"Monkees a la Carte" begins with the group gainfully employed at an Italian restaurant, only to be fired when the owner gets squeezed out by mobster Fuselli (Harvey Lembeck), who doesn't like them. They succeed in getting their jobs back by claiming they'll work cheap (Fuselli: "I'm beginning to like ya!"), then alternate between waiters and gangsters trying to break up the syndicate. Dort Clark has some good moments as the Inspector, Karl Lukas shows Davy how tough he is with a fist in his hand, and Peter really earns his keep as the butt of everyone's slaps. We hear the third go-round for Boyce and Hart's "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone," and the introduction of the duo's "She" (recorded Aug 15 1966), both featured on the second LP, MORE OF THE MONKEES, issued Jan 10 1967. Broadcast no. 11 (Nov 21 1966), "Monkees a la Carte" was also 11th in production, filmed Aug 9-12.
2 Reviews
THE MONKEES AND THE MOB??? YIKES.
tcchelsey20 August 2023
Was this episode a prelude to THE GODFATHER?
A hilarious gangsta' take off as the Monkees become crusading heroes and attempt to save the local food joint (called Pops restaurant) from the real bad guys.
This is campy and crazy as the guys dress up in 30s style three piece suits, add thick moustaches and lots of guns! There's an insane gun fight between tables and chairs at the restaurant, done Monkees style, and you can tell they just let the camera roll for this one.
The big bad guy is none other than comedian Harvey Lembeck, playing a mobster named Fuselli who takes over Pops and fires the gang. Rather ingeniously, the guys gets their jobs back --because they'll work for practically nothing! Their mission: break up the mob. Also in the cast is Karl Lukas (as Rocco), another tough customer. Lukas, who was everywhere on tv, was a regular on the PHIL SILVERS SHOW. Helen Winston is a standout as Big Flora, the loony gun moll, who does a lot of scene stealing because she's so funny. Winston later retired from acting and became an acclaimed poet.
For 60s music fans, the Monkees (briefly) sing "I'm not your Steppin' Stone", which peaked at No. 20 on the charts in December 66, followed by their No 2 hit, "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You."
Harvey Lembeck was appearing in all the goofy beach comedies at the time, foremost GHOST IN THE INVISIBLE BIKINI. The man to watch.
Another off the wall episode. SEASON 1 EPISODE 11 remastered dvd box set.
A hilarious gangsta' take off as the Monkees become crusading heroes and attempt to save the local food joint (called Pops restaurant) from the real bad guys.
This is campy and crazy as the guys dress up in 30s style three piece suits, add thick moustaches and lots of guns! There's an insane gun fight between tables and chairs at the restaurant, done Monkees style, and you can tell they just let the camera roll for this one.
The big bad guy is none other than comedian Harvey Lembeck, playing a mobster named Fuselli who takes over Pops and fires the gang. Rather ingeniously, the guys gets their jobs back --because they'll work for practically nothing! Their mission: break up the mob. Also in the cast is Karl Lukas (as Rocco), another tough customer. Lukas, who was everywhere on tv, was a regular on the PHIL SILVERS SHOW. Helen Winston is a standout as Big Flora, the loony gun moll, who does a lot of scene stealing because she's so funny. Winston later retired from acting and became an acclaimed poet.
For 60s music fans, the Monkees (briefly) sing "I'm not your Steppin' Stone", which peaked at No. 20 on the charts in December 66, followed by their No 2 hit, "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You."
Harvey Lembeck was appearing in all the goofy beach comedies at the time, foremost GHOST IN THE INVISIBLE BIKINI. The man to watch.
Another off the wall episode. SEASON 1 EPISODE 11 remastered dvd box set.
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