Monday, April 8, 2013

Annette Funicello Lights Up the Small Screen in The Mickey Mouse Club's "Annette"

Annette Funicello, one of our favorite stars at the Cafe, died today at age 70. In her honor, we're posting this 2009 review of her self-titled Mickey Mouse Club serial.

I first saw the The Mickey Mouse Club serial Annette when I was a youngster and then again in college (go figure). But I didn't become a true Annette Funicello fan until years later and, by that time, Annette was nowhere to be found. To my surprise and delight, it was released in 2008 as part of the Disney Treasures collectible DVD line.

The 19-part serial was originally shown in 1957-58 during the third season of The Mickey Mouse Club. Each installment ran for about 10 minutes, which means it took up over one-third of each Mickey Mouse Club episode. The serial’s premise was a familiar one: Annette is a country girl who goes to live with her aunt and uncle in the city; everyone likes her but a rich, snobby girl whose boyfriend seems interested in Annette! It's a flawed premise, of course...how could anyone not like Annette? Though she was only 14, her sweet disposition and sky-high likability quotient were already evident.

The cast is peppered with now-familiar faces: Richard Deacon (Leave It to Beaver, The Dick Van Dyke Show) as Annette’s uncle; Tim Considine (My Three Sons, Spin and Marty, The Hardy Boys) as love interest Steve; Roberta Shore (Betsy on The Virginian) as the mean girl; David Stollery (Spin and Marty) as nice guy Mike; Mary Pickes in her typical role as a meddler; and Shelley Fabares as one of Annette’s friends. Mousketeers Sharon Baird and Doreen Tracy also appeared in supporting roles.

While there are no musical production numbers in Annette, there are several songs integrated into natural settings: Roberta Shore sings at a teen party, Annette and David Stollery duet at the malt shop, Sharon Baird and Rudy Lee dance up a storm at a barbeque, etc. The surprise of the series, though, came when Annette sang a sweet Sherman Brothers tune called “How Will I Know My Love” standing in front of a mirror (and reprised on a hayride). An avalanche of fan mail followed and Disneyland Records eventually released “How Will I Know My Love” as a single.

Annette with David Stollery.
The Annette serial confirmed that Annette Funicello was quickly becoming a Disney star. One of her lastThe Shaggy Dog, which featured her Annette co-stars Tim Considine and Roberta Shore (as a friendly French girl this time). The rest of her career is, as we say, history.
supporting performances was in 1959’s

By the way, if you rent or buy the Annette serial on DVD, be sure to skip Chapter 1 “An Introduction.” It’s such a thorough “introduction” that it pretty much condenses the serial’s whole plot into a ten-minute summary!

12 comments:

  1. Who's the leader of the club
    That's made for you and me
    M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E
    Hey! there, Hi! there, Ho! there
    You're as welcome as can be
    M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E

    Mickey Mouse!

    Mickey Mouse!

    Forever let us hold our banner
    High! High! High! High!

    Come along and sing a song
    And join the jamboree!
    M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E

    Mickey Mouse club
    We'll have fun
    We'll be new faces
    High! High! High! High!

    We'll do things and
    We'll go places
    All around the world
    We'll go marching

    Who's the leader of the club
    That's made for you and me
    M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E
    Hey! there, Hi! there, Ho! there
    You're as welcome as can be
    M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E

    Mickey Mouse!

    Mickey Mouse!

    Forever let us hold our banner
    High! High! High! High!

    Come along and sing a song
    And join the jamboree!
    M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E

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  2. Dawn, I'm sure Jimmy Dodd and Roy are smiling down from Heaven right about now. The 'Club" ran for 3 years(1955-58) and 360 shows. It sure was a part of my early life. Thanks Rick. Hey do you remember who was "Bill "On Spin & Marty?

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  3. This was a very sweet entry. Annette is such a lovely lady. I think my husband has a crush on her. Thanks for sharing her lovely smile with us today, Rick! And, Dawn, I can only add, "Yeah, Mickey!"

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  4. Great write-up, Rick. I'm a big fan of Annette, and I think she really lit up the big screen as well. Frankie was such an idiot, to even look at another girl! And thanks for the song, Dawn! You brought a smile to my face on a long, sad day.

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  5. Cubby & Karen; "Now it's time to say goodbye to all our company. M...I..C"
    Jimmie: "See ya real soon!" Cubby & Karen: "K...E...Y". Jimmie: "Why? Because we like ya!" ALL: "M..O..U..S..E"

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  6. I had a pre-pubescent crush on Annette and Darlene Gillespie! :)

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  7. Thank you Rick, for bringing back a wonderful childhood memory. Annette, was my favorite Mouseketeer. I remember my mouse ears, with my name embroidered on the back, and my Chatty Cathy, were a couple of my favorite childhood treasures.

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  8. I had a crush on annette funicello since I was 15, and I still do at 68. I even visited her mail address in Ecino when I was there, and I just enjoyed being on the street. Memories of her will be with me forever.

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  9. I enjoyed reading everyone's remembrances of Annette and THE MICKEY MOUSE CLUB. Paul, I had to look up "Spin and Marty" to find out who played Bill (Harry Carey, Jr.?). I haven't seen any of the "Spin and Marty" serials since I was 12 or so. Toto, like your husband and others here, I had a crush on Annette, too. And Sark, you're right, the great flaw of the BEACH PARTY movies is that Frankie would even try to make Annette jealous with another girl (though Luciana Paluzzi was pretty in a pre-THUNDERBALL role in MUSCLE BEACH PARTY...which co-starred Willy from MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE).

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  10. Not to mention Dan Haggerty (yep, Grizzly Adams in a Beach Party movie).

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  11. Funny how some stars are so special to us. Annette was my brother's first crush and, as for me, I thought the name "Annette" was so beautiful, I wanted to change my name (I grew up in a sea of Debbies, Lindas, and Barbaras) - well, that is until I heard the name "Hayley"! She was a sweet lady whose death made us all feel a little older and a little sadder. Thanks for the great post, Rick. It's fun remembering.

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  12. So sad to hear the news of her death. She had a natural charisma on screen. The Beach Party movies are my favourite gulty pleasure!

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