Why The Monkees Matter: Teenagers, Television and American Pop Culture
Category: Books
Quotes from “Why The Monkees Matter” by Dr. Rosanne Welch – 79 in a series – Differentiation
** Buy “Why The Monkees Matter” Today **
Eventually, the band members’ individual personalities were made apparent enough that they could even joke about the earlier confusion. In “Monkees Paw” (episode 51, season two) the show ends with Mike saying, “Well that wraps up another hilarious 30 minute episode. This is Mike Nesmith.” Davy says he’s Peter Tork, Micky says he’s Davy Jones, and Peter says he’s Micky Dolenz.
from Why The Monkees Matter by Dr. Rosanne Welch — Buy your Copy today!
Why The Monkees Matter: Teenagers, Television and American Pop Culture
McFarland (Direct from Publisher) | Amazon | Kindle Edition | Nook Edition
A History of Screenwriting – 44 in a series – Framework: A History of Screenwriting in the American Film by Tom Stempel
Updated and expanded for the third edition, this volume combines scholarship with movie lore to present a comprehensive account of the development and influence of the American screenwriter. The text is written in an informal style and includes anecdotes and stories that spotlight writer’s creative work and their struggle to achieve recognition.— Amazon
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** Available at the LA Public Library
I teach several classes for the Stephens College Low-Residency MFA in Screenwriting, including History of Screenwriting. In fact, I created the curriculum for that course from scratch and customized it to this particular MFA in that it covers ‘Screenwriting’ (not directors) and even more specifically, the class has a female-centric focus. As part History of Screenwriting I, the first course in the four-class series, we focus on the early women screenwriters of the silent film era who male historians have, for the most part, quietly forgotten in their books. In this series, I share with you some of the screenwriters and films that should be part of any screenwriters education. I believe that in order to become a great screenwriter, you need to understand the deep history of screenwriting and the amazing people who created the career. — Dr. Rosanne Welch
25: Improv, Writers and The Monkees : “Why The Monkees Matter” Interview with Jean Power [Video] (0:53)
Rosanne Welch talks about “Why The Monkees Matter” with Jean Hopkins Power
Watch this entire presentation (45 mins)
Jean Powergirl takes the host reigns and welcomes her guest Rosanne Welch, PhD to the show! They’ll be discussing Roseanne’s book, “Why The Monkees Matter: Teenagers, Television and American Pop Culture.”
Transcript:
Rosanne: So you couldn’t be as improv’d as you might think they were. Much of the improvisation was written into the script or, if they made something up on the set, and the directors approved it, it would have to fit it…
Jean: They would work it in. There would be discussion — you’re going to say this. You’re going to say that.
Rosanne: Exactly and so Micky admitted that most of it was scripted and that they did a good job memorizing it and delivering it in a spontaneous way that seemed like they were making it up. So it was really interesting to get his perspective int hat respect and to, of course, credit the writers. One of my missions as a professor of television
Jean:…and a writer…
Rosanne: …is to make sure more credit is given to the writers because if you like a particular writer on a show, you should look at their career on IMDB and look at their previous work. You might find that you like the themes that they bring out and you’re a fan of their writing not necessarily of the person who produces that show.
A hit television show about a fictitious rock band, The Monkees (1966-1968) earned two Emmys–Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy. Capitalizing on the show’s success, the actual band formed by the actors, at their peak, sold more albums than The Beatles and The Rolling Stones combined and set the stage for other musical TV characters from The Partridge Family to Hannah Montana. In the late 1980s, the Monkees began a series of reunion tours that continued into their 50th anniversary.
This book tells the story of The Monkees and how the show changed television, introducing a new generation to the fourth-wall-breaking slapstick created by Laurel and Hardy and the Marx Brothers. Its creators contributed to the innovative film and television of 1970s with projects like Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Laugh-In and Welcome Back, Kotter. Immense profits from the show, its music and its merchandising funded the producers’ move into films such as Head, Easy Rider and Five Easy Pieces.
Rosanne Welch, PhD has written for television (Touched by an Angel, Picket Fences) and print (Three Ring Circus: How Real Couples Balance Marriage, Work and Kids and The Encyclopedia of Women in Aviation and Space). In the documentary world she has written and produced Bill Clinton and the Boys Nation Class of 1963 for ABC NEWS/Nightline and consulted on PBS’s A Prince Among Slaves, the story of a prince from West Africa who was enslaved in the 1780s, freed by order of President John Quincy Adams in the 1820s and returned to his homeland.
