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104-450: Annette Joanne Funicello (October 22, 1942 – April 8, 2013) was an American actress and singer. She began her professional career at age 12, becoming one of the most popular Mouseketeers on the original Mickey Mouse Club . In her teenage years, Funicello had a successful career as a pop singer recording under the name "Annette". Her most notable singles are " O Dio Mio ", "First Name Initial", " Tall Paul ", and " Pineapple Princess ". During

208-484: A Head (about a toy horse), and Toby Tyler (starring Kevin Corcoran ). In addition, one original serial was produced, The Mystery of Rustler's Cave , starring Kim Richards and Robbie Rist . Often shown were scenes from animated Disney films, from Snow White to The Jungle Book billed as "Mouseka Movie Specials". Theme days were: The series debuted on January 17, 1977, on 38 local television stations in

312-576: A back-door pilot aired as an episode of The Danny Thomas Show titled "Everything Happens to Me", aired on March 27, 1961. Though Bishop's show went through a series of changes, the characters of Danny and Rusty appeared in several Joey Bishop Show episodes over its four-year run, with Rusty appearing on the show for a three-episode arc in early 1965, about a year after The Danny Thomas Show itself had wound down. Kathy and Charlie Halper also appeared in one episode of The Joey Bishop Show . The series also crossed over to The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour In

416-503: A father who does not seem to exist. This role was reportedly a 16th birthday present from Walt Disney, and it was the first of two different characters she played opposite Guy Williams as Zorro. She had a multiple-episode guest arc on Make Room for Daddy as an Italian exchange student. Funicello made her feature film debut in the Disney-produced comedy The Shaggy Dog (1959) with Fred MacMurray and Tommy Kirk . The film

520-474: A few other women and nearly got engaged to a widowed singer until he found out she did not like children. By season's end, the ratings had suffered and it was decided that a wife and mother was needed to complete the family unit. In a four-part story arc that began airing in April 1957, son Rusty fell ill with the measles and Danny hired Kathy O'Hara ( Marjorie Lord ), a young Irish nurse, to look after him. Kathy

624-577: A great time. She and I were best buddies; she was my only friend from the Make Room for Daddy cast. What made me specifically want to leave the show? I had a five-year contract, Jean had a three-year contract. Jean was thoroughly fed up with the series and made it clear that she didn't want to come back. When she left, I was devastated. I didn't want to continue, either. I wanted to break my contract. They wouldn't let me leave, but gave me less to do; that's why I'm in fewer shows from ages 14–16. In Season 7,

728-498: A half-hour weekdays in 1957, the final season to feature new programming. Although the show returned for a 1958 season, these programs were repeats from the first two seasons, recut into a half-hour format. The Mickey Mouse Club was featured on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and Walt Disney's Adventure Time , featuring reruns of The Mickey Mouse Club serials and several re-edited segments from Disneyland and Walt Disney Presents , appeared on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Although

832-413: A larger brand-new apartment and, with the change of network, the producers also changed Kathy's daughter. Leilani Sorenson was dropped from the cast and replaced by Angela Cartwright as Linda. Linda then was adopted by Danny, and the show's ratings dramatically increased. At the end of its fifth season, The Danny Thomas Show posted its highest rating, ranking at No. 2. During this season, Amanda Randolph

936-439: A long time "he never seemed to have much faith in her abilities to carry a film (she usually supported the boy)." Funicello moved on from Disney to become a " teen idol ", starring in a series of " Beach Party " movies with Frankie Avalon for American International Pictures . These started with Beach Party (1963) when Funicello was 21 years old. The movie was so successful American International Pictures signed Funicello to

1040-541: A manner not unlike Romper Room . In response to an upsurge in demand from baby boomers entering adulthood, the show again went into syndicated reruns from January 20, 1975, until January 14, 1977. It has since been rerun on cable specialty channels Disney in the United States and Family in Canada. The original Mickey Mouse Club films aired five days a week on The Disney Channel from its launch in 1983 until

1144-705: A message to a group of children. During this period, Funicello produced a line of teddy bears for the Annette Funicello Collectible Bear Company. The last collection in the series was made in 2004. She also had her own fragrance called "Cello, by Annette". "Now that I've gone public with my illness, they can't do enough," she said in 1994. "They even send me home remedies to try. Everyone says, 'God bless you and I'm praying for you. ' " Funicello made her final public appearance on September 13, 1998 at California's Multiple Sclerosis Society with Frankie Avalon. Funicello's best friend

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1248-485: A moderate sized group. Former Mouseketeer Don Grady guest-starred in the season 1 finale. Grady, along with fellow Mouseketeers Annette Funicello, Bobby Burgess, Tommy Cole, Sharon Baird, and Sherry Alberoni were reunited on the 100th episode, during the show's third season. Funicello later appeared on the show again, in an interview with the Mouseketeer Lindsey Alley . For the first five seasons,

1352-531: A more diverse multiethnic background than the 1950s version. Several 1977–1978 cast members went on to become TV stars and other notable icons. The show's most notable alumnus was Lisa Whelchel (born in 1963, in Littlefield, Texas ), who later starred in the NBC television sitcom The Facts of Life , which ran from 1979 to 1988, before becoming a well-known Christian author, and overall runner-up, and winner of

