Find The Monkees

(a.k.a. The Audition)

Written by Dave Evans

Directed by Richard Nunis

Produced by Robert Rafelson&Bert Schneider

Songs: "Mary,Mary&Papa's Blue Genes" by Michael Nesmith

"Sweet Young Thing" by Michael Nesmith, Gerry Goffin&Carole King

Guest Appearences

Hubbell Benson                  Carl Ballantine

Bobo Lewis                          Miss Chumsky

Masseur                                   Joe Higgins

Inspector                                     Art Lewis

Premiered on January 23, 1967

Summary

Micky is awakened from sleep on his hammock in the Monkees' pad by four alien-looking men giving him scare thinking they are Martians.  They are actually the Four Martians, a local rock n’ roll group who come by ask for a guitar string since they received an invitation to audition from Hubbell Benson, a TV producer who’s auditioning rock n’roll bands to sing on his new TV show.  After they leave, the guys go through the mail hoping to find an invitation as well.  Then the Foreign Agents, another local group arrive to tell the guys about receiving an invitation as well leaving the guys more upset at not have receiving one.  Last, another rock group the Jolly Green Giants arrive with a “Yo ho ho”  to tell the guys they received in the mail an autograph picture of Annette Funicello and an invitation from Mr. Benson which depresses the guys even more.

Later that day, the guys taking their disappointment of not getting an invitation lying down(literally that is) decide to send Hubbell Benson a recording of them singing from a tape recorder they had rented.  However, Micky informs them that he left the tape in the recorder when they returned it.  Meanwhile at KNBC-TV studios, producer Hubbell Benson is getting a massage on a bed while talking on the phone attached to it and seconds later after pressing a button, the bed is rolling with him still on it into his office where he contacts his secretary, Irene Chomsky on phone asking for his dictaphone but she tells him it’s broken.  Soon he rolls into the lobby where Miss Chomsky tells him that she rented him a tape recorder while his dictaphone is being prepared.  When she plays the tape, they hear a recording of the Monkees singing the song “Mary, Mary” and Mr. Benson impressed wants to hire them for his new show but doesn’t know who they are.  Meanwhile, the guys arrive at the studios to see Mr. Benson but Peter suddenly gets the hiccups(he always gets the hiccups when going to see a TV producer).  Davy tries to cure him by telling him to imagine himself on the high seas heading for Madagascar but Peter’s face turns green from being seasick.  Then Micky tells him to imagine himself in the spring in a field of hay but then Peter’s face turns red from hay fever. 

Back at the office after no success from Miss Chomsky on finding out about the band on the recording, Mr. Benson insists on finding them himself as he rises out of the bed and leaves the office in his red polka-dotted underwear!  While Peter is now hopping up and down on one foot while counting to cure his hiccups and Mr. Benson passes them as he leaves the building.  Soon Miss Chomsky chases after him with his pants and when the guys hear her call him by his name, they realize he’s who they’re looking for and Peter’s hiccups suddenly stop just before they try to catch up to him too.  Mr. Benson with one coat sleeve torn out from fending of the Monkees thinking they were autograph hounds, arrives at the Bureau of Missing Person hoping the find the group but he’s greeted by a absent-minded guy who fumbles through the office for his missing pencil.  Meanwhile, the guys carrying Benson’s torn out coat sleeve think of another plan and arrive back at the studios.  They confront Miss Chomsky at the desk claimning they know Mr. Benson personally but Peter gets the hiccups again and they all leave the office.  Back outside, the guys try to cure Peter’s hiccups by scaring him with scary mask and even a dinosaur but it only makes him worse than before.  Then they spot a pretty lady walking down the street and they all start hiccupping.

Back at his office, There's still no success on finding the mystery band so Mr. Benson comes up with an idea to tell his story to news reporters for a publicity gimmick. The guys now carrying their instruments decide to audition for Mr. Benson by phone and head for a phone booth where they perform the song “Sweet Young Thing” only to have the wrong number.  Davy dials up Mr. Benson who is still talking to the reporters  when Miss Chomsky tells him of a Mr. Jones wanting to speak to him.  He wrongly assumes it’s a Byron Jones from the New York offices and puts the phone hook on the desk placing a cloth over it while he continues with the reporters.  Soon the Monkees are performing again while a group of impatient people are in line wanting to use the phone booth including Clarke Kent!  The guys are then interrupted by the operator who tells them they have to deposit $.10 for three more minutes and Davy gets a dime that’s taped to Peter’s shoe and puts it in but isn’t able to reach him so they give up.  After they leave, Clarke Kent gets stuck in the booth as he changes into Superman! 

The next morning at the Monkees pad, the guys are still in their pajamas as Mike and Micky play cards with Mr. Schneider, their pet dummy while Davy plays around with the guitar and Peter reads Li’l Abner and the editorial section of the newspaper.  Suddenly Davy finds a section in the newpaper about Mr. Benson’s search for the mystery band.  Unaware that they’re the band he’s looking for, they come up with the idea to pretend to be that band and all head out the door still in their pjs.  To the tune of “Papa’s Blue Genes” the Monkees romp around dressed as the salvation army band, country singers, marching band and a gypsy singers as they pursue Mr. Benson who tries to avoid them at every turn.  Later, a tired Mr. Benson decides to give up on the mystery band and audition all the groups he sent invitations to instead.  He sends in the Jolly Green Giants first and as Miss Chomsky turns on the tape, once again it plays the Monkees singing.  The Jolly Green Giants tell Mr. Benson who they are and where they live and then they all head off to find them.  Back at the pad, the Monkees are rehearsing when they hear music playing outside and soon Mr. Benson storms in their pad along with the Jolly Green Giants, the Foreign Agents, the Four Martians and Miss Chomsky and insists on them to play for him and they do on the spot to the song of “Sweet Young Thing”.  Afterwards, he tells them of his plans to use them for a theme song for his new show and asks Miss Chomsky how it goes and when she laaas to the tune he’s so impressed by her that he decides to use her instead and they leave the pad together to the disappointment of the guys.

Later while driving in the Monkeemobile, Peter expresses is depression over losing the job so much that he wanted run away from show biz and head for the South Seas until he realized it was only a $100 per week job.  However, when Mike tells him that TV stars make about $5,000 a week, Peter suddenly disappears.  The Monkees then head for the Bureau of Missing Persons to find him convinced he’s probably still heading for the South Seas and the absent-minded man at the desk starts fumbling through papers for his missing pencil once again as the guys start fumbling around the office too.

This episode ends with an interview of the Monkees discussing the youth demonstrators in L.A. regarding curfew issues and the sunset strip riots.  Click here ____ to read transcripts.

Trivia Notes

In an alternate print of this episode has the Monkees singing “I’m A Believer”

in the place of the interview segment.

A deleted scene by MTV of the Monkees standing outside of the sign of the

station KNBC-TV has been since added on the 1995 release of the Rhino’s

Monkees Deluxe Limited Edition Box Set

An alternate print of this episode shows the Monkees singing "I'm A Believer"

in the place of their interview segment at the end.

Actor/Magician Carl Ballentine(Hubbell Benson) portrayed Lester Gruber on

“McHale’s Navy”.  He was also married to the late actress Ceil Cabot who guest

appeared in two Monkees episodes "The Royal Flush" and "The Success Story".

Actor Art Lewis(Inspector) appeared in another Monkees episode "The Picture

Frame(a.k.a. The Bank Robbery)" during its second season.

The late Bobo Lewis(Miss Chumsky) was a NY stage character actress who per-

formed with “The Circle Repetory” for 25 years and played Midge Smoot on the PBS “Shining Time Station”.