Monkees Marooned

Written by Stanley Ralph Ross

Directed by James Frawley

Produced by Robert Rafelson&Bert Schneider

Songs: “Daydream Believer” by John Stewart, “What Are You Hangin’ Round” by Michael Nesmith

Guest Appearances

  Pshaw                                       Monte Landis

  Thursday                                   Rupert Crosse

  Sheldon                                    Don Sherman

  Kimba                                           Burt Mustin

  Jane                                     Georgia Schmidt

  Policeman                                Allen Emerson

Premiered on October 30, 1967

Summary

While Peter is strolling in the city, Leonard Sheldon, a con artist first offers to sell him the city of San Diego which Peter refuses.  Then he manages to sell him Blackbeard’s treasure map with his $108 guitar. Then Sheldon tries to sell the guitar to an relectuant Mike who's happens to be passing by.

At the Columbia Pictures set, the other guys chastise Peter for his stupidity but Mike decides they should all set out to find the treasure anyway to which.  Davy all dressed up in as a ship commodore on a rowboat starts shouting orders in a military fashion as the guys tries to warn him that the boat is overloaded with too much supplies but Davy won’t listen and orders them launch the ship.  When they do, the boat quickly sinks into the water along with Davy.  After rowing to an Island, the guys begin their search and are soon spooked a sound of a creature’s scream.  Meanwhile in a treehouse, Major Pshew who’s been searching for the treasure for a decade is napping while his native servant Thursday is watching amusingly the Monkees TV show(Who writes that stuff?).  As the Monkees continue their search, Mike unknowingly walks into some string which sets off an alarm waking Major Pshaw who begins shouting that intruders are on his Island and soon grabs his rifle that accidentally goes off.  Startled by the gunshot, the guys are still convinced that the isalnd is deserted while a wild looking old man watches in the bushes.  Major Pshaw informs his servant Thursday of his plans to kill the intruders  while the Monkees start to complain of insect problems so Micky uses his bugs spray but to their dismay it only attracts insects.  Soon the guys end up caught in a net that is hoisted by Thursday on a crane. 

After taking the Monkees back to his home, Major Pshew is treating them to tea and food as he grills them.  Then he informs  them of his plans to kill them since he shoots all Trespassers.  Davy manages to convince him so the Major turns around and begins to count as if playing hide and seek as they flee the hut. Then the Major asks Thursday where they went and since the servant doesn’t want to cheat by telling, he simply points.  The guys head back to their boat only to discover it’s gone and soon Peter starts wailing blaming himself as Mike consoles him.  Then they’re frightened off by another sound of a gunshot as the wild looking old man continues to watch on hidden.  While strolling through the jungle, they encounter the German Dr. Schwartzkopf, who offers to treat them for malaria, jungle fever and any other illness but the guys just pass him by.  Major Pshew is hot on their trail thanks to a tip from a snake (dirty snake in the grass!).  Mike decides the guys should all split up to make it harder for the Major to get them all but they soon hear a lousy Tarzan cry as the wild long haired old man all draped in a Tarzan gear swings on a vine.  The guys can’t understand him since he doesn’t appear to speak English but Peter can translate from the word “Kretch” that he was the original Kimba of the jungle who was abandoned by his movie company in 1916 and his Jane ran off with the casting director who promised her a new career.

  As they hear gunshots and the sound of dogs (Which is only a recording on a tape recorder Thursday’s carrying) Kimba now  speaking in English offers to help them.  While they follow Kimba into the jungle he quickly gets stuck in quick sand which they help him out of.  He then calls for his jungle friends for help using the lousy Tarzan cry again but only ends up attracing a cat, a puppy, a rabbit and a chicken all in the Monkees arms.  Then Kimba to swing on a vine only to fall into the ground since his swinging days are over.  They all later encounter Thursday who has separated from his master claiming that's he’s defected and offers to show them where the Major has hidden their boat.  The guys decide to trust him (since he’s holding a weapon).  Thursday takes them all back to the Major’s hut too hide since he figures it would be last place the Major would look but in a few seconds the Major shows up figuring that they would think he wouldn’t look for them there so he did.  Davy tells him he can’t kill them in cold blood since it isn’t British as he waves a British flag and although the Major agrees it doesn’t count since he’s Australian.  He decides to torture them all by bathing them in boiling oil, put bamboo under their fingernails, expose them the ants( with Mike literally being exposed to his three aunts), a tongue lashing(Micky literally getting a lashing by a huge foam tongue) or just simply kill them and continue his search for the treasure. 

Upon hearing this, Peter gives him the treasure map which reveals that the buried treasure has been underneath the hut the whole time and at gunpoint he orders everyone to dig. They dig up a chest and the Major rejoices at the thought of all those gold as he shoots the lock off with his rifle and opens it.  However, instead of gold an elderly lady also draped in Tarzan gear pops out instead and knocks him out with a umbrella.  Kimba recognizes her as his long lost love Jane and soon the two old lovers start embracing promising to make pictures together again as the Monkees start crying at the happy reunion.  To the musical romp of  “Daydream Believer” the guys start romping around the Island along with Kimba, Jane, Thursday, the Major, the three aunts, a gorilla and photographers who all popped out of the chest too.

Back to civilization, Peter once again encounters Sheldon who’s now offering to sell him the city of Liverpool.  Peter accuses him of being a crook who sold him a worthless treasure map tells a police officer as the con artist takes off.  But soon the cop tries to offer to sell him Cleveland in which an upset Peter storms off in a huff. 

This episode ends with the Monkees performing “What Am I Doing Hangin’ Round”.

Trivia Notes

This episode was the last to have Mike with his old voice since

He went to have a tonsillectomy after finishing filming.

The original storyline ended with Peter running away after the

Policeman tries to sell him Cleveland.

When this episode aired on both CBS and Saturday afternoons

As a repeat, the soundtrack was replaced with “Do You Feel It

Too?” a song that was on the Monkees final LP “Changes”.

Director James Frawley cameos as Dr. Schwartzkopf.  There are

Several other cameos including David Pearl and Nyles Brown as

press photographers, stand-in John London as the gorilla and David

Price as a walk-on cameo in the beginning of the episode.

The late actor Burt Mustin (Kimba) appeared on another Monkees

Episode “The Monkees Christmas Show” as William, the butler.

Late actor Rupert Crosse (Thursday) was nominated for an Oscar

For Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Ned McCaslin in the

1969 screen version of William Faulkner’s “The Reivers”.  He also

starred in NBC’s short-lived sitcom “The Partners” alongside actor

Don Adams of the “Get Smart” fame.