Disney's First Child Superstar, Annette Funicello

in the mid-1950s the Mickey Mouse Club was Walt Disney's second venture into producing a television series that would promote the Disneyland theme park the Mickey Mouse Club was an amazing second venture for mr. Walt Disney the first being the Walt Disney anthology television series simply titled Disney since mr. Disney needed a way to promote his treasured vision he decided to cater to a younger audience a kids variety style TV show since Disney was extremely busy with the development of the Magic Kingdom he turned the Mickey Mouse Club over to Bill Walsh to create and cast the TV show however the last Mouseketeer to be casted was a talented girl by the name Annette Funicello she was just 12 years old and Walt Disney himself discovered her one there was no audition and funneh cello wasn't seeking fame she was simply performing for the part of the Swan queen in an amateur production of Swan Lake Disney just happened to be in the audience he was looking for one more kid to round out his new Mickey Mouse Club show and decided that Annette fit the bill she was one of the only cast members to be personally chosen by Walt Disney the main cast members were called Mouseketeers and they performed in a variety of sketches and musical dance numbers as well as some informational segments by the end of 1955 viewers wanted to see more of Annette's and more segments begin focusing on her that by the beginning of the second season she became the unofficial star of the Mickey Mouse Club after leaving the Mickey Mouse Club Annette Funicello remained under contract to Disney and appeared on TV shows such as Zorro as a Mouseketeer she never considered herself the prettiest girl or the best dancer but her friendly unpretentious smile dazzled audiences when the show ended she turned to pop music with a rather thin voice but it was echoes and multiplied in the recording studio to create the annette sound during this time she also recorded your series of top 40 pop singles including top all first name initial how will I know my love and pineapple princess she also starred in a number of Disney feature films including the shaggy dog babes in toyland the misadventures of Merlin Jones and the monkey's uncle in the early 1960s when a cello started a series of beach party drums its Frankie Avalon including beach party Muscle Beach party bikini beach beach blanket bingo and how to stuff a wild bikini she visited the man she always referred to as mr. Disney to ask his permission he requested that she not wearing two-piece bathing suit mr. Disney had full script approval of everything that I did and he you know he read the first script which was beach party which I thought was the best one of them and there again he came to me one day and said I'd like to ask a favor of you and that she said I know that you're on the beach and all the girls will be bikini clad but um you have an image to uphold and I would request of you not to wear a bikini would you please wear a one-piece you got it here's a little tidbit for you guys Paul Anka was noted to have a crush on a net however Walt Disney was overprotective of a net which broke Paul's heart this resulted in his song up which was inspired by his hopeless romantic crush to Annette the Mickey Mouse Club made its television debut on the opening day of Disneyland July 17 1955 with her countless magical appearances and the years have followed Annette now a television star also became a familiar face one of my favorite performances of hers was mr. piano man performed at the Disneyland Golden Horseshoe no one can do the way that you do those repeating email later years Annette starred in many films her most popular films being the beach party films and most famously became the spokesperson for Skippy peanut butter in a host of commercials but she phase out her career in favour of family that's nutrition any mother can after the surfing craze died out in 1965 annette married jack Gilardi Paul Anka's agent and became the mother of his three children in 1987 Annette and her beach party co-star returned in back to the beach a movie parroting her previous Beach films sadly during filming she had noticed difficulties walking through the sand when she was filming this that's when she first made the comment to me that she was having trouble walking in the sand she told me she almost felt she came back down right here she almost lost her balance they're coming down said I don't know what's wrong Annette Funicello was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis she hid her condition for five years before making a formal announcement in 1992 for fear that her uncontrollable movements might be categorized by drunkenness Annette was eventually wheelchair ridden and went into complete seclusion since sharing her own personal battle with MS in 1992 Annette has used her public recognition to raise awareness and promote research in numerous ways so I've always been asked you want a wheelchair and I've said oh no no that's like wearing a sign now I'm not embarrassed to ask for a wheel that's another plus so you try to find good things that come out of anything and there are good things as part of these efforts in 1993 she established the Annette Funicello Research Fund for neurological diseases through the California Community Foundation sadly in 2011 an incident in which their Los Angeles house burnt to the ground and both Annette and husband Glen were hospitalized with smoke inhalation a couple moved to Bakersfield California a little more than a year later and over 25 years after she was diagnosed with the long and painful illness Annette passed away on April 8th 2013 from complications at age 70 once upon a time there was a young Disney star who grew up to be the lovely gracious stable and every bit the sweetheart she always seemed she could sing but so could all the others but there was something about a warmth and sweetness and enduring natural quality on camera that maybe a girl you'd like to have or your best friend just like work exactly and that was a true Disney Legend a kind-hearted modest regardless of Fame which made her a true inspirational role model for this I say thank you for you are a true Daisy is there anything you'd like to just look into the camera and say to everybody in it Annette Funicello was something very special she meant a lot to me and a lot of her fans I thanked Annette Funicello for all the amazing things she's done and I admire the fact that she took on a mess with her head up she inspired millions of people and inspired me as well I appreciate you guys watching this new episode of magic journeys please subscribe and once again guys here's Annette mr. piano man please tickle those ivories No the way that you do love us rectly techne melody Oh mr. piano man you do what nobody can do you're trembling Tremeloes are gonna drive me to ruin your left don't know exactly what your right mr. piano man please check all those ivory keys mr. piano man you do what nobody can do you're trembling tremble was I gonna drive me to ruin your left don't know exactly what your right hand is do mr. piano man please check Baba's ivories tip of those ivories mr. piano man

Channel: Magic Journeys

Views: 27,427

Rating: 4.9371071 out of 5

Keywords: Annette Funicello (TV Actor), Disney Legend Award (Award), Disneyland, Mig vee, The Daily Woo, Justin Scarred, Disneyland vlogs, Magic journeys, Annette Funicello the Disney Legend, The Mouseketeers, Disneyside, Disneylands 60th anniversary, adam the woo, Video Blog (Website Category), Walt elias Disney, The Mickey Mouse Club

Id: I_hCCcCbY34

Length: 10min 44sec (644 seconds)

Published: Wed Mar 11 2015