Monkees in a Ghost Town
- Episode aired Oct 24, 1966
- 30m
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
158
YOUR RATING
The Monkeemobile runs out of gas in a Ghost Town, where the boys are locked up by two gangsters, George and Lenny, waiting for the arrival of The Big Man.The Monkeemobile runs out of gas in a Ghost Town, where the boys are locked up by two gangsters, George and Lenny, waiting for the arrival of The Big Man.The Monkeemobile runs out of gas in a Ghost Town, where the boys are locked up by two gangsters, George and Lenny, waiting for the arrival of The Big Man.
Davy Jones
- Davy
- (as David Jones)
Lon Chaney Jr.
- Lenny
- (as Lon Chaney)
Mel Blanc
- Monkeemobile engine
- (archive sound)
- (voice)
- (uncredited)
The Monkees
- Themselves
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaLon Chaney Jr.'s character, Lenny, is an obvious comedic update of his Of Mice and Men (1939) role. His partner is named George, just as is was in that film.
- GoofsThe beginning shows The Monkees in the Monkeemobile in red shirts...when they run out of petrol they are in different colors.
- Alternate versionsOn its first repeat showing on July 17, 1967 (and most subsequent showings afterward) the song "Tomorrow's gonna be another day" was replaced by "Words".
- ConnectionsReferences Of Mice and Men (1939)
Featured review
Lon Chaney and Len Lesser
"Monkees in a Ghost Town" featured Lon Chaney doing a comic reprise of Lennie Small, his gentle giant in 1939's "Of Mice and Men," but for the last time, using lines he'd actually spoken in Westerns past ("you ain't going no place!"). The Monkeemobile runs out of gas in the middle of a deserted Western ghost town occupied only by two small time crooks, George (Len Lesser) and Lenny, who await the arrival of their boss, The Big Man. Locking up the meddlesome foursome in the jail, the pair receive a shock when who should walk in but The Big Woman (Rose Marie), who turns out to have a show business background, allowing The Monkees to perform before they get bumped off. Easily one of the brightest entries, with a nonstop parade of gags in a Western setting: Davy calls for help, a deputy named Chester (from GUNSMOKE) limps up to the phone and assures Davy that he'll get Mr. Dillon- Davy: "Marshal Dillon?" Chester: "No, Bob Dylan, he can write a song about your problem!" Virtually nothing but padding throughout, but this was one show that benefited by using the romps that were the forerunners of music videos. While Lon Chaney was nearing the end of his 40 year career, Len Lesser (later seen in "Monkees in Texas") was only getting started, a memorable face that graced many TV shows and feature films for over 50 years (I particularly enjoyed his villain opposite Gloria Grahame in 1970's "Blood and Lace"). A repeat of "Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day" is first up, quickly followed by the country/western flavored "Papa Gene's Blues," written and produced by Michael Nesmith (recorded July 7), featuring James Burton and Glen Campbell on guitar, with Peter Tork playing acoustic guitar, one of the very few instances when a group member was allowed to perform on a track prior to January 1967. The four actor/musicians hired to play The Monkees truly had a tremendous workload, and clearly did not deserve the widespread criticism from the rock community at the time. No other group was shooting a TV series during the day, recording in the studio during the night, rehearsing for their eventual live debut, plus making personal appearances, culminating in a summer tour in 1967 sandwiched around the recording of their fourth million-selling record LP. The original four stayed together for only three years, not to reunite again until their 30 year anniversary for both a new album and TV special. "Monkees in a Ghost Town" actually was the 7th episode filmed (July 11-15), as well as the 7th broadcast (Oct 24).
helpful•231
- kevinolzak
- Jan 15, 2011
Details
- Runtime30 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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