The Mickey Mouse Club

The Mickey Mouse Club is one of the great achievements of television. A heartwarming beautiful show that always presents good individual segments. A classic that gives you a warm feeling. Great!

Next year this children's show of children's shows marks its 50th anniversary, and I am steamed that The Disney Channel does not air the retreads anymore. In fact, The Disney Channel hardly airs anything Disney anymore. Therefore, I don't watch The Disney Channel anymore.

It would be a great tribute to a classic if the following happened:

1) The Disney Channel would start airing the shows and airing them WITHOUT those cuts.

2) Disney Studios would put together either a 'season' or 'best of' set on DVD.

(At least, Disney should consider putting the Club serials on DVD, you know, Spin and Marty, The Hardy Boys, Corky and White Shadow, Annette).

When our first TV arrived in March, 1959, this was the show which materialised out of the ether. 6.05 PM on a Tuesday night, if my memory serves me correctly. And thus began a decade-long love affair with the lovely Annette Funicello - only she didn't know it! A wonderful team of young performers who could do just about anything, a cartoon or two, a guest star and the serial which probably starred Tim Considine. Was it 'The Hardy Boys'? I watched every episode and it was a sad day when due to changing times, the MMC left our screens.

When several members toured Australia (Jimmy, Darlene and possibly Karen or Annette) they were mobbed by thousands. I wasn't one of them as we didn't have a car and I had no easy way of reaching Mascot Airport. It would be years before I came across the souvenir brochure, my one small memento of those great times ...

This was the high point of many of my days back in the mid-50's. I thought Jimmy Dodd was a little flakey, but the kids were who I wanted to see anyway so I put up with him and Roy the big mousketeer. Little did I dream that Paul Peterson, Bobby Burgess, and Johnny Crawford would go on to such superstardom. Not to mention Annette's brilliance in all those epic beach films. This was a nice program to come home to after school every day, especially friday because that was western day.

Current description of original MMC, verifiable by many published sources, are: 1) there was no Mouseketeer Bob (Robert Thornon); 2) Ruth Carell was not a Mouseketeer and did not "recur" on the show; 3)

Tommy Kirk was not a Mouseketeer, although there is a photo of him in the outfit; 4) Dr. Miller, Julius Sumner, did a recurring science segment on the first two years; 5) R.G. Springsteen not a director-only Miller and first year Dik Darley directed the show;6) the show ran one hour the first two years, then half hour third year, half hour reruns fourth year 1958-59; 7) Paul Petersen, later of "Donna Reed Show" only lasted a few weeks of the first year.

There were 39, only, kids on the first show 1955-59 and only 9 lasted the entire filming: Annette, Karen, Sharon, Doreen, Darlene, Cubby, Lonnie, Bobby, Tommy. First year there were 24 (+four fired)= 28. Only two lasted two seasons: Dennis years 1 & 2, Cheryl, 2, 3 & reruns. The others lasted only one season.

MHB