“ART, FOR MONKEE'S SAKE”

“Art, For Monkee's Sake” first aired on Beatle John Lennon's 27th birthday. A future episode, No. 55, "The Monkees Mind Their Manor", would air one day after George Harrison's 25th birthday. Episode No. 51, "The Monkee's Paw", was repeated on NBC on the eve of Paul McCartney's 26th birthday (No. 5, “The Spy Who Came In From The Cool” , was repeated on the day after his 25th), and NBC reaired Episode No. 50, "The Monstrous Monkee Mash", on the day following Ringo Starr's 28th birthday; CBS broadcast The Monkees' 1968 motion picture HEAD on its CBS Late Show for the second time on July 7, 1975, Ringo Starr's 35th birthday.

NBC retelecast this episode on the 31st birthday of Jack Nicholson, writer/producer (with director Bob Rafelson) of The Monkees' movie HEAD (still Untitled and still in production at the time).

The name of the painting Peter duplicates is none other than Franz Hals' The Laughing Cavalier (1624).

The title “Art, For Monkee's Sake” is a play on the phrase “art, for art's sake” (ars gratia artis). In fact, “Art, For Art's Sake” happened to be the former title for this episode. 

Towards the final minutes of “Art, For Monkee's Sake” Michael can be heard singing “Papa Gene's Blues.” The song would be heard again this season 2 episodes later, in Episode No. 39, “Hillbilly Honeymoon,” in an artificially extended mix.

Here, in the museum break-in sequence, The Monkees wear black turtleneck shirts (with the exception of Peter, who wears a black long-sleeved T-shirt) and blue slacks. In Episode No. 58, "Mijacogeo" (a.k.a. "The Frodis Caper"), The Monkees' series finale, the boys don the same shirts (except now, it is Michael who wears a black long-sleeved T-shirt) and black slacks.

In his voiceover narration at the beginning of the the museum break-in sequence, Michael explains the nationality of each Monkee except Peter, who is called "The Conneticut Counterspy"....when he's actually from Washington D.C.!

At the breakfast table with Mr. Schnieder, Micky, Michael and David eat bowlfuls of Kellogg's™ Corn Flakes. This is the second of four references made to one of The Monkees TV series' original sponsors, Kellogg's™, following Episode No. 24, “Monkees A La Mode”, and preceding No. 44, "Hitting The High Seas", and No. 58, "Mijacogeo" (a.k.a. "The Frodis Caper"). (You also notice that Mr. Schneider is wearing Peter's pajamas!)

In Act 2 and 3 of “Art, For Monkee's Sake”, David is seen wearing a blue shirt which is closely identical to the one Peter wore in Episode No. 20, “The Monkees In The Ring”, and No. 29, “The Monkees Get Out More Dirt”, and Micky will wear in No. 58, "Mijacogeo" (a.k.a. "The Frodis Caper").

Notice the gold shirt Micky is seen wearing and is eventually painted on (and charged for $1500!) by the Artist (Michael Bell). Micky previously wore it in the premiere episode, “The Royal Flush”, in which he is pursued by Sigmund (Vincent Beck) during the “This Just Doesn't Seem To Be My Day” romp; the shirt was also worn by Peter in Episode No. 20, “The Monkees In The Ring”, in the scene where while he's picking away at a banjo (for the first time on the show), and in No. 52, "The Devil And Peter Tork".

The next time Micky sits on a chair which collapses under him will be in Episode No. 52, "The Devil And Peter Tork", in which Mr. Zero (Monte Landis), with a snap of his fingers, causes Micky's chair to fall apart under him!

In the museum basement, check out the beautiful wooden blond shipmast, which will be seen in The Monkees' second-floor bedroom in Episode No. 43, "A Coffin Too Frequent", and No. 58, "Mijacogeo" (a.k.a. "The Frodis Caper").

For the second time Michael Nesmith and David Jones are seen wearing hats within a single episode, following Episode No. 10, “Here Come The Monkees” (Original Pilot Film). The hat David wears is the same one he will wear in No. 46, "The Monkees On The Wheel", as part of his guise as Muscles The Mauler.

