The Monkees

The Monkees were a pop-rock quartet created and based in Los Angeles in 1965 for an NBC American television series of the same name. The show, which ran from 1966 to 1968, helped make them one of the most popular music acts of the decade. The members of the group were Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork, and Micky Dolenz. The Monkees officially disbanded in 1971. Dolenz and Jones continued touring together for most of the 1970s, but were not permitted to use the name The Monkees. Several reunions have taken place beginning in 1986; the latest Monkees formations were a Dolenz-Jones-Tork lineup which toured in 2001, then Dolenz-Jones in 2002.


History of the series
The television show first broadcast on September 12, 1966 on the NBC television network and lasted for two seasons (58 episodes). The final primetime episode ran on September 9, 1968.Modeled on The Beatles' theatrical films A Hard Day's Night and Help!, The Monkees featured the antics and music of a fictional pop-rock group. Due to the massive success of the records, and the public's expectations, the four Monkees became a real pop group. The series was sponsored by Kellogg's Cereals and Yardley Cosmetics of London. After leaving NBC, the program would later be rerun on both CBS and ABC on weekend mornings. Years later, at the dawn of FOX network, FOX aired re-runs as part of their afternoon schedule.


Title card for The Monkees TV series' first season on NBC.The four young men who became The Monkees were British-born David Thomas ("Davy") Jones (vocals/percussion/guitar/{drums-live only}), Hollywood native George Michael ("Micky") Dolenz Jr. (vocals/drums/keyboards/guitar), Texan Robert Michael ("Mike"/"Wool Hat") Nesmith (guitars/vocals), and Peter Halsten ("Peter Tork") Thorkelson (bass/keyboards/banjo/guitar/trombone/vocals), who had lived with his family in both the eastern United States and Canada.

They were cast after ads were placed in trade publications like Variety calling for "folk & roll musicians" to play "four insane boys" on a new television series. 437 hopeful actors and musicians auditioned for the parts; a then relatively unknown Stephen Stills was short-listed for a role, but lost out because producers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider felt he looked too old for the part, and because he did not want to lose his music publishing rights to Screen Gems. Stills referred friend and former roommate Tork to audition. (False rumors have circulated that Charles Manson also auditioned. He was incarcerated at the time.)

Nesmith (releasing pre-Monkees singles as "Michael Blessing") and Tork (part of the folk music scene in Greenwich Village) were both aspiring musicians. Dolenz (who starred in the 1950s series Circus Boy) and Jones (who appeared with the cast of Oliver! on The Ed Sullivan Show the night of The Beatles' debut on live American TV) were better known as actors, but both also had musical and recording experience. Jones, who had a solo album to his credit, had performed in musical theater in England as well as in Broadway theatre in New York. Dolenz had sung and played guitar in Los Angeles area bar bands. However, only the Monkees' voices were used on the group's initial recordings, with the music provided by session players. This was mainly due to the time constraints on the four Monkees and a rivalry between the Monkees and music supervisor Don Kirshner hired by Bob Rafelson to handle the music side of the Monkees. However, within a short time, Nesmith who was already an accomplished writer, was writing, producing, and recording Monkees music in a separate studio from the other Monkees music under Kirshner control. Despite Kirshner's objections, some Nesmith material started being included early on. Nesmith had songs on the first album (Self titled - The Monkees). This struggle over the Monkees musical direction increased the tension between Nesmith and Kirshner.

Many of the early sessions of Kirshner controlled music contained songs written, produced, and performed by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart. These included "Theme from the Monkees" and "Last Train to Clarksville" where the Boyce and Hart demo was used with vocals removed and replaced with multi-track vocals provided by only Micky Dolenz.


Title card for The Monkees TV series' second and final season on NBC.All four Monkees were trained in both improvisational comedy and stage presence as a group by Monkees director James Frawley before the pilot episode was filmed, so that they could look and act like a cohesive band. Each was given a different personality to portray: Dolenz the funny one, Nesmith the smart and serious one, Tork the naive one, and Jones the cute one. Their characters were loosely based on their real selves, with the exception of Tork, who was actually a quiet intellectual. Choosing someone to play the drummer proved tricky; Nesmith and Tork did not want to give up their guitars, and the 5' 3" Davy Jones nearly vanished behind the drums. Dolenz ultimately took the job, and began drum lessons. (According to Rhino Records liner notes, by the time of the Monkees' first solo tour, Dolenz had had only a crash-course in drums. To this day, he still sets up his drum kit as if he were left-handed, as his drum teacher had been, although Dolenz is right-handed.)

The series was filmed by Columbia Pictures, the studio that made The Three Stooges short films from 1934 to 1958. Many of the same sets and props from the Three Stooges were used on The Monkees. A pair of pajamas with a bunny design on the front that had been worn in several shorts by Curly Howard appear to be the same ones worn by Peter Tork in various episodes.

As a television show, The Monkees used techniques rarely seen on episodic television. This included characters breaking the fourth wall and talking to the camera (and sometimes even to off-camera studio production staff), fantasy sequences, and abrupt inserts and jump cuts. At least once a week, there was a musical romp which might have nothing to do with the storyline. In retrospect, many episodes included vignettes which now look very much like music videos: short, self-contained films of songs.

Another interesting feature of the series was "extras" that were sometimes added to the end of the show. These included showing the original screen tests of the four regulars, and even interviews with the members. During one such interview, Davy reported that a fan had actually mailed herself to him. Another exchange between Mike and "Bob" (one assumes it was Bob Rafelson), Bob asks Mike why he feels it is so important to own a house. In his own classic style, Mike replies "To keep the wind off of me!!"

The 1965 pilot episode was co-written by Paul Mazursky and Larry Tucker, who later co-wrote the Mazursky-directed movie Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice. Mazursky went on to direct such films as Harry and Tonto and Down and Out in Beverly Hills. Series producers Schneider and Rafelson also went on to movie careers, commencing with 1969's Easy Rider (co-produced with star Dennis Hopper). Rafelson would direct such films as Five Easy Pieces and The King of Marvin Gardens.

Dolenz said in a 2007 interview on the Roe Conn radio program that, while inspiration did come from The Beatles, the band's image was not meant to be a ripoff of them. He said that The Beatles were always depicted as superstars with legions of fans, whereas The Monkees were always depicted as unsigned and struggling to make a buck.

The Monkees won two Emmy Awards in 1967: Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy (James Frawley). Frawley was nominated for the same award the following season.


From TV to stage
Critics of the Monkees complained that they were simply a "prefab," made-for-TV knockoff of the Beatles, but the Beatles took it in stride, and made the Monkees welcome. John Lennon was a fan of the show, publicly comparing its humor to The Marx Brothers. George Harrison praised their self-produced musical efforts, saying "When they get it all sorted out, they might turn out to be the best." (Peter Tork was later one of the musicians on Harrison's Wonderwall Music, playing Paul McCartney's five-string banjo.) Longtime Beatles confidant Peter Shotton wrote in his memoir The Beatles, Lennon and Me, "The Monkees are what the Beatles pretend to be." During the time when the Beatles were recording Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, the Monkees were in England and met the Beatles at a party and Nesmith attended the A Day in the Life sessions at Abbey Road Studios: he can be seen in the Beatles' home movies. Dolenz was also in the studio during a session, which he mentioned while broadcasting for WCBS-FM in New York.

The massive success of the series and its spin-off records created intense pressure to mount a touring version of the group by late 1966. Against the initial wishes of the producers, Dolenz, Jones, Nesmith, and Tork went out on the road. The results were far better than expected, however, and wherever they went they were greeted by scenes of fan hysteria. This gave the four performers increased confidence in their battle for creative control over the music chosen for the series.

The band had no time to rehearse a live performance. They worked on the TV series all day, recorded in the studio(s) at night, and slept very little. The weekends were usually filled with special appearances or filming of special sequences. However, during the filming of the show, there was often down time between setups. The instruments, consisting mostly of Gretsch guitars and drums, and Vox keyboards and amps, were set up, but off for the filming of the series. Between takes the Monkees would turn them on and practice the live performances. Eventually the performances began to be used at times during the series. One instance is in the episode "Too Many Girls (Fern and Davy)". It opens with a live version of "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone" being performed as the scene was shot. Later an entire episode was filmed featuring live music. The last show of the first season ("Monkees on Tour") was shot in a documentary style by filming a concert in Phoenix.

The Monkees had complained that the producers would not allow them to play their own instruments on their records. This campaign eventually forced the series' musical coordinator Don Kirshner to let the group have more participation in the recording process (against his strong objections). This included Nesmith producing his own songs, and band members making instrumental contributions. The Monkees were capable of playing their own instruments on the recordings and they had written some material, but, except for the few songs forced through by the Monkees' campaigning, they were not allowed by Kirshner to play or use their own material. Led by Nesmith, the band eventually rebelled against Kirshner, who was later fired.

The animosity between Kirshner and the Monkees began in the very early stages of the band. The Monkees' off-screen personalities at the time were much like what became their on screen image (except for Peter). This included the playful, hyper-active antics that are often seen on screen. Apparently, during an early recording session, the four Monkees were clowning around in the studio. The antics escalated until Micky Dolenz poured a Pepsi on Kirshner's head (Micky at the time not knowing Kirshner by sight). This is rumored to have upset Kirshner to the point that he decided to try to never again have the four Monkees together in the studio at the same time and spend as little time with them as possible. This rule severely limited the involvement that the Monkees could have with the music. Eventually their only involvement was to come in individually to record vocals when needed. This greatly disturbed the band members, especially Nesmith, and became the catalyst behind their rebellion.

The climax of their rivalry has been said to have been a rather intense argument between Nesmith & Kirshner, over Kirshner releasing an earlier Kirshner produced, Neil Diamond written song, "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You", as a single, without consent of the group. It's been said that during this heated exchange, Nesmith, in anger, punched a hole in a wall with his fist, pointed to the hole, and told Kirshner, "That could have been your face, motherfucker!".


Monkees Controlled Music
Beginning with their third album, Headquarters (produced by Chip Douglas), the four Monkees wrote and played on much of their own material. Nearly all vocals and instruments on Headquarters were performed by the four Monkees (the exceptions being only a few small parts usually filled by producer Chip Douglas). Following Headquarters, they began what they referred to as "mix mode" where they played their own instruments but also continued to employ session musicians. This was not unusual at the time in that many other pop/rock acts employed additional session musicians on their recordings. The core instrumentation of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" was performed by the Beatles but also included a total of over 40 musicians. It was released within a week of Headquarters. Brian Wilson produced much of Pet Sounds and the aborted SMiLE album (including "Good Vibrations") during that same era, using session musicians without the participation of the Beach Boys members until later in the project.