1456-477: A new formula with stock car racing films, starting with Fireball 500 (1966) which starred Funicello, Avalon and Fabian Forte . The movie was popular enough for them to try another stock car movie, Thunder Alley (1967) with Funicello and Fabian. It would be her last lead in a feature film for two decades. Funicello guest starred on Hondo and had a short role in Head (1968), opposite The Monkees . During

1560-473: A reworking of an earlier Paul Anka song called "Toot Sweet" (which was later reworked again into Johnny's Theme for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson ). In an episode of the Disney anthology television series titled " Disneyland After Dark ", Funicello can be seen singing live at Disneyland . Walt Disney was reportedly a fan of 1950s pop star Teresa Brewer and tried to pattern Funicello's singing on

1664-628: A role in Grease 2 . In November 1985, she starred in the 16th episode of the Disney Channel documentary series Disney Family Album in an episode about her career. She starred in a TV movie for Disney, Lots of Luck (1985), and was reunited with Avalon in Back to the Beach (1987). The two also performed together live. Funicello's autobiography, A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes: My Story ,

1768-416: A role in the creation of another long-running sitcom, The Andy Griffith Show . In the seventh season, Danny Thomas is arrested by Sheriff Andy Taylor (Andy Griffith) and detained in the small town of Mayberry in an episode titled "Danny Meets Andy Griffith". The episode aired on February 15, 1960, and The Andy Griffith Show premiered later that year on October 3. The Joey Bishop Show originated as

1872-592: A sequence early in the film when she meets Frankie Avalon's "Potato Bug" character outside his tent. Funicello made Pajama Party (1964) for AIP with Kirk, not Avalon, though it was an unofficial Beach Party movie and Avalon made a cameo. Avalon was back as Funicello's co-star in Beach Blanket Bingo (1965), then she and Kirk did a sequel to Merlin Jones , The Monkey's Uncle (1965). The Monkey's Uncle featured Annette singing with The Beach Boys and

1976-537: A seven-year contract and starred her in a series of beach party movies. Funicello guest-starred on episodes of Wagon Train , Burke's Law and The Greatest Show on Earth , then starred in another two-part Disney telemovie with Kirk, The Misadventures of Merlin Jones (1964). This was released to cinemas in the US and became a surprise box office hit. Also popular were the follow ups to Beach Party , Muscle Beach Party (1964) and Bikini Beach (1964). When she

2080-558: A small amount of new footage was filmed and was interspliced with material from previous seasons. It is believed that only six of the Mouseketeers—Funicello, Gillespie, Tracey, Burgess, Pendleton, and O'Brien—were called back for the filming of new material, while Cole and Baird were merely used for some publicity material. Other notable non-Mouseketeer performers appeared in several dramatic segments: These non-Mouseketeers primarily appeared in several original serials filmed for

2184-635: A songwriter and the Head Mouseketeer, who provided leadership both on and off the screen. In addition to his other contributions, he often provided short segments encouraging younger viewers to make the right moral choices. These little " homilies " became known as "Doddisms". Roy Williams , a staff artist at Disney, also appeared in the show as the Big Mouseketeer. Williams suggested that the Mickey and Minnie Mouse ears should be worn by

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2288-699: A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for motion pictures on September 14, 1993; it is located at 6834 Hollywood Blvd . In 1995, she appeared on a Disney TV documentary commemorating the 40th anniversary of The Mickey Mouse Club . In the Disney Village shopping and dining area of Disneyland Paris , a 1950s themed restaurant called Annette's Diner is named after her. Numbers in parentheses after title indicate peak position in Billboard charts. The Mickey Mouse Club The Mickey Mouse Club

2392-485: A two-hour-long "reunion" special on NBC , The Danny Thomas TV Family Reunion , considered the first TV reunion show, and Make More Room for Daddy , which aired as an episode of The Danny Thomas Hour in November 1967. Shortly after filming the second special in 1967, Randolph died suddenly of a stroke at the age of 70. A CBS reunion special, Make Room for Granddaddy , was aired in 1969. The special did so well that it

2496-433: A young up-and-coming singer, as did Bobby Rydell . Zsa Zsa Gabor played a nightclub performer. Tennessee Ernie Ford portrayed a singer named Kentucky Cal. Brenda Lee plays Danny's maid, whom he hires as a singer. For its first four years, Make Room for Daddy on ABC (retitled The Danny Thomas Show starting with season four) and garnered decent ratings, but failed to make the list of the top 30 programs. Shortly after

2600-406: Is an American variety television show that aired intermittently from 1955 to 1996 and returned to social media in 2017. Created by Walt Disney and produced by Walt Disney Productions , the program was first televised for four seasons, from 1955 to 1959, by ABC . This original run featured a regular, but ever-changing cast of mostly teen performers. ABC broadcast reruns weekday afternoons during

2704-461: The Annette serial, she performed the song that launched her singing career. The studio received so much mail about "How Will I Know My Love" (lyrics by Tom Adair , music by Frances Jeffords and William Walsh), that Walt Disney issued it as a single, and gave Funicello (somewhat unwillingly) a recording contract. A proposed live-action feature, The Rainbow Road to Oz , was to have starred some of

2808-492: The Mickey Mouse Club . This incarnation was not distributed by Disney only; while Disney did produce the series, it was co-produced and distributed by SFM Entertainment , which also handled 1970s-era syndication of the original 1950s series. ( Disney since re-acquired only distribution rights.) Reruns of the original The Mickey Mouse Club began airing on The Disney Channel with the channel's 1983 launch. While