The late Victor Tayback (Chuche) went on to greater fame as Mel Sharples on the sitcom Alice (CBS, 1976-85) and in the 1974 Warner Bros. picture which spawned it, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore; his previous appearances on The Monkees were in Episode No. 4, "Your Friendly Neighborhood Kidnappers" (as George) and No. 16, "The Son Of A Gypsy" (as Rocco). Trekkies will recognise Tayback as Jojo Krako from the second-season episode "A Piece Of The Action" (#60349, 1-12-1968); he was also featured with Monkee guest alumnus Arch Johnson [“The Chaperone”) in the November 29, 1968 episode of Bewitched (ABC, 1964-72), "Samantha Fights City Hall" (#3911). Steve McQueen fans will recognize Tayback as Peter Ross, gangland chief who puts out a contract on his brother Johnny, who is under the protection of McQueen in the 1968 Warner Bros. cop classic Bullitt; he was also in the 1989 Tri-Star comedy Loverboy as jealous husband Harry Bruckner. Tayback shared a birthday with Monkees semiregular Henry "Mr. Babbitt" Corden: January 6.

Arthur Malet (Curator) was seen as mortician Ted Ulam in the Oscar-winner In The Heat Of The Night (United Artists, 1967) (which also featured Monkee guest actors Clegg Hoyt [“The Prince And The Paupers”], Eldon Quick [“Monkees A La Mode”], Peter Whitney ["It's A Nice Place To Visit..."], and Stuart Nisbet ["The Monkees In Texas"] in supporting roles) and Mr. Dawes, Jr., President of The Bank in Disney's Mary Poppins (Buena Vista, 1964). After appearing with Monkees guest alum James J. Griffith (also from "The Monkees In Texas") in the November 25, 1969 episode of The Mod Squad (ABC, 1968-73), "The Death Of Wild Bill Hannacek," Malet later played Ryan on Dallas (CBS, 1978-91) and Cornelius on Ned And Stacey (Fox, 1995-97). Malet passed away on May 18, 2013 at age 85.

Trivia Footnote: On the same night Art Malet appeared as the curator in “Art, For Monkee's Sake”, he also turned up as The White Hunter in the "Prince Of Darkness Affair" (Part 2) episode of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (NBC, 1964-68), which immediately followed “Art, For Monkee's Sake” on NBC! “Art, For Monkee's Sake”'s director, Alex Singer, previously directed Malet in a December 16, 1966 episode of U.N.C.L.E., "The My Friend The Gorilla Affair" (prod. #8440).

In 1974, Michael Bell (the artist) and Micky Dolenz were recruited by Hanna-Barbera to voice the title characters (Ernie and Todd, respectively) of Devlin (ABC, 1974-76). Aside from a host of voice over work, including as Mark on Speed Buggy (CBS, 1973-75), and Grouchy, Handy and Lazy on Smurfs (NBC, 1981-90), both Hanna-Barbera productions, Bell also portrayed Les Crowley on Dallas (CBS, 1978-91).

Trivia Footnote: “Art, For Monkee's Sake” director Alex Singer later directed Bell in an episode of Mission: Impossible (CBS, 1966-73), "The Exchange" (1/4/69), and later the December 7, 1978 installment of David Cassidy - Man Undercover, "Flashpoint."

Liberace is one of only four guest stars on The Monkees to ever play himself, aside from KRUX-AM DJ Bob Shannon's cameo in Episode No. 32, “The Monkees On Tour”, director Jim Frawley's appearance No. 54, "The Monkees In Paris" (a.k.a. "The Paris Show"), and Jerry Blavat's guest shot in No. 56, "Some Like It Lukewarm" (a.k.a. "The Band Contest"). (Or 7, if you wish to count the appearances of Charlie Smalls, Frank Zappa and Tim Buckley in the last 3 episodes of the season.) Liberace previously turned up as Chandell/Fingers/Harry in the high-rated 2-parter of Batman (ABC, 1966-68), "The Devil's Fingers/The Dead Ringers" (prod. #9721, Oct. 26-7, 1966), making him the second of three "Special Guest Villains" on Batman to appear on The Monkees' TV show, following Julie Newmar (The Catwoman)'s appearance in Episode No. 29, “The Monkees Get Out More Dirt”, and preceding Burgess Meredith's cameo as The Penguin in No. 57, "The Monkees Blow Their Minds".

Extra Color/B&W Episode Photo Stills: