Everyone ready to finish off this story?

Mike: Yeah.

(Peter just nods, sniffling a little.)

Micky: Sure.

Davy: I am.

(We open on the stage that was the setting for the "Cuddly Toy" numbers in the original show as "Magnolia Simms" begins. The boys are back in their same costumes. Lauren has a purple and red stripped jacket and purple pants; Emma's jacket is bright red, and she has a skirt and a large red hair ribbon instead of a hat. She and Davy dance while Mike sings and Peter plays the piano. Peter still looks a bit sad.)

(Mike makes a face at Davy and Emma. Davy is getting a little TOO close to Em for his liking. He gets off the piano and gets in between them, still singing, and gives Davy a glare. Davy puts up his hands and dances off to Lauren.)

*Davy dances with Lauren in front of the drums. Micky swings for the cymbals, but hits Davy in the arm instead and shakes his head. Davy sticks his tongue out and continues to dance by himself.*

(Mike plays with Emma on his arm, smiling dreamily at him. He hits a high note...and gets stuck. He finally throws something at an offscreen record player and continues singing, much to the amusement of Emma and the other Monkees as the song ends. Peter throws off his hat and walks off the stage, upset, as the scene ends; the others follow him.)

(Cut to the Pad. Peter walks in, now in the clothes he wore in Part 1. He runs into the lower bedroom. The others, also now back in their outfits from Part 1, follow him.)

Mike: Pete? Peter? Hey, buddy, where'ja go?

Bert: He went in the downstairs bedroom.

Bob: He's taking Mr. Bennett's death really hard, isn't he?

Mike: Of COURSE he is! Bennett was one of his best friends! He was like a grandfather to Pete, and to all of us!

Micky: "Hard" doesn't describe it.

Mike: Maybe I'd better talk to him. Cheer him up a little. Val had to go home to Jordan.

Emma: Daphne's at the store with the Abbies, feeding her latest craving. (Looks at Davy) What is it now, Dave?

Davy: Last I knew, it was rocky road ice cream. Who knows wot it might be now?

Mike: Yeah, that's why we still have four gallons in the refrigerator.

Bob: How about Lauren? What's your craving?

Emma: (Grins) Other than time alone with Micky.

Lauren: *grins* Chocolate chip cookies.

Emma: (Goes to the shelves) Than you'll be happy to know I just baked a fresh batch.

Lauen: Great! :D

(Emma puts the cookie jar on the table in front of Lauren and opens the lid.)

Emma: Just leave a few for my family. Katie's been dying for Mama's cookies.

Mike: So's Papa Wolf. (Grabs a few himself)

Lauren: You got it, Em.

Bert: So, where did this story come from?

Emma: The time-traveling idea dates back to early this year. We'd planned on doing another time-traveling story, and I wanted to introduce Lauren to the world of old-time radio, one of my hobbies. (Takes a cookie) The "amateur hour" idea came a little bit later. It was inspired by "American Dreamz," a movie spoof of "American Idol" that came out early in 2006.

Bob: Why focus on the Amateur Hour?

Emma: (Makes a face) I hate "American Idol" and other reality shows that try to make instant stars and rarely succeed. Even most of the "Idol" contestants have faded back into obscurity, or at least bad TV movies and late-night talk show jokes. It takes a lot more than just appearing on TV or radio to make you a real star.

Mike: I wonder how the staff at KMBR are now.

Emma: (Grins) I'd love to know how long Mitchell and Miranda actually stayed married.

Mike: Bennett mentioned a couple of times that the other guys all went to war, and he never really saw them again after about 1940. Doc never came back. He was stationed in Paris after the war and liked it so much, for all anyone knows, he's still there. He wasn't sure about Jack, and Reggie apparently was a war casualty.

Emma: How about Stanley and Brenda?

Mike: Boy, do we owe him BIG time for talkin' her into the mop act! He saved the ears of everyone at KMBR and everyone in Malibu Beach.

Emma: You think they got together?

Lauren: I hope so.

Mike: I've never seen two people so happy to be cleaning together.

Mike: I never heard of Michael Joel. I guess either he never caught on, or he changed his name.

Bert: Hey Mick, how did you enjoy being a sound-effects man?

Micky: I LOVED it! I'd love to do it again!

Bert: What was your favorite show to do sound effects for?

Micky: I liked the space show. Doing the ray guns and explosions was GREAT!

Mike: That ain't surprisin'.

Emma: (Turns on the radio) Hey, I wonder if they're still running the old-time radio shows... (She flips the switch and we hear Mitchell's voice, this time sounding squeakier)

Mitchell: (Trying to sound like an adolescent) Gosh golly, Captain Blackwell, how are we going to get away from the Long-Toothed Monsters of Carillion?