2912-464: The "Mickey Mouse Club March" theme song were slightly different from the original, with two additional lines: "He's our favorite Mouseketeer; we know you will agree" and "Take some fun and mix in love, our happy recipe". A soundtrack album was released with the show. A new rendition of the "Mickey Mouse Club March" was made later on in 1999 by Mannheim Steamroller, a contemporary band, in hopes of connecting new-age children and their parents who watched

3016-584: The $ 100,000 viewers' choice award, on the fall 2012 season of the CBS television reality series Survivor . Mouseketeer Julie Piekarski (born in 1963 in St. Louis , Missouri ) also appeared with Lisa Whelchel on the first season of The Facts of Life . Kelly Parsons (born in 1964, in Coral Gables, Florida ) went on to become a beauty queen and runner-up to Miss USA . Other Mouseketeers (from seasons 1–2) from

3120-530: The 100th episode of The All-New Mickey Mouse Club , during the show's third season in 1990. Mouseketeers Doreen Tracey, Cubby O'Brien, Sherry Alberoni, Sharon Baird, Don Grady, Cheryl Holdridge, Bobby Burgess, Karen Pendleton, Tommy Cole, and Mary Espinosa performed together at Disneyland in Fall 2005, in observance of Disneyland's 50th birthday, and the 50th anniversary of the television premiere of The Mickey Mouse Club . In 1977, Walt Disney Productions revived

3224-484: The 1956–57 season, was the oldest Mouseketeer, being born in 1939, and Bronson Scott, on only the 1955–56 season, was the youngest Mouseketeer, being born in July 1947. Among the thousands who auditioned but did not make the cut were future Oscar -winning vocalist/songwriter Paul Williams and future Primetime Emmy Award -winning actress Candice Bergen . The 39 Mouseketeers and the seasons in which they were featured (with

Annette Funicello - Misplaced Pages Continue

3328-616: The 1958 Lucy–Desi episode "Lucy Makes Room for Danny", the Williams (Danny Thomas, Marjorie Lord, Rusty Hamer and Angela Cartwright) rent Lucy and Ricky Ricardo's house. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz subsequently appeared as the Ricardos on an episode of The Danny Thomas Show ("Lucy Upsets the Williams Household") which aired on January 5, 1959. Morey Amsterdam guest-starred as Buddy Sorrell of The Dick Van Dyke Show in

3432-571: The 1958 show finale, Funicello said "I never cried so hard in my life". In addition to appearing in many Mouseketeer sketches and dance routines, Funicello starred in several serials on The Mickey Mouse Club . These included Adventure in Dairyland , the second and third Spin and Marty serials – The Further Adventures of Spin and Marty (1956) and The New Adventures of Spin and Marty (1957) – and Walt Disney Presents: Annette (1958) (which co-starred Richard Deacon ). In several scenes in

3536-604: The 1958–1959 season, airing right after American Bandstand . The show was revived three times after its initial 1955–1959 run on ABC, first from 1977 to 1979 for first-run syndication as The New Mickey Mouse Club , then from 1989 to 1996 as The All-New Mickey Mouse Club (also known to fans as MMC from 1993 to 1996) airing on The Disney Channel , and again from 2017 to 2018 with the moniker Club Mickey Mouse airing on internet social media. The character of Mickey Mouse appeared in every show, not only in vintage cartoons originally made for theatrical release, but also in

3640-410: The 1970s, Funicello focused on raising her family. However she still occasionally acted, making guest appearances on shows like Love, American Style , Easy Does It... Starring Frankie Avalon , Fantasy Island and The Love Boat . In 1979, Funicello began starring in a series of television commercials for Skippy peanut butter . Her role as spokesperson for the brand forced Funicello to turn down

3744-536: The 1970s, the series has aired only briefly and sporadically in reruns, and only on the Disney Channel 's Vault Disney nighttime block (1997-2002). Unlike its 1950s predecessor and the 1989/1990s series that followed, which had DVD releases of select episodes in July 2005, this version has not had a DVD release and has been largely forgotten by many, including many kids of the 1970s who made it their club. On November 20, 1977, "The Mouseketeers at Walt Disney World"

3848-456: The 1977 show: Disney voice actor and sound effects editor Wayne Allwine voiced Mickey Mouse in the animated lead-ins for the show, replacing Jimmy MacDonald, who in 1947 had replaced Walt Disney as the voice of Mickey for theatrical short cartoons. Walt Disney had been the original voice of Mickey and for the original 1954–1959 run provided the voice for animated introductions to the original TV show but had died in 1966. Allwine kept providing

3952-547: The CBS episodes were then syndicated in the fall of 1967 and offered to local stations. The first four seasons from ABC were not put into syndication. From February 1, 1987 to 1991, the show's fifth through ninth seasons were shown on Nick at Nite . TV Land and GoodLife Television aired the majority of the episodes from the fourth season through the seventh season (and select episodes from seasons eight and nine). The show aired on Lifestyle until its 1993 shutdown. MeTV aired

4056-659: The Elsinore Theater in Salem, Oregon , with 60 theaters hosting clubs by March 31. The Club released its first issue of the Official Bulletin of the Mickey Mouse Club on April 15, 1930. By 1932, the club had one million members, and in 1933 its first UK club opened at Darlington 's Arcade Cinema. In 1935, Disney began to phase out the club. The Mickey Mouse Club was hosted by Jimmie Dodd ,

