"The Monkees' Paw"

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "The Monkees' Paw" - the fifty-first episode of The Monkees series (and the nineteenth of the second season) - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (29 January 1968).  It was written by Coslough Johnson, directed by James Frawley, and featured the songs "Words" and "Goin' Down."  Sandoval describes the plot as: "Micky buys a mystical monkey's paw from a malicious magician."

"Monstrous Monkee Mash"

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "Monstrous Monkee Mash" - the fiftieth episode of The Monkees series (and the eighteenth of the second season) - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (22 January 1968).  It was written by Neil Burstyn and David Panich, directed by James Frawley, and featured the song "Goin' Down."  Sandoval describes the plot as: "When Davy falls for a mysterious woman, The Monkees enter a spooky scene with Dracula, a Wolfman, and the Mummy."

"Monkees Watch Their Feet"

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "Monkees Watch Their Feet" - the forty-ninth episode of The Monkees series (and the seventeenth of the second season) - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (15 January 1968).  It was written by Coslough Johnson, directed by Alex Singer, and featured the song "Star Collector."  Sandoval describes the plot as: "Smothers Brothers star Pat Paulsen narrates this bizarre tale of alien abduction."

"Fairy Tale"

According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "Fairy Tale" - the forty-eighth episode of The Monkees series (and the sixteenth of the second season) - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (8 January 1968).  It was written by Peter Meyerson, directed by James Frawley, and featured the song "Daily Nightly."  Sandoval describes the plot as: "The group put their own twist on a classic fairy tale."

"The Picture Frame" and "Hitting the High Seas"

A couple days ago, I was thinking about "The Picture Frame," and I realized that one of the jokes is reused in "Hitting the High Seas."  In "The Picture Frame," after the Monkees unwittingly rob a bank, they return to the studio and run into Peter, who explains his absence, saying, "I went to stage one at two o'clock instead of stage two at one."  This same reversal of numbers is in "Hitting the High Seas."  After Reynolds hires Micky, Peter, and Davy to be sailors, he tells them, "Six in the mornin', pier three," after which Davy incorrectly repeats, "Three o'clock, pier six."  Probably not coincidentally, both episodes were written by Jack Winter.