The Monkees canceled several dates on their 45th anniversary tour last week, but not before Al Roker got to sit down with them and become the fourth Monkee for a segment on 'Today' (weekdays, 7AM on NBC). Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork, and Davy Jones often tour as the Monkees without Mike Nesmith, who sticks to his own solo work. So there was an opening for Roker to join the band (at least for one show).

The three members goofed around for the cameras, as they've done since their TV show propelled them to stardom almost a half century ago. With all of the members now in their 60s, Jones joked about going from a heartthrob to a coronary. He then asked Roker to join them onstage that night, and the always-game Roker found a paisley shirt, a wig, and a knitted tuke (one of Nesmith's trademarks) and, he said, "Just like that, my childhood dreams became a reality."

Back before Micky Dolenz the actor played Micky Dolenz of the made-for-television band The Monkees, he was known as Mickey Braddock, child actor. Oh yes, ten years before he joined Michael Nesmith, Davy Jones, and Peter Tork in one of the most popular shows of the late 1960's, Micky had a television career of his own, starring in the series Circus Boy, where he portrayed Corky, a 12-year-old boy who's adopted by a travel ling circus. He also starred in a number of commercials, including a few for Kellogg's cereals. Who knew that, a decade later, he would be shilling for the same cereal company on The Monkees.

For your viewing enjoyment I include samples of both the younger and older versions of Micky in Kellogg's cereal adds. In the first one, filmed in 1956, he promotes the always-healthy Sugar Pops, and in the second, made 10 years later, he promotes Rice Krispies. Even though a number of years have passed between the two commercials you can definitely see older Micky's mannerisms in the younger version of himself.

You'll be able to find the videos after the jump.

On September 12th, 1966 a debate ignited that continues even to this day. It wasn't on whether or not we should stay in Vietnam, or if there was a second shooter on the grassy knoll, or who was the cutest Beatle. No, the age old debate begun on this date was: did the Monkees actually play their own instruments?

Well, they did, but that doesn't matter right now. What does matter is that the debate was initiated this particular evening because it was the night that The Monkees television show premiered on the NBC fall schedule. For the next two seasons, fifty-eight episodes, nine albums, one television special, and one major motion picture, Monkeemania swept America and the world.