4160-651: The MGM film's television screening. Disney ultimately replaced this film project with a new adaptation of Babes in Toyland (1961), which starred Funicello as Mary Contrary. After the Mickey Mouse Club , Funicello remained under contract with Disney for a time. She had a role on the Disney television series Zorro , playing Anita Cabrillo in a three-episode storyline about a teen-aged girl arriving in Los Angeles to visit

4264-472: The Mouseketeers, including Darlene Gillespie as Dorothy and Funicello as Ozma. Preview segments from the film aired on September 11, 1957, on Disneyland ' s fourth anniversary show. By then, MGM's The Wizard of Oz had been shown on CBS Television for the first time. Theories on why the film was abandoned include Disney's failure to develop a satisfactory script, and the positive reception of

Annette Funicello - Misplaced Pages Continue

4368-428: The United States, and by June of that same year, when the series was discontinued, about 70 stations in total had picked up the series. Additional stations picked up the canceled program, which continued to run until January 12, 1979; 130 new episodes, with much of the original material repackaged and a bit of new footage added, and a shortened version of the theme song, was produced to start airing September 5, 1977. Since

4472-540: The character of Terry was brought back, but recast with Penney Parker. Terry was featured in a seven-episode story arc that had her engaged and eventually married to Pat Hannigan ( Pat Harrington, Jr. ), a nightclub friend of Danny's. After the wedding, the Hannigans moved to California and Terry was rarely mentioned, never to be seen on the show again. In the last two seasons, with Thomas and Lord tired of their roles, Danny and Kathy both regularly traveled, and for much of

4576-467: The children virtually on her own. She often felt neglected by Danny, and on several occasions felt like leaving him. Margaret was a society woman and strict with the children, but loved her family. Louise Beavers made several appearances during this era as the Williams' maid, Louise Evans, and often was at odds with Danny and sided with Margaret in most of the couple's arguments. Nana Bryant often appeared as Margaret's kind mother Julia, of whom Danny and

4680-761: The children were fond, but Margaret, who had been raised by her aunt and uncle because of her mother often being away on stage tours, was not as warm to her mother. (Bryant died in late 1955, and rather than the character being recast, she simply disappeared. When Louise Beavers became ill in 1955, Amanda Randolph assumed the role of Louise.) The supporting cast included: Hans Conried had nineteen guest appearances as Danny's eccentric Lebanese "Uncle Tonoose". Other frequent guests included Bill Dana as José Jiménez , Annette Funicello as an Italian exchange student named Gina Manelli, and Thomas' protégée Italian teenaged singer Piccola Pupa. Other notable guest stars included band leader and musician Harry James , who appeared in

4784-418: The concept, but modernized the show cosmetically, with a disco re-recording of the theme song and a more ethnically diverse group of young cast members. The sets were brightly colored and simpler than the detailed black and white artwork of the original. Like the original, nearly every day's episode included a vintage cartoon, though usually in color from the late 1930s onward. The 1977 Mouseketeers were part of

4888-450: The concerts were replaced primarily by live performances that featured singing and dancing in front of the audience. This version maintained the "theme day" format from the previous two versions. When Disney decided to revamp the show for its final season, the show was reduced to a single weekly airing, shown only on Thursdays. Although still produced as a daily series during the final season taping in 1994, The Disney Channel, after canceling

4992-411: The course of the show, was based of the traditional Irish song " Danny Boy ". Reruns of the show (using the original title, "Make Room for Daddy") were aired weekdays on NBC from October 4, 1960, to March 26, 1965. The episodes shown were from season one through season nine. CBS aired primetime repeats April 19 through September 6, 1965, on Monday nights at 9:30 p.m ( Eastern time ). Subsequently, most of

5096-626: The episode "The Trumpet Player", child pianist Ginny Tiu playing Li Chow in "The Chinese Doll" and Jimmy Durante , who appeared as himself in the episode "Danny and Durante". Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz appeared in one episode together as their characters from I Love Lucy , and appearing as themselves in various episodes were Bob Hope , Jack Benny , Milton Berle , Max Baer , Sammy Davis Jr. , Dinah Shore , and Dean Martin . Tony Bennett made his television acting debut in 1959 as Danny's singing cousin Stephen from Toledo, and Paul Anka played

5200-529: The episode "The Woman Behind the Jokes", season 11, episode 4. Eight episodes of The Danny Thomas Show (in seasons 8-10) featured Bill Dana as José Jiménez . This led to the spin-off series The Bill Dana Show , starring Dana as Jiménez. Danny Thomas played himself in one episode of The Bill Dana Show . The show ended in 1964, but Danny Thomas, Marjorie Lord, Angela Cartwright, Rusty Hamer, Sherry Jackson, Amanda Randolph and Hans Conried returned in 1965 for

5304-457: The few cast members to be personally selected by Walt Disney himself. In 1955, she signed a seven-year contract with Disney at $ 160 a week that would rise to $ 500 a week if all options were exercised. Funicello proved to be very popular and by the end of the first season of The Mickey Mouse Club , she was receiving 6,000 letters a month, more than any other Mouseketeer. She dated fellow Mouseketeer Lonnie Burr . Saying goodbye to cast members in