Jack: Quiet, Les! Laura and I have to get our solarmarnite ray guns ready! They only work if you harness the crystals in our solarmarnite rings!

*There are some strange sounds.*

Stanley: *makes unintelligible sounds* I am an alien of Carillion. I can't let you...I am here to stop you from getting away.

Mike: (Chuckles) Stanley as an alien.

Emma: I guess you really COULD be anyone in radio. Even an alien.

Mike: Stan was a little weird, but he was from this planet. I think.

Bert: There's a good question. Why old-time radio?

Emma: (Shrugs) Why not? One of my favorite TV shows, "Remember WENN," revolves around old-time radio, and it got me interested in the format. We did movies in the last time-travel story, but radio was the really big news by 1933. From the mid-20s to about the mid-50s, it was the only way many people around the globe could communicate with each other. TV was still in the developmental stages at this point and wouldn't be in wide use until after World War II.

Mike: (Shrugs) Bein' on radio was fun. We didn't get to do so much or play five or six or more different characters an hour when we made that movie. (Sighs) But it was hard work, too. You had to come up with stuff to fill airtime when shows ran short, and you had to work very, very long hours, especially in that tiny station.

Emma: Some AM stations from the 30s still exist today, playing far different formats, of course.

Bert: (Looks at Micky) You must have been exausted by the end of the day, Mick.

Micky: A little tired, but not bad.

Mike: Mick? Nahh, he doesn't know the meanin' of the word "tired."

Micky: Darn right. I never bothered to look it up. ;)

Bob: (As everyone laughs) So, what was your favorite part of this story?

Emma: Being able to help all those people in the midst of the worst depression the world ever knew.

Micky: You already know mine.

Mike: Helpin' the KMBR staff. We did everything. We wrote. Peter actually did some announcin'. We acted in almost every show that wasn't a one-person news program. Playin' groovy old music on the air, and knowin' thousands of people in Malibu Beach heard it every night.

Bob: Hey, Dave, how about you? Bet you loved working on the radio, getting to sing before thousands of adoring women.

Mike: (Sighs as Davy considers) I'm gonna go talk to Pete. He can't keep hidin'. (He goes in the downstairs room)

Emma: (Grins) I'll bet I know Davy's favorite part. You, Doc, and Reggie sure seemed to enjoy finding all those chorus girls.

Davy: That was okay. I 'ad a great time with everything.

Emma: How about you, Lauren? Mick must have been a blast to watch in the studio.

Lauren: Oh he was! It was great!

Announcer: (On the radio) And that was a transcription of "Kent Blackwell, Space Explorer" from 1933. Next on KMBR is "The Pearl Soap Suds Musical Hour" from 1935, followed by "Lady Sarah of Serenity Valley" from 1942.

(Mike comes out with Peter. He's sniffling a little, but is otherwise looking happier.)

Peter: Hi, guys.

Bob: Hey, Peter, how are you feeling about...well, how are you feeling?

Peter: (Sighs) I'm not perfect, Bob, but I'll be better. I miss Mr. Bennett a lot, but he's with Louise and Jack and Reggie now.

Bert: Hey, Peter, what was your favorite part?

Peter: Getting to meet Mr. Bennett's friends and Louise and see all those amateurs and pick the winner.

Bert: How did it feel to be talent show judges?

Bob: And why were you judges instead of contestants?

Mike: Well, I never really thought myself a judge of talent...

Peter: But it was so much fun! Even the acts that weren't all that great were fun to watch! I wonder what happened to those two guys who did the magic act? Does anyone know if they ever got the short guy put back together?

Mike: (Looks at Mick) You were talkin' to them after the show, Mick. Did they ever get the short guy back in one piece?

Micky: Yeah, they did, and he still wasn’t thrilled with his friend.

Peter: I wouldn't be either, if I got stuck in two boxes and my feet were on the other side of the studio!

Emma: I thought it would be more fun...and would advance the plot more...if we were judges for the show, instead of just contestants one or two weeks. My vague original idea for this story involved a caper and con-artists; we may end up saving some of that for this year's Christmas story. ;)

Peter: I hope the archer did well! She was really good! :D

Miranda: (On the radio) And we'd like to congradulate the happy couple. Our own Miss Louise Lambert and Mr. John Bennett of the Beachcomber Quartet were married yesterday in the small white church on the corner of Fourth and Seaview Avenue.

Louise: (Smiles) And I'd just like to say that it's the most wonderful feeling in the world, to know that when the chips are down and the world is falling apart, you know someone will be there for you.

Johnny: Louise is a true one-and-a-million. She outshines every star in the galaxy, and I hope I'll never let her go again.

