— 1968
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ThenBeatles was one of the hottest musical acts ever. People (and especiallyngirls) went so crazy over the Fab Four (as they were sometimesncalled) that reporters and concerned parents and TV hosts talkednabout Beatlemania. While concert venues hired thousands of securitynguards to keep up to 55,000 screaming fans in line, and show businessnrecords were shattered, the Beatles and their manager made quite anbit of money!
ThenBeatles was one of the hottest musical acts ever. People (and especiallyngirls) went so crazy over the Fab Four (as they were sometimesncalled) that reporters and concerned parents and TV hosts talkednabout Beatlemania. While concert venues hired thousands of securitynguards to keep up to 55,000 screaming fans in line, and show businessnrecords were shattered, the Beatles and their manager made quite anbit of money!n
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nAndnhundreds of thousands of teenaged boys grew their hair longer to copynthe Beatles’ “mop tops.” n
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| A Hard Day’s Night |
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nInnall that Beatle-craze, which included the release of a movie starring the Beatles called AnHard Day’s Night, some TV producers got a great idea: let’sncreate a pretend Beatles-like band and make a fun TV show with thensame kind of comedy featured in the Beatles’ movie.
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nDoesnthat sound like an idea that would work? Believe me, I was a teenagernat the time: it worked!
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Fournlikeable musician-actors were cast as band members, asked to grow their hair and get “Beatle haircuts,” and recorded some music. They took a six-week acting course and filmed TV episodes. Before the TV show evenndebuted, the first Monkees single became a hit, and laternthe first album shot up the charts as well. When the show firstnaired, September 12, 1966, it quickly became a massive success.
Fournlikeable musician-actors were cast as band members, asked to grow their hair and get “Beatle haircuts,” and recorded some music. They took a six-week acting course and filmed TV episodes. Before the TV show evenndebuted, the first Monkees single became a hit, and laternthe first album shot up the charts as well. When the show firstnaired, September 12, 1966, it quickly became a massive success.n
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nMoneynwas definitely made! n
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nAsna matter of fact, the TV show and singles and albums were such a success, that thenband went on tour and were greeted by some Monkee-mania–crowds ofnenthusiastic fans, screaming girls!
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nDidnyou know…?
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nSincenthe Beatles were often called “the Fab Four,” of course peoplenpoked fun at the manufactured group the Monkees by calling them thenPre-Fab Four. n
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nBothnthe Beatles and the Monkees have animal names that are slightlynmisspelled!
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nSomenmusicians who were considered for roles in the Monkees were guitaristnand singer/songwriter Stephen Stills (later famous in the bandsnBuffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young), PaulnWilliams (later famous as a composer and songwriter), the group ThenLovin’ Spoonful, and Danny Hutton (later famous in the band Three DognNight)–plus hundreds of other people who auditioned to be part ofnthe band and show.
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nAlthoughnthe people casting the show chose musicians to play the roles of the four musicians, the producersnwere reluctant to let them actually play their own music!nLater, after they became very popular and therefore much more powerful,nthe guys in the band insisted on playing (and at times even writing andnproducing) their own music.
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n“Hey, Hey, We’re the Monkees” was the silly song that started each show.nAnd “I’m a Believer” was a huge hit for the group.
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nAlthoughnthe Monkees-as-a-group was a major hit in almost every way, includingntelevision ratings, the TV show was canceled on this date in 1968.nAlso canned on this date were the shows “Bewitched” (in 1972) andn“Sanford and Son” (in 1977).
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nAlsonon this date:
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nIndependence Day in Greece
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nInternational Waffle Day (Vaffeldagen)
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