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5408-556: The fourth-season finale, "Danny's Proposal", and the pilot for The Andy Griffith Show . The complete sixth season on DVD was released on January 22. 2008. It was released by a different company than the one that had handled the fifth-season package, and contained uncut episodes with vintage second-run opening titles from the early 1960s NBC network daytime reruns. Several of the early episodes with Jean Hagen can be purchased on discount DVDs, as these episodes have entered public domain because of lapsed copyright. The series played

5512-539: The halftime show of Super Bowl XI on January 9, 1977. Serials were usually old Disney movies, cut into segments for twice-weekly inclusion. Movies included Third Man on the Mountain , The Misadventures of Merlin Jones and its sequel The Monkey's Uncle (both starring Tommy Kirk ), Emil and the Detectives (retitled The Three Skrinks ), Tonka (retitled A Horse Called Comanche ), The Horse Without

5616-520: The mid-1960s, she established herself as a film actress, popularizing the successful " Beach Party " genre alongside co-star Frankie Avalon . In 1992, Funicello announced that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1987. She died of complications from the disease on April 8, 2013. Annette Joanne Funicello was born in Utica, New York , to Virginia Jeanne (née Albano), and Joseph Edward Funicello. Her family moved to Southern California when she

5720-414: The most popular segments. Due to the age of both the performers and the target demographic, lyrics with objectionable content were generally edited out of the songs and replaced with more appropriate language. A unique feature of the show was the Mouseketeers performing concerts on different days (which were usually taped the day before or in the summer, when the kids had more time). During the final season,

5824-420: The only Disney series which was left on prime time until 1972 when The Mouse Factory went on the air. The prohibition which prevented major U.S. broadcast networks from airing the original Mickey Mouse Club (or any later version of it) was disputed when Disney acquired ABC in 1996. Although it would not air on ABC again, Disney ran it on the Disney Channel's "Vault Disney" block from 1998 to 2002. Although

5928-421: The opening title was used later in the series, in syndication, and on Disney Channel reruns. Dodd also wrote many other songs used in individual segments throughout the series. Each day of the week had a special show theme, which was reflected in the several segments. The themes were: The series ran on ABC Television for an hour each weekday in the 1955 and the 1956 seasons (from 5:00 - 6:00 pm ET), and only

6032-407: The opening, interstitial, and closing segments made especially for the show. In both the vintage cartoons and new animated segments, Mickey was voiced by his creator Walt Disney (Disney had previously voiced the character theatrically from 1928 to 1947 before being replaced by sound effects artist Jimmy MacDonald ). The first official theater-based Mickey Mouse Club began on December 21, 1929, at

6136-629: The public eye, revealing that her disease had severely damaged her nervous system. She had lost the ability to walk in 2004, had lost the ability to speak half a decade later in 2009 and required a feeding tube , needing round-the-clock care in order to survive. Funicello's close friend Shelley Fabares also appeared in the profile piece. On April 8, 2013, Funicello died at age 70 at Mercy Southwest Hospital in Bakersfield, California , from complications attributed to multiple sclerosis. Her family and Fabares were with her when she died. A private funeral

6240-585: The role of Danny Williams, a successful comedian and nightclub entertainer at the Copa Club, based on the iconic New York City nightclub the Copacabana . In the show's first iteration as Make Room for Daddy , Jean Hagen played Thomas' serious and loving wife Margaret. Their daughter Terry was played by Sherry Jackson and their son Rusty by Rusty Hamer. The show's premise involved Danny rarely having time to spend with his family and Margaret having to deal with

6344-399: The same series. 31 out of the 39 original Mouseketeers were reunited for a TV special, which aired on Disney's Wonderful World in November 1980. Paul Williams – who hosted the special – and Tim Considine were named Honorary Mouseketeers during the special. Cast members Annette Funicello, Bobby Burgess, Tommy Cole, Sharon Baird, Don Grady, and Sherry Alberoni were reunited on

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6448-565: The same style. However, Funicello credits "the Annette sound" to her record producer, Tutti Camarata , who worked for Disney in that era. Camarata had her double-track her vocals, matching her first track as closely as possible on the second recording to achieve a fuller sound than her voice would otherwise produce. Early in her career, she appeared on the NBC interview program Here's Hollywood . In December 1959, Funicello attempted to have her contract with Disney set aside, claiming that it

6552-537: The series aired Monday through Friday at 5:30 pm. The show's sixth season aired Monday to Thursday. In its final season, it aired Thursdays only at 7:00 pm (later moved a half hour later, to 7:30 pm). The series premiered Monday, April 24, 1989, ended production in October 1994, and aired its last original episode in 1996. Seasons 3 and 5 had the most episodes at 55 each, with seasons 1, 2, and 7 running about 45 episodes. Seasons 4 and 6 had about 36 episodes each. The show

6656-592: The series had been ended in America, many members of the cast assembled for highly successful tours of Australia in 1959 and 1960. The television series was very successful in Australia and was still running on Australian television. The cast surprised Australian audiences, as by then they had physically matured and in some cases, bore little resemblance to the cast of youths with whom Australians were so familiar. Mainstream television did not reach Australia until 1956, so

6760-467: The series is notable for featuring a number of cast members who went on to achieve global success in music and acting, including actor Ryan Gosling , singers Justin Timberlake , JC Chasez , Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera , actress Keri Russell , voice actress Deedee Magno , En Vogue member Rhona Bennett , and Hallmark movie star Nikki DeLoach . Throughout the show's run, Fred Newman