(We hear fake sobbing and wolf whistles and teasing in the background; some of it sounds like Doc, Ben, and Reggie. ;) )

Brenda: (She's REALLY sobbing) Oh, that's so wonderful! Stanley, aren't they just too cute? They're cuter than Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers! :(( :D

Mitchell: Um, Brenda has Stanley lifted over her head and is squeezing the life out of him. Brenda, if you want an answer, you might want to put him down. ;)

Brenda: Oh, sorry honey! (Audible "thump" as Brenda drops Stanley"

Stanley: *breathing heavily* S'okay, hon...

Jack: (As laughter is heard in the studio) Hey, Brenda and Stanley, when are you getting married?

Brenda: Next month, in the same little church as Louise and Johnny! I used to clean there every now and then before I started working here! (Looks at Stanley) It'll be the cleanest wedding ever, won't it, darling?

Stanley: t sure will! And I've even got my best man! My mop!

Mitchell: (Chuckles) Best mop. That's a first.

Jack: At least he won't have a wild stag party, unless he's dying to meet some female mops.

Ben: (Laughs) Well, in honor of all the love birds around here, we're going to give you one of the big hit songs from the Broadway musical "Porgy and Bess," "I Was Doin' All Right," as performed by Louise Bennett and the Beachcombers, including her new husband John. Ok, guys, you're on!

(They all lean over the radio as the song plays. Peter sighs.)

Peter: I'm so, so glad they were happy. Mr. Bennett says they were married for twenty-one years, until Louise died in 1966. They had four children and were completely devoted to each other. Louise and their kids even moved to Japan for a time with Mr. Bennett after the war.

Mike: And that's what's important, Pete. (Puts a hand on his friend's shoulder) We're all gonna miss him, but he's with Louise and his buddies now, and he can make music with them again. That's all he really wanted, just like you enjoy makin' music with us and Valerie.

Emma: (Smiles) That reminds me, as we wind down, as with last year’s "Mammoth Melody," this is a work of fiction. The shows, amateurs, Fleagle’s Records, and KMBR and its staff, as far as we know, never existed. The Depression was very real, though, and continued, with a slight downturn in 1935, until about 1940. The federal organization that gave work to unemployed artists, writers, and actors really existed, from about 1933 to 1939. Over 1,200 people in the entertainment industry created hundreds of books, murals, stories, and plays, collected folk songs, and put on revues and shows...and some of those shows, books, murals, and artworks still exist today as prime examples of art from that era.

Bert: Hey, what's on tap for next month?

Emma: We're gonna bring the kids' back for a friendly little bowling competition with the Abbies.

Mike: We're gonna start pre-production work on the movie in just a few weeks.

Micky: And we're going to revisit the superhero gig.

Mike: Oh man, not durin' the movie!

Peter: We haven't really done any sparring or gone on patrols in the neighborhood for a while, guys. Now that we're going to be in town for longer doing our movie, maybe it's time we started getting in touch with friends and working on honing our skills. (Looks at Micky) And weren't you working on something?

Micky: *laces his finger together and stretches them* I'm giving both the Monkeemobile and Ursula an overhaul...together. ;)

Mike: (Nods) We've been workin' on both of them. Val's office was really only a temporary hidin' spot. This is much better. I've got more security systems on the garage than they have at Fort Knox. (Grins) I just hope my other cars and motorcycles don't get jealous.

Micky: If what we do works, the other cars and motorcycles WILL be jealous.

Mike: (Looks at Micky) Hey, why don't we make some of our cycles less jealous? You n' Davy n' me all have cycles, and we could do SOMETHIN' for Pete...

Micky: Yeah, we could...

Peter: I'm learning to ride a motorcycle! I liked those small ones we borrowed from some of Micky's friends when we first moved in.

Emma: Oh no, now what?

Mike: You'll see, darlin'.

Peter: Our turn to say that!

(Emma just snorts and shakes her head, but she's smiling.)

Emma: (Sighs) Ok, Peter, why don't you take us on home?

Peter: Oh, yeah. (Grins; in his best announcer voice) And this is Peter Tork and the rest of the Monkees, wishing you and yours a very happy end of the summer season. This is KMBR, Monkee radio.

(Everyone, including the camera, turns and looks at the radio as "I Was Doin' All Right" winds down and we hear the KMBR bells. The scene fades out on the radio and Ben's voice as he announces the next skit.)

(And we cut to Davy’s version of "Daddy's Song" and the end credits, which plays over scenes from both "productions." We end on a still of the entire group, including an older Jordan, Katie, Chrissy, and the twins from "The Party" and the words "A Raybert Production.")