The Monkees continued using additional musicians (including The Wrecking Crew, Louie Shelton, members of The Byrds and The Association, drummer "Fast" Eddie Hoh, and Neil Young) throughout their recording career, especially when the group became temporarily estranged after Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. and recorded some of their songs separately. The use of additional musicians to augment the band members continued until the 1996 reunion album "Justus" was recorded. "Justus" was produced by the Monkees, all songs were written by one of the four Monkees, and it was recorded using only the four Monkees for all instruments and vocals, which was the inspiration for the album title and spelling ("Justus"=Just Us).

Kirshner was reported to have been incensed by the group's unexpected rebellion. In addition to the debate over the single "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You", an argument with Kirshner insued over the song "Sugar Sugar". Kirshner wanted the Monkees to record the song. (It has been rumored, but argued, that the song was recorded with session musicians and Davy Jones providing all the vocals.) The Monkees themselves didn't like the song. Kirshner later recorded the song using studio musicians and released it under the name of "The Archies". This experience led directly to his later venture The Archies, which was an animated series — the "stars" existed only on an animation cel and obviously could not seize creative control over the records issued under their name.

When the Monkees toured Britain in 1967, there was a major controversy over the revelation that the group did not play all of their own instruments in the studio, although they did play them all while touring (except for the solo segments, which used backing band the Candy Store Prophets). The story made the front pages of several UK and international music papers, with the group derisively dubbed "The Pre-Fab Seven." Nevertheless, they were generally welcomed by many top British stars, who realized the group included skilled musicians and sympathized with their wish to have more creative control over their music.

Many Monkees fans argued that the controversy unfairly targeted the band, while conveniently ignoring the fact that a number of leading British and American groups (including critical favorites such as The Byrds and The Beach Boys) habitually used session players on their recordings. This commonplace practice had previously passed without comment. However, the Beatles had led a wave of groups who played their own instruments and wrote their own songs. But both supporters and critics of the group agree that the producers and Kirshner had the good taste to use some of the best pop songwriters of the period. Neil Diamond, Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, Gerry Goffin and Carole King, Harry Nilsson, Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, and many other highly regarded writers had songs recorded by the Monkees.


Beyond television
During the filming of the second season, the band tired of scripts which they deemed monotonous and stale. They proposed switching the format of the series to become more like a variety show, with musical guests and live performances. This desire was partially fulfilled within some second season episodes, with guest stars like musicians Frank Zappa, Tim Buckley and Charlie Smalls (composer of The Wiz), performing on the show. However, NBC was not interested in eliminating the existing format, and the group had little desire to continue for a third season.

After the television show was cancelled, Rafelson directed the four Monkees in a feature film, Head, originally titled "Untitled." The film was executive-produced by Schneider and co-written and co-produced by Rafelson with a then relatively unknown actor named Jack Nicholson. Rumors abound that the title was chosen in case a sequel was made. The advertisements would supposedly have read: "From the people who gave you HEAD."

Nicholson also assembled the film's soundtrack album. The film, conceived and edited in a stream of consciousness style, featured oddball cameo appearances by movie stars Victor Mature, Annette Funicello, a young Teri Garr, boxer Sonny Liston, famous stripper Carol Doda, and musician Frank Zappa. It was filmed in Screen Gems Studios and on location in California, Utah, and The Bahamas between 19 February and May 17, 1968 and premiered in New York City on November 6 of that year. (The film later debuted in Hollywood on November 20.)

Head was not a commercial success, in part because it was the antithesis of The Monkees television show, intended to comprehensively demolish the group's carefully-groomed public image. Rafelson and Nicholson's "Ditty Diego-War Chant" (recited at the start of the film by The Monkees), ruthlessly parodies Boyce and Hart's "Monkees Theme." A sparse advertising campaign (with no mention of The Monkees) squelched any chances of the film doing well, and it played only briefly in nearly-empty cinemas.

Over the intervening years Head has developed a cult following for its innovative style and anarchic humor, and the soundtrack album (long out of print, but re-released by Rhino in the 80s and now available in an expanded CD version) is counted among their most adventurous recordings. Members of The Monkees, Nesmith in particular, cite Head as one of the crowning achievements of the band.

The Monkees had several international hits which are still heard on pop and oldies stations. These include "I'm a Believer," "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone," "Daydream Believer," "Last Train to Clarksville" and "Pleasant Valley Sunday." Despite their seemingly permanent reputation as a made-for-TV act, their hits and many lesser recordings present an enduring quality that has earned respect over the years.

Screen Gems held the publishing rights to a wealth of great material, with the Monkees given first crack at many new songs. Their choices were not unerring; the band turned down "Sugar, Sugar," which became one of the biggest hits of 1969 (for The Archies). But the Monkees never had to record a song they truly disliked, as Dolenz affirmed on The Larry King Show in 1987. (They would sometimes lampoon songs during takes, though; their unserious version of "Gonna Buy Me a Dog" ended up being picked for the group's first album).

The Monkees also helped bring America's attention to the Jimi Hendrix Experience, who they took on as an opening act during their Summer 1967 concert tour. Hendrix quit the tour after only a few shows. Reports circulated at the time that he had been removed after complaints from the conservative women's group Daughters of the American Revolution. This was later proved false, and it has since been revealed that the story was concocted for publicity purposes by Hendrix's camp; it has also been suggested that Hendrix's management deliberately picked an unsuitable tour to create public controversy. There is no doubt that Hendrix and his group were frustrated at appearing before audiences largely populated by youngsters, who had no interest or appreciation of their brand of musical innovation. During the performance of "Foxy Lady," though the crowd appeared to be singing along with Hendrix, they were in fact impatiently singing "Foxy Davy".

Six albums were produced with the original Monkees lineup, four of which went to Number 1 on the Billboard chart. This success was supplemented by a series of successful world concert tours. But tensions within the group were increasing, and Peter Tork quit shortly after the band's Far East tour in December 1968, after completing work on their 1969 NBC television special, 33⅓ Revolutions Per Monkee. Reduced to a trio, the remaining members went on to record Instant Replay and The Monkees Present. Throughout 1969, the trio would appear as guests on various television programs such as: Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, the Johnny Cash Show, and Laugh-In. The Monkees also had a contractual obligation to appear in several television commercials with Bugs Bunny for Kool-Aid drink mix. In the summer of 1969 the three Monkees embarked on a tour with the backing soul band Sam and the Goodtimers. The concerts for this tour were longer sets than their earlier concert tours: many shows running over 2 hours in time. Unfortunately the 1969 Monkees' tour was not all that successful; some shows were cancelled due to poor ticket sales. In March 1970, Nesmith left the group, leaving only Dolenz and Jones to record Changes as The Monkees. After a 1971 single ('Do It In The Name Of Love' b/w 'Lady Jane') the Monkees lost the rights to use the name; in several countries, the USA included, the single wasnt credited to The Monkees but to Dolenz and Jones. The duo continued to tour throughout most of the 1970s but were unable to use the Monkees name.

While the Monkees' recording career was eroding, their TV series was enjoying a resurgence on Saturday afternoon television on CBS from (September 1969–September 1972), and on ABC from (September 1972 - August 1973). The 58 episodes were then sold to local markets for syndication in September 1975, where they typically appeared on independent television stations on weekday afternoons.

In part because of this exposure to a new generation of young fans, The Monkees Greatest Hits charted in 1976. ( the LP, issued by Arista, who by this time had custody of the Monkees master tapes, courtesy of their corporate owner, Screen Gems, was actually a re-packaging of an earlier compilation LP called "Refocus" that had been issued by Arista's previous label imprint , Bell Records , also owned by Screen Gems ) Dolenz and Jones took advantage of this, joining ex-Monkees songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart to tour the United States. As the "Golden Hits of the Monkees" show ("The Guys who Wrote 'Em and the Guys who Sang 'Em!"), they successfully performed in smaller venues such as state fairs and amusement parks, as well as making stops in Japan, Thailand and Singapore. They also released an album of new material as Dolenz, Jones, Boyce and Hart (they could not use the Monkees name due to legal reasons). Nesmith had not been interested in a reunion. Tork claimed later that he had not been asked, although a Christmas single (credited to Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones and Peter Tork) was produced by Chip Douglas and released on his own label in 1976. The single featured Douglas' and Howard Kaylan's "Christmas Is My Time Of Year" (originally recorded by a 1960s supergroup, Christmas Spirit), with a B-side of Irving Berlin's "White Christmas." (Douglas released a remixed version of the single, with additional overdubbed instruments, in 1986.) Tork also joined Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart on stage at Disneyland on July 4, 1976, and also joined Dolenz and Jones on stage at the Starwood in Hollywood, California in 1977.

Other semi-reunions occurred between 1970 and 1986. Peter Tork helped arrange a Micky Dolenz single, "Easy On You" / "Oh Someone" in 1971. Tork also recorded some unreleased tracks for Nesmith's Countryside label during the 1970s, and Dolenz (by then a successful television director in the United Kingdom) directed a segment of Nesmith's NBC-TV series Television Parts, although the segment in question was not included when the series' six episodes aired during the summer of 1985.


Revival
Brushed off by critics during their heyday as manufactured and lacking talent, The Monkees experienced a critical and commercial rehabilitation two decades later. A Monkees TV show marathon ("Pleasant Valley Sunday") was broadcast on 23 February, 1986 on the video music channel MTV. Dolenz, Jones, and Tork made a "20th Anniversary Tour." MTV promotion resurrected a smaller version of Monkeemania, and tour dates grew from smaller to larger venues.


Album cover for Then & Now... The Best of The Monkees, released at the height of the Monkees' 1986 revival.The reunited trio became one of the biggest live acts of 1986 and 1987, with their original albums selling again, and a new greatest hits collection reaching platinum status. Mike Nesmith appeared onstage with Dolenz, Jones, and Tork twice, both times in Los Angeles: at the Greek Theatre on September 7, 1986, and at the Universal Amphitheatre on July 10, 1989. By now, Nesmith was amenable to a reunion, but forced to sit out most projects because of prior commitments to his bustling Pacific Arts video production company. However, he did appear with the band in a 1986 Christmas medley music video for MTV, and took part in a dedication ceremony at the Hollywood Walk of Fame, when The Monkees received a star there in 1989. Because his mother Bette Nesmith Graham was the inventor of Liquid Paper, Nesmith was wealthy and had little financial need to join in Monkees-related projects.

