The Mickey Mouse Club

- Season 1

(1955)

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In the Mickey Mouse Club Newsreel, two cub scouts get an air boat ride through the Everglades with an Oceola Indian guide, a group of Italian kids perform Bibbity-Bobbity-Boo and updates on various Disney projects are given - the "Spin and Marty" serial and the keel boat race between Davy Crockett and Mike Fink. The Mouskateers and Jimmy Dodd do a tap dance roll call. "The Friendly Farmers" song involves a lot of animal sounds with rapidly switched cutouts. "The Shoe Song" has Roy Williams drawing live sketches of anthropomorphic footwear for each verse. Part 1 of the...

Harvey Corbett and his bear puppet Sooty star in the first segment. Sooty gets a parcel with a gift television set from Mickey. It has some problems. Another guest is Wally Boag who is both a balloonologist (who does balloon sculptures) and a bagpipe player. Part 2 of the serial "What I Want to Be" has Alvy and Pat watching Duncan fly his gas-powered model airplane in several competitions - a carrier landing challenge and a tail ribbon cutting contest. The Mousekartoon is "Mickey's Kangaroo". A friend from Australia sends a package with a boxing kangaroo and it joey, ...

The Mickey Mouse Club Newsreel shows boys racing power boats on Lake Sammamish in Washington state, boys in Africa's Cape Province doing the Leopard as a rite of passage, a Kentucky Future Farmers of America boy who is the Boy of the Week, a two-year-old baby girl who swims and a youth rodeo in Loveland, Colorado. The Mouseketeers create a "gaget band" from a variety of household objects. Part 3 of "What I Want to Be" takes Pat to airline hostess school and Duncan into the control tower at the airport. The Mousekartoon is "Mickey's Service Station". A thuggish dandy ...

Jiminy Cricket presents "I'm No Fool (with a Bicycle)". He describes bikes through the ages starting with the hobby or dandy horse in France about 1810. He goes on to use a fool and a smart rider to illustrate points of bicycle safety - show-off moves, too much of a load, and riding backwards. "Here Comes the Circus" includes the Mouseketeer roll call. Guests are the DeWaynes Circus Troupe of acrobats. In part 4 of the serial "What I Want to Be", Pat continues her lessons in hostess school on make up, hair styling, balance and poise. Duncan learns about weather ...

The Mickey Mouse Club Newsreel showcases a boxing match between two 8-year-old Boys Club members, the University of Michigan hospital in Ann Arbor that uses animals to help child patients recover more rapidly, kids getting tips from the New York Giants baseball team, an English boy from Middlesex that has three pet sables and Boy Scouts rock climbing in Garden of the Gods near Colorado Springs. Annette introduces her musical guest, young trumpeter Larry Ashurst. Then Cubby O'Brien, his father and brother demonstrate their prowess in playing drum sets. Part 5 of "What ...

Jimmie and his wife Ruth performed this song in voiceover, while six mice danced in cat costumes. Jimmie's predeliction for cats ran counter to Walt Disney's usual feelings about felines. This was the seventh Fun With Music number filmed, the last in which Dallas Johann would appear, though some numbers filmed earlier with him were broadcast later.

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Jimmie, Karen, and Johnny sing the title song, then Jimmie explains the game. A Mouseketeer tries to guess what Roy drew while five others give hints. Bob provides on-camera sound effects.

Bill Henry and son, Bill Henry, Jr. were a tumbling and balancing act, with Junior even getting a chance to hold up his dad. At the end of the act, the Mouseketeers themselves try a tumbling run. Most go sprawling, landing on their rumps, losing their caps, with the girls' careful hairstyles falling apart. A lot of fun for all involved.

Christopher Fair appeared on the Mickey Mouse Club for several "Talent Roundups", where he performed magic tricks. He was voted the "Juvenile Magician Champion"of the International Brotherhood of Magicians in 1958. If you visited Fantasyland at Disneyland in the 1950's and 1960's, you might have been lucky enough to see a Court Jester, juggling and performing magic on his unicycle. Christopher Fair was that jester.

Darlene as Mary, Mary Quite Contrary and Tommy as Little Boy Blue lead two other Mouseketeers in this swinging big-band take on Mother Goose.

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Carl Davis and 'I'm a Friend of Davy Crockett' and 'Do What the Good Book Says' with the Mousketeers joining in on the latter. Philip Olvera and Louise de la Torre are teen folk dancers.

The fourth number filmed, it had very simple staging combined with voiceover vocals provided by The Mellomen. The quartet also doubled as on-camera performers playing circus bandsmen. The giraffe costume had an adult male in it, possibly Bob Amsberry. Dallas Johann is inside the drum, which has a clear plastic front, allowing his name to be seen on his shirt.

