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Henry Diltz photographs The Monkees live at Lagoon's Patio Gardens in May 1968

12/28/2018

On May 17, 1968, The Monkees finished their first and only motion picture, Head, with the filming of the "Circle Sky" concert scene in front of four thousand fans at the Valley Music Hall in Salt Lake City, Utah. They performed "Circle Sky" several times for the cameras and also did a handful of other special requests.

Patio Gardens, a venue housed inside the Farmington, Utah amusement resort Lagoon, was the original location for the filming of "Circle Sky." The venue was changed at the last minute to the Valley Music Hall in Salt Lake City for logistical reasons, despite fans already waiting in line at Patio Gardens. To make amends, The Monkees delivered a 30-minute set later that evening in front of a crowd of five thousand at Patio Gardens. This particular show was not filmed or recorded, and a setlist has yet to surface. The two Utah-based concerts in May 1968 would constitute the last live performances by all four Monkees in the United States until 1986.

This past November, the 50th anniversary of Head was commemorated at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood and featured special guests Micky Dolenz and Michael Nesmith. Monkees archivist and producer Andrew Sandoval hosted a Q&A session with Micky and Michael after the sold-out screening, which also included a slideshow created by Andrew that showcased photographs taken by legendary rock photographer Henry Diltz. The final part of the slideshow revealed many never before seen photos from The Monkees' performance at Lagoon's Patio Gardens, screenshots which can be seen below. (The slideshow can be viewed in its entirety at Michael Nesmith's Videoranch Facebook page.)

A special thanks goes to the Live Almanac's friends at Written In Our Hearts for inspiring this post based on screenshots they had previously shared from the Diltz slideshow!

Jack Nicholson, center, co-wrote and co-produced The Monkees' feature film "Head" and was in attendance at Lagoon (All photos by Henry Diltz)

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Yahoo looks back at The Monkees' film "Head"

11/5/2018

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'Head' trip: How the Monkees and Jack Nicholson shattered the fourth wall and the Hollywood mold, 50 years ago

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Jack Nicholson, Davy Jones, and Bob Rafelson

6/30/2017

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Salt Lake City, May 1968 (Photo by Henry Diltz)

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Bob Rafelson praises Monkees book

5/3/2017

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Peter Mills, author of The Monkees, Head, and the '60s, was recently contacted by none other than Bob Rafelson, who praised his work! (And it looks like Jack Nicholson is reading, too.) Jawbone Press, the publisher of the book, tweeted the following account earlier today:

Here's what #Monkees creator Bob Rafelson had to say about our #Head book by @PEM33rpm – thanks Bob! @TheMickyDolenz1 @TheMonkees pic.twitter.com/UWRt4hKmRf
— Jawbone (@JawbonePress) May 3, 2017

Be sure to check out an excerpt from the book that was published on this blog last year.

Congratulations, Peter!

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The Monkees attend the premiere of "Head" in New York City

1/14/2017

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Andrew Sandoval wrote about the November 6, 1968 premiere in his book, The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the '60s TV Pop Sensation:

The Monkees travel to New York City to attend the premiere of their movie Head, which is held not in a cinema but rather at the Columbia Pictures studio on West 54th Street. A party is thrown afterwards for guests including Janis Ian, Andy Warhol, Boyce & Hart, Carole Bayer, Lester Still, Bert Schneider, Bob Rafelson, Peter Fonda, Peter's brother Nick Thorkelson and his grandma. A discotheque is set up and a room that includes small television sets playing portions of the movie. (The group stay at the Hilton Hotel.) Bob Rafelson: "The night Head opened they arrested [Jack Nicholson and myself]. Our opening - and there we were slapping stickers all over New York about the movie. The producer and director on 57th and 5th Avenue. I see a guy about to get arrested for selling chestnuts on the street without a license. So I went over and said, 'How much for the chestnuts?' and the cop said, 'He can't sell you the chestnuts.' And I said, 'I'll just give you the money and you give me the nuts and then no one breaks the law.' "Now, while I'm having this dialectic with the cop, who has a white helmet on, Jack is standing behind the cop trying to slap a Head sticker on the helmet. And like a Laurel & Hardy comedy, man, this cop turns around just at the right moment and Jack nails him on the side of his face. Bam! We're handcuffed and up against the walls. A squad car takes us away. We've got a flick opening in an hour. I just wanted to call everybody and tell them we're in jail. And to get on the radio and sell tickets - because Jack and I had this feeling that no one was going to see Head."