The Monkees came together after answering an ad 50 years ago
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Fifty years ago, the Hollywood Reporter ran this ad:
"Madness!! Auditions. Folk & Roll Musicians-Singers for acting roles in new TV series. Running Parts for 4 insane boys, age 17-21. Want spirited Ben Frank's types. Have courage to work. Must come down for interview."
Ben Frank's was a coffee shop in Los Angeles, popular with the rock and roll crowd after the bars closed.
The ad attracted 437 applicants.
The four young men selected from those auditions would play a rock band on TV and then actually become one: The Monkees.
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