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Jimmie and the kids give clues, then Roy draws the answer while the Mouseketeers sing Roy, Roy, Quick on the Draw. Uses sight gag of Jimmie appearing on both ends as the camera pans along the Mouseketeer line-up.

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'Old Betsy' was the name Davy Crockett gave his rifle. Mary Espinosa does the usual title card intro, then Roy Williams "carves" a message on a tree. Jimmie sang the song, as each of the Mouseketeers played an adversary dealt with by Davy's shootin' iron. Also, Jimmy and the Mouseketeers sing each stanza of "The Little Cow" while Roy draws a scene to match.

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The first of a series of Disneyland ride promotion skits. These took the form of two groups of three Mouseketeers riding for several minutes, with short dialogue breaks before and between excursions. The rides were stationary props on a sound stage that could be rotated and tilted by off-camera stagehands. A back-projection film of stock footage was used to provide a sense of movement.

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The Mickey Mouse Club Newsreel covers kids skiing on Mt. Hood in Oregon, a simulated rocket journey with robot Garko the Great at the Garrett Corp high-pressure research facility in Los Angeles, services at the Little Log Church built by children at Lake Melissa, MN, the first captive born lynx (named Jinx) at the Johanneburg Zoo in South Africa, and a visible beehive at New York City's Metropolitan Museaum of Natural History. The two talents are Mouskateer Johnny (Crawford) fencing with his brother Bobby and Mouskateer Karen introducing young, black concert pianist ...

Frances Archer and Beverly Gile were folk singers who performed songs from many countries, including this Japanese children's ditty about a tanuki, called a raccoon-dog in English, but for this song dubbed simply a raccoon. Archer and Gile usually performed the song only in Japanese. For the show Bill Walsh wrote a few loosely translated lyrics in English. Later that same year, Eartha Kitt did a full-blown treatment of the Mickey Mouse Club version. Jimmie, Bonni, and Sharon sing about Simple Simon's adventures with characters at the fair. Those Mouseketeers playing ...

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Roy shows the kids how to draw Disney characters.

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The California Ramblers were the winners of the Talent Roundup Day but the real stars of the piece were the Mouseketeers trio of Darlene Gillespie, Mary Sartori and Judy Harriet.

Big Bear Roy makes six smaller bears clean-up the woods while he naps. The bears start dancing to music; as the dance progresses the smallest two exit off stage. When big bear wakes, he growls at the unfinished chore. Instrumental dance number, with a few voiceover lines at start and end. During filming the crew reportedly broke for lunch and left the kids trapped in their costumes. By the next season the producers realized it made no sense to hire photogenic kids then stick them into full body costumes with masks. Bobby and Bonni do a fast acrobatic swing dance while...

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This was a crossover from Guest Star Day, with vaudeville/nightclub comedian Lionel Kaye and his wife Kathleen. For the first half seven Mouseketeers do Swanee River on bells. The second half had Bobby, Lonnie, Don, Mark, and Dennis exchanging hats upon command, a staple gag of the Kaye's live act.

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The story of the Little Dutch Boy who saved the Netherlands as told by the Mouseketeers. Jimmie as Tom Sawyer gets the other boys to pay him for the privilege of white-washing Aunt Polly's fence. All-guy or all-gal numbers were equally rare on the Mickey Mouse Club; the show's writers tried to balance the genders. Where the storylines called for only masculine characters it was common practice to dress some of the girls up in male attire. The opposite situation never occurred with Mouseketeer guys; there was no drag on the Mickey Mouse Club.

Episode #37 (Year 3, #A-12). Taped July 30, 1955. Originally 1 hour long, later cut to 1/2 hour for 1959 rebroadcast. The Bell Sisters (Cynthia and Kay Strother) performed "Bermuda" and "Little Boy Bullfighter." On the 1/2 hour cut, only "Little Boy Bullfighter" performance remains; announcer voice-over indicates the Bell Sisters will sing "two songs they recorded when they were youngsters."

Another in the series of Disneyland ride promotion skits.

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Mouseketeer Karen Pendleton sings 'Gee, It's Hard to be Eight' from the window of the Dry Gulch Hotel.

The scene opens at the docks of the Vodoo (sic) Banana Company at an unnamed port in the Caribbean. There are a number of barrels and boxes in the foreground, from which the band emerges doing a mambo step to the front of the Banana Company building. This is a music and dance-only number taking place at the docks of a Caribbean port. The Mouseketeers dance to the music provided by an unlikely looking Caribbean band. The band consists of Jimmie Dodd on piano, Roy Williams on flute, Bob Amsberry on trumpet, George Bruns on bass, Pietro Deiro, Jr. on maracas, and Jimmy ...

