The Very First Episode of ‘The Monkees’ Was Their Emmy-Winning Triumph
The very first episode of The Monkees, “Royal Flush,” won the series‘ director an Emmy Award in 1967. The Monkees‘ creators, Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider won their own golden statuettes in the Best Comedy Series category that same legendary evening.
The first episode of ‘The Monkees’ was ‘Royal Flush’
The Monkees episodes may not have been the first to feature slapstick on television. However, the series was one of the first to include music shorts within each 30-minute episode.
Viewers were treated to a new music montage each week, driving The Monkees‘ record sales to number one on the Billboard Charts. However, the series also found a home with viewers who enjoyed its light humor.
In the series very first episode, “Royal Flush,” Davy is at the beach when he rescues a young woman named Princess Bettina of the Duchy of Harmonica from drowning. He subsequently lent her his jacket.
However, when Davy tries to get the item back, Jones, Mike Nesmith, Peter Tork, and Micky Dolenz realize Bettina’s uncle, Archduke Otto, is trying to dispose of the young woman so he can become king. They spend the remainder of the episode trying to help her.
The Monkees’ producers won an Emmy for the series’ very first episode
The producing team of Raybert [Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider] took home Emmy gold in 1967 for “Royal Flush.” Most notably, they beat out the producers of the popular 1960s series’ Hogan’s Heroes, The Andy Griffith Show, Get Smart, and Bewitched.
Instead of a lengthy acceptance speech, Rafelson and Schneider dedicated it to the series stars. “To The Monkees, who really won the award,” they noted.
That same evening, James Frawley also took the stage, winning as the director of “Royal Flush.” He dedicated his award to “four really funny guys.” He then compared Dolenz, Tork, Nesmith, and Jones to the legendary Marx brothers as they faced off against I Spy, Bewitched, Family Affair, and The Lucy Show.
Why did ‘The Monkees’ television series become so popular so quickly?
The Monkees broke several rules on network television upon its 1966 debut. First, the series was the first without a parental figure overseeing the series, typical of most television at the time.
Second, The Monkees was the first series to portray the hippie generation on television. Thirdly, the series was the first to use the word “hell” [albeit censored] on TV. Finally, the series regularly broke the fourth wall for the viewer, communicating with them instead of acting to a camera.
“The Monkees changed the rules of what you could show on television, with a group of young people having adventures without a parental/authority figure saying ‘That’s enough,’” says Peter Mills, author of the book The Monkees, ‘Head’ and the 60s. “It brought a possible new model for living for young people right into the American home.”
The Monkees aired on NBC from 1966 through 1968. The series aired in reruns on both CBS and ABC in later years, making it the first television series to air on all three networks.