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From The Research Vault: Gender Communication Theories and Analyses: From Silence to Performance
Quotes from “Why The Monkees Matter” by Dr. Rosanne Welch – 78 in a series – Pilot
** Buy “Why The Monkees Matter” Today **
Defining each character as distinctly different from the others became one of the first jobs for the writing staff. It was an issue from beginning, when the pilot earned low scores in testing and was nearly scrapped with one complaint being audience members could not keep track of the characters. The solution became adding sections of the audition tapes for both Nesmith and Jones to the pilot, thus allowing the audience to see them as individuals.
from Why The Monkees Mattered by Dr. Rosanne Welch — Buy your Copy today!
Why The Monkees Matter: Teenagers, Television and American Pop Culture
McFarland (Direct from Publisher) | Amazon | Kindle Edition | Nook Edition
24: Writers, Actors and The Monkees : “Why The Monkees Matter” Interview with Jean Power [Video] (0:57)
Rosanne Welch talks about “Why The Monkees Matter” with Jean Hopkins Power
Watch this entire presentation (45 mins)
Jean Powergirl takes the host reigns and welcomes her guest Rosanne Welch, PhD to the show! They’ll be discussing Roseanne’s book, “Why The Monkees Matter: Teenagers, Television and American Pop Culture.”
Transcript:
Rosanne: So, I originally wrote about that and that’s how I got to talk with Micky because I knew, as a child actor, he would understand how one worked with writers and, of course, he always did credit the writers — both the songwriters and the show writers when he was doing his interviews. I did get to talk to him and the secret — which isn’t much of a secret — because I put it in the preface to the book — is that he had been my favorite Monkee so to actually talk to him was the big deal. Even at the age of 50 for god’s sake.
Jean: So she got to talk to her favorite Monkee and was he able to give you some insight?
Rosanne: He was. I mean he, of course, he took seriously the work of the writers and, as an actor, you’ll notice that while they did a lot of ad lib — actors can’t do as much improv as we assume because camera angles have to be created by the directors and they’re based on the script.
Jean:…and isn’t there a tight time and money is time, right
Rosanne: Yes. Because of all the crazy quick shots, this show would do sometimes 60 or 70 camera setups a day when 20 is normal.
A hit television show about a fictitious rock band, The Monkees (1966-1968) earned two Emmys–Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy. Capitalizing on the show’s success, the actual band formed by the actors, at their peak, sold more albums than The Beatles and The Rolling Stones combined and set the stage for other musical TV characters from The Partridge Family to Hannah Montana. In the late 1980s, the Monkees began a series of reunion tours that continued into their 50th anniversary.
This book tells the story of The Monkees and how the show changed television, introducing a new generation to the fourth-wall-breaking slapstick created by Laurel and Hardy and the Marx Brothers. Its creators contributed to the innovative film and television of 1970s with projects like Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Laugh-In and Welcome Back, Kotter. Immense profits from the show, its music and its merchandising funded the producers’ move into films such as Head, Easy Rider and Five Easy Pieces.
Rosanne Welch, PhD has written for television (Touched by an Angel, Picket Fences) and print (Three Ring Circus: How Real Couples Balance Marriage, Work and Kids and The Encyclopedia of Women in Aviation and Space). In the documentary world she has written and produced Bill Clinton and the Boys Nation Class of 1963 for ABC NEWS/Nightline and consulted on PBS’s A Prince Among Slaves, the story of a prince from West Africa who was enslaved in the 1780s, freed by order of President John Quincy Adams in the 1820s and returned to his homeland.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Quotes from “Why The Monkees Matter” by Dr. Rosanne Welch – 77 in a series – Authentic
** Buy “Why The Monkees Matter” Today **
Each in his own right was an authentic, mostly American teenager from various parts of the world, Nesmith the too-young-married Texan, Tork the Connecticut gentleman, Dolenz the Cruise Night Valley boy, a character type later glamorized in American Graffiti (1973), and Jones who offered a throwback to the 19th century teenage life of apprenticeship, first to a racing stable and then to an agent.
from Why The Monkees Mattered by Dr. Rosanne Welch — Buy your Copy today!
Why The Monkees Matter: Teenagers, Television and American Pop Culture
McFarland (Direct from Publisher) | Amazon | Kindle Edition | Nook Edition
23: Writers, Fans and The Monkees : “Why The Monkees Matter” Interview with Jean Power [Video] (1:14)
Rosanne Welch talks about “Why The Monkees Matter” with Jean Hopkins Power
Watch this entire presentation (45 mins)
Jean Powergirl takes the host reigns and welcomes her guest Rosanne Welch, PhD to the show! They’ll be discussing Roseanne’s book, “Why The Monkees Matter: Teenagers, Television and American Pop Culture.”
Transcript:
Jean: All right, so did you get..have you been able to talk personally to any of The Monkees.
