1967.
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    5. The “Monkeemania” of The Monkees In Paris episode was staged. In June 1967, The Monkees headed off to Paris for a season two episode that would ostensibly show them being mobbed by French fans. Whether it was because the series hadn’t started airing in France or French audiences just hadn’t caught onto the craze yet, director Bob Rafelson had to get creative with the squealing girls.
    5/8 5. The “Monkeemania” of The Monkees In Paris episode was staged. In June 1967, The Monkees headed off to Paris for a season two episode that would ostensibly show them being mobbed by French fans. Whether it was because the series hadn’t started airing in France or French audiences just hadn’t caught onto the craze yet, director Bob Rafelson had to get creative with the squealing girls.
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    6. Two Monkees stepped behind the camera during the show’s run. Toward the end of the second and final season, Peter Tork and Micky Dolenz were given the opportunity to direct some episodes. Tork, using his full name in the credits (Peter H. Thorkelson), directed “The Monkees Mind Their Manor.” Dolenz then helmed “Mijacgeo” (a.k.a. “The Frodis Caper”), which also ended up being the series’s finale.
    6/8 6. Two Monkees stepped behind the camera during the show’s run. Toward the end of the second and final season, Peter Tork and Micky Dolenz were given the opportunity to direct some episodes. Tork, using his full name in the credits (Peter H. Thorkelson), directed “The Monkees Mind Their Manor.” Dolenz then helmed “Mijacgeo” (a.k.a. “The Frodis Caper”), which also ended up being the series’s finale.
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    9. The Monkees outsold The Beatles and The Rolling Stones in 1967. In 1967, the year of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Between the Buttons, and Their Satanic Majesties Request, The Monkees outsold both The Beatles and The Rolling Stones -combined. Probably because neither British band had a hit TV show on its hands.
    7/8 9. The Monkees outsold The Beatles and The Rolling Stones in 1967. In 1967, the year of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Between the Buttons, and Their Satanic Majesties Request, The Monkees outsold both The Beatles and The Rolling Stones -combined. Probably because neither British band had a hit TV show on its hands.
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It has been 50 years since the zany sitcom premiered on our screens, but The Monkees still remain one of our favourite bubblegum pop quartets!

Starring Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork and Michael Nesmith, The Monkees was a TV show about a struggling rock group that featured early incarnations of music videos and plenty of (family-friendly) psychedelic vibes.

Here are some fun facts about The Monkees you might not know...