Did “The Andy Griffith Show” beat “The Monkees” at the Emmys?



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In 1967, The Andy Griffith Show and Monkeys were shortlisted for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series. Only one of the two television series came away with gold. Here’s a look at that Emmy Awards – and the acclaimed inspirations behind one of the shows.

Andy Griffith, Ron Howard and Frances Bavier
Cast members of The Andy Griffith Show | CBS via Getty Images

‘The Andy Griffith Show’ was at the 1967 Emmys

The 1967 Emmys had fierce competition. The shows of the comedy series Oustanding were The Andy Griffith Show, Monkeys, Nice to meet you, Get smart, and Heroes of Hogan. Each of these shows would become classic television staples. Interestingly, all the extra series The Andy Griffith Show had a significant camp component.

Monkeys won the award. Additionally, director James Frawley’s work on Monkeys earned him the 1967 Emmy for Outstanding Director’s Achievement in Comedy. Outside of his television work, Frawley is best known for directing The Muppet movie, the first theatrical film to feature Jim Henson’s beloved puppet creations.

the Andy griffith theme

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How Micky Dolenz reacted to the Emmys won by ‘the Monkees’ in 1967

The show’s Emmy wins meant a lot to Prefab Four member Micky Dolenz. He told Billboard, “I was so thrilled to get an Emmy because I was a TV kid. I was so thrilled to have two Emmys that everything else after that is kind of icing on the cake.

Why the Monkees’ victories made sense

One wonders which show most deserved the award. However, praise Monkeys received is understandable given that it took inspiration from some of the most acclaimed filmmakers of all time – French directors François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard.

“Daydream Believer”

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“I wrote a pilot for the show about eight years before the Beatles phenomenon,” Monkees creator Bob Rafelson told The Hollywood Reporter. “And when they did, it got TV to try it out. I wanted the show to be radical for now with super-fast edits, cuts and balloons with dialogue coming out of people’s mouths. From my point of view, we took what Truffaut and Godard were doing and applied it to television. But it must have been crazy like my original inspiration, the Marx Brothers.

Micky Dolenz on the history of the Prefab Four with TV and acclaimed inspirations

While the Monkees are best known for their music, Dolenz actually pointed out their TV origin. “Because don’t forget,” Dolenz told Billboard. “Monkeys started out and was primarily a sitcom, a TV show about a rock ‘n’ roll band. It wasn’t a rock ‘n’ roll band to begin with. It was a TV show.

“(Theme of) Monkeys

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Moreover, he compared Monkeys at Joy, another comedy TV show about fictional singers. Dolenz also compared the Monkees to the Marx Brothers, as did Rafelson. The Marx Brothers were an acclaimed comedy troupe – so it makes sense that a show inspired by them would win an Emmy.



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