Tonight’s episode: “Monkee Chow Mein” (Season 1, Episode 26)
Air date: March 13th, 1967
hypertext transfer protocol : //www.youtube.com/watch ? v=MhLJH9g71hY
Before we begin, let ’ s address a blazing fact : by modern standards, this episode is racist. identical, identical racist. The quasi-Imperialist and exaggerated taiwanese characters, with banal accents, wearing braids and banging gongs, may have been a curious send-up of an “ alien ” acculturation 50 years ago, but is cringe-worthy when viewed from a 21st-Century perspective .
Our boys are enjoying dinner at the China Boy Club Chinese restaurant — and Peter is filling his pooch bag with testis rolls for a frump they don ’ t have. Davy shares with his mates that he enjoys this identify because it is “ peaceful and quietly, far off from the cares of the world. ” not for retentive, Davy !
We soon discover that this restaurant is not what it seems. Following a waiter into a room marked “ Very Private, ” we are introduced to our villains : the gangster Dragonman, his right homo Toto, and his other confederate Chang ( Kay Shimatsu ). We learn that the restaurant is a front for extraneous spies, and the gangsters use luck cookies to pass along Secret Spy Formulas and information .
Dragonman reminds Toto of the first rule of their spy organization : “ He who eat cookie screw up formula somethin ’ severe ” and instructs him to bring out a plate of luck cookies and distribute them to specific patrons. Peter takes one of the fortune cookies, and the boys leave the restaurant — only to be followed by cryptic men donning sunglasses. One of these men orders the Monkees into a car and drives them away .
The boys find themselves in a strange room being interrogated by one Agent Modell. They learn that they have been taken to the Central Intelligence Service ( CIS ) because Peter unwittingly picked up a patch of relegate information with his fortune cookie. Agent Modell is played by Mike Farrell, who later went on to fame as Captain B.J. Hunnicutt in M*A*S*H .
examiner Blount ( Dave Barry ) brings Peter in and asks for the Monkees ’ help oneself to round up the spies, but they decline. interim, Dragonman tells Toto that they must capture “ the boy with the long hair named Peter ” to retrieve the missing musical composition of the convention. Toto confesses that this is a strange identify for farseeing haircloth ( BA-ZING ! ) .
If Dragonman looks conversant, it is because he is played by actor Joey Forman, who besides played the title quality in the Monkees ’ episode “ Captain Crocodile. ” Toto is played by Gene Dynarski who will late appear in the series CHiPs and the film Close Encounters of the Third Kind .
The Monkees go home, despite being skittish that the spies will come after them. They were right to be worried ! Toto and Chang pause in, sneak up on who they believe is Peter, and position a bag over his head .
They bring their victim to the “ Very Private ” room at the China Club, remove the bag, and it is Mr. Schneider, the boys ’ resident dummy. Dragonman pulls a chain on Mr. Schneider who tells them, “ It is better to have loved and lost then to have never loved at all. ”
Toto and Chang return to the embroider but mistakenly capture an annoyed Micky alternatively. Toto explains the confusion by saying that all Americans look alike to him — another racially tinged consequence that, while not directed at one of the chinese characters, reminds us all excessively well of unfortunate racial stereotypes .
The remaining Monkees go to Blount, and Peter confesses that it is he they are after. Blount offers to help the boys and reminds them that privacy is the CIS ’ most important weapon. “ Utter secrecy ! ” he exclaims. The Monkees repeat the word “ secrecy ” respective times until Blount asks what they are doing. “ Uttering ‘ privacy ’, ” answers Mike .
The Monkees tax return dwelling, and Peter writes a note explaining that he ’ south going back to the restaurant to confront the spies. After Davy and Mike discover the note, they find a phone booth and transform into the superheroes known as Monkeemen — their interpolate egos — in an attempt to rescue Micky and Peter. Take a close expect because this is the entirely episode during which Mike appears as one of the Monkeemen .
back at the restaurant, the henchmen boundary and gag Peter and bring him next to Micky. “ Thank heavens you ’ ve come ! ” exclaims Micky in a sarcastic spirit. As we ’ ve seen in past weeks, it ’ south obvious the Monkees are already starting to become tired of the scripts, and this position will become more obvious in season two.
The henchmen perform a few acts of agony on the boys until Dragonman has a change of affection, realizing his victims are merely musicians who don ’ t have any information. nowadays un-bound and un-gagged, Micky and Peter are told to choose one of the four doors behind them, but only one of them leads to freedom .
After slightly opening the first three doors and discovering danger on the early sides, they open the final door — lone to be greeted by Dragonman, Toto, and Chang. They are re-captured .
The Monkeemen break dance in, and havoc follows during the tune “ Your Auntie Grizelda, ” their go-to song for general chaos. Although never released as a unmarried, this cut from their sophomore album has become a concert favorite, and is still performed to this day. Led by Peter, “ Grizelda ” was penned by Jack Keller and Diane Hildebrand, who subsequently write “ early Morning Blues and Greens ” for the dance band ’ s adjacent album, Headquarters .
Keller co-wrote Bobby Vee ’ second 1961 start hit “ Run to Him ” with Gerry Goffin ( besides not a strange to the Monkees — he co-wrote “ Take A giant Step ” and “ Sometime In The Morning, ” with Carole King ; good to name a few ). He besides co-wrote the theme song to the television receiver express Bewitched with Howard Greenfield, and composed the theme song to the television show Gidget .
Diane Hildebrand would later write “ Goin ’ Down ” for the Monkees, a flashy tune featured as the flip side to their # 1 shoot “ Daydream Believer ” in 1968 .
After the Monkees run amuck, the CIS arrives and captures the spies ! The CIS takes away Dragonman and his henchmen, and the Monkees celebrate by enjoying another meal until Peter reads aloud from his fortune cookie. He is instructed to make contact with a improbable man wearing a carnation on the corner of…. uh oh ! Before Peter gets himself into more trouble, his friends take him home plate .
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Scott C. Forrest-Allen
Scott C. Forrest-Allen created broadwaybalcony.blogspot.com where he discusses field, music, restaurants, and his random thoughts. For the by twenty-five years, Scott has been acting, singing, dancing, being Master of Ceremonies, and writing. His short act And then There Were Eight, aka The Pluto Play debuted at the Northwood School of Drama, and he is planning to stage a full-length musical that he has co-written. When not onstage, Scott is in the water swim, playing body of water polo, doing synchronize naiant, or participating in/instructing greenish blue aerobics & greenish blue therapy. He listens to the Monkees, Fleetwood Mac, Blondie, the Beatles, and Journey .
