R.I.P.: Bob Rafelson, Movie Director, Co-Creator of ‘The Monkees'

Bob Rafelson (1933-2022)

Bob Rafelson, the writer, director, producer and maverick who set the tone for the swinging, psychedelic 1960s with The Monkees, then was a pioneer in one of the most influential eras in the history of independent film, has died. 

He was 89, reports Billboard.

Rafelson, who collaborated with Jack Nicholson on seven features, including the classics Easy Rider (1969), Five Easy Pieces (1970) and The King of Marvin Gardens (1972), died Saturday night (July 23) of natural causes at his home in Aspen, Colorado, his wife, Gabrielle, told The Hollywood Reporter.

Rafelson earned Oscar nominations for co-writing and producing Five Easy Pieces and then, for an encore, produced Peter Bogdanovich‘s breakthrough hit, The Last Picture Show (1971).

The Easy Rider soundtrack reached the top 10 on the Billboard 200. It featured such rock classics as Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be Wild.” Five Easy Pieces also had a strong music focus, from the classical pieces by Chopin, Bach and Mozart that inspired the film’s title to its use of four songs by country queen Tammy Wynette, most memorably “Stand By Your Man.”

Along with his late partner Bert Schneider, Rafelson created The Monkees, the touchstone NBC show that debuted in 1966. He conceived the idea of a program that mimicked the exuberance of The Beatles, specifically the freewheeling energy of their 1964 film A Hard Day’s Night.

The series, produced by Raybert Productions, featured the comic misadventures of a struggling musical quartet seeking fame and fortune while living in Malibu. The foursome was selected from an open casting call announced with full-page ads, including one in THR. Stephen Stills was among the hundreds who auditioned. For years, an urban legend circulated that Charles Manson also had tried out. Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork ultimately were picked.

Colorful, fast-paced and filled with slapstick and silliness, The Monkees embodied the rebellious sensibilities of a younger generation. And though it lasted only two seasons and 58 episodes, it became a pop-culture phenomenon (and brought Rafelson and Schneider an Emmy in 1967 for outstanding comedy series).

In addition to guiding the sitcom as a producer and then executive producer, Rafelson directed several episodes. He also is credited with writing two of the shows that revolved around the group performing on tour.