Monkee Mother

Written by Peter Meyerson&Bob Schlitt

Directed by James Frawley

Produced by Robert Rafelson&Bert Schneider

Songs: "Sometime In The Morning" by Gerry Goffin&Carole King, "Lookout (Here Comes Tomorrow)" by Neil Diamond

Guest Appearances

Mr. Babbitt                               Henry Corden

Millie                                           Rose Marie

Larry                                   William Bramley

Clarisse                                  Alexandra Hay

Arthur                                             Al Dennis

Judy                                            Judy March

Premiered on March 20, 1967

Summary

The Monkees argue with their landlord Mr. Babbitt regarding their rent who claims they're far behind in.  Although they have a seven day extension on their lease, he tells them that that there's a new tenant arriving and they're out.  The guys  think he's just pulling their legs to scare until a middle-aged widow named Millie Rudnick arrives with suitcases, a stuffed parrot in a cage name Lewis and a stuff poodle, Merton.

To stop her from taking over their pad, the guys try to repeatedly confront Millie about their protest of her staying only end up being her boarders.  Then Larry the moving man shows up with Millie's furniture and before they know it, she sends the guys to work in helping him move her furniture leaving them exhausted on the floor.  Later after settling down in the pad, Millie manages to bond with each of the guys in a maternal way, with Mike when he is cleaning the kitchen.  Then with Micky when he's fixing the car and with Davy after the dinner as remembers about the people she knew in her old neighborhood.  Later that day, Peter asks Millie about liking music and when she tells them that what they listen to isn't music, they try to convince her differently by performing for her "Sometime In The Morning" as she imagines herself a young woman waltzing with each of the guys in the pad dressed in tuxedos. 

The next day as the guys play with dominoes which represent Southeast Asia, Millie storms in from supermarket with a tall beautiful blonde she wheels in on the shopping cart.  She introduces to her to Davy as Clarisse Rawlings who's also British and single as she tries to play matchmaker.  In a fantasy sequence, Davy repeatedly tries to discredit himself to her before finally declaring his love in which constantly replies "I don't care".  When Millie sister and brother-in-law Judy and Arthur show up at the doorstep with four bratty kids dressed in army combat wear playing soldiers, Micky tries to send them away.  Then the four kids break the down with their toy bazookas and start causing havoc in the pad as they chase the Monkees all over the place, while Arthur and Judy greet Millie.  Mike is soon already tied and gagged by one of the kids who then tries to force him to talk.  Soon Larry the moving man, a popcorn/peanut man trying to sell his goods and an irate Mr. Babbitt shocked at all the chaos all pop in the middle of the mayhem.  Afterwards, while everybody else goes out to the beach, all four of the guy are now tied and gagged.

Three days later, Mike and Davy notices the influences Millie has on Micky and Peter as Micky tries to feed Peter chocolate pudding like as if he's a baby.  They all soon realize this isn't a life for neither them nor Millie and have to find a way out of it for all five of them.  Then they come up with an idea of finding a husband for her and when Larry shows up again with a lamp she forgot, they select him.  Later that night, Mike and Davy try prepare Larry for a date with Millie while Micky and Peter prepare Millie each tries to convince the other of the other's affection for him/her.  Then Millie and Larry have a romantic candle light dinner on the balcony as Mike and Peter play romantic music for them.  Millie nearly ruins the date by ranting on about her late husband all night but in the end they hit it off witnessed by the Monkees who cheer in their success.   Later at the wedding reception, Millie toasts her new husband and her four matchmakers.  As Mike tells Mr. Babbitt about earning the rent money from performing at Millie and Larry's wedding, the landlord is surprisingly nice as he apologizes for any inconveniences and he even agrees to watch the kids while the Monkees perform again.  Soon the guys perform the song "Lookout (Here Comes Tomorrow)" to a dancing crowd while Mr. Babbitt ends up tied and gagged by the kids.

As Millie moves out, she expresses her pleasure of having lived under the same roof with them and they return the feelings.  They think their troubles are over until she announces that she's moved on the same block as them only two doors away and says she'll visit them often starting that night just as she calls for Larry who's moving all her furniture out with a not too pleasing look.

Trivia Notes

The Monkees were still on at the time of this episode's production.

An usused idea of this episode, had the Monkees stage a contest to find

a suitable mate.

This was actress Rose Marie’s (Millie) second appearance on the show. 

She had previously appeared in “Monkees In A Ghost Town”.

This was the last episode that actor Henry Corden appeared in as Mr.

Babbitt.  He would later portray Mr. Blauner in the episode, "The Wild

Monkees" during its second season.

Actor Al Dennis (Arthur) also appeared on another episode "The Monkees

in Manhattan" as Dr. Correll.