THE ORIGINAL MICKEY MOUSE CLUB

This sub-project is part of the larger Classic Disney Project. Please visit the main project page for details on the goals and objectives of this project.

The Mickey Mouse Club was an American variety television show that originally aired intermittently from 1955 to 1959. The show featured a cast of mostly teen performers known as the Mouseketeers. The Mickey Mouse Club was hosted by Jimmie Dodd, a songwriter and the Head Mouseketeer, who provided leadership both on and off the screen. Roy Williams, a staff artist at Disney, also appeared in the show as the Big Mouseketeer.

CAST

The Grown Ups

• Jimmy Dodd (c)
• Roy Williams (c)
• Bob Amsberry

The Long-Termers

• Annette Funicello (c)
• Cheryl Holdridge (c)
• Dennis Day (c)
• Doreen Tracey
• Karen Pendleton (c)

The Short-Termers

• Bonni Kern (c)
• Bonnie Fields
• Charley Laney
• Dickie Dodd (c)
• Don Grady (c)
• Johnny Crawford (c)
• Larry Larsen
• Lynn Ready
• Mark Sutherland (c)
• Mickey Rooney, Jr. (c)
• Mike Smith
• Tim Rooney (c)

MMC Serial Stars

• Tim Considine (c)
• Kevin Corcoran (c)
• Tommy Kirk (c)

(c) = Connected

TRIVIA

- Jimmie Dodd often provided short segments which encouraged younger viewers to make the right moral choices. These little homilies became known as "Doddisms".

- The opening theme, "The Mickey Mouse March", was written by Jimmie Dodd.

- It was Roy Williams who suggested that the Mickey and Minnie Mouse ears should be worn by the show's cast members, which he helped create.

- Bob Amsberry was one of the Club's original cast members on the first two seasons of the show, working as both a writer and actor. Bob-O, a clown character played by Amsberry on the series, became a minor celebrity. Amsberry died in a car accident in 1957.

- The most popular of the Mouseketeers constituted the so-called Red Team, which was kept under contract for the entire run of the show (1955–1959) and included:

• Sharon Baird
• Bobby Burgess
• Lonnie Burr
• Tommy Cole
• Annette Funicello
• Darlene Gillespie
• Cubby O'Brien
• Karen Pendleton
• Doreen Tracey.

- In all there were 39 Mouseketeers. The remaining Mouseketeers were members of either the White or Blue Teams.

- Other notable non-Mouseketeer performers appeared in several dramatic segments:

• David Stollery (Spin and Marty)
• Tim Considine (Spin and Marty; The Hardy Boys)
• Tommy Kirk (The Hardy Boys)
• Roberta Shore (Walt Disney Presents: Annette)
• Judy Nugent (Walt Disney Presents: Annette)
• Shelley Fabares (Walt Disney Presents: Annette)
• Sammy Ogg (Spin and Marty; Adventure in Dairyland)
• Kevin "Moochie" Corcoran (Spin and Marty; Adventure in Dairyland)