The Card Carrying Red Shoes

Written by Lee Sanford

Directed by James Frawley

Produced by Robert Rafelson&Bert Schneider

Song: “She Hangs Out” by Jeff Berry

Guest Appearances

Natasha                                   Ondine Vaughn

Ivan                                            Vincent Beck

Nicolai                                            Leon Askin

Nyetovich                          Robert Cornthwaite

Dancer                                  Gene Otis Shane

Blindfolded Man                    Jerry Stevenson

Premiered on November 6, 1967

Summary

At the theatre, Micky, Davy and Peter are hired to perform music for the Druvanian National Ballet using unfamiliar instruments (a lyre, lute and a hornpipe).  Meanwhile, Ballerina Natasha Pavlova bickers with her dancing partner Ivan that she can’t bear rehearing 24 hours a day while Ivan checks her shoes in which he slips in a secret microfilm in the toe of her slippers which he informs to the Ballet Master, Nicolai.  Soon as they rehearse, Nicolai instructs the Monkees to play and they perform very badly as Natasha bumps into Peter after being twirled around by Ivan.  At fed up Natasha storms off but before complimenting Peter’s face and then hides in the Monkees trunk.  Ivan blames the mistakes on the Monkees’ incompetence  and they are fired and ordered out.  The guys leave with their trunk  with Natasha still inside.  Ivan and Nicolai realize that Natasha is gone and so is the secret microfilm but Nicolai vows they will get and back even if they have to kill and squash anyone who gets in their way.

Meanwhile, the threesome drag their trunk back to their pad where Natasha pops out and holds the guys at gunpoint except Peter because of his beautiful face.  Micky in a moving speech manages to convince Natasha to hand over the gun and then holds the gun on Natasha and Peter doing a gangster impersonation.  Soon Natasha starts bawling since this was her final chance to stay in America but she’ll be forced to return to Druvania.  Peter offers to protect her but Davy warns  that since she’s big star, the incident could lead to possibly war in which Peter is wlling to take the responsibility if the world is destroyed.  Then Micky and Davy head to the Druvanian Embassy where they speak to Nyetovich, the Ambassador about a ballerina.  However, the Ambassador  denies ever hearing of her and has them thrown out then he phones Ivan.  Back at the pad, Natasha is chasing Peter all over the place as Peter tries to fend off her advances but is interrupted by Ivan and Nicolai knocking on the door.  Peter sends Natasha to hide in the trunk and opens the door as the two villains slam into him in an attempt to break the door down.  Peter his knocked out from hitting his head an with no sign of Natasha the two take an unconscious Peter instead for questioning.

Natasha tells Davy and Micky what happened when they return and manaages to persuade them to overcome risks head to the theatre where disguised as detectives, they claim to be the BVD on assignment to find the missing Natasha only to learn that Nyetovick is on the same assignment.  Meanwhile, in a room Ivan and Nicolai are questioning Peter who claims to know nothing so they decide to brainwash him in which Peter advises they use a good detergent (New Reebersober’s Brain Detergent doesn’t fade, bleach or shrink your brains but make sure it doesn’t get in your eyes!).  Micky and Davy now disguised as Cossacks, approach a group of ballet dancers  rehearsing about Peter's whereabouts who’s probably tied up blind folded and facing a firing squad.  The dancer and asks outside where a tied up, blind folded guy who's actually facing a fire squad if he’s Peter Tork just before his execution!  To evade Ivan,Micky and Davy get in line and pretend to be replacements.  However,  Ivan  orders them to do Russian dancing on the spot to prove their dancers to which Micky and Davy give a lousy Russian dance as they dance away and Ivan realizes they were those musicians. 

Back at the pad, Davy and Micky and Natasha read a note demanding that they return Natasha or Peter will die and Micky comes up with a plan.  Natasha returns to the theatre insisting to Ivan that they let Peter go which they’ll do after the tour ends (in six months).  Later,  Micky using a glass places it to a wall to listen in the next room where the villains are (he saw it in a movie once) only to hear an operator first!  Nyetovich plans to have Peter killed now that they have the microfilm back in which at the end of Natasha’s solo when Ivan makes his leap, there will be a cymbals crashing to which they will shoot Peter.  Micky and Davy tell Natasha to make sure Ivan doesn’t make that leap but as Natasha prepares for her performance of “The Dance of the Chicken”, she trips and hurts her ankle.  Unable to Perform, Davy forces a reluctant Micky to take her place and dresses him up in a chicken costume.  Soon Micky is dragged off by Ivan as Davy and Natasha hide.  As the music plays, Micky gives a hilarious performance on stage as he prevents Ivan from taking that leap, while Davy enters the orchestra pit and manages to prevent the cymbalist from using the cymbals.  Peter manages to escape Nicolai and soon there’s a mad chase all around the theatre involving sword fights, a naked woman in a towel and ballerinas. The romp ends with Ivan and Nicolai being knocked out, Nyetovick being tied up by Natasha and a frustrated conductor.

Back at the pad, Davy informs Natasha that the government has decided to let her stay and Peter is thrilled since they can continue see more of each other.  However, Natasha decides that they’re too different and there’s more to love than just a beautiful face.  She tells him that she’s found a new love and when she introduces her new beau, a Russian named Alexei, they discover that he looks exactly like Peter!

This episode ends with all four of the Monkees performing “She Hangs Out”.

Trivia Notes

This episode was inspired by Hans Christian Anderson’s fairytale

“The Red Shoes”.

This would be the last appearance of the late actor Vincent Beck (Ivan)

who appeared in two previous Monkees episodes.

Although Mike wasn’t in this episode, the original storyline a scripted

part for him. It also had the Monkees use the trunk for protection rather

than for their instruments.

The classical music heard during the romp is from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's

"Symphony No. 4 In F Minor Op. 36 - Finale: Allegro Confuoco(1878).

Actor Robert Cornthwaite (Nyetovich) is best remembered as Prof. Windish

in the classic sitcom “Get Smart”.  He also appeared as Hives in NBC’s

“Cheers” and Howard Buss in CBS’s “Picket Fences”.

The late actor Leon Askin (Nicolai) appeared as General Albert Burkhalter in

“Hogan’s Heroes”.