Walt Disney was always big on stories about orphaned kids and their predicaments; here, it's Annette Funicello's turn, playing Nebraskan farm girl Annette McCleod, who must go to live with her aunt and uncle in Small Town, U.S.A. after a family tragedy, immediately pitted against the wealthy teenage clique who look down on her rural past. Appealing TV serial (adapted from Janette Sebring Lowrey's 1950 book "Margaret") from the third and final year of "The Mickey Mouse Club", running 19 installments total and utilizing break-out star Funicello to good advantage (she's sweet and simple, sympathetic and not sappy). After making her first dress-up appearance at a teen party, Annette's understated elegance brings out the green-eyed demon in Laura Rogan, the town's slickest chick and ringleader. Rogan, played by Roberta "Jymme" Shore, is downright evil, dumping food on Annette and making fun of her singing. At one point, Annette decides to leave the shindig alone (with the viewer completely on her side), but she sticks it out and tries having fun--only to have Shore's Laura accuse her of stealing her necklace! Why the other girls don't stand up to Laura is left a little vague, but she's quite the temptress while ordering the duck-tailed boys around at whim. Not exactly high drama--teenage or otherwise--but convincingly played by a talented group of kids, which includes "Spin and Marty" themselves, Tim Considine and David Stollery, as well as Shelley Fabares pre-"The Donna Reed Show". Fun stuff from the Disney vaults!
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moonspinner552 February 2008
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arthurblock11 April 2009This is now available (in the "Walt Disney Treasures" DVD series), which should be good news to many. "Annette" is one of those series from earlier days that remains fascinating even if one can't quite say why. I guess a big part of it is the energy and dedication that the talented (and mostly young) cast puts into this slightly odd show. This is a world where people send orphaned minors off to live with relatives who have no prior warning of the orphan's existence, let alone that she's coming to stay. A manipulative snob can apologize for just one example of her general bad attitude, and suddenly all is forgiven. Olmstead's "favorite record" is the blandest generic jitterbug tune I've ever heard. In any case, all this weirdness somehow seems to fit in a 50's serial for kids, and it adds to the charm of "Annette".
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owl-2115 July 2007This was a lovely series which I loved even if it was completely uninteresting for my brothers. It had a couple of lovely, simple songs-- "Lonely Guitar," "How Will I Know My Love?" and "Meetin' at the Malt Shop after School." And it's probably the best single program to show why girls loved Annette just as much as or even more than their brothers. Her character's simple sweetness and honesty was what we aspired to.
I never saw this since it was on the original Mickey Mouse Club in the 50s. But some scenes are still vivid in my memory--Annette walking into town with a pretty but old-fashioned be-ribboned hat and a pretty but too-fancy dress and carrying a suitcase and her guitar; Annette singing with Tim Considine (who I had a SERIOUS crush on!); the missing necklace turning up inside the piano. It was a simple, sweet soap opera-ish story in a world that never really existed, but it worked and I'd love to see the whole thing again.
Disney really should put this whole series out on DVD, in the same kind of set that they released the Hardy Boys and Spin and Marty series. The perfect release for Annette would happen just in time for Mother's Day. -
superstar493 February 2000This is a serial that runs on the old "Mickey Mouse Club." Annette Funicello plays Annette, a country girl living with her aunt and uncle in the city. She's attending the local high school and is trying to be part of the crowd. This is very well written and some of the cast is from the "Mickey Mouse Club." Child actress Judy Nugent as Jet Maypen steals many of the scenes she's in. Interestingly, Sylvia Field and Mary Wickes from the "Dennis the Menace" TV series both have roles. Shelly Fabares also has a small role. She's a delight. Of course, Annette Funicello is the star of the serial. I highly recommend watching.
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ecoethos15 January 2007I grew up watching Mickey Mouse Club and loved the series. I would absolutely love to find it on DVD or VHS tape so that I could show my kids. It reminds me of the wonderfully simple life we had back then. It was my favorite of the series that they had on Mickey Mouse Club. I have told my friends about it but they don't remember seeing it and would love to share it with them. The song from the series was also one of my favorites and if they had that on a cd or lp I would definitely buy it. I have spent the last week searching the internet trying to get information on this and at last I found it. Annette was my favorite Mouseketeer because we share the name.To be able to see this again would just make me the happiest person on earth. It's the old moral of good winning over evil. It shows the good morals we grew up with and the manners and kindness we should not loose.
