Walt Disney was a revolutionary figure by the 50’s. He took cartoons and made them full blown family epics. He transformed amusement parks into family adventures Finally he gave school kids a reason to rush home after school and turn on the TV set. Mickey Mouse Club was the social focus for American kids in the late 50’s.
Walt Disney was on a roll by the 50’s creating blockbusters like Bambi, Snow White and Pinocchio. Then he risked bankruptcy with the creation of the unimaginable fantasy of Disneyland. Nothing touched a generation of American kids more, however than a simple TV show called the Mickey Mouse Club. Featuring a cast of unknown kids dubbed the Mouseketeers, the Mickey Mouse Club was American’s clubhouse. It was a variety show for kids with song and dance routines by the Mouseketeers, cartoons, and serial dramas. By today’s standards, the show looks hokey and contrived but in the 50’s, the miracle of television brought the clubhouse and camaraderie of the Micky Mouse Club into our houses every weekday. The show only lasted three seasons but had a lasting effect on my generation forever.
The Mouseketeers were like the kids next door – not especially good looking or talented but full of energy and positive vibes. One stood out from the rest – Annette Funicello. She had something extra and was my pre-pubescent crush and I wasn’t alone. She wasn’t beautiful or particularly talented but you always noticed her. She was the only Mouseketeer to make a movie career after the Mickey Mouse Club doing beach movies with Frankie Avalon. This takes us into the 60’s but who’s counting.
The Mickey Mouse Club was a unique phenomenon for my generation, a community of kids created by the great American genius of Walt Disney,