6864-633: The series once season 7 production had ended, decided to air the final season in a weekly format, therefore stretching the first-run episodes into early 1996. The final season premiered in May 1995, almost a year after production had started and more than 6 months after the series finale was taped. Make Room for Daddy In March 1953, Thomas first signed the contract for the show with ABC and chose Desilu Studios to film it using its three-camera method . Two proposed titles during pre-production were The Children's Hour and Here Comes Daddy . Thomas played

6968-441: The series screened well into the 1960s when the back catalog expired. In response to continuing audience demand, the original Mickey Mouse Club went into edited syndicated half-hour reruns that enjoyed wide distribution starting in the fall of 1962, achieving strong ratings especially during its first three seasons in syndicated release. Because of its popularity in some markets, a few stations continued to carry it into 1968 before

7072-540: The series was finally withdrawn from syndication. Some new features were added such as Fun with Science or "Professor Wonderful" (with scientist Julius Sumner Miller ) and Marvelous Marvin in the 1964–1965 season; Jimmie Dodd appeared in several of these new segments before his death in November 1964. Several markets expanded the program back to an hour's daily run time during the 1960s repeat cycle by adding locally produced and hosted portions involving educational subjects and live audience participation of local children, in

7176-427: The series, only some of which have appeared in reruns. Other Mouseketeers were also featured in some of the serials, particularly Annette Funicello and Darlene Gillespie. Major serials included: The opening theme, "The Mickey Mouse March ", was written by the show's primary adult host, Jimmie Dodd. It was also reprised at the end of each episode, with the slower "it's time to say goodbye" verse. A shorter version of

7280-452: The show can be seen on TVS Nostalgia Network.Com. Season 5 (only) is available on Hulu . Amazon Prime and Filmrise are streaming the show currently (April 2024). The Catchy Comedy network currently airs two episodes every weekday as of spring 2024. George Carlin referred to the reruns as "Daddy has had room made for". On September 28, 2004, Questar released the complete fifth season on Region 1 DVD. The set includes two special episodes:

7384-418: The show from Labor Day of 2012 to December 31, 2014. In 2014, the series joined the weekday line up of Cozi TV, where it has as of 2021 stopped airing but did broadcast all the 1956–1964 episodes which includes the season after Jean Hagen left the show (1956–1957). Cozi-TV also added the final two seasons of the show (Seasons 10 and 11) that had not been shown in any package of reruns since 1965. Episodes of

7488-538: The show remained popular, ABC decided to cancel it after its fourth season ended, because Disney and the ABC network could not come to terms for its renewal. The cancellation of the show in September 1959 was attributed to several factors: the Disney studios did not explain high profit margins from merchandise sales, sponsors were uninterested in educational programming for children, and many commercials were needed to pay for

7592-487: The show was popular with younger audiences, the Disney Channel executives felt it had become dated over the years, particularly because it was aired in black-and-white. Their answer was to create a brand-new, rebooted version of the club, one targeted at contemporary audiences. Notably, the all-new "club-members" wore Mouseketeer varsity jackets instead of iconic Mickey Mouse ears. This show was called The All-New Mickey Mouse Club (also known as "MMC" to fans). This version of

7696-474: The show's cast members. Inspired by a visual gag in The Karnival Kid , he helped create these ears, along with Chuck Keehne, Hal Adelquist, and Bill Walsh. The main cast members were called Mouseketeers, and they performed in a variety of musical and dance numbers, as well as some informational segments. The most popular of the Mouseketeers constituted the so-called Red Team, who appeared each day in

7800-474: The show. After canceling The Mickey Mouse Club , ABC also refused to let Disney air the show on another network. Walt Disney filed a lawsuit against ABC, and won the damages in a settlement the following year; however, he had to agree that both the Mickey Mouse Club and Zorro could not be aired on any major network. This left Walt Disney Presents (initially titled Disneyland , later retitled Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color when it moved to NBC) as

7904-916: The show’s opening roll call & closing segments. 9 of those Red Team Mouseketeers were kept under contract for the entire run of the show (1955–1959): Other Mouseketeers who were Red Team members but did not star on the show for all three seasons included: The remaining Mouseketeers, who were members of the White or Blue Teams, were Don Agrati (who was later known as Don Grady when he starred as "Robbie" on My Three Sons ), Sherry Alberoni , Billie Jean Beanblossom, Eileen Diamond, Dickie Dodd (not related to Jimmie Dodd ), Mary Espinosa, Bonnie Lynn Fields , Judy Harriet, Linda Hughes, Dallas Johann, John Lee Johann, Bonni Lou Kern, Charlie Laney, Larry Larsen, Paul Petersen , Lynn Ready, Mickey Rooney Jr. , Tim Rooney , Mary Sartori, Bronson Scott, Margene Storey, Ronnie Steiner , and Mark Sutherland. Larry Larsen, on only for

8008-534: The team color which they belonged to are listed for each season): Notes: Cole and Day were originally Blue Team members, but were promoted to the Red Team later in the first season. Johann, Petersen, and the Rooney brothers were all let go early in the first season. Dallas's brother John Lee replaced him, while Dodd and Steiner were hired as replacements for the Rooney brothers. For the show's fourth season, only