The sudden revival of The Monkees in 1986 helped move the first official Monkees single since 1970, "That Was Then, This Is Now," to the #19 position in Billboard. The success, however, was not without controversy. Davy Jones had declined to sing on the track, recorded along with two other new songs included in a compilation album, Then & Now... The Best of The Monkees. Some copies of the single and album credit the new songs to "The Monkees," others as "Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork (of The Monkees)." Reportedly, these recordings were the source of some personal friction between Jones and the others during the 1986 tour. A new album by the touring trio, Pool It! (The Monkees' 10th), appeared the following year and was a moderate success. From 1986 to 1989, The Monkees would conduct major concert tours in the United States, Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom and Europe.

In 1986, Raybert Productions (now known as Straybert Productions) tried to capitalize on the revival by filming a new television series called The New Monkees. Four young musicians were placed in a similar series based on the original show, but "updated" for the 1980s. The show, its accompanying album, and the New Monkees themselves all sank without a trace.

In the 1990s, The Monkees continued to record new material, Their 11th album, Justus, was released in 1996. It was the first since 1968 on which all four original members performed and produced. The trio of Dolenz, Jones, and Tork reunited again for a successful 30th anniversary tour of American amphitheaters in 1996, while Nesmith joined them onstage in Los Angeles to promote the new songs from Justus. For the first time since the brief 1986 reunion, Nesmith returned to the concert stage for a tour of the United Kingdom in 1997, highlighted by two sold-out concerts at Wembley Arena in London. The full quartet also appeared in an ABC television special written and directed by Nesmith, spoofing the original series that had made them famous. However, following the UK tour, Nesmith declined to continue future performances with the Monkees. Tork, Jones, and Dolenz toured the United States in 1997, after which the group took another hiatus, until the three regrouped again in 2001. Dolenz, Jones, and Tork toured the United States from March through September 2001; Jones and Dolenz went on to tour the United Kingdom in 2002, but Tork declined to participate. Jones and Dolenz toured the United States one more time as a duo in 2002, and then split to concentrate on their own individual projects.

With different Monkees citing different reasons, the group chose not to mark their 40th anniversary in 2006.


Impact
The Monkees, selected specifically to appeal to the youth market with their manufactured personae and carefully produced singles, are seen as an original precursor to the modern proliferation of studio and corporation-created bands. But this critical reputation has softened somewhat, with the recognition that the Monkees were neither the first manufactured group nor unusual in this respect. The Monkees also frequently contributed their own songwriting efforts on their albums and saw their musical skills improve. They ultimately became a self-directed group, playing their own instruments and writing many of their own songs.

The Monkees found unlikely fans among musicians of the punk rock period of the mid-1970s. Many of these punk performers had grown up on TV reruns of the series, and sympathized with the anti-industry, anti-Establishment trend of their career. The Sex Pistols and Minor Threat both recorded versions of "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone."

Terry Hall's group, The Colourfield, included a cover of "She" on their Deception album as well a releasing a remixed version as a single. In 1988 Run DMC recorded "Mary, Mary" on their album Tougher Than Leather. Australian indie-rock bands of the 1980s such as Grooveyard ("All The King's Horses"), Prince Vlad & the Gargoyle Impalers ("Mary Mary", "For Pete's Sake" and "Circle Sky") and The Upbeat and The Mexican Spitfires ("Mary Mary") performed Monkees cover versions. The alternative rock group Smash Mouth had a hit with "I'm a Believer" in 2001 (and featured in the blockbuster computer-animated movie Shrek). Japanese popsters Shonen Knife recorded "Daydream Believer". Indie group Carter USM recorded "Randy Scouse Git" (a.k.a. Alternate Title). 1980s psychedelic rock band Bongwater, featuring Ann Magnuson and Mark Kramer, recorded "You Just May Be The One" and "The Porpoise Song". Run D.M.C. sampled "Mary Mary", updating the lyrics to sing, "Mary, Mary, why you buggin'? Mary, Mary, I need your lovin'."

The band's legacy was strengthened by Rhino Entertainment's acquisition of The Monkees' franchise from Columbia Pictures in the early 1990s. The label has released several Monkees-related projects, including remastered editions of both the original television series and their complete music library, as well as their motion picture Head.

In the 1990s, three of The Monkees had minor roles in the family sitcom Boy Meets World. Tork played Topanga's father Jedidiah, Jones played Reginald, an old friend from Europe, and Dolenz played Gordy, Mr. Matthews' best friend. In the one episode that the three were in together, they performed "My Girl."

Jones, Tork and Dolenz also feature memorably as themselves in The Brady Bunch Movie. Jones is invited by Marcia to appear as the surprise star guest at the High School prom. After a difficult start, he proves a surprise hit with the modern-day audience. Later, the Bradys themselves perform a 1960s-style 'groovy' song in the evening's "Search for a Star" talent contest. Everyone is surprised when they win the award, until it is revealed that the judging panel consists of Jones, Tork and Dolenz.

In 2005, eBay used "Daydream Believer" as the theme for a promotional campaign.


Notable achievements
Had the top-charting American single of 1967 ("I'm a Believer"). (Billboard No 1 for 7 Weeks) With "Daydream Believer" tied for third.
First band to use a Moog Synthesizer in a top-10 album ("Star Collector"). Also used in "Daily Nightly" recorded for the same album.
Gave the Jimi Hendrix Experience their first US concert appearances.
The Monkees reunion tour was the largest grossing tour of 1986.
Introduced Tim Buckley to a national audience, via his appearance in the series finale, "The Frodis Caper".
The Monkees outsold The Beatles and Elvis combined in 1967
Monkees Theme - Pilot - Intro






Monkees Theme season 1 opening


Monkees Theme season 2 opening



Monkees - Theme (1997)




Monkees - Medley (1997)




The Monkees "That Was Then, This Is Now"

Bewitched

Bewitched is an American situation comedy starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York (1964-1969), and Dick Sargent (1969-1972). The series was originally broadcast on ABC from 1964 to 1972. It continues to be seen throughout the world in syndication. It remains the longest running supernatural themed sitcom of the 1960s-1970s.

Premise

Dick York and Elizabeth Montgomery from a 1964 episode.The focus of the show (which was initially entitled The Witch of Westport according to the A&E Network Biography of Elizabeth Montgomery) is on the mixed marriage of a nose-twitching witch, Samantha Stephens (Montgomery), and her mortal husband, Darrin (originally played by Dick York and later by Dick Sargent). The series, a romantic comedy, shows how true love can endure the most vexing of situations, even between a witch and a human. Samantha's mother, Endora (Agnes Moorehead), disapproves of Darrin, as indeed do most of Samantha's family. Many episodes revolve around Endora, or another of Darrin's in-laws, using magic to undermine the union. Although Endora casts countless spells on Darrin, she never outright banishes him from Samantha's life, or casts any spells of permanence. Endora's ploy seems to be to provoke Darrin into leaving Samantha, but the mortal's love for his wife overcomes every obstacle. Endora refuses to even remember Darrin's name, invariably calling him "Durwood", "Darwin," and even "Dum-Dum", much to his annoyance.

Several episodes began with an enraged Darrin becoming the victim of a spell. By the epilogue, however, Darrin and Samantha would embrace and confound the devious elements that failed to separate them. Some storylines took a backdoor approach to such topics as racism, as seen in the first season episode, "The Witches Are Out". Samantha objects to Darrin's demeaning portrayal of witches as ugly and deformed in a Halloween candy ad. Such stereotypical imagery, she believes, ignites biases which have often caused Endora and her to flee the country until the season ends. One episode, "Sisters of the Heart", was written and submitted by a tenth grade class. It involved Tabitha altering her and her black friend's skin tones with coordinating polka-dots, so that people would treat them alike (a similar white-with-black vs. black-with-white concept was seen earlier on a Star Trek episode that featured Frank Gorshin).

Bewitched was unique for the mid-1960s in that it portrayed an estranged married couple - Samantha's parents, Endora (Agnes Moorehead) and Maurice (Maurice Evans). Maurice was portrayed as an urbane thespian not unlike Elizabeth Montgomery's father, Robert Montgomery. Maurice occasionally pops in with a young, attractive female escort. The couple's separation is inferred and subtextual. In the episode, "Samantha's Good News", Endora threatend to file for an "ectoplasmic interlocutory" (code for divorce), only to wrangle Maurice's affection.

Darrin works for advertising agency McMann and Tate, and his profit-obsessed boss Larry Tate (David White) is an almost constant presence on the show (though Tate's partner McMann appears only twice during the series). Tate's opinions would turn on a dime to appease a client and land a deal. Despite witnessing plenty of oddities, Larry and his wife Louise (Irene Vernon, and later Kasey Rogers) never discover that Samantha is a witch.


Agnes Moorehead as Endora.The sole member of Samantha's family for whom Darrin shows any affection is the lovably bumbling Aunt Clara (played by Marion Lorne). Lorne won a posthumous Emmy in 1968 for the role of the aged witch, whose powers have begun to wane, and whose spells often end in disaster. She appeared in 27 episodes; when Lorne died during the fourth season, the absence of Aunt Clara was left unexplained. Because Lorne was so popular and loved by the cast, another actress taking the role was not considered. A similar character, the anxiety-ridden witch-nanny Esmeralda, played by Alice Ghostley, would later make appearances starting during the 1969-1970 season. (Both Ghostley and comic actor Paul Lynde had guest roles as mortal characters before being cast as magical semi-regulars.)

Samantha's far-out and egocentric lookalike cousin Serena is another important character, first appearing in season two. The character, also played by Elizabeth Montgomery, would be credited as "Pandora Spocks" from 1968-72. Ever mischievous, Serena often chases after Darrin and Larry Tate (calling the white-haired Tate "Cotton-Top"), just for fun. Serena is the antithesis of Samantha, sporting a heart-shaped birth mark on her cheek, raven black hair, and mod mini-skirts. More progressive than the typical witch or warlock who generally loathes mortals, Samantha's counter-culture cousin occasionally dates some (including a character played by Jack Cassidy).

During the show's run, both Aunt Clara (to Louise Tate) and Serena (to Phyllis Stephens) state they are from Maurice's side of the family, though Serena sometimes plots with "Auntie" Endora. Despite her wild behavior, Serena ultimately supports Samantha and Darrin, even though she finds them both a bit square.