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Sushipoo29 July 2001I love the serial. It reflects a time in the '50s when many families moved from the country to the city. Country kids versus City Kids. A reverse of "Footloose". The challenges of teens in their social scene at school. Annette plays a country girl adapting to the City High School Crowd, relevent to the times. It takes us to a time past of Spin the Bottle, Poodle skirts (worn by Roberta Shaw), can can slips, boy's hyped up Model T's, the high school malt shop, Smallville USA, affordable maids, and streets named after trees like Elm Street. My daughter of 19 enjoyed the reflection of a different time and different society. Fun to see Annette, Tim Considine, Roberta Shaw, Shelley Fabre, and many more. I wish it were available for purchase. On the Mickey Mouse Club show at night, they leave out the main scenes in the country where Jet confronts Laura.. It was the best scene. The serial is excellent
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elindsay52426 December 2006Absolutely love this serial. My mother introduced it to me when I was a child. I am in my early thirties. I was able to find a few episodes online at youtube. I use to have them all on tape, but lost the tape. I love the simple way of things. Not everything needs to be sexed up or violence. I like those shows, but sometimes you like a nice story. Love the fashion. And it is interesting to see how kids hung out back then. I remember seeing pictures of my mother back then and everyone was so manicured. Today we are not so in the mannerisms and fashion. Definitely suggest to people who liked Pleasantville, Dick van Dyke, My Three Sons, etc. Nice family programming. With some nice laughs.
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aimless-462 May 2009Another Collector's Tin release by Disney; this time a limited series of 39,500 were issued. Each contains an individually numbered certificate of authenticity, a 7" x 4.5" black and white publicity still of the title character, a booklet about the serial, and two disks.
The disks contain all 20 episodes of the serial and two entire episodes of the Mickey Mouse Club. These are from early 1958 so they are only 30 minutes long as the show's running time had been cut in half for its 3rd and final season.
There are also some bonus items on the disks: introductions by Leonard Maltin and some interviews with and tributes to "Annette".
Baby boomers don't need any introduction to the title character but others may be puzzled by the popularity of this actress who was not much of an actress and this singer who was not much of a singer. I was never particularly dazzled by Annette but I always liked her; she had an effortless charm that just won you over. Even if you crushed on Cheryl (guilty) and Doreen you still liked Annette. And very few girls ever felt any jealousy toward her. Much the same could be said in reverse about Tim Considine so featuring them together (here and in "Spin and Marty") pretty much guaranteed you would appeal to the widest teen and pre-teen demographic.
The series was a somewhat toned down adaptation of Janette (The Pokey Little Puppy) Lowrey's 1950 book "Margaret" and was originally to be titled "Annette and Darlene". But poor Darlene Gillespie fell into disfavor and was replaced as the Jet Maypen character by Judy Nugent. Nugent was not a Disney property so there was no need for the studio to promote her career, otherwise it would have been called "Annette and Judy".
The plot features the traditional conflict between city and country. Annette and Jet are up against rich girl queen bee Laura Rogan (Roberta Shore successfully playing against type and obviously having a lot of fun with the role). You've seen this same dynamic recently in "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen". Disney's move from Annette to Lindsey Lohen might signal the decline of Western Civilization.
David Stollery and Tim Considine team up again as the main male characters. Stollery sings a duet with Annette and one featurette explains how they doubled her voice (probably his as well) by having her sing the song twice.
There are sizeable parts for Doreen Tracey, Shelley Fabares, Sharon Baird, and Rudy Lee. And a bit part for Cheryl Holdridge; even third season newcomer Bonnie Fields (the prettiest Mouseketeer who was sadly underutilized by the show itself) gets some screen time. Richard Deacon and Mary Wickes play off each other for comedy relief; basically reprising their trademark character roles.
The song that launched Annette's recording career, "How Will I Know My Love?" is featured twice and Shore sings a couple much better numbers, "Readin', Writin' and Rhythm" and "Don't Jump to Conclusions". Shore's stuff has an early Judy Garland quality.
The teen dancing sequences were painfully corny even to a small town 1950's 2nd grader. On the other hand Bonnie does dance a little and this prompted me to seek out a video of her original 1957 MMC guest appearance (as a tap dancing act) which someone has uploaded to U-Tube (check it out).
I still have the Dell comic book so I had not forgotten the general story, but I found series itself better than I remembered it. They do a nice job of laying some romantic misdirection so that the resolution offers a mild surprise. Then you can look back and see that clues were provided all along but most viewers missed them.
Despite having some awful dialogue to deal with; Stollery, Nugent, and Shore are talented enough to sell their characters. Annette and Tim just play their likable selves and as always that works just fine.
Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child. -
bkoganbing21 December 2008The big serial for the Mickey Mouse Club in its final year was Annette, starring of course Annette Funicello. The young men of America watched Annette have a rather public puberty so Walt Disney no doubt figured in the last season of the club it was altogether fitting and proper to recognize this.
