The Monkees In Manhattan (aka The Monkees Manhattan Style)

Written by Gerald Gardner&Dee Caruso

Directed by Russell Mayberry

Produced by Robert Rafelson&Bert Schneider

Songs: "The Girl I Knew Somewhere" by Michael Nesmith, "Lookout (Here Comes Tomorrow) by Neil Diamond, "Words" by Tommy Boyce&Bobby Hart

Guest Appearances

Baker                                  Dick Anders

Weatherwax                       Phillip Ober

Compton                           John Graham

Dr. Correl                         Alfred Dennis

Groom                           Geoffrey Deuel

Bride                              Susan Howard

Waiter                                 Olan Soule

Butler                          Doodles Weaver

Premiered on April 10, 1967

Summary

The Monkees arrive in New York on the Blimline(It's such a pleasure to ride the blim and leave the driving to them) to appear in a rock n' roll musical produced by an aspiring Broadway producer McKinley Baker.  They arrive at the Compton Plaza Hotel where he's staying at room 304 and allows them to lodge with him since they don't have any more fare.  But trouble soon follows when Weatherwax, the hotel manager gives Baker an hour to leave the building for not paying his rent.

Since Baker's backer won't have the rent money until noon which is three hours late, the Monkees plan to stall for time while Baker sneaks out the to get the money.  Meanwhile, Weatherwax informs Bunz, his desk clerk the real reason to get Baker out is because he’s planning to give the room to a big shot from a rabbit breeder’s convention.  Just then the drunken conventioneer arrives with two rabbits and decides to wait at the bar for his room.  When Weatherwax and Bunz arrive at room 304 to kick them all out, Micky disguised as a doctor pretends to treat Peter who has polka dots all over face from the plague.  To make sure Peter really is sick, Weatherwax sends for the hotel doctor but Micky manages to scare him off by bringing up the ethnics practice committee. 

Weatherwax then plans to starve them out as the drunken rabbit breeder’s conventioneer keeps returning at the desk from the bar with more rabbits each time.  Mike reacts to his plan by sending a waiter to room 305 which is occupied by a newlywed couple on their honeymoon.  Mike calls him to their suite and manages to get them on their side through flattery.  Finally, an impatient Weatherwax decides to throw them out and soon he and Buntz along with the house detective enter their room and to the song “The Girl I Knew Somewhere” chase them all over the hotel, fire escape, outside the hotel.  After loosing them, the guys wind are back the their room through the fire escape  where they mund down ona table of food from the waiter.  Weatherwax and Buntz decide to take them by surprise and goes to suite 304 only to find the newlywed couple inside instead.  Realizing that they switch the room numbers, he enters 305 to throw them out once and for all as Baker arrives just in time by noon along with the newlyweds next door.  However, Baker has sad news that his backer backed out and so Weatherwax gives them twenty minutes to vacate or he’ll call the police.

The guys prepare to leave when Peter notices out the window a millionaire’s club across street.   Soon the guys head over there disguising themselves as rich people with Davy as David Armstrong Jones from old money, Micky a sheik Veroob Dolenza, Mike as H.L. Nesmith owner of a Texas ranch called Houston and Peter as Peter Dewitt, a rich man’s son (who’s in garbage disposal).  As the try to mingle with the other members they mention the play and explain how it goes through the song “Lookout (Here Comes Tomorrow)" as footages of the Monkees past escapades show.  By the end of the song, the guys discover all the members fast asleep courtesy of the butler with a glass of brandy.  Having backed up a few shows in the past, the impressed butler decides to back up the show himself to their joy.

Back at the hotel, Baker decides to turn down the butler’s offer because he wants to replace four guys with four girls.  However, the Monkees persuade him to take butler up on his offer in order to get his own career started.  Just as they are about to depart the Compton Plaza, Weatherwax informs them of their bill of $180 for their room, food and incidentals.  Since they can’t afford to pay for the bill they wind up as employees with Mike a desk clerk and Micky, Davy and Peter as bellhops carrying cages full of the conventioneer’s rabbits.

After the episode there’s an interview of the guys expressing their feelings of success and Mike’s explaining the importance of owning a house to the producer.  Click here_____ for transcripts.  Then the episode ends with the guys performing the song “Words”.

Trivia Notes

This episode is a rip-off of the classic Marx Brothers’ film

“Room Service” (1938)

The original Screen Gems’ storyline has the guys trying to

get Mr. Compton, the hotel owner to back the show.

Actress Susan Howard (bride) is best remembered as Donna

Krebbs in CBS’s primetime soap opera “Dallas”.

The late actor Phillip Ober(Weatherwax) had previously appeared

as General Wingard Stone during the first season of NBC's classic

sitcom "I Dream Of Jeannie" which starred Larry Hagman who also

appeared on "Dallas" best known as J.R. Ewing.

The late actor Winstead Sheffield "Doodles" Weaver who played the

butler is the brother of the NBC's TV executive Sylvester "Pat" Weaver

and the uncle of actress Sigourney Weaver.