September 12, 1966: "The Monkees" Premieres

Left to right: Peter Tork, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, Micky Dolenz

September 12, 1966: Here they come… The Monkees premieres on NBC. They are designed to appeal to kids who loved The Beatles, but didn't like how they got "weird" with Rubber Soul and Revolver and talk about being "more popular than Jesus now."

Trade publications Daily Variety and The Hollywood Reporter ran an advertisement in their September 8, 1965 editions, seeking "Folk & Roll Musicians-Singers for acting roles in new TV series." As many as 400 hopefuls showed up to be considered as one of "4 insane boys." Of these, 14 actors from the audition pool were brought back for screen tests, and the last 4 were chosen after audience research:

* Peter Halsten Thorkelson, a.k.a. Peter Tork, born February 13, 1942 in Washington, D.C. He had been recommended to the producers by his friend, Stephen Stills, after Stills failed his audition, before becoming a member of first Buffalo Springfield, and then Crosby, Stills & Nash (& sometimes Young). Allegedly, Stills was rejected because of crooked teeth.

Tork was a skilled multi-instrumentalist, who had performed at various Greenwich Village folk clubs before moving west, where he worked as a busboy. He became the keyboard player.

* Robert Michael Nesmith, a.k.a. Mike Nesmith, born December 30, 1942 in Houston. His mother, Bette Nesmith Graham, had invented a correction fluid, and founded the company that became Liquid Paper. Mike had served a brief stint in the U.S. Air Force, and, like Jones, had recorded for Colpix, under the name "Michael Blessing."

Oddly, he was the only one of 4 men chosen to be Monkees who had come for the audition based on seeing the trade magazine ad. He showed up to the audition with his laundry, and impressed the producers with his laid-back style and droll sense of humor. He also wore a woollen hat to keep his hair out of his eyes when he rode his motorcycle. The hat remained part of Nesmith's wardrobe. He became the band's guitarist.

* George Michael Dolenz Jr., a.k.a. Micky Dolenz, born March 8, 1945 in Los Angeles. The son of screen actor George Dolenz, he had prior screen experience under the name "Mickey Braddock" as the 10-year-old star of the Circus Boy series in the 1950s. He became the drummer.

* David Thomas Jones, a.k.a. Davy Jones, born December 30, 1945 in Manchester, England. A former jockey, he had achieved some initial success on the musical stage, appearing with the cast of the Broadway musical Oliver! on The Ed Sullivan Show on the night of The Beatles' live American debut. He was appearing in Columbia Pictures productions, and recording for the Coplix record label, and had been identified in advance as a potential star for the series. He became the lead singer.

The show's music had several songwriters, including the team of Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart, who wrote their theme song and their 1st Number 1 hit, "Last Train to Clarksville"; the then-married team of Gerry Goffin and Carole King, who wrote their Number 3 hit "Pleasant Valley Sunday"; and a young Neil Diamond, who wrote their Number 1 hit "I'm a Believer" and their Number 2 hit "A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You." John Stewart, who took Dave Guard's place in The Kingston Trio, wrote "Daydream Believer," which became their 3rd and last Number 1 hit. 

Their silly adventures in wildly-colored outfits helped to inspire cartoons like Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? The fact that they were also a band helped inspire cartoons like The Archies and Josie & the Pussycats. And, because of The Monkees' success, another English singer named David Jones ended up changing his name, becoming David Bowie.

While the program showed them playing their own instruments, they did not do so on the recordings on which they sang. Nor did they write most of their own songs. Finally, they objected, and had one Top 40 hit that was all their own: "The Girl I Knew Somewhere."

It took 2 years, but TV viewers figured out that these guys were not as good as The Beatles. But they were certainly better than, say, The Partridge Family. But the 1960s nostalgia wave kicked in, and by the mid-1980s, they were popular on "the oldies circuit."

Davy Jones died on February 29, 2012, at the age of 66. Peter Tork died on February 21, 2019, at 77. Michael Nesmith died on December 10, 2021, at 78. As of September 12, 2022, Micky Dolenz is the last survivor, 77.

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September 12, 1966 was a Monday. Musician Ben Folds and actor Darren E. Burrows were born.

There were only 2 baseball games played. The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Mets, 5-4 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Rookie Don Sutton started for the Dodgers, but it was reliever Ron Perranoski who was the winning pitcher. Tug McGraw started and lost for the Mets, and was later converted into a relief pitcher.

And the California Angels beat the Baltimore Orioles, 6-5 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Frank Robinson hit a home run. Brooks Robinson went 0-for-3 with 2 walks. It didn't matter: Just 10 days later, the Orioles clinched their 1st American League Pennant, and beat the Dodgers in the World Series.