Endora's prank-loving brother Arthur (Paul Lynde) makes several memorable appearances. In one episode, Arthur befriends Darrin and teaches him a phony ritual that will set Endora straight. Darrin performs the silly ritual to the outright bewilderment of his wife and mother-in-law. After Arthur erupts in rip-roaring laughter, it becomes clear that Darrin was set up. The trio get even with Arthur when Darrin's own practical joke seemingly obliterates Endora. Despite the hoax, Arthur genuinely likes Darrin. In another episode, Serena and Uncle Arthur go toe-to-toe with the Witches' Council to support the Stephens' union, only to have their powers suspended.

Veteran actress Mabel Albertson (sister of Jack Albertson) plays Darrin's straitlaced mother, Phyllis. The character often complains of "a sick headache" when she witnesses a magic spell in motion. Adding to the fun are the Stephens' witch daughter Tabitha (Erin Murphy) and her baby brother Adam, as well as various witches, warlocks, and mere mortals, along with an occasional elf, leprechaun, nymph, and other supernatural being. The program made full use of the period's modest but effective special effects wizardry.

Across the street lives a retired couple, Abner Kravitz (stage and movie actor George Tobias) and his nosy wife, Gladys. Gladys was played first by Alice Pearce who won a posthumous 1966 Emmy for the role; following Pearce's death in 1966 from ovarian cancer, the character was played by Sandra Gould. On the studio backlot, the Kravitzes' house was actually down from the Stephens' house exterior. Both homes' exterior doors opened to an unfinished ten-by-fifteen foot entry, as the interiors were shot elsewhere. The exterior of the Kravitzes' house later became the home of The Partridge Family.


Cast

Main characters

George Tobias and Alice Pearce as the Kravitzs in the colorization version of Bewitched.Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha Stephens
Dick York as Darrin Stephens (1964-1969)
Dick Sargent as Darrin Stephens (1969-1972)
Agnes Moorehead as Endora, Samantha's mother
David White as Larry Tate, Darrin's boss at McMann and Tate
Alice Pearce as Gladys Kravitz (1964-1966)
Sandra Gould as Gladys Kravitz (1966-1971)
George Tobias as Abner Kravitz (1964-1971)
Erin Murphy as Tabitha Stephens, Darrin and Samantha's daughter, "born" on January 13, 1966 (1966-1972)
Diane Murphy as Tabitha Stephens (1966-1968)
Greg and David Lawrence as Adam Stephens, son of Darrin and Samantha, "born" on October 16, 1969 (1970-1972)
Marion Lorne as Aunt Clara, Samantha's aunt (1964-1968)
Irene Vernon as Louise Tate, Larry's wife (1964-1966)
Kasey Rogers as Louise Tate (1966-1972)
Tamar and Julie Young(1966) as infant Tabitha


Recurring characters
Maurice Evans as Maurice (Samantha's father)
Alice Ghostley as Esmeralda, Samantha and Darrin's witch maid (1969-1972)
Bernard Fox as Dr. Bombay, the warlock family doctor (1967-1972)
Elizabeth Montgomery, credited as "Pandora Spocks" (a takeoff on (Pandora's Box), as her identical cousin Serena (1966-1972)
Paul Lynde as Uncle Arthur, Samantha's uncle and Endora's brother (1965-1971)
Mabel Albertson as Phyllis Stephens, Darrin's mother (1964-1971)
Robert F. Simon as Frank Stephens, Darrin's father (1964-1967 and 1971)
Roy Roberts as Frank Stephens (1967-1970)

Characters less frequently seen
Aunt Enchantra and Aunt Hagatha, sisters and Samantha's aunts. The "holy terrors" of the family, they customarily ride in an antique car called "Macbeth," which enters the Stephens home through the wall. Enchantra was played by three different actresses, while Hagatha was played by five, including Reta Shaw.
Aunt Bertha, another aunt of Samantha's, her relationship is unknown.
Great-Great-Grandfather Adam, Maurice's great-grandfather.
Cousin Edgar, Endora's nephew. He is an elf who is very protective of Samantha.
Great-Aunt Cornelia, Maurice's aunt. She is a muse who resembled Samantha and the Mona Lisa.
Cousin Henry, Samantha's cousin (and possibly Uncle Arthur's son; when Endora once calls Henry "the clown prince of the cosmos," she adds "Where's King Arthur?"). Whether Arthur's son or not, Henry shares his love of practical jokes.
Cousin Panda, Endora's niece. (Elizabeth Montgomery actually had a cousin named Panda.)
The Witches Council, the ruling body of all witches and warlocks throughout the cosmos. Never actually seen but only heard as booming voices, they, like Endora, disapprove of Samantha's marriage to Darrin.
They did have a Queen of the Witches, who made one appearance to pass the mantle of Queen to Samantha in season 4. Queen Ticheba was played by Ruth McDevitt.

In the Dick Sargent years, they had a High Priestess named Hepzibah, played by Jane Connell. There was one mention of Samantha being ex-queen. She abdicated at the end of season 4 apparently, but this was never brought up in the series, nor was her successor. Why they used a high priestess this time instead of the queen was never explained.

Uncle Albert, the uncle of Darrin Stephens, only shown briefly in episode number 69, "'A Bum Raps".
Cousin Helen, the cousin of Darrin, appearing in episode 129, "A Prince of a Guy". She and Uncle Albert are Darrin's only relatives shown, other than his parents.
Secretary Betty, the secretary at McMann and Tate, played by various actresses.
Mr. McMann, the boss of Larry and Darrin, seen in episode 139, "Man of the Year" and again in episode 191, "What Makes Darrin Run".
Harriet Kravitz, Abner's sister (Mary Grace Canfield), who takes care of the house for Abner and Gladys while they are out of town in season 2. This was after Alice Pearce had passed away and before the show had not recast her role in season 3.
Ms. Peabody, Tabitha's 1st grade teacher (Maudie Prickett), appeared in two episodes of Season 8, "Tabitha's First Day of School" (248) and "School Days, School Daze" (251).
A number of historical and fictional characters also made appearances, among them:

Santa Claus
Jack and the Beanstalk
Benjamin Franklin
Franklin Pierce
George and Martha Washington
Sigmund Freud
Julius Caesar
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
Leonardo da Vinci
Mother Goose
Hansel and Gretel
The Tooth Fairy
Napoleon
Loch Ness Monster
King Henry VIII
Cleopatra
Paul Revere
Prince Charming
Sleeping Beauty
Boyce & Hart



Changes

Montgomery and "The Second Darrin" — Dick Sargent.The show was a ratings success during its first five seasons, but it dropped in popularity when Dick York (Darrin) left the series in 1969 due to a severe back condition (and a growing dependency on pain pills). While Ray Fulmer (of Hazel) was mentioned as a possible replacement (as per an episode of The Virginia Graham Show, Fulmer's name was suggested to Agnes Moorehead by her friend and former co-star Shirley Booth), the role of Darrin went to Dick Sargent. Sargent's version of Darrin was a more acidic, smarmy character, in contrast to York's nervous, frantic portrayal. The drop in ratings was ironic in light of the fact that Sargent had been the original choice to play Darrin, but had been under contract elsewhere in 1964.

On E! Entertainment, Erin Murphy (Tabitha) stated that Elizabeth Montgomery "probably preferred Dick Sargent's Darrin" (York's ongoing shooting delays would have been a financial liability to Montgomery's newly-formed Ashmont company, via longer hours and script rewrites). Kasey Rogers, Bernard Fox, and Sandra Gould said that Dick York's "mugging" or animated facial expressions were what really made the character. William Asher claimed that Dick York's screen kisses were more "passionate". The series also had two Gladys Kravitzes, two Louise Tates and two Frank Stephenses. However, the switch between the two Darrins has become the epitome of TV's major cast changes, far more so than such other recastings as the two John-Boy Waltons or the two Lionel Jeffersons, and others.

In 1966, the show saw Samantha give birth to daughter Tabitha, played by fraternal twins Diane and Erin Murphy. Tabitha took after her mother with her magical abilities, adding to Darrin's worries. By 1968, the Murphy twins began looking less alike, so Diane was dropped. The Tates' son Jonathan, who was 1 1/2 years older than Tabitha, was seldom seen or referenced after 1966, but made a final appearance in season 7. The character had been named Jonathan after David White's real-life son (whose death made headlines in 1988, when Pan Am Flight 103 was brought down over Lockerbie, Scotland). In 1969, Bewitched introduced Adam Stephens, played by Greg and David Lawrence. The writers sought new familial challenges, but some pessimists saw the birth as an economical means to retool past Tabitha plots. Adam initially didn't display any powers, but started to do so in the last few episodes of the series.


End of the series
Montgomery wanted to end the series at the conclusion of the fifth season because both she and her husband, the show's producer William Asher, were getting tired of it and wanted to move on to other projects, but ABC did not want to drop one of its top-grossers. Since the series was one of the network's few hits, they offered Montgomery and Asher significant pay raises, plus part ownership of the series (via Ashmont, a production company owned by Asher and Montgomery), for another three seasons. By season eight, the story ideas had started to run dry. During the last season, (1971–1972) Abner and Gladys Kravitz were only referenced. The series was moved to Saturday nights in January 1972 and was pitted against the hit show All in the Family, which proved to be a virtual death knell.

Bewitched finished the 1972 season at no. 72 in the ratings [2]. ABC had planned a ninth season, according to the network's contract with Montgomery and Asher.


Tabitha






BEWITCHED - I'LL BLOW YOU A KISS IN THE WIND




Boyce & Hart - Bewitched Clip

Bewitched - Serena Stops the Show Part1

Bewitched - Serena Stops the Show Part 2

Knight Rider

Knight Rider is a popular American television series that ran between September 26, 1982, and August 8, 1986.

The series was broadcast on NBC and starred David Hasselhoff as Michael Knight, a kind of modern-day "knight" who drove an advanced smart car with artificial intelligence. Conceived and produced by Glen A. Larson, the show was an instant hit and inspired a sub-genre of high-tech crimefighter series. "I wanted to do The Lone Ranger with a car", Larson said in The Last Great Ride. "Kind of a sci-fi thing, with the soul of a western."


Michael Knight

Michael Knight behind the wheel of KITTIn the pilot episode, police officer Michael Arthur Long (played by Larry Anderson) was betrayed and nearly killed by a gunshot wound to the head by an industrial espionage expert named Tanya Walker (Phyllis Davis). A metal plate in Long's skull, the result of a head injury sustained during the Vietnam War, deflected the round, which still inflicted serious facial damage.

