‘Mickey Mouse Club’ Celebrating 40th Birthday
“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!”
Sophisticated baby boomers suddenly transform into excited, wide-eyed children at the mention of “The Mickey Mouse Club.”
It only seems like yesterday when youngsters watched Mouseketeers Annette, Bobby, Tommy, Sharon, Sherry, Darlene, Doreen, Karen and Lonnie and their adult leaders, Jimmie and Roy, sing, dance, educate and enchant. What honorary Mouseketeer didn’t love the serials “Spin and Marty,” “The Hardy Boys,” “Corky and White Shadow” and “Annette”? Or learn how to spell e-n-c-y-c-l-o-p-e-d-i-a, thanks to Jiminy Cricket?
From 1955 to 1959, kids and even their moms tuned into the popular weekday ABC series. (Another generation tuned into the syndicated repeats from 1962-65.) Everyone wanted to be a Mouseketeer. Every child had a favorite day whether it was “Fun With Music Day,” “Guest Star Day,” “Anything Can Happen Day,” “Circus Day” or “Talent Roundup Day.” Of course, the biggest thrill in life for a fan was to become a card-carrying member of the Mickey Mouse Club.
“The Mickey Mouse Club” hit the big 4-0 Tuesday and the Disney Channel (which also airs the new version of the show) is dedicating the month to the “Club.” Highlights of the celebration include episodes of the original series (weeknights); a repeat of the “Annette” serial starring the most famous Mouseketeer, Annette Funicello, (Saturday afternoons); “Spin & Marty: The Movie” (Oct. 18), a feature version of the serial; and “The Mickey Mouse Club Story” (Oct. 22), a documentary with interviews with nine Mouseketeers (there were 39 “mice” in all) who were with the show throughout its run.
Lorraine Santoli, author of the “The Official Mickey Mouse Club Book,” says the series struck a chord in 1955 because there “were not a lot of kids shows then. I think one of the important things is that the kids on the show seemed like regular kids. They weren’t real slick. They weren’t playing a role. They were playing themselves. They seemed to be having a good time. I think that’s why the studio got so many letters saying, ‘How can I be a Mouseketeer?’ “