8112-485: The tenth season they toured Europe (with a handful of episodes featuring location footage). Rusty and Linda were looked after by Danny's manager, Charlie Halper ( Sid Melton ) and his wife Bunny ( Pat Carroll ). During the 11th and final season, Thomas decided to retire from the show and the program ended in the spring of 1964, finishing as still one of the most popular television programs and ranking at number nine. The theme music, which went through various arrangements over

8216-558: The third season finished filming, Jean Hagen left the show over dissatisfaction with her role and frequent clashes with Danny Thomas. Thomas was upset with her for leaving, and felt the show would not last without her. However, he decided to push on. At the start of the fourth season, both Thomas and producer Sheldon Leonard were faced with a serious dilemma—how to explain Hagen's absence. To have "Danny" and "Margaret" divorce in that era would have been unacceptable to television audiences, so it

8320-526: The third version of the series began in 1989. The last airing of the edited 1950s material was on Disney Channel's Vault Disney from 1997 to September 2002. During the baseball seasons in 1975 and 1976, WGN-TV in Chicago, Illinois, aired the show on a delayed basis due to Cubs baseball coverages. Annette Funicello and Tim Considine were reunited on The New Mickey Mouse Club in 1977. Darlene Gillespie and Cubby O'Brien were also reunited on another episode of

8424-455: The voice for the character up to his death in 2009. Future rock musician Courtney Love (wife of Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain ) claims to have auditioned for a part on the show, reading a poem by Sylvia Plath ; she was not selected. Former Mouseketeers Annette Funicello and serial star Tim Considine guest-starred in one episode; former Mouseketeers Darlene Gillespie and Cubby O'Brien were also reunited on another episode. The lyrics of

8528-588: Was a soldier. In this episode, Terry left her son, six-year-old Michael (played by Michael Hughes), in the care of grandparents Danny and Kathy so she could join Bill, who was stationed overseas. In addition to Lord, Hamer and Cartwright, the only other returning regulars were Sid Melton as Charley Halper and Hans Conried as Uncle Tonoose. During that season, new characters were played by Stanley Myron Handelman and former football player Roosevelt Grier . Pat Carroll did not reprise her role of Bunny Halper and her character

8632-505: Was a success at the box-office. Although uncomfortable being thought of as a singer, Funicello had a number of pop record hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s, mostly written by the Sherman Brothers and including: " Tall Paul ", "First Name Initial", " O Dio Mio ", "Train of Love" (written by Paul Anka ) and " Pineapple Princess ". They were released by Disney's Buena Vista label. She also recorded "It's Really Love" in 1959,

8736-401: Was a widow with a little girl (played by Leilani Sorenson). Danny and Kathy became fast friends and, not surprisingly, Danny quickly fell in love with her, as did the kids. In the season finale, the two became engaged. In a curious twist, ABC at this point canceled the series. In the spring of 1957, I Love Lucy , which had reigned as the top-rated show for almost all of its six-year run on CBS,

8840-484: Was actress and singer Shelley Fabares , whom she had met in a catechism class when they were teens. Fabares was a bridesmaid at Funicello's first wedding. Funicello was also very close to fellow Mouseketeers Lonnie Burr (her first boyfriend), Sharon Baird , Doreen Tracey , Cheryl Holdridge , Disney co-star Tommy Kirk and beach-movie co-star Frankie Avalon . She dated Canadian singer/songwriter Paul Anka and he wrote his hit song " Puppy Love " about her. Funicello

8944-538: Was another huge hit. Funicello made a cameo in two AIP comedies starring Avalon, Ski Party (1965) and Dr Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (1965), then she did How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965) with Dwayne Hickman . Box office receipts for the series were in decline, and neither Avalon nor Funicello appeared in the final installment, The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini (1966). AIP tried

9048-556: Was cast in her first beach movie, Walt Disney requested that she wear only modest bathing suits and keep her navel covered. However, she wore a pink two-piece in Beach Party , a white two-piece fishnet suit in the second film ( Muscle Beach Party ) and a blue and white bikini in the third ( Bikini Beach ). All three swimsuits bared her navel, particularly in Bikini Beach , where it is visible extensively during close up shots in

9152-412: Was cast in the recurring role of Liz O'Neill, Danny Williams's no-nonsense press agent. Wickes remained with the show until 1958. During the show's fourth season, it was Liz, along with Louise and Danny's friends, who often looked after the children while he was touring. He decided to move them to a boarding school, but later relented and the family moved into a new apartment. Also in that year, Danny dated

9256-614: Was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis . For the next five years, she hid her condition from her family and friends until 1992 when she finally publicly disclosed her diagnosis to combat rumors that her impaired ability to walk was the result of alcoholism. In 1993, she opened the Annette Funicello Fund for Neurological Disorders at the California Community Foundation . The Canadian program W5 profiled Funicello in 2012 after 15 years out of

9360-429: Was dictated to Patricia Romanowski and published in 1994 . The title was taken from a song from the Disney movie Cinderella . A television film based on the book, A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes: The Annette Funicello Story , appeared in 1995. In the final scene, the actress portraying Funicello ( Eva LaRue ), using a wheelchair, turns away from the camera and when turning back, Funicello herself appears to deliver

9464-405: Was ending production. When CBS heard that ABC was cancelling the series, CBS picked it up as part of its 1957-58 schedule. The Danny Thomas Show made its CBS debut on Monday, October 7, 1957, at 9:00 inheriting the time slot vacated by I Love Lucy . The fifth-season premiere episode, "Lose Me In Las Vegas", had Danny and Kathy already married and on their honeymoon. The Williams family moved into