Declared dead to the public, his medical care was taken over by the Foundation for Law And Government (FLAG). This part of the story is shown in the pilot, titled "Knight of the Phoenix" in syndication. The symbolism in this title is related to Michael's car, a Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, the likes of which usually featured a giant decal on the hood depicting the fire bird (the Phoenix, although the Firebird's hood decal is more accurately known as the Screaming Chicken). The phoenix traditionally is symbolic of rebirth, and the scene of Long collapsing on the hood foreshadows later events.

FLAG is a private crime-fighting arm of the Knight Foundation, an organization founded by Wilton Knight, a billionaire philanthropist. In the context of the pilot, Wilton Knight (Richard Basehart) is dying of an undisclosed illness. Given a new face via facial reconstructive surgery, Long is resurrected as Michael Knight (now played by David Hasselhoff). Together with a high-tech automobile called the Knight Industries Two Thousand (KITT), Michael Knight agrees to carry on Wilton Knight's crusade of aiding the powerless. He usually was given mission objectives by the new director of FLAG, Wilton Knight's longtime friend and confidant, Devon Miles (Edward Mulhare). Michael was selected for his high level of self-defense training, intelligence, law enforcement experience, and his ability and preference to work alone without assistance or back-up.

Michael Knight was a special type of hero, a modern knight who avoided violence whenever possible and generally refrained from using firearms. Although most of Knight's cases were based in Southern California where FLAG was headquartered, the operation was not confined there. He could travel to whatever part of the country where trouble arose; sometimes even crossing borders into Mexico. FLAG also had facilities in Las Vegas and Chicago. FLAG's legal jurisdiction, however, was within the boundaries of the United States. The organization also owned an 18-wheeler that served as a mobile office and also offered technical support for KITT.

In early literature for the series, the aforementioned metal plate in Michael Long's forehead was also said to be used for Knight to pick up various radiowaves and signals. This was played upon in the several Knight Rider tie-in novels published, but was very seldom used in the actual series itself. One of the only questionable examples of it being utilized is in the first season episode "Trust Doesn't Rust", when Michael suddenly tells KITT to switch to the police frequency, although it is arguable that he could have just noticed local commotion, or been acting on a hunch.

In addition to playing Michael Knight, Hasselhoff also played a double role in the Season Two feature-length episodes Goliath and Goliath Returns, portraying not only Michael Knight but also Wilton's biological son Garthe Knight. At the time of Michael's surgery, Garthe was imprisoned in Africa. Believing that his son would never be seen again, Wilton had Michael's face modeled after Garthe's. In the pilot episode, both Devon Miles and Wilton stated that Michael actually resembled the face of Wilton himself as a young man. The novels written after the series aired described Michael's reconstructed face as based on images of both a young Wilton and Wilton's son. In any event, the Garthe storyline would not go beyond the second season, primarily due to Hasselhoff's request that the doppelgänger villain be ended, due to the time it took to be made up and film both the roles of Michael and Garthe. (In episode #47 of the two part "Knight of the Drones" it is revealed that prior to Michael Long/Knight that FLAG had a prospective "Knight" driver who was murdered; however, this was never mentioned in any other episode).


KITT

KITT on display at Universal Studios Hollywood.Main article: KITT
KITT, short for "Knight Industries Two Thousand", was for many the real star of the show. The car boasted artificial intelligence of sufficient level to reason, talk (the voice of William Daniels), and deliver sarcastic one-liners to Michael Knight as an equal. KITT could drive himself when Michael was otherwise engaged, keeping in contact via a wrist communicator or "comlink" (a modified LCD AM radio watch). KITT actually was considered two separate machines: the Knight 2000 vehicle and the Knight 2000 microprocessor. According to series creator Glen A. Larson, as quoted from Knight Rider Legacy, "The car is Knight 2000. KITT is the onboard computer. The car is one, and KITT is the nickname for the computer. I never considered the car was named KITT, just the character inside." The two entities were separated briefly throughout the series (refer to the episodes "Soul Survivor", "Junkyard Dog", and "Knight of the Juggernaut.")

KITT's Pontiac Trans Am chassis was reinforced with Wilton Knight's revolutionary Molecular Bonded Shell, which was resistant to most known weapons below heavy artillery. The vehicle's drivetrain consisted of a turbine engine, capable of accelerating to 300 mph; furthermore, the car had numerous other special abilities, the most notable being a frequently used 'Turbo Boost' for jumping over obstacles. This was a stunt similar to that used by the General Lee in The Dukes of Hazzard, where the car (assisted by the aid of ramps and/or air compression) would leap into the air, usually in order to clear a hazardous obstacle. (In fact, the same stunt coordinator, Jack Gill, was involved in both series.) In Give Me Liberty... or Give Me Death, where an alternative-fuel race takes place, a racecar bearing a strong resemblance to the General Lee is racing with KITT. Though the car is missing the trademark Confederate flag and does not sport racing number 01, it is the same color and sports the same wheels as the General Lee. As an aside, its fuel is moonshine, in comparison with KITT's liquid hydrogen. KITT also had many other varied uses - perhaps the most impressive of these was his ability to print money as seen in Episode Four of the second season.

An early version of KITT, before the familiar scanner was completed, had a mockup scanner located at the extreme front of the bumper rather than at the front of the hood. It did not have the regular red light, being made instead of reflective material. The front end of this early model was significantly different from the usual model. It can be seen in a handful of very brief scenes in the pilot episode, and in stock footage used in some other first season episodes. (It can also be seen in a couple of shots of the first season opening sequence, and is prominent in the pre-closing credits sequence used for much of the season.)

KITT's speech is reflected in a 'voice modulator' located above the customised steering wheel. During the first season, the modulator was a red blinking square that lit up in time with KITT's voice. Midway through the first season, in the episode "Hearts of Stone", the voice modulator was updated to reflect that of evil twin KARR KITT's voice modulator was now three red lines that rose and sank from the centre of the screen as he spoke. This look was retained for the remainder of the run, although subtly tweaked in the third and fourth season. (The original blinking red square remained in the opening credits sequence for the remainder of the first season, and could still often be seen as stock footage in episodes of the first two seasons.) The very early mockups of KITT's dashboard showed the original flashing square to have 'Knight 2000' written on the display in LCD type font (this square was also a blank white color in some shots), leading to breaks in continuity, sometimes even within the same scene, as the details of the display varied between shots.

KITT was actually the second smart car developed by FLAG. The first, dubbed KARR (the Knight Automated Roving Robot), was built without the directive for the preservation of human life (see Three Laws of Robotics) that KITT possessed. KARR fell into the wrong hands and served as KITT's mis-programmed evil twin during two episodes, "Trust Doesn't Rust", and "K.I.T.T. vs K.A.R.R.".

Several episodes - particularly during the second season - saw new technical gadgets added to KITT's repertoire, which were usually subsequently used to rescue Michael and KITT from some perilous situation in the same episode (and more often than not were never seen again after the particular episode in question). These features included a new coating that allowed KITT to drive through fire (in the episode "Ring of Fire"), special spiked tires for added traction ("Speed Demons"), and the ability to drive on water ("Return to Cadiz"). The last of these functions was actually planned for use as a recurring feature of KITT's, but the special effects process, which was done using models, was found to be so awkward and time-consuming that the ability was never utilized again.

The third season opener, "Knight of the Drones", saw the newly returned Bonnie rebuild KITT after he had been badly damaged by a missile. The dash display was revamped (with KITT's voice modulator slightly tweaked to be slightly taller). With this rebuild, several new features were added, such as the ability to generate an electrical charge; some of these new features continued to be used, others were seldom if ever seen again.

KITT received his most extreme modification at the start of the show's final season. During a mission in Chicago ("Knight of the Juggernaut"), KITT's Molecular Bonded Shell was neutralized by a passing street cleaner which actually sprayed a solvent designed to remove the MBS. His body was then severely damaged by an enemy battering ram. He was rebuilt in a miraculous 24 hours, with the help of Bonnie, RC3 (Peter Parros) and his streetwise mechanic friends.

Because they were not initially able to restore the car's Molecular Bonded Shell, the mechanics added a "Super Pursuit Mode", giving KITT a 40 percent increase in speed to in excess of 300 mph (483 km/h). Super Pursuit Mode was made possible by retractable airfoils and jet boosters. An "Emergency Braking System" was also installed to decelerate KITT from these high speeds, using three large airflaps. (The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren actually uses some of this braking flap technology today). As a special "gift" to Michael, the street mechanics added a button marked 'C', which when pressed, brought KITT's top down and turned him into a convertible. The effects for the extra functions, designed by George Barris, cost $250,000 to create.

The car (actually, a set of them) is a customization of a stock 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. Rumor has it that the first one off the Pontiac/GM line was sent directly to Universal. The show's success resulted in the auto manufacturer's being overwhelmed by requests for the "Knight 2000" version of the car (which did not actually exist). The major exterior difference from a stock Trans Am is the nose, which was redesigned in order to accommodate a cylon-like red scanner. (It is notable that in most regions of the USA flashing/strobing red lights are reserved for emergency vehicles and are illegal for street use.) In the pilot "Knight of the Phoenix", there are a few noticeable scenes where the nose is a mockup. The car itself still has a worldwide scene with passionate fans, and replicas are known to exist in an unusually high number, at various levels of fidelity.

When asked about KITT's whereabouts, David Hasselhoff indicates that, like Roy Rogers did to Trigger, KITT is now stuffed and mounted in Hasselhoff's living room. In actual fact, Hasselhoff commissioned his own version of the car which sold to a private collection (the Nelson Collection) in 1992. Today one of the original KITTs (complete with the original 'red square' voice display) can be seen at the Cars of the Stars Motor Museum in Keswick, Cumbria, England. The car is in a state of slight disrepair likely due to its age.


Supporting cast

Devon Miles
Michael and KITT answered directly to Devon Miles (played by Edward Mulhare). Devon played the dual role of friend and leader of the team. He appears in almost every episode, usually to give the background on an assignment or situation in the beginning, and to help conclude the plot lines at the end. His extremely proper, British upbringing (even though the actor was, in fact, Irish) plays a large role in his demeanor, in a somewhat similar fashion to Higgins in Magnum, P.I., though a definite social hierarchy exists in Knight Rider (a boss and his employee). Initially, Devon was very displeased and unimpressed with Wilton Knight's choice of a successor, although Michael soon proved himself. Even so, particularly in the first season or two, Devon was often frustrated by the destruction and mayhem Michael would cause in the course of his missions. However Michael always treated Devon with the respect and care as that of a father. There were times they disagreed, but always came to the same conclusion. By the end of the show's run, they seldom disagreed to any great extent.