Rosanne: I was able to…I did phone interviews with Micky Dolenz when I was working…originally I did an article about the writers of the show for… this is Written By Magazine which is the magazine of the Writers Guild and I’m on the board there so I sometimes recommend things I’d like to do and if other writers don’t want to take them, I do them. So I had done that article so that is when I interviewed Micky to talk about — to talk to an actor who understood how writers operated and how scripts work. In fact, I also among all the things I bring to the book signings I have an actual script from the show.
Jean: Which I love stuff like this. An actual script. An actual television script which to me is great. it is just a beautiful thing. In the day, this is how it was done. Notice the little brads. I don’t think you Millenials even know what a brad is, but anyway, this is awesome. This is like a relic for Monkees people. Imean you might need a bodyguard because I know some Monkees crazy people that would like tackle you for that, but I digress.
Rosanne: Seriously. In fact, one of the gentlemen I talked to, Coslough Johnson, talked about when he would go to the studio to hand in a freelance script, he would be mauled by teenagers who were hanging around the gates wanting any piece of memorabilia they could get. “I just want to deliver my work.”
Jean: First-degree relic. (Laugher)
A hit television show about a fictitious rock band, The Monkees (1966-1968) earned two Emmys–Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy. Capitalizing on the show’s success, the actual band formed by the actors, at their peak, sold more albums than The Beatles and The Rolling Stones combined and set the stage for other musical TV characters from The Partridge Family to Hannah Montana. In the late 1980s, the Monkees began a series of reunion tours that continued into their 50th anniversary.
This book tells the story of The Monkees and how the show changed television, introducing a new generation to the fourth-wall-breaking slapstick created by Laurel and Hardy and the Marx Brothers. Its creators contributed to the innovative film and television of 1970s with projects like Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Laugh-In and Welcome Back, Kotter. Immense profits from the show, its music and its merchandising funded the producers’ move into films such as Head, Easy Rider and Five Easy Pieces.
Rosanne Welch, PhD has written for television (Touched by an Angel, Picket Fences) and print (Three Ring Circus: How Real Couples Balance Marriage, Work and Kids and The Encyclopedia of Women in Aviation and Space). In the documentary world she has written and produced Bill Clinton and the Boys Nation Class of 1963 for ABC NEWS/Nightline and consulted on PBS’s A Prince Among Slaves, the story of a prince from West Africa who was enslaved in the 1780s, freed by order of President John Quincy Adams in the 1820s and returned to his homeland.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
My Chapter in The American Civil War on Film and TV: Blue and Gray in Black and White and Color
I get so many books in the mail for me to distribute to reviewers for The Journal of Screenwriting that opening the daily deliveries is like having a birthday party every day – and then I forget that every now and then the book that arrives is one for which I’ve written something – an essay, a chapter, etc – and that brings an extra smile to my face.
Seeing my name in print never ceases to amaze me as it was a goal of mine from a very young age – hence my helming of the 8th grade newspaper at St. Pius X School, the 12th grade “Fourth Estate” at Bedford Senior High and the columns I’ve written for my college newspaper, The Cleveland Plain Dealer and The Los Angeles Times collectively.
Today I was pleased to receive The American Civil War on Film and TV: Blue and Gray in Black and White and Color edited by Doulas Brode, Shea T. Brode and Cynthia J. Miller – it has my chapter: “Hidden Behind Hoopskirts: The Many Women of Hollywood’s Civil War” and as Doug says in the Introduction, this chapter gave me a chance to focus on the portrayal of enslaved females for wherever there was a Southern belle in an old Hollywood movie, there, too would be her maid.
Granted, as a new collection of essays by scholars – and in hardback – the book costs $105 and there are no used copies out yet. But you can always ask your local or college library to stock a copy and then be the first to check it out!
From Amazon.com…
Whether on the big screen or small, films featuring the American Civil War are among the most classic and controversial in motion picture history. From D. W. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation (1915) to Free State of Jones (2016), the war has provided the setting, ideologies, and character archetypes for cinematic narratives of morality, race, gender, and nation, as well as serving as historical education for a century of Americans.
In The American Civil War on Film and TV: Blue and Gray in Black and White and Color, Douglas Brode, Shea T. Brode, and Cynthia J. Miller bring together nineteen essays by a diverse array of scholars across the disciplines to explore these issues. The essays included here span a wide range of films, from the silent era to the present day, including Buster Keaton’s The General (1926), Red Badge of Courage (1951), Glory (1989), Gettysburg (1993), and Cold Mountain (2003), as well as television mini-series The Blue and The Gray (1982) and John Jakes’ acclaimed North and South trilogy (1985-86).
As an accessible volume to dedicated to a critical conversation about the Civil War on film, The American Civil War on Film and TV will appeal to not only to scholars of film, military history, American history, and cultural history, but to fans of war films and period films, as well.