The Mickey Mouse Club Show: Guest Star Day was on Tuesdays and featured Disney contract players, voice-over artists, or employees who were vital to the Disney Television Shows or motion pictures.

Les Philmer and his wife Mary were veterans of the 1930's vaudeville and international music hall circuits who did a juggling and balancing act. Anything Can Happen Day shows would occasionally contain material originally devised for other days of the week. This program was likely meant to be a Circus Day show.

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The show focuses on the terrific talents of Mouseketeers Darlene Gillespie and Judy Harriet.

The scene opens in the darkened bedroom of a young boy (Dennis). A window throws subdued light on the walls and the boy who is asleep in his bed. The shadows of the window sashes create a dramatic contrast in the room. On a wall are hung a stick horse, a lasso and a guitar. A cowboy hat rests on the foot of the bed, and a pair of boots are on the floor, close to the owner. A male/female chorus (the same used in the animated short) begins singing softly a simple song of cowboy dreams. Most people today will not think much of the number. However, anyone who has ever ...

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Another in the series of Disneyland ride promotion skits.

We begin on the Great Plains by the Gates of the Mountains, where the Missouri River flows through a spectacular gorge. To the south is Montana's Capital, Helena, with a fine cathedral and state house built at the end of the 19th century. Huge numbers of visitors head for Montana for the beautiful and varied landscape, and the city of Bozeman stands surrounded by mountains, rivers, and forests.

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'Get Busy' was a song about helping out your parents by getting involved with doing household chores. Six Mouseketeers plus Jimmie provide a verse for each day of the week. Jimmie does the lead and each Mouseketeer gets to solo a verse. The spotlight follows Jimmie as he steps right to where the Mouseketeers are seated on stools with hands wrapped around their knees. Jimmie seats himself on an empty stool at the end of the row as the Mouseketeers join in the song.

Comedian Morey Amsterdam performs his version of 'Fractured Fairy Tales' for the Mouseketeers.

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In "Be Sure You're Right" the scene opens with Jimmie, dressed in the buckskin jacket and leather pants he wore in 'Old Betsy'. Judy wears a long dress with a large bow in her hair. The pair walk side-by-side from the camera to a bench in front of a log cabin as Jimmie plucks his banjo. A song about Davey Crocket and his maxim to have the confidence to go ahead without fear when you know you're right. Jimmie and Judy sing a duet while the other Mouseketeers play Davey Crockett and the obstacles he faced. In "Hi. To You", the scene opens with the camera approaching two...

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Given the short time allotted (four minutes) the introductory song used in the first skit of this type was cut. The Blue Team Mouseketeers play only two rounds of the game, then it shifts without explanation to the Red Team for a very quick final round.

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Jimmie, dressed in western garb and sporting a badge, nails an "unwanted poster" to the wall of the pokey with the butt of his pistol. The poster features a caricature of Roy, reading: "Unwanted: Roy Roy, $5000 Reward if NOT caught." Jimmie is the local sheriff, Roy is an "unwanted" bad man/artist, and the Mouseketeers lend their faces for Roy's artwork. Ten Little Indians is a two part skit, with Annette and Jimmie doing an unrelated opening, possibly tacked on to the original number as an early acknowledgment of Annette's fan mail. Focus then shifted to the number, ...

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Another in the series of Disneyland ride promotion skits.

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In the 'Cooking with Minnie Mouse' segment, Jimmie and Ruth come on stage dressed as chefs and sing the prologue. The camera then shifts to Chef Bobby and the four girls who dance and bake cookies while Ruth continues to sing in voice-over. Terrific little number, well-staged by director Dik Darley. Choreographer Burch Mann and arranger Buddy Baker threw touches of "An American in Paris" (1951) into the action. As with so many of these numbers Buddy Baker's musical arrangements really made the whole thing come alive.

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'The History of Drums' from Prehistoric Times forward, courtesy of Cubby and Roy. A Fun with Music number that was switched to 'Anything Can Happen Day' because there really wasn't much music. The scene opens at the front of a cave dwelling. Cubby, dressed in leopard skin as a caveboy, is at the right, gnawing a bone. Roy, also dressed in leopard skin as a caveman, is to the left, fast asleep. Cubby strikes Roy on the belly with his bone and it makes a "boing" sound. Cubby continues to strike Roy on the midsection, delighted by his discovery. Roy wakes up, annoyed. ...

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When the children come home from school, the village blacksmith knows it is time for fun and replaces his anvil with a small piano, and everybody boogies. The camera opens on Jimmie, dressed in a full-body "pencil suit" with a hat shaped like the sharpened end of a pencil. Jimmie is standing on a large platform that looks like an open three-ringed binder loaded with lined filler paper. As Jimmie sings, the camera dissolves into various scenes in which the Mouseketeers act out Jimmie's lyrics.