In some episodes, his handling of situations is aided by his way with words, and in others that same ability is used for comic relief; a foil to American culture. Devon was an experienced and resourceful man who had evaded the Gestapo during World War II, and defended the Foundation for Law and Government whenever it came under negative scrutiny. On more than one occasion, Devon's role as leader of FLAG put him in situations of extreme danger, from which he was always somehow saved or able to recover. Devon was finally murdered in the year 2000 by Thomas J. Watts, a released murderer working with members of the Seattle police to overthrow a gun ban in Knight Rider 2000.


Bonnie Barstow

Patricia McPherson as Bonnie Barstow in Knight RiderBonnie Barstow (Patricia McPherson) served as KITT's chief mechanic. She acted like a female agent "Q" from James Bond; and was just as argumentative with the hero of the show, Michael Knight. She also served as romantic tension for Michael, as well as constructing new devices to aid KITT's performance in the field. Bonnie was chief mechanic in Seasons 1, 3 and 4.

In season 1 - episode 10 - 'Inside Out' - 08:25, Michael asks rhetorically while in KITT, "I wonder if there's a real woman under those overalls, or just a robot?" KITT displays a schematic of Bonnie and answers, "Under the overalls she's 168 cm tall, 54 kilos in weight, 97 cm bust, other measurements: 61..."

McPherson constantly pushed for more to do in the series, possibly even having a romance with Knight, but as a result was dropped after the first season. However, the character and her relationship with Knight was popular enough for fans to write in by the sackload, leading to her being re-introduced at the start of the third season.


April Curtis

Rebecca Holden as April Curtis in the Knight Rider episode GoliathApril Curtis (Rebecca Holden) replaced Bonnie's role in Season 2 (1983-1984).

Holden was brought in because Patricia McPherson was fired at the end of season one, and producer Robert Foster wanted to add (his own words) "glitz" to the series. Taking over the role of KITT's technician, April seemed to be more knowledgeable in medicine than Bonnie, though both were (arguably) about evenly matched in terms of physics. However, the relationship between Michael and April was different to Bonnie's relationship with Michael. Michael treated April with more respect and care as that of a sister. Michael and Bonnie's relationship had more sexual tension. Although in an interview, presumably held at the end of the second season, in the second UK Knight Rider annual Holden said that she has just renewed her contract and planned to stay with the show, April left the series without a trace as Patricia McPherson was re-hired for seasons 3 and 4.

In the third tie-in novel from the series, Mirror Image (adapted from the feature-length episode Goliath), it is stated that April is in fact Devon's daughter, but this was never mentioned in the series proper and is not considered canon.


RC3

Peter Parros in Knight Rider season 4 opening.
Reginald Cornelius III (Peter Parros), or "RC3" for short (often abbreviated to simply "RC" in the show), appears in Season 4. RC brought a different set of talents to FLAG, most notably his "street smarts" and ability to back Michael up in physical confrontations. He also is sometimes the driver of the semi. RC rides a dirt bike, and often gets to accompany Michael on missions. He saves Michael on more than one occasion, but also requires rescuing himself at times since he does not share Michael's high level of martial arts training. The character was added to bring a more multiethnic appearance to the show (though the series regularly featured Hispanics and other minorities in the Guest Cast) and to add to the storylines.


Rogues Gallery
Michael and KITT generally had different enemies in each episode. No single type of criminal was the norm, as Michael clashed head on with mobile assassins, saboteurs, bio-terrorists, psychopaths, and even nuclear-powered military groups. The only continuing thread was that his adversaries operated "above the law"; that is to say, conventional law enforcement agencies were unable or unwilling to stop them. Most adversaries were permanently defeated or captured after one encounter, though a select few would later return to challenge the duo.

Perhaps most noted for repeat appearances was Michael's physical double Garthe Knight, an international criminal who happened to be Wilton Knight's natural son. Garth piloted a huge, nearly indestructible truck named Goliath (a Peterbilt 352 Pacemaker). Goliath also counts as a nemesis of a sort for KITT, since it shared the same Molecular Bonded Shell, although it had no artificial intelligence.

Other repeat enemies included KARR, an "evil" prototype of KITT, and Adrianne Margeaux, a highly educated and wealthy criminal who made appearances in two episodes (one of them a two-parter). In her second appearance, she teamed up with Garthe Knight and Goliath to attempt to defeat Michael Knight (the only occurrence that two previous villains team up).

It is notable that while Knight Rider portrayed a wide variety of situations and enemies, some actors and actresses were re-hired to play different roles later in the series. Both Ann Turkel (first as the aforementioned Adrianne Margeaux, then later as Bianca, the leader of a team of female extortionists) and John Considine (first as Boyd LaSalle, an electronics expert operating in Louisiana in Season 3, then as Phillip Nordstrom, a cybernetically-enhanced international terrorist in Season 4) made repeated appearances, as did other actors in more minor roles. This is a common practice for long-running TV shows: MacGyver, Dragnet, Law & Order, and the Star Trek series are just a very few shows that have also employed "re-casting".

A few episodes, such as Season 3's "Knight of the Chameleon", feature Michael and KITT facing adversaries that dialogue indicated they had encountered in the past, despite such encounters not having been previously depicted in an actual produced episode.


Spinoffs
Second season writer Tom Greene originally pitched the episode Speed Demons to be a new pilot, similar to 1985's Street Hawk. The deal fell through.

The two part episode "Mouth of the Snake" served as a backdoor pilot for a short lived series entitled Code of Vengeance, revolving around Vietnam vet David Dalton. The Knight Rider episode featured David exhibiting great gymnastics, not unlike The Six Million Dollar Man sans bionics, but when Code of Vengeance aired, Dalton was an ordinary-skilled drifter. It soon fell off the schedules after only five episodes.

The television show spawned two made-for-television movies:

Knight Rider 2000, a 1991 sequel movie featuring Michael Knight and Devon Miles (who is killed off), with KITT being given a new sporty red body as the Knight 4000, and serving as a Television pilot for a would-be new series starring Susan Norman as Shawn McCormick, but it did not sell.
Knight Rider 2010, a 1994 movie very loosely based on the show. In this case, a Classic 1969 Ford Mustang 1 replaces the legendary Pontiac Trans Am, and there are very few links to the original show, so much so that it may not be considered canon other than for carrying the Knight Rider title.
There is now confirmation of a third movie with a possible release year of 2008

In 1997, the fleet of intelligent vehicles grew in the TV series Team Knight Rider. Set sometime in the near future, the show featured Attack Beast, a Ford F-150 all-terrain vehicle; Dante, a Ford Expedition sport-utility vehicle; Domino, a Ford Mustang convertible; and Kat and Plato, twin customized motorcycles. The shows lead stars included Brixton Karnes, Christine Steel and Kathy Tragesar. Michael Knight returned at the end of the final episode of the first season, though not played by Hasselhoff; this was a cliffhanger intended to be explained in the next season; However the show did not fully catch on and the second season was not commissioned.

According to USA Today, Glen A. Larson is in talks with a major production company to write the script for the new Knight Rider movie. Larson intends that the film be a bit darker than the original series, utilizing "foxhole" humor.




Similar shows
Debuting in 1982, the show was an instant hit, and inspired several other "crimefighter plus high-tech vehicle" series, such as Airwolf, Viper, Street Hawk, Blue Thunder and The Highwayman. There were also a few animated cartoon series partially inspired by the series; one was Turbo Teen, which featured a teenager who could morph into a talking car. Also, the cartoon series Pole Position, which was based off the popular Namco arcade game featured high-tech talking racecars. Glen A. Larson also produced a short-lived show called Automan that featured a hero with a virtual computer sidekick called "Cursor" that could become whatever was needed at the moment. Cursor often rendered the form of a car that would turn corners at 90 degrees, throwing passengers across the car. According to an interview with Sci-Fi Channel, Glen said he intended for Automan to be (technologically-speaking) "a step above Knight Rider."


Automotive design
Knight Rider had a profound effect on consumer expectations, and the motor industry reacted accordingly. Within a couple of years of the show's runaway success, motor manufacturers began offering vehicles with digital LED instrumentation, and even trip computers and security systems which used electronic voice synthesisers which played back "talking" messages to the driver.

It has been alleged that customers would visit their local Pontiac Dealership and request a Trans Am "Knight Rider" edition. Pontiac then told Glen Larson to refer to the car as a "Black T-Top" instead.


Toys and games
Various toy versions of KITT were released and produced solid profits. Among the more notable of the Knight Rider memorabilia includes the remote controlled KITT, the Knight Rider lunch box, and the deluxe version of KITT. This final model, sold by Kenner Toys and dubbed the "Knight Rider Voice Car", spoke electronically (actual voice of William Daniels!), featured a detailed interior and a Michael Knight action figure as well. Also various electronics firms sold kits to add the running red lights to any car.

In the 80's there was a Knight Rider toy vehicle for Germany's Darda system.

Knight Rider was turned into a computer game in 1986 for several popular 8-bit formats, although it only received a partial release. In the modern era, Knight Rider the Game was produced by Davilex International under license. Players drive KITT through 15 missions. With the popularity of Knight Rider the Game, Davilex also released a sequel in late 2004. The second game didn't follow the original series as much because KITT had weapons.

In Japan, between 2002 and 2004, a Japanese toy manufacturer Aoshima which had the official license to produce Knight Rider merchandise, produced the Knight Rider FLAG trailer truck 1/28 scale model and a KITT and KARR mini-Z racers (these were R/C cars).

Charawheels 1/64 scale die-cast toy model of KITT (2004) — Charawheels is “Hot Wheels” in Japan. This toy is very hard to find now.

As with many popular series of the era (including The Dukes of Hazzard, The A-Team et al), ERTL released die-cast toys of KITT in three different sizes - the common miniature sized model, a 'medium' sized model, and a large sized model. These toys featured red reflective holograms on the nose to represent the scanner (however, they were located on the point of the nose, rather like the early mock-up of KITT seen in the Pilot) as opposed to altering the basic model design to incorporate the scanner as commonly seen in the series. The toys also included round steering wheels as opposed to KITT's customised one. Also in late 2004, 1/18 scale die-cast models of KITT and KARR were produced from ERTL complete with detailed interior and light up moving scanner just like in the series. KARR was later manufactured by Aoshima. They repainted the KITT models that they got from ERTL with KARR's colours and changed the scanner to amber. Both KITT and KARR sold very well both in stores and online. These models are still available on various websites selling die-cast models, as well as eBay.

In September 2006, Hitari, a UK based company that produces remote control toy cars, released the Knight Rider KITT remote control car in 1/15 scale complete with the working red scanner lights, KITT's voice from the TV show and the car's turbine engine sound with the "whoosh whoosh" scanner sound effect. This can still be found online at eBay or at some stores in the UK.

