Micky Dolenz for Uncle Dudley

I have been a fan of the Monkees my whole life, with Micky and Mike my favorites. I always felt all four guys were, in a way, shortchanged in their careers by being typecast as Monkees. There's the infamous story of how Micky was almost cast as Fonzie on Happy Days on the strength of his performance as a biker on an episode of Adam-12, but his stereotyping as a drummer may have caused Garry Marshall to "go in another direction" by way of Henry Winkler.

I always felt Robin Williams made his career by doing a second-rate Micky Dolenz imitation. Just look at Micky's performance in the Monkees episode "Monkees Watch Their Feet", and compare it to any Mork & Mindy episode. There are too many similarities for it to be a coincidence IMO. (I have always wondered what if Micky were cast as Popeye instead of Williams in the live action 1980 movie. Would the movie have been a bigger hit, and would Micky be a major movie star today?)

I remember in the 1990s, there was some buzz about Micky being considered to play the Riddler in Batman Forever. Again, nothing came of it, as the role went to Jim Carrey.

But now there is a chance once again, for this very talented entertainer to get a featured role in a multi-million dollar event movie. Peter Segal's upcoming Warner Brothers film, BILLY BATSON AND THE LEGEND OF SHAZAM, based upon the classic Fawcett comics superhero Captain Marvel.

Now, many sharp Monkees fans will recall the TV series had several references to Captain Marvel, most notably in "Case of the Missing Monkee" where Peter says "Shazam" in front of a mirror. The lightning bolt breaks it , and Peter comments, "that's another seven years bad luck for Captain Marvel". In "Monkees at the Movies", when the producer is looking at 8 x 10 photos, one is called Freddy Freeman. Coincidentally, Captain Marvel is also reference in the Beatles song "The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill", and according to legend, Elvis Presley was a Captain Marvel fan.


Micky would be perfect for the role of Uncle Dudley. Dudley is a sort of comedic hustler with a heart of gold. In the comics, Dudley stumbles upon the secret that Billy Batson can transform into Captain Marvel. He quickly develops a scam, pretending to be Billy's long-lost uncle, and sets up a fake charity called Shazam, Inc., where he intends to pocket all the money. However, Dudley is just too impressed with Billy's heroic nature, and decides to keep Shazam, Inc. legit, and even becomes orphan Billy's guardian. Later in the series, Dudley would wear a Marvel costume and help fight crime as Uncle Marvel, even though he has no super powers, but proceeded to fake them.

With his great comedic skills and charisma, Micky would surely make it a breakout role, and be a highlight of the film. Us fans can and must do our part to help make this happen. We all must contact Peter Segal c/o Warner Brothers, 4000 Warner Blvd., Burbank CA 91522, and politely and respectfully ask Mr Segal to consider casting Micky as Dudley. It would help to keep the letters short and to the point, but don't be afraid to offer up some reasons or anecdotes of why Micky would be perfect for this role. It would also be good to contact the film's producers, Michael Uslan, Chris Godsick, and Michael Ewing, c/o Warner Brothers, as well.