Funicello plays a role somewhat akin to something Janet Gaynor might have done back in her day. Gaynor was always a girl fresh off the farm who comes to the big city and wins the heart of whomever the leading man was. She was always down to earth and full of common sense.
And that's exactly what Funicello plays in Annette. She's lived in a rural background until her teens when she's orphaned. Her rich uncle Richard Deacon and aunt Sylvia Field take her in.
These people are pretty rich, but Annette doesn't gravitate at first to the kids in her aunt and uncle's economic class. She likes young Judy Nugent who delivers milk and eggs from her farm and young David Stollery who has to work after school. Gradually though she not only becomes accepted with the cool kids, but they actually start developing some nice values of their own.
Except for one that is, Roberta Shore who played a lot of teen queen roles that Annette didn't get is the villain of the piece. She gets insanely jealous of this country bumpkin's new found popularity and schemes for her downfall.
This series ran 19 episodes and granted they're only 15 minutes in length each chapter, still it's one of the longest if not the longest serial Disney had on the Mickey Mouse Club. It was a picture of the Fifties and the values we had at the time. Note the lack of any minority faces in Annette.
Still it wasn't a bad show. Annette Funicello was launched on her way to teen and adult stardom. She established her image that carries on right up to today in Annette. And it's not a bad image for a very brave lady to have. -
grobil19 July 2008I think it should be distributed on DVD there too many people that remember this feature and would like to share it with there families. Does anyone know how to get them to produce it into the market of today??? I am the directors ( Charles Lamont) daughter and I know how great all the kids were on the set . I have been asked lots of times why some of his movies haven't been released and I can't answer that question. Before he died all he wanted to see was Curtain Call at Cactus Creek but Universal never released it I even contacted the studio but they did nothing about it. Pretty sad huh! Well blessings to all. Tina
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i'm glad to read that everybody who reviewed this seemed to really like it. i hate to label people, but heck, if you don't find this warm and cozy little series kind of cute, i would think you were sort of mean.
i wasn't even born yet when the original MMC was on ABC, but i definitely saw it a few years later in re-runs. like Mickey Mouse himself, i can't even recall the first time i was aware of Annette Funicello because i was introduced to her image at such a young age. to me, Annette is like a Disney character like Minnie or Mickey. she seems synonymous with Disney. for many of us baby boomers it would be hard to imagine Disney without the original MMC.
anyone who really knows me knows i am ga-ga fanatic over the original MMC and Annette Funicello. i mean i would be part of a fan club, but i really don't do that sort of thing. but i've seen Disney's 'Toyland' musical at least a hundred times(not kidding), and i try to buy any VHS or DVD that features the original MMC. for me it's just not Disney without it.
that brings me to the crappy treatment that big, corporate Disney has given the original MMC and it's Annette movies. on the 50th anniversary of the original MMC, the Disney corporation did very little to acknowledge the MMC legacy. the original MMC has never been released in a full comprehensive volume like almost all the other classic television shows have. i mean you can see every episode of 'Red Skelton' or 'Harriet and Ozzy' but there is very little of the original MMC available. that's crap. the current Disney empire owes a lot of it's success to the original TV series MMC and 'world of Disney' and it's noticeably callous that the current corporation really doesn't seem to care. there is lots of yakking from the corporation about how much they want to preserve the legacy but that's mostly what it is. yakking. i wish big, corporate Disney would stop yakking and put their big fat bucks where their yak hole is. that's why i prefer Disney when it was just a small studio with only two small theme parks. they were more sincere. the fact that the studio won't re-release some of the old Disney classics because of political reasons is pure S--t.