In March 2007, Advanced Mobile Solutions Ltd (AMS) published the Knight Rider mobile game in 2D and 3D versions. The game has been released on wireless carriers' networks in Europe with a planned Q2 2007 release in the U.S. and Asia. In the 10 multi-level missions, the user plays avatar Michael Knight and drives KITT to combat enemies such as KARR, Goliath, the Fist and others.


Stardom
Knight Rider was David Hasselhoff's first major television role and it established him as a popular star. He achieved even greater fame in the worldwide syndicated hit Baywatch.

ALF

ALF is a 30-minute television sitcom that originally ran on NBC from 1986 to 1990. The plot involves the title character Gordon Shumway, an alien nicknamed A.L.F. or (Alien Life Form) portrayed by Paul Fusco and Michu Meszaros, who crash lands in the garage of the suburban middle class Tanner family. The series starred Max Wright as father Willie Tanner, Anne Schedeen as mother Kate Tanner, and Andrea Elson and Benji Gregory Hertzberg as their two children Lynn and Brian Tanner.


Premise
ALF follows an amateur radio signal to Earth and crash-lands into the garage of the Tanners. The Tanners are a suburban middle class family consisting of the social worker Willie, his wife Kate, their children Lynn and Brian, and the cat Lucky.

Unsure what to do, the Tanners take ALF into their home and hide him from the Alien Task Force (a part of the U.S. military) and their nosy neighbors (the Ochmaneks), until he can repair his spacecraft. He generally hid in the kitchen. It was eventually revealed that Melmac exploded as a result of a nuclear war, and that ALF was off the planet because he was part of the Melmac Orbit Guard. Shumway was not only homeless, but also, to the best of his knowledge, the last survivor of both his civilization and his species. He became a permanent member of the family, although his culture shock, survivor guilt, general boredom, despair, and loneliness frequently caused difficulty for the Tanners.

While most of the science fiction of ALF was played for comedic value, there were a few references to actual topics in space exploration. For example, ALF's using a radio signal as a beacon in the pilot episode. In the episode "Weird Science", ALF told Brian, who was building a model of the solar system for school, that there were two planets beyond Pluto called "Alvin" and "Dave". However, after a call was made to an astronomical organization, Willie explained that "Dave" could have been the planetoid Chiron, or "Object Kowal", after its discoverer.

The original series spans over four seasons and 102 episodes (each episode's name is also the name of a song relevant to the episode's plot), in which Alf learns about Earth culture and makes new friends both within the Tanner family and without, including Willie's brother Neal, Kate's mother Dorothy (with whom Alf has a love-hate relationship — he refers to her as the Wicked Witch of the West, a reference to the Wizard of Oz), her husband Whizzer, the Ochmoneks' nephew Jake, a psychiatrist named Larry, and a blind woman named Jody (who never quite figures out that Alf isn't human, though she is aware through touch that he is short and very hairy). Changes pass within the Tanner household over the course of the series, including the birth of a new child, Eric (The explanation for adding a baby in the series was that Anne Schedeen was pregnant and expecting a child at the time.), Alf's move from his initial quarters in the laundry room to a converted attic "apartment", and the death of Lucky the cat; in the final instance, Alf finds that, despite his occasional attempts to catch Lucky with the intention of making the cat a meal, he has come to love and respect the family pet too much to do anything untoward with Lucky's remains.

In the series finale, Alf is about to be rescued by other survivors of his home planet, but is instead captured by the American military, and the viewer is left to ponder Alf's ultimate fate. (This was not supposed to be the finale, as the original airing ended on a "To Be Continued" note. At the time, the show was in limbo as to whether it would get a fifth season. The producers supposedly had a verbal agreement with NBC to get at least one more episode to resolve the cliffhanger. NBC never made good on the deal, and no more episodes were created.)


Cast

Max Wright, Anne Schedeen, Benji Gregory, & Andrea Elson with Alf from the Alf Season 1 & Season 2 title sequence.Max Wright - Willie Tanner
Anne Schedeen - Kate Tanner
Andrea Elson - Lynn Tanner
Benji Gregory - Brian Tanner
John LaMotta - Trevor Ochmonek
Liz Sheridan - Raquel Ochmonek
Josh Blake - Jake Ochmonek (seasons 2-4)
Jim J. Bullock - Neal Tanner (season 4)
Lucky the Cat - himself
Lisa Buckley - Alf assistant/puppeteer
Bob Fappiano - Alf assistant/puppeteer
Michu Meszaros was the actor within the Alf costume. Paul Fusco operated the Alf puppet (assisted by puppeteers Lisa Buckley and Bob Fappiano), supplied Alf's voice and co-produced the series with Tom Patchett. Patchett also co-created, wrote, and directed the series.

I Married Joan

I Married Joan is a 1952-1955 television situation comedy that originally aired on NBC. It starred veteran vaudeville, film, and radio comedienne Joan Davis as the manic wife of a mild-mannered community judge, Bradley Stevens (Jim Backus).

The show announced itself each week as "America's favorite comedy show, starring America's queen of comedy, Joan Davis, as Mrs. Joan Stevens." Davis got the couple into and out of numerous wacky jams, with or without the help of her younger sister (played by her real-life daughter, Beverly Wills). Episodes usually began with Backus as Judge Stevens recalling yet another merry mishap, followed by the unfolding of the mishap, and ending with Stevens summing it up.

I Married Joan aimed at the viewers making a hit out of I Love Lucy, a year older and already television's top-rated situation comedy. Despite Davis's physical and verbal comedy talents, however, the show lasted only three full seasons in first-run production before falling victim to weakening ratings. Various retrospectives of the show have suggested Joan Davis did it as much to help secure her daughter's as well as her own financial future; Davis herself did little if any show business work after the series ended, beyond shooting an occasional television pilot, before her unexpected death of heart failure in 1961.

In the early 1980s, American cable television viewers saw I Married Joan once again: the CBN cable network bought the old episodes and began showing them, in 1982-83, in a late-night block that included another TV sitcom, Gale Storm's legendary My Little Margie. This resurrection of I Married Joan remained on the air almost as long as the show had been broadcast in the first place. The show is now said to be seen in scattered viewings on small, localised television stations, while copies of Davis's radio work of the 1940s remain in circulation among collectors.October 15, 1952 - April 6, 1955
NBC Situation Comedy - 98 Episodes

Cast:
Joan Stevens: Joan Davis
Judge Bradley Stevens: Jim Backus
Charlie, their neighbor: Hal Smith
Mabel, his wife: Geraldine Carr
Janet Tobin: Sheila Bromley
Kerwin Tobin: Dan Tobin
Mildred Webster: Sandra Gould
Beverly Grossman: Beverly Wills
Helen, Joan's friend: Mary Jane Croft
Minerva Parker: Hope Emerson
Wally: Wally Brown
Sally: Sally Payne

I Married Joan

Friends

Friends is a US situation comedy about a group living in the New York City borough of Manhattan that was originally broadcast from 1994 to 2004. It was created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, and produced by Kevin S. Bright, Marta Kauffman and David Crane. The show has been broadcast in over one hundred countries and still continues to attract good ratings for its episodes in syndication. The final episode of the show was watched by an estimated 51.1 million viewers.Friends was created in 1994 by David Crane and Marta Kauffman as a followup to their cable series Dream On. Friends was aimed at young adults who, during the early 1990s, were identified by their café culture, dating scene and modern independence.

Originally to be named Across the Hall, Six of One, Insomnia Café, or Friends Like Us, Friends was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television, for NBC in the U.S., and was first broadcast on that network. 'Friends' debuted on September 22, 1994. The show was a huge success throughout its ten year run and was a staple of the NBC Thursday night line-up.[2] The final episode aired on May 6, 2004. The finale was one of the most-watched series finales in television history, behind only M*A*S*H, Cheers, and Seinfeld.

Two of the series' stars, Matthew Perry and Jennifer Aniston, had already appeared in several unsuccessful sitcom pilots. Another, Lisa Kudrow, was also familiar with working on sitcoms, having played Ursula Buffay on Mad About You. (In a postmodern twist, it was revealed in 'Friends' that Phoebe was Ursula's twin sister.) Kudrow was cast in the pilot of Frasier in the role of Roz, but the part was later re-cast with Peri Gilpin in the role. [1]. Courteney Cox was already an accomplished TV and film actress when she was cast in 'Friends', having appeared in the likes of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and with several minor roles on sitcoms such as Seinfeld and Family Ties. The character of Ross was written with David Schwimmer in mind; having auditioned for Crane and Kauffman in the past, Schwimmer was said to have a memorable voice and was most known for his Broadway work. Matt LeBlanc appeared as Vinnie Verducci in Married... with Children in the early 1990s and starred in that sitcom's short-lived spin-off, Top of the Heap, as well as in the unrelated Vinnie & Bobby, but before that had mainly been focusing on advertising and modeling work when he was cast as Joey Tribbiani.

During the show's run, the cast all achieved household name celebrity status,[5] and all pursued careers in the movies, with varied success. Aniston's movie career is predominantly populated with light rom-coms. Cox made several lightweight films, though achieved her greatest success with the Scream series. Kudrow fared best in low budget indie films - a far cry from the role of Phoebe, most notably The Opposite of Sex. The male cast fared less well in the movie world.

During the 1994-2004 run, four of the cast married. Kudrow was first to marry in 1995 to advertising executive Michel Stern. Cox married next in 1999, wedding Scream co-star David Arquette. Aniston married film star Brad Pitt in 2000 and Le Blanc married long-term girlfriend Melissa McKnight in 2003. Kudrow gave birth to son Julian in 1999 (her pregnancy was incorporated into the show, as explained in the 'Season 5' section). Le Blanc's wife, McKnight, gave birth not long before the end of the show, and Cox gave birth to her long-awaited first child within a month of the final episode of 'Friends' being screened. Since the end of 'Friends', both Aniston and Le Blanc's marriages have ended.

Behind the scenes, the show was known for its unusually cohesive and unified cast. The six main actors made deliberate efforts, from early on, to keep the show's ensemble format and not allow one member to dominate. This included requesting that all actors on the show be nominated either for the same category of award ("Supporting Actor" until 2001, then "Lead Actor" from 2002 onwards) or not at all, and entering collective instead of individual salary negotiations. The actors became such close friends that one guest star, Tom Selleck, reported sometimes feeling left out. The cast remained good friends after the show's run, most notably Courteney Cox and Jennifer Aniston, with Aniston being godmother to Courtney's daughter, Coco.

