"Monkees a la Carte" begins with the group gainfully employed at an Italian restaurant, only to be fired when the owner gets squeezed out by mobster Fuselli (Harvey Lembeck), who doesn't like them. They succeed in getting their jobs back by claiming they'll work cheap (Fuselli: "I'm beginning to like ya!"), then alternate between waiters and gangsters trying to break up the syndicate. Dort Clark has some good moments as the Inspector, Karl Lukas shows Davy how tough he is with a fist in his hand, and Peter really earns his keep as the butt of everyone's slaps. We hear the third go-round for Boyce and Hart's "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone," and the introduction of the duo's "She" (recorded Aug 15 1966), both featured on the second LP, MORE OF THE MONKEES, issued Jan 10 1967. Broadcast no. 11 (Nov 21 1966), "Monkees a la Carte" was also 11th in production, filmed Aug 9-12.
Review of Monkees à la Carte