VIVA ANNETTE FUNICELLO!! MAY SHE REIGN FOREVER!! -
thejcowboy2216 February 2021When I was around the age of 4 and 5 years I was an avid devotee of the Mickey Mouse Club. Every evening the show aired at 7 pm. By that time the show was in re-runs and scoped down thirty minutes. The club was a fifties institution under its creator Walt Disney. The show was run by two adults and about 12 -14 teenagers or as they were referred to "Mouseketeers. The kids would perform by dancing or singing. But my favorite part of the program was the serials shown, i.e. Spin and Marty, The Hardy Boys. My personal favorite was " Annette" Starring Annette Funicello. Some people, (and I don't know why?) Have that" IT" factor. Annette in my opinion had that. You're just glued to that person's every move. Annette had that quality. Her "Sweet forthright appeal!" She was so sincere and wholesome. Pure as the driven snow. The Girl you would bring home to Mother the very first day. In this drama you see a misplaced and sort of lost Annette wandering along the Southern California town of Ashford looking for the McCleod residence. You see, the young teen has just completed a long train ride from Nebraska. Annette bumps into Steve Abernathy (Tim Considine) and gives directions to her destination. Meanwhile, the McCleods who live in a spacious home received a letter that Archie McCleod (Richard Deacon) forgot to open days earlier. The home consists of Archie, who is well dressed, tall, bald, and Bespectacled. His sister Lila (Sylvia Fields) is into social status and their wise-cracking housekeeper Katie played by Mary Wickes. At that moment the doorbell rings and it's Annette standing there in her country bumpkin-clad clothing. Archie and Lila are beset by her arrival. Annette explains that her foster mother wanted her to be with her blood relatives who are financially sound and could provide her with all the advantages. You see Annette was recently orphaned as her Father, Brice McCleod had just passed away. Reluctantly, Uncle Archie takes her in and Katie also takes a shine to the impressionable, shy teenager. Aunt Lila already has plans for the girl as she makes a day of beauty salons and shopping. Annette is getting the royal treatment as she meets fellow teens The stuffy Laura (Roberta Shore) and Val (Doreen Tracy) at the woman's shop. Val's Mom Mrs. Abernathy (Doris Packer) invites Annette to a party thrown by her son Steve. The serial is basically about Laura and Annette at each other's nerves over a lost necklace, but you'll have to watch this interesting piece of Americana. Remember, it's 1958 and is before civil rights. The problems these youths have are basically laughable by today's cancel culture standards. The problems the actors encounter seem so minuscule. This serial is so innocent, even a game of spin the bottle is toned down. There are breaks during the story. The actors showing off their talents with song, dance, and acrobatics. The inequalities of these youths, basically the well-to-do kids against the farmer kids. But that's as far as it goes. As for the actors. I was hoping to see an embodiment of work from our antagonist Laura (Roberta Shore) who gives an impressive performance as the jealous girlfriend. But when I looked up her credentials, she suddenly left show business for Utah and found her calling in the Book of Mormon. Familiar faces shown, Jet played by Judy Nugent and a very young Shelley Faberes as Moselle. Our two side characters with running insults are Rudy Lee as Steady and his female reflection who he can't part with, the patient and subservient Kitty, played by Sharon Baird. I also couldn't believe all the ice cream sodas, malts, and banana split sundaes consumed by all those skinny girls made by Mike (David Stollery) our soda jerk. Yet I was consumed with interest. Just a simpler time of hayrides and corny songs. The serial just drifted me back to those carefree days. Thanks, Walt!
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gkeith_18 February 2016Loved this show. It didn't last long enough, nor did the original Mickey Mouse Club.
Kids called me Annette, and said I looked like her. My name was even close to hers.
Annette portrayed a niece, also named Annette, moving in with her uncle and aunt. I thought that they were nice people.
Annette was a nice young girl, brought up well and mannerly. Soon, however, she meets others her age, in that new environment. The other girls she meets are citified, as opposed to her own rural upbringing. One in particular was a bratty piece of work who accused our dear, sweet Annette of stealing a necklace.
Of course, Annette did not do that. She was always nice, kind and polite.
This segment series was my favorite part of THE Mickey Mouse Club. RIP Annette.
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theowinthrop25 June 2008Walt Disney usually had good production standards, talented performers, and good production groups (directors, etc.). In the last year of the Mickey Mouse Club he had this 19 week serial centered around his most attractive and talented Mousequetier, Annette Funicello. She plays a newly orphaned girl who moves in to the home of a wealthy aunt and uncle, and tries to adjust to a new town. But she has lived on a farm, so the clique of rich kids at the top of the school are likely to look down at her. In particular, the typical "rich bitch" character Roberta Shore (as Laura Rogan), who dislikes Annette as a basically decent person who is her rival.
There was music and nice settings in the episodes, such as a hay ride where (I believe) Annette sang a tune I recall, "How do I know my love? How do I know my darling?". The real crux of the conflict occurs when Annette is invited to a party at Shore's home and the latter's necklace vanishes. Shore of course jumps to the conclusion that Annette took it, which she finally denounces as untrue. It was in the middle of the series of episodes, and only at the tail end did it blow up in Shore's face.
SPOILER: The kids (including Annette and Shore) had been around the grand piano in the mansion's living room. Shore took her necklace off to basically wave it in the face of Annette. But she puts it down poorly and it falls into the piano. Now about five months pass with the necklace lost, but although Shore claims they looked apparently nobody looked in the piano. So when in the last episode someone playing the piano finds it sounds out of tune, and discovers the necklace was in the harp, they naturally think Shore knew and lied. It smashes her reputation.
Still I do remember the show and series. It was fine for kids from 5 to 11.