The Friends' Fountain
The fountain seen in the opening title sequence can be found at the Warner Bros. Ranch at 411 N. Hollywood Way, in Burbank, California, about a half mile north of the main studio lot. The fountain was also used prominently in the finale of the Charlton Heston classic, The Omega Man, and in the film version of the Broadway musical, 1776. The opening scene was shot at about 4:00 in the morning while it was extremely cold.

Perry Mason

PERRY MASON

U.S. Legal Drama/Mystery

Perry Mason is the longest running lawyer show in American television history. Its original run lasted nine years and its success in both syndication and made-for-television movies confirm its impressive stamina. Mason's fans include lawyers and judges who were influenced by this series to enter their profession. The Mason character was created by mystery writer Erle Stanley Gardner and delivered his first brief in the novel The Case of the Velvet Claws (1933). From 1934 to 1937 Warners produced six films featuring Mason. A radio series also based on Mason ran every weekday afternoon on CBS radio from 1944 to 1955 as a detective/soap opera. When the CBS television series was developed as an evening drama, the radio series was changed from Perry Mason to The Edge of Night and the cast renamed so as not to compete against the television series.

The title character is a lawyer working out of Los Angeles. Mason, played by Raymond Burr, is teamed with two talented and ever faithful assistants: trusty and beautiful secretary Della Street, played by Barbara Hale, and the suave but boyish private detective Paul Drake, played by William Hopper. In each episode this trio worked to clear their innocent client of the charge of murder against the formidable district attorney Hamilton Burger, played by William Talman. Most episodes follow this simple formula: the guest characters are introduced and their situation shows that at least one of them is capable of murder. When the murder happens, an innocent person (most often a woman) is accused, and Mason takes the case. As evidence mounts against his client, Mason pulls out a legal maneuver involving some courtroom "pyrotechnics." This not only proves his client innocent, but identifies the real culprit. These scenes are easily the best and most memorable. It is not because they are realistic. On the contrary, they are hardly that. What is so engaging about them is the combination of Mason's efforts to free his client, perhaps a surprise witness brought in by Drake in the closing courtroom scene, and a dramatic courtroom confession. The murderer being in the courtroom during the trial and not hiding out in the Bahamas provides the single most important image of each episode. The murderer forgoes the fifth amendment and admits his/her guilt in an often tearful outburst of "I did it! And I'm glad I did!" This happens under the shocked, amazed eyes of district attorney Burger and the stoic, sure face of defense attorney Mason.

Although it is often identified with other lawyer dramas such as L. A. Law and The Defenders, Perry Mason is more of a detective series. Each episode is a carefully structured detective puzzle that both established and perpetuated a number of conventions associated with most television detective series. Perry Mason uses the legal profession and the trial situation as a forum for detective work. Although strictly formulaic, each episode is guided by the elements of the variations that distinguish one episode from another. For example, since nearly every episode began with the guest characters rather than with the series regulars, these guest characters set the tone for the rest of the episode. If it is going to be youth oriented, these characters are young. If it is going to be a contested will, the heirs are introduced.

The credit for the series' success is split equally between Burr, the Perry Mason production style and the series' creator Gardner. Burr provided the characterization of a cool, calculating attorney, while the production style builds tension in plots at once solidly formulaic and cleverly surprising, and Gardner, as an uncredited executive story editor, made sure each episode carefully blended legal drama with clever detective work. In all, the series won three Emmys, two for Burr and one for Hale.

The series made a brief return in 1973 with the same production team as the original series, but with a new cast. Monte Markham replaced Burr. That this version did not survive 15 episodes reveals that one of the key draws of the original series is the casting. It is interesting to note, however, that Markham's Mason was closer to the one featured in the original novels. Both were brash, elegant and coolly businesslike in their dealings with clients, something Burr never was. But it is Burr's coolness and control that became so identified with the character that, for the television audience, there was no other Mason than Burr.

Burr returned to his role in 1985 for the beginning of an almost ten year run of made-for-television movies beginning with Perry Mason Returns. This is followed by The Case of the Notorious Nun (1986). Burr is back as Mason, albeit a bit older, grayer and bearded, with Barbara Hale as his executive secretary. Since William Hopper died in 1970, William Katt (who is the real life son of Barbara Hale) is featured in the first nine episodes as Paul Drake, Jr. In The Case of the Lethal Lesson (1989), Katt is replaced by a graduating law student Ken Malansky, played by William R. Moses. Each plot is developed over two hours instead of one and the extra time is made up of extended chases and blind alleys. Yet the basic formula stays the same.

This newest version of Perry Mason takes an interesting twist in the spring of 1994. After Burr's death in the fall of 1993, executive producers Fred Silverman and Dean Hargrove followed the wishes of the estate of Erle Stanley Gardner and kept the character alive but off-screen. First to replace him as visiting attorney was Paul Sorvino as Anthony Caruso in The Case of the Wicked Wives (1993) and then Hal Holbrook as "Wild Bill" McKenzie in The Case of the Lethal Lifestyle (1994). In each movie, Mason is conveniently absent. Street and Malansky are still available as assistants for the "visiting" attorney and the series is still called A Perry Mason Mystery, so that, production after production, the character lives on.

-J. Dennis Bounds


Perry Mason

CAST(1957-1966)

Perry Mason ............................................Raymond Burr Della Street............................................... Barbara Hale Paul Drake ............................................William Hopper Hamilton Burger .....................................William Talman Lt. Arthur Tragg (1957-1965)......................... Ray Collins David Gideon (1961-1962)................................ Karl Held Lt. Anderson (1961-1965)............................. Wesley Lau Lt. Steve Drumm (1965-1966).............. Richard Anderson Sgt. Brice (1959-1966).................................... Lee Miller Terrence Clay (1965-1966).............................. Dan Tobin

CAST (1973-1974)

Perry Mason .........................................Monte Markham Della Street.............................................. Sharon Acker Paul Drake............................................. Albert Stratton Lt. Arthur Tragg............................................ Dane Clark Hamilton Burger..................................... Harry Guardino Gertrude Lade ...........................................Brett Somers

PRODUCERS Gail Patrick Jackson, Arthur Marks, Art Seid, Sam White, Ben Brady

PROGRAMMING HISTORY 245 Episodes

CBS
September 1957-September 1962 Saturday 7:30-8:30 September 1962-September 1963 Thursday 8:00-9:00 September 1963-September 1964 Thursday 9:00-10:00 September 1964-September 1965 Thursday 8:00-9:00 September 1965-September 1966 Sunday 9:00-10:00 September 1973-January 1974 Sunday 7:30-8:30

FURTHER READING

Fugate, Francis L., and Roberta B. Fugate. Secrets of the World's Best Selling Writer: The Storytelling Techniques of Erle Stanley Gardner. New York: Morrow, 1980.

Hughes, Dorothy B. Erle Stanley Gardner: The Case of the Real Perry Mason. New York: Morrow, 1978.

Kelleher, Brian, and Diana Merrill. The Perry Mason Show Book. New York: St. Martin's, 1987.

Martindale, David. The Perry Mason Casebook. New York: Pioneer, 1991.

Meyers, Richard. TV Detectives. San Diego, California: Barnes, 1988.

The Patty Duke Show

The Patty Duke Show was a sitcom which ran on ABC from September 18, 1963 to the final episode aired on May 4, 1966 and repeats through August 31, 1966. The show was created as a vehicle for rising star Patty Duke, who had recently won an Academy Award for The Miracle Worker. A total of 104 episodes were produced, most written by Sidney Sheldon.

Cast

Patty Lane was a normal teenager living in the Brooklyn Heights section of New York City, who loved boys, ice cream, and sleepovers. In the first episode, her "identical cousin" Cathy Lane (also played by Duke) arrived in the United States from Scotland to live with Patty's family. Their close physical resemblance to each other is explained by their fathers being identical twin brothers. Rounding out the case was William Schallert as Patty's father Martin Lane, Jean Byron as Patty's mother Natalie Lane, Paul O'Keefe as Patty's brother Ross Lane, and Eddie Applegate as Patty's boyfriend, Richard Harrison.

In the pilot episode only, Mark Miller played Patty's father and Charles Herbert played Patty's brother. The pilot episode was not aired as such, but parts of it were used in the last episode of the first season with the Schallert and O'Keefe in their respective roles.


Synopsis
Patty's father, Martin (Schallert, who also played Cathy's father in a handful of episodes), was the managing editor of the fictitious New York Chronicle; Cathy's father also worked for the Chronicle as a foreign correspondent. It was Cathy's father's wish that she complete her secondary schooling in the United States before she would be allowed to return to Scotland. Cathy was much more worldly, and the aggravations that came from the two girls' very different personalities set the tone for much of the sitcom. The show's theme song, which has since been parodied many times over in pop culture, illustrates the two girls' differences: Cathy adores the minuet, the Ballet Russe, and crêpes suzette, while Patty loved to rock 'n' roll; a hot dog "made her lose control."


Patty Duke as Cathy & Patty LaneThe dual role for Duke challenged special effects for its time, considering television special effects were rare in the early 1960s, particularly for a sitcom. When special effects weren't practical, child actress Rita McLaughlin was used as Duke's double (almost always seen only from behind). Ironically, McLaughlin's hair was bright red while Duke was a brunette. This proved not to be a problem for the show since the two actresses' hair shades appeared the same in monochrome.

Already a budding star in her own right, Duke was further thrust into the public consciousness through the show. As the series went on, her star power from the series allowed her to enter the realm of popular music, releasing a Top Ten single, "Don't Just Stand There", in 1965.


Guest Stars
The Patty Duke Show featured many popular stars of the 1960s including:

Chad and Jeremy
Frankie Avalon
Bobby Vinton
Sal Mineo

Cancellation
Although the series was still popular during its final season, ABC decided not to renew it for the '66/'67 season on the basis that filming it in color would have been prohibitively expensive.


Reunion
In 1999, CBS aired the tv movie The Patty Duke Show: Still Rockin' In Brooklyn Heights, which reunited most of the original cast, including Duke, Byron, O'Keefe, Schallert, and Applegate. In Still Rockin', Patty and Richard married after high school, had a son, and were amicably divorced (though toward the end of the movie, they reconcile). Cathy is a widow living in Scotland and has a teenage son. Most of the plot revolves around Patty's old rival Sue Ellen's plans to buy Brooklyn Heights High School, raze it, and replace it with a mall, which is opposed by Patty, Cathy, and the rest of the family.