Saturday, July 15, 2017

It Should've Been on a Saturday: The Mickey Mouse Club (1955)

In the 50's, ABC may perhaps have been the only network that programmed shows for children & teenagers on weekday afternoons. For the teeny-boppers, there was, of course, American Bandstand, which would later move to Saturday afternoons and continue into the 80's.

For the younger kiddo's, there was the equally legendary Mickey Mouse Club, which, like Bandstand did at the time, ran 5 days a week. Had ABC and/or Disney thought of it, maybe a 6th day, Saturday, would've been added. Had that happened, maybe the series could've gone past 4 seasons.

Host Jimmie Dodd basically was an adult supervisor for the Mouseketeers, whose roster included such future stars as Don Grady (later of My Three Sons), Annette Funicello, Sherry Alberoni (later better known for her voice work, i.e. Super Friends & Josie & the Pussycats), and Bobby Burgess (The Lawrence Welk Show). Each day had a specific day, such, as, for example, "Guest Star Day", from whence we get the following clip, which features actor-singer Cliff Edwards, aka Ukelele Ike, aka the original voice of Jiminy Cricket.



17 years after the series ended, Disney re-released it in syndication, so that parents could share their experiences with their kids. That led to the first reincarnation of the series, which we'll discuss another day. Likewise, the last and most successful incarnation will be addressed down the road.

Rating: A.

No comments: