Annette

The big serial for the Mickey Mouse Club in its final year was Annette, starring of course Annette Funicello. The young men of America watched Annette have a rather public puberty so Walt Disney no doubt figured in the last season of the club it was altogether fitting and proper to recognize this.

Funicello plays a role somewhat akin to something Janet Gaynor might have done back in her day. Gaynor was always a girl fresh off the farm who comes to the big city and wins the heart of whomever the leading man was. She was always down to earth and full of common sense.

And that's exactly what Funicello plays in Annette. She's lived in a rural background until her teens when she's orphaned. Her rich uncle Richard Deacon and aunt Sylvia Field take her in.

These people are pretty rich, but Annette doesn't gravitate at first to the kids in her aunt and uncle's economic class. She likes young Judy Nugent who delivers milk and eggs from her farm and young David Stollery who has to work after school. Gradually though she not only becomes accepted with the cool kids, but they actually start developing some nice values of their own.

Except for one that is, Roberta Shore who played a lot of teen queen roles that Annette didn't get is the villain of the piece. She gets insanely jealous of this country bumpkin's new found popularity and schemes for her downfall.

This series ran 19 episodes and granted they're only 15 minutes in length each chapter, still it's one of the longest if not the longest serial Disney had on the Mickey Mouse Club. It was a picture of the Fifties and the values we had at the time. Note the lack of any minority faces in Annette.

Still it wasn't a bad show. Annette Funicello was launched on her way to teen and adult stardom. She established her image that carries on right up to today in Annette. And it's not a bad image for a very brave lady to have.

This is a serial that runs on the old "Mickey Mouse Club." Annette Funicello plays Annette, a country girl living with her aunt and uncle in the city. She's attending the local high school and is trying to be part of the crowd. This is very well written and some of the cast is from the "Mickey Mouse Club." Child actress Judy Nugent as Jet Maypen steals many of the scenes she's in. Interestingly, Sylvia Field and Mary Wickes from the "Dennis the Menace" TV series both have roles. Shelly Fabares also has a small role. She's a delight. Of course, Annette Funicello is the star of the serial. I highly recommend watching.

I think it should be distributed on DVD there too many people that remember this feature and would like to share it with there families. Does anyone know how to get them to produce it into the market of today??? I am the directors ( Charles Lamont) daughter and I know how great all the kids were on the set . I have been asked lots of times why some of his movies haven't been released and I can't answer that question. Before he died all he wanted to see was Curtain Call at Cactus Creek but Universal never released it I even contacted the studio but they did nothing about it. Pretty sad huh! Well blessings to all. Tina

I grew up watching Mickey Mouse Club and loved the series. I would absolutely love to find it on DVD or VHS tape so that I could show my kids. It reminds me of the wonderfully simple life we had back then. It was my favorite of the series that they had on Mickey Mouse Club. I have told my friends about it but they don't remember seeing it and would love to share it with them. The song from the series was also one of my favorites and if they had that on a cd or lp I would definitely buy it. I have spent the last week searching the internet trying to get information on this and at last I found it. Annette was my favorite Mouseketeer because we share the name.To be able to see this again would just make me the happiest person on earth. It's the old moral of good winning over evil. It shows the good morals we grew up with and the manners and kindness we should not loose.

This was a lovely series which I loved even if it was completely uninteresting for my brothers. It had a couple of lovely, simple songs-- "Lonely Guitar," "How Will I Know My Love?" and "Meetin' at the Malt Shop after School." And it's probably the best single program to show why girls loved Annette just as much as or even more than their brothers. Her character's simple sweetness and honesty was what we aspired to.

I never saw this since it was on the original Mickey Mouse Club in the 50s. But some scenes are still vivid in my memory--Annette walking into town with a pretty but old-fashioned be-ribboned hat and a pretty but too-fancy dress and carrying a suitcase and her guitar; Annette singing with Tim Considine (who I had a SERIOUS crush on!); the missing necklace turning up inside the piano. It was a simple, sweet soap opera-ish story in a world that never really existed, but it worked and I'd love to see the whole thing again.

Disney really should put this whole series out on DVD, in the same kind of set that they released the Hardy Boys and Spin and Marty series. The perfect release for Annette would happen just in time for Mother's Day.