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Another in the series of Disneyland ride promotion skits.

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Janice Crowe and Peter Lee Palmer were young musicians who played several folk-romantic songs while dressed in elaborate Gypsy costumes, For their finale, Mousketeers Bonni and Mary Sartori danced while playing tambourines.

'When I Grow Up' was Darlene Gillespie's signature song and was one of only two Fun With Music Day numbers throughout the show's entire run to feature a solo performer. In the Mixed-up Mother Goose segment, Jimmie appears singing a refrain of sorts, which he repeats after every Mouseketeer's segment, then introduces each new Mouseketeer by name. The set consists of a cottage from which each Mouseketeer appears. The Mouseketeers are dressed as the nursery rhyme characters they talk about. The Mouseketeers cut up commonly-known children's nursery rhymes in the same way ...

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The live studio orchestra plays variations on the theme song, each style being interpreted in dance by two Mouseketeers. Sharon and Nancy are '20s flappers, Karen and Cubby do a minuet, Sharon and Don glide thru a comic tango, Lonnie and Annette give us the old soft shoe, Darlene and Doreen are en pointe, while Bonni and Bobby first perform a swing-tap routine then finish with a Lindy Hop.

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Erwin Klein and Mike Ralston were two of the top U.S.A. ping pong players in 1955. Erwin Klein would go on to be selected as a member of the U.S. Table Tennis Hall of Fame. The four Pike Brothers were accordionists.

In Mousekedance, the scene opens at a malt shop counter with a cut-out figure of a Dutch girl stage right of the counter. There is a jukebox stage right of the Dutch girl. Don and Mary sit at a table at the right of the screen. Lonnie and Annette are doing a slow foxtrot at the left of the screen to low level music playing. Jimmie, dressed as a soda jerk, glides around the dancing Lonnie and Annette to deliver a tray of ice cream sodas to Don and Mary. The girls are dressed in satin party dresses, the boys in coats and ties. A dance number with just enough dialogue ...

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Another in the series of Disneyland ride promotion skits.

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Dr. Samuel Hoffman was an early developer of the theremin. As an adult, Bob Brunner joined the Disney Music Department and wrote some of the songs used on "The New Mickey Mouse Club" in 1977.

The set consists of six large alphabet blocks forming something of a pyramid, on which are seated (from left) Judy, Tommy, Karen, Darlene and Dennis, with Jimmie at floor level seated in the middle. The presenting Mouseketeers run down the alphabet from A to M, stepping to the camera one at a time.

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Another in the series of Disneyland ride promotion skits. Judy was the air hostess for Flying Toad Airlines, Lee and Tommy the mechanics.

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Fun With Music - Jimmie with his Mouseguitar are backed by the Mouseketeers and a band; they invite us to have fun with music. The Mouseketeers include Doreen as a nightingale and Sharon as an owl (with facemasks), Mary Espinosa and Nancy in cat outfits, Cubby with a stalk of bluebells, Bonni standing behind a full moon, Bronson and Johnny in beaver outfits, Mark, Bobby, Lonnie and Don as a barbershop quartet, Mary Sartori and Lee as Mambo dancers, with Roy holding a trumpet and Bob Amsberry on a keyboard that looks like a typewriter. Mouseguitar Music Lesson - This ...

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Another in the series of Disneyland ride promotion skits.

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Glen Derringer and Brenda Derringer, brother and sister act, from Philadelphia who recorded several albums of pop standards in the 1950's and 1960's.

The Mouseketeers, portraying woodland animals, follow Hiawatha (Jimmie) asking to join him as he goes out hunting. The scene is in a forest with trees in the background. Generic "Indian music," heavy on the tom-toms, begins playing. Three pairs of Mouseketeers dance into the screen "disguised" by the animal masks they hold in front of their faces. First to enter are Annette as a squirrel and Darlene as a bear; they dance a jig of sorts. They are joined by Lonnie as a chipmunk and Mike as a skunk, and finally Judy as a mouse and Tommy as a beaver. Johnny Appleseed: ...

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Joe Baggi was a "sculptor" whose preferred medium was pipecleaners and other mundane materials.

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The winner of the Talent Roundup Day this week is Sandy Black. She was a trick horseback rider. Her horse, a Paint, was brought onto the Dry Gulch stage, Bobby held the reins for her while Sandy did a dance with a lariat to the tune of a Davy Crockett song. After the commercial break, everyone ran into the Dry Gulch theater and watched home movies of Sandy performing her riding tricks.