Hey, Peter...! Good to hear from you again. Yes, you are right. Bob told me the same thing and he was referring to the TV show. Most of the studio work was done in LA and none of them liked LA. "Young Men..." was shot in January 1962 (the apartment they "lived in" was on Camelback in Phoenix a half mile from my high school). They were hot and to interrupt the success at that time would have been a mistake.

Bob was referring to a bit later when they should have moved toward TV.

Smothers didn't start till September, 1965. The Monkees started a year later - September 1966. There was a three and a half year timeframe between "Young Men..." and Smothers. He was saying that they should have moved at some point in time and then their career could have had a shot in the arm.

I hope this clarification works. Bob was referring to the fact that they were approached again about a TV show a couple of years later and turned it down. Then came the TV success of Smothers and the Monkees.

Sometimes it's all about timing...