The "A Love Affair & The Monkees'" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Monday, September 6, 1966 and my girlfriend Carol Baker and I were sitting in front of the small TV in my parent's living room watching a new TV program named "The Monkees".  We had our first date in the summer of '66 when our parents made the arrangements for me to stop at her place on my motorcycle and take her for a ride.  My dad and her mom worked together at Meiskey's Jewelry Store in downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania and they thought we would enjoy a date with each other.  Well, I picked her up on my cycle and a few minutes later it began to rain so I brought her back home.  Stayed for a while and left knowing I would one day marry her.   Now, that's a true story, but not the one I will write about today.  Today's story still goes back to 1966, but it has to do with the wacky group known as "The Monkees".  In the early 1960s filmmakers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider had formed Raybert Productions and were trying to figure out how they could come up with a film like the Beatles' film "A Hard Day's Night." They decided they would develop a TV show about a fictional rock and roll group.  In 1965 Screen Gems bought the idea from them and two other guys, Paul Mazursky and Larry Tucker, completed a pilot script by August entitled "The Monkeys".  About 400 hopefuls turned up for auditions to play one of the "4 insane boys" in the show.  Fourteen were called back and Raybert chose the final four after audience research.

The Monkees' as seen in 1966

 If you were living back in the 1960s you probably know by now that those four included Micky Dolenz who was the 10-year-old star of the Circus Boy series in the 1950s.  Another, Davy Jones, was an English actor and former jockey who had achieved some success on the musical stage appearing with the cast of Oliver! on The Ed Sullivan Show the night of the Beatles' live American debut.  Another member was Michael Nesmith whose mother had invented correction fluid and founded the company that became Liquid Paper.  Michael had served in the U.S. Air Force as Michael Blessing.  He showed up at the audition wearing a woolen hat to keep his hair out of his eyes when he rode his motorcycle.  That lead to his being nicknamed "Wool Hat."  And, if you remember, his hat became part of his wardrobe on the show.  Finally, Peter Tork who was recommended by Stephen Stills.  Peter was a skilled multi-instrumentalist who had performed at various Greenwich Village folk clubs.  Carol and I watched the show that first night and made it a weekly date at my parent's house, where I stilled lived, to see the show.  The show only lasted two years, but during that time the show won an Emmy for outstanding comedy series and the group placed seven songs in Billboard's Top 10.  Three of those songs, "I'm a Believer," "Daydream Believer" and "Last Train to Clarksville" reached No. 1.  So what ever happened to the group after the show was discontinued?  Davy Jones died at the age of 66 with a marijuana-like chemical in his system at time of death.  Michael Nesmith is living a quiet life in Carmel, California where he still works on his own music as well as with other musicians.  He is 76 years old.  Micky Dolenz will turn 73 in March.  After the show ended he worked in a few movies as well as doing directing work for films.  As for Peter Took, he was known as the goofy, lovable bass guitarist who was the group's best musician.  He played bass guitar, keyboards, banjo and lead guitar.  I saw his obituary in the newspaper a few days ago.  Peter died at the age of 77.  I read about these guys and how old they are or were when they passed.  How can they be that old?  Seems like only yesterday that we were watching them on TV.  Wow!  And then I realize I am the same age as these guys are.  As far as my love affair with Carol,  well, we have been married for 51 years now and still enjoy the songs of The Monkees'.  Rock 'n Roll is here to stay we were always told.  So be it!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.