When ’60s pop rock Boyce & Hart were on Bewitched, Jeannie, Flying Nun
Two songwriters behind The Monkees made their own musical appearances on three fantasy sitcoms back in 1967-1970.
How the songwriters for The Monkees showed up on I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, and The Flying Nun
Growing up, I watched a lot of these classic sitcoms on local TV. As such, one of my favorite bands growing up was The Monkees. (Well, they’re still one of my favorite bands.)
A pop rock juggernaut in the 1960s, The Monkees hit the charts several times—and some of their biggest hits were written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart.
Now, Boyce and Hart were also a musical duo of their own. In an earlier article on Monster Complex®—where we discussed the similarities vs differences between the classc TV sitcoms Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie—we also mentioned how Boyce and Hart as a musical act appeared on the shows I Dream of Jeannie AND Bewitched AND The Flying Nun. (Turns out that all three shows were produced by Screen Gems.)
About Boyce and Hart
Tommy Boyce (1939-1994) and Bobby Hart (1939-2025) are most remembered as songwriters and producers who helped create the sound of The Monkees 1960s classic pop rock. Their songs for the group included the aptly named “(Theme From) The Monkees”—plus “Last Train to Clarksville,” “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone,” “Words,” “She,” “Tear Drop City,” “Valleri,” “I Wanna Be Free,” and, well, “Gonna Buy Me a Dog.” (Hey, I liked that song.) In fact, almost every The Monkees album includes something written by Boyce and Hart.
But Boyce and Hart also hit the charts as a musical duo with their own Top 40 hits. The song “I Wonder What She’s Doing Tonight” made it up the chart to #8 in 1968. Other hits include “Out & About” and “Alice Long.”
So, it makes sense they would appear on TV shows like they did on I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, and The Flying Nun. We’ll talk more about those three appearances in a bit. (After all, that’s why we’re here).
But a few more items from Boyce and Hart’s list of accomplishments include:
writing the theme for the long-running soap opera Days of Our Lives;
producing songs for a couple of the Matt Helm movies (starring Dean Martin as the government agent) in The Ambushers and Murderers’ Row;
a couple songs for the movie Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows (working with composer Lalo Schifrin the guy who wrote music for TV show Mission: Impossible);
appearing in an episode of The Partridge Family;
and for a time, partnered with a couple of Monkees for the hyphenate band Dolenz, Jones, Boyce, and Hart.
More about Boyce and Hart at their official website.
Their appearances on the TV shows I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, and The Flying Nun
I Dream of Jeannie | “Jeannie, the Hip Hippie” | 3.6 | Oct 17, 1967
I Dream of Jeannie (1965-1970) starred Barbara Eden as Jeannie, a human-looking 2,000-year-old genie AKA djinn. This woman—who can wish things into existence—was rescued from the bottle by an ordinary mortal man. And she moves in with him in the suburbs.
In the episode, a band is needed to play at a function, so Jeannie blinks in some boys to create a new group. Now, in this episode Boyce and Hart go by their actual names—and the story claims to show us the origin story of how Boyce and Hart got started in music. (Seriously, I keep watching this episode over and over.)
Here are clips from Boyce and Hart on I Dream of Jeannie…
I Dream of Jeannie - Jeannie launches Boyce & Hart (“Girl, I’m Out to Get You”)
I Dream of Jeannie - Jeannie, Boyce and Hart (“Out & About”)
Find the episode “Jeannie, the Hip Hippie” online
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Bewitched | “Serena Stops the Show” | 6.22 | Feb 19, 1970
Bewitched (1964-1972) starred Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha, a human-looking member of some other life form. (So, technically, not an actual “witch.”) Since she’s married to normal human Darrin, the show is about this kind of mixed marriage.
In the Bewitched season six episode “Serena Stops the Show,” Samantha’s sneaky sister Serena (also played by Montgomery) takes an interest in singing and causes Darrin to lose his job…
Here are clips from Boyce and Hart on Bewitched…
Serena Meets Boyce & Hart (ft. The REAL Boyce And Hart!) | Bewitched
Bewitched - Serena, Boyce and Hart (“I’ll Blow You a Kiss in the Wind”)
Find the episode “Serena Stops the Show” online
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The Flying Nun | “When Generations Gap” | 3.24 | Mar 20, 1970
The Flying Nun (1967-1970) starred Sally Field as Sister Bertrille. A nun who could fly. Because of her hat. (Well, whatever nuns call their “hats.”) The show was inspired by the 1965 book The Fifteenth Pelican, written by Tere Ríos.
In this episode, Sister Bertrille gets into a fender bender. At first, she accepts responsibility for the accident—but a witness claims those at fault were this singing group. (With members Boyce and Hart.)
On the episode, the duo performed two cover songs. (I can’t find any YouTube clips to share.)
Find the episode “When Generations Gap” online
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Music duo Boyce and Hart wrote all those songs for The Monkees. But they also hit the charts with their own hits, and appeared on TV shows like I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, and Flying Nun.