9568-506: Was explained that Margaret had died suddenly off-screen. It was a risky move because until this time, no character on a TV situation comedy had died. Danny was now a widower juggling a performing career while raising two children on his own. With the absence of Jean Hagen, character actress-comedienne Mary Wickes (who had worked with Thomas and singer-actress Doris Day in the 1952 Warner Bros. musical film I'll See You in My Dreams )

9672-665: Was four years old. She was of Italian American heritage. Funicello took dancing and music lessons when she was a child in order to overcome her shyness. In 1955, the 12-year-old was discovered by Walt Disney when she performed as the Swan Queen in Swan Lake at a dance recital at the Starlight Bowl in Burbank, California . Disney cast her as one of the original Mouseketeers. She was the last to be selected, and one of

9776-627: Was held at the Cherished Memories Memorial Chapel in Bakersfield. Commenting on her death, Walt Disney Company chairman and CEO Bob Iger said: Annette was and always will be a cherished member of the Disney family, synonymous with the word Mouseketeer, and a true Disney Legend. She will forever hold a place in our hearts as one of Walt Disney's brightest stars, delighting an entire generation of baby boomers with her jubilant personality and endless talent. Annette

9880-502: Was known for its sketch comedy. Some of the sketches played off famous movies, musicals, and even cartoons, as well as holiday-related skits. During the final season, some of the skits showed everyday occurrences in the lives of adolescents. The series featured music videos of the Mouseketeers singing their versions of popular songs in front of a live studio audience or the Walt Disney World Resort . This became one of

9984-641: Was married to Jack L. Gilardi (1930–2019) from 1965 until 1981. They had three children: Gina Portman (born 1965), Jack Jr. (born 1970) and Jason (born 1974). In 1986, she married California harness racing horse breeder/trainer Glen D. Holt (1930–2018). The couple was frequently seen attending harness horse races at the Los Alamitos Race Course and Fairplex in Pomona in the 1980s and 1990s. In March 2011, Funicello's longtime Encino, California , home caught fire. She suffered smoke inhalation, but

10088-415: Was never mentioned on this series. The show lasted only one year, producing 24 episodes; its cancellation came at a time when the networks were purging content favoring older, rural and other less affluent viewers after the loss of a half-hour of daily program time in 1971. According to Lord, the series faced many obstacles, including the unprofessionalism and inexperience of the child actor Michael Hughes,

10192-461: Was otherwise unharmed. After the fire, Funicello and Holt lived in a modest ranch that they had purchased decades earlier, located just south of Shafter, California (north of Bakersfield ), where she lived her remaining years. In early 1987, at around 45 years old, Funicello reunited with Frankie Avalon for a series of promotional concerts to promote their film Back to the Beach . She began to experience dizziness, headaches, and balance issues and

10296-409: Was picked up as a series by CBS, but Thomas considered its assigned time slot to be too quiet and pulled the show. ABC brought it back on a weekly basis in 1970, in Make Room for Granddaddy . For the series premiere, Sherry Jackson reprised her role of oldest daughter Terry. No mention was made of her husband Pat Hannigan. Instead, for this new version of the series, Terry's husband was named Bill, who

10400-683: Was shown on The Wonderful World of Disney . WGN-TV in Chicago, Illinois, also aired this version on a delayed basis in 1977 and 1978 during the Cubs baseball season due to game coverages. Action for Children's Television successfully got the show canceled because of their objections to the types of commercials that aired during the program. It also aired on BBC One in the United Kingdom from 1978 to 1980, and on TVB Pearl in Hong Kong from 1978. The cast of 12 (five boys and seven girls) had

10504-463: Was sick and rarely appeared as Louise, who was said to be recovering from the flu, with Kathy doing most of the housework. In the early part of the sixth season, Sherry Jackson left the show and the character of Terry was said to have gone to a girls school in Paris. Jackson commented on her close friendship with Jean Hagen and why she left the series: The major perk was Jean Hagen. I adored her. We had

10608-417: Was the main adult co-host from the beginning of the series until season 6. In the first season, Newman was joined by other co-host Mowava Pryor. She was then replaced by Terri Eoff from the fourth season until the sixth season. By the show's final season, two original members, Chase Hampton and Tiffini Hale , became the co-hosts. This was also the first version of the club to have any studio audience, though

10712-882: Was unequitable and that she was without an agent or legal counsel when she signed it. She was receiving $ 325 a week (About $ 3,000 in 2020 dollars). The court refused. In 1961, Funicello returned to Zorro playing a different role. She starred in a big budget musical for Disney, Babes in Toyland (1961), alongside Tommy Sands and Kirk. She also appeared in two television movies filmed in Europe for Disney alongside Kirk, both of which were released theatrically in some markets: The Horsemasters (1961), shot in England, and Escapade in Florence (1962), filmed in Italy. It has been pointed out that although Disney had Funicello under contract

10816-423: Was well known for being as beautiful inside as she was on the outside, and she faced her physical challenges with dignity, bravery and grace. All of us at Disney join with family, friends and fans around the world in celebrating her extraordinary life. The power pop band Redd Kross 's 1980 song " Annette's Got The Hits " was inspired by Funicello. In 1992, Funicello was inducted as a Disney Legend . She received

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