Monkees Blow Their Minds
Written by Peter Meyerson
Directed by David Winders
Produced by Ward Sylvester
Songs: “Valleri” by Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart, “Daily Nightly” by Michael Nesmith
Guest Appearances
Oraculo Monty Landis
Rudi James Frawley
Latham Milton Frome
Premiered on March 11, 1968
Summary
This episode begins with a mock interview between Mike and the late Frank Zappa pretending to be one another discussing their music which ends with Mike conducting Frank on how to play a car by wrecking it to the tune “Mother People”. Click here for transcripts____
Peter who is having trouble writing a song for the group, spies the sign “Oraculo, The World’s Leading Mentalist” and enters his house of mysteries. He explains to Oraculo about his problem who at first isn’t interested until he tells the mentalist about an audition at the nightclub, The Club Cassandra for a ten-week gig. Then he has his psychic slave Rudi Bayshore slip a potion in Peter’s drink and when Peter drinks it, he becomes catatonic. He then tells Rudi about his plan regarding the audition. At the Club Cassandra, the others are waiting for Peter who finally arrives still in a catatonic state while Oraculo and Rudi hide backstage. As they prepare to audition on stage the Monkees notice how different Peter is who has the guitar on the wrong side, thumbs is nose and when they are about to perform, Peter crows like a rooster and breaks one of Micky’s drums to the dismay of the unimpressed manager Latham who rejects them on the spot. Then Oraculo through mind summons Peter and dressed in another costume, prepares him for their audition and on stage which has Peter levitating in mid air (with the help of rope that Rudi is pulling) and Latham is so impressed he decides to sign them on the spot.
The Monkees having figured that Oraculo has stolen Peter’s mind, plans to rescue him by getting to him alone so Mike calls Oraculo on the phone with a story about losing his memory in a horrible accident carrying a briefcase of $50,000 willing to give half the money to the person who helps him while Davy and Micky set out to find Peter. Then he sends Davy and Micky to find Peter. Micky and Davy sneak in while Rudi rehearses an impression of a great mentalist in the mirror as Mike continues to stall Oraculo. Micky manages to get Rudi to leave by pretending to be Oraculo summoning him through mind contral. They try to snap Peter out of it who still a under Oraculo’s spell. To the musical romp “Valleri” Micky and Davy try every attempt to get Peter out of Oraculo’s house of mysteries but all seems to fail while Oraculo finally manages slip the potion and Mike’s drink and trick him into drinking it putting him under his spell too. Still unable to get Peter to budge, Davy finally knocks him out with a mallet and they drag him out. Meanwhile, Rudi arrives at the Monkees pad claiming Oraculo called for him making the mentalist suspicious. He orders the now psychic slave Mike to confess about the Monkees plot to rescue Peter then brings both Rudi and Mike back to the house of mysteries with him.
Micky and Davy arrive back with Peter but discover Mike is missing. Realizing that Oraculo has him they leave Peter chained to a wall and set out to rescue him. At Oraculo's place they prepare to grab him but Rudi knocks them out from behind. Oraculo then plans to use the potion on them too and then perform at the Club Cassandra as his new act “ Oraculo and his four slaves” convinced he’ll be a sensation. He then attempts to summon Peter again through his mind and at first gets the operator on the phone before he orders Peter to him who breaks through the chains. At the Club Cassandra backstage, Oraculo and Rudi have all four guys draped in costumes under his spell as he prepares to go on. He orders Rudi to give them more of the potion and to meet him out front as he goes out alone. Oraculo’s prediction acts with the audience is ruined first with Davy as a bearded lawyer when Oraculo predicts him to be the youngest judge at 29(he’s already 35) and then with Micky as a drunkard when he orders him stick his unlit cigar into his and which ends up burning him causing boos from the audience to the amusement of The Penguin from Batman.
Backstage, Rudi gives the Monkees more potion and inadvertantly slaps Micky breaking him out of his trance. Micky then slaps Mike, Davy and Peter breaking them all out of their trance and they all prepare to on with the act. When they go on stage now pretending to be still under his spell, they ruin Oraculo’s act by not obeying his commands causing at first booing them laughter with their typical Monkees comical antics. Then they turn the act into a dog act eventually having Oraculo and Rudi on fours making the act a sensation. Rudi questions the change in the act but Oraculo doesn’t seem to care as long as they're in show business.
This episode ends with the rendition of “Daily Nightly”.
Trivia Notes
This episode was final appearance of actor Monte Landis(Oracullo).
This was episode featured the only acting debut of the Monkees director
James Frawley(Rudi) who was not credited in the end credits. Frawley
also cameos in the “Monkees in Paris” episode.
The late actor Burgess Meredith cameos as the Penguin from the “Batman”
series.
The late singer Frank Zappa also appears with the Monkees in their feature
film “Head” portraying the critic.
The song “Mother People” which Mike is conducts Frank Zappa to wrecking the
car in the beginning of this episode was composed by Zappa and recorded by Frank
Zappa & The Mothers of Invention.
