The Monkees (Volumes 1 & 2)

Rating:
Summary: The Debut, The Frame, The Alias, & The Shotgun Wedding
Review: Four of the strongest episodes of The Monkees series are on display on this two-disc set covering much of the show's evolution.

Here Come The Monkees - the debut episode filmed in November 1965, the episode telegraphs that this series will not be like anything on TV to that point in its brilliant prologue as Paul Mazursky conducts man on the street interviews and elicits from a doctor a vow to break up any outburst of violence - which goes out the window when Davy appears, being beaten senseless by Micky, Mike, and Peter.

The episode then proceeds into its main plot - The Monkees are hired for the sweet-sixteen party of Vanessa Russell, a gig that nearly gets the boys canned when Vanessa and Davy's dating ruins her history studies. A corporate board meeting ensues and the boys work out a plan. When Vanessa aces her makeup exam as a result, her teacher tries to persuade Vanessa's father to relent, but initially he won't, until shamed into doing so by his distraught daughter.

Following the madcap events of the episode - highlighted by both versions of "I Wanna Be Free" and the party rocker "Let's Dance On" - the episode closes with the October 1965 screen tests of Davy and Mike being interviewed by off-camera Bob Rafelson - scren tests that reveal Davy's love affair with horses and being a jockey, and also Mike's love of music and his anxiety to get this series.

The Picture Frame - The most overtly slapstick episode of the series, The Monkees are tricked into robbing a bank by a phony movie director. Bank cameras film the incident - which Micky, Mike, and Davy think is just rushes from the movie - and interrogation by the sergeant who manages to out-Friday Joe Friday ensues, highlighted by the boys' comedic turns - such as wehn they agree to spill the beans, and use the empty cans as phones, and when Mike catches the overdue book thrown at them.

Trial then ensues, and Micky, Mike, and Davy make a shambles of the results, complete with bribery of the judge, hilarious cross-examination by Micky, hotdogs, and Mike's Wile E. Coyote gag on the prosecutor. All the while Peter is snooping around the studio and finds the evidence that will clear the others - but he must outrun the real crooks amid the snarling strains of "Pleasant Valley Sunday." When Peter succeeds in getting the boys acquitted, they celebrate with the video of Micky's London mod scene anthem "Randy Scouse Git."

Alias Micky Dolenz - Members of the gang of Baby Face Morales mistake Micky for their jailed boss, and two attempts on Micky's life - the second, a drive-by machine-gunning, leads to the show's funniest speed-up photography shot - force him to impersonate the jailed malfeant and infiltrate the gang. A bar brawl establishes Micky's bona fides with the gang, but the worst ensues when the gang force Micky into helping them spring the loot they've hidden, and Mike and Peter must go along as "specialists" - until the real Baby Face Morales escapes and appears.

Hillbilly Honeymoon aka Double Barreled Shoutgun Wedding - The first episode to feature Micky's second-season afro hairdo, it finds the boys caught in the middle of a feud between two hillbilly families, which snares Davy when the sweet young thing of one of the families seduces him and he is kidnapped - leading the show's funniest wordplay: the girl's father snarls, "All right, say it! 'Will you marry me?'" Davy replies, "Will you marry me?" and Mike deadpans about how millions of chicks (Dixie and otherwise) are madly in love with Davy.

Rating:
Summary: The Monkees were the best and still are...........
Review: I always loved watching there shows when I was growing up. And I still do. My two nieces love watching it too. And I know my children will too someday. There show was the first rock and roll show ever shown that played rock music. They were the first mtv. That's Classic......

Rating:
Summary: More Monkees on DVD PLEASE?????
Review: I got the DVD today and I LOVE it! The whole series should be released in the DVD format. The Bio Screens as well as the Main screen were cool! The guys at Rhino Home Video did a superb job at restoring these episodes to top notch quality!

The picture was sharp, and colors were crisp and clear.. Much better quality then in the VHS format.

The Pilot was cool to see as well as the one about Micky impersonating Babyface Moralas. The picture Frame has me on the floor when Peter is in a shower and covers himself while having a funny look on his face.. Hillbilly Honeymoon is not my favorite episode but the scene where Mike "Plays his nose" was a scream! Aside from that, it is a worthy addition to my DVD collection... THANK YOU RHINO HOME VIDEO! Keep them coming on DVD...

Rating:
Summary: 100 MINUTES OF GREAT MONKEE BUSINESS!
Review: If you grew up when I did (during the 1960s), and you're into Monkees (like I was and still am), and you're into DVD (like I am), then I think you'll like this DVD. It doesn't feature the best four episodes of the TV series (in my judgement), but the episodes are an excellent representation of the series. I think that Rhino Records and Video should be congratulated for their contribution to "Monkee madness." I hope they market all the Monkees TV episodes on DVD--soon!

Rating:
Summary: Buy it for the episodes, not for the extras.
Review: The actual episodes on this DVD look terrific! I've seen episodes such as "Here Come the Monkees" dozens of times through out the years and I saw many things in the background on the DVD that I've never noticed before. I've watched the VHS copies of Monkee tapes put out by Rhino and even though I thought those episodes looked good, they look even better on DVD.

The extras were a little disappointing. There are some brief cast bios and a short band history but I thought it was rather odd that Micky Dolenz's name was spelled wrong (with an E) and even the title of one of their songs was listed incorrectly. Rhino has a long and extensive history of releasing Monkee products so mistakes like these are inexcusable.

Overall, I hope Rhino releases more Monkees episode on DVD (especially the alternate version of the pilot). I think the following would make great extras on future Monkee DVDs: 1)Include the original Kellogg's and Yardley commercials, as well as the Kool-Aid commericals from the CBS reruns. Network promos would be nice too. 2)Have the ability to swich the soundtrack to play the original songs, songs from the summer 1967 reruns and CBS reruns. 3)Have a chaper break for each of the songs. 4)Captioning. 5)Interviews or audio commentary with the Monkees. 6)A booklet about the episodes instead of just a piece of paper with the chapter breaks.

Rating:
Summary: Buy it for the episodes, not for the extras.
Review: The actual episodes on this DVD look terrific! I've seen episodes such as "Here Come the Monkees" dozens of times through out the years and I saw many things in the background on the DVD that I've never noticed before. I've watched the VHS copies of Monkee tapes put out by Rhino and even though I thought those episodes looked good, they look even better on DVD.

The extras were a little disappointing. There are some brief cast bios and a short band history but I thought it was rather odd that Micky Dolenz's name was spelled wrong (with an E) and even the title of one of their songs was listed incorrectly. Rhino has a long and extensive history of releasing Monkee products so mistakes like these are inexcusable.

Overall, I hope Rhino releases more Monkees episode on DVD (especially the alternate version of the pilot). I think the following would make great extras on future Monkee DVDs: 1)Include the original Kellogg's and Yardley commercials, as well as the Kool-Aid commericals from the CBS reruns. Network promos would be nice too. 2)Have the ability to swich the soundtrack to play the original songs, songs from the summer 1967 reruns and CBS reruns. 3)Have a chaper break for each of the songs. 4)Captioning. 5)Interviews or audio commentary with the Monkees. 6)A booklet about the episodes instead of just a piece of paper with the chapter breaks.