Customer Reviews

Walt Disney Treasures - Mickey Mouse Club

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The contents of this set has been released.

This set will contain the first week of the Mickey Mouse Club - 5 one-hour shows shown 10/3 thru 10/7, 1955.

Disc 1 Program

Show #1 10/3/55 Monday

Newsreel #1
Fun With Music Day: The Friendly Farmers (and) The Shoe Song
Serial: What I Want To Be - Episode #1
Cartoon: Pueblo Pluto

Show #2 10/4/55 Tuesday

Sooty #8: TV Set
Guest Star Day: Wally Boag (comedian)
Serial: What I Want To Be - Episode #2
Cartoon: Mickey's Kangaroo

Show #3 10/5/55 Wednesday

Newsreel #3
Anything Can Happen Day: Gadget Band #1
Serial: What I Want To Be - Episode #3
Cartoon: Mickey's Service Station

Disc 1 Bonus
Leonard Maltin Introduction
The Leader of the Club (The Jimmie Dodd Tribute)

Disc 2 Program

Show #4 10/6/55 Thursday

Jiminy Cricket: I'm No Fool With A Bicycle (educational cartoon)
Circus Day: The DeWaynes (acrobats)
Serial: What I Want To Be - Episode #4
Cartoon: The Wise Little Hen

Show #5 10/7/55 Friday

Talent Roundup Day: Larry Ashurst (trumpeter) and Cubby O'Brien (Mouseketeer and drummer)
Serial: What I Want To Be - Episode #5
Cartoon: Two Gun Mickey

Disc 2 Bonus
Mouska-Memories (6 of the original Mouseketeers share their memories of the club - Sharon Baird, Bobby Burgess, Lonnie Burr, Doreen Tracey, Cubby O'Brien, and Karen Pendleton - I guess Annette was too ill to contribute to this)
The Mouseketeers Debut at Disneyland
Opening Sequences in Color (the original animated openings)
Still Frame Galleries

Sooty was an ill-tempered puppet from England.

The "What I Want To Be" serial was about a Mickey Mouse Club newsreel reporter (Alvy Moore) who picks two 10-year olds and takes them to the headquarters of Trans World Airlines in Kansas City, Missouri, where they learn how TWA trains its flight crews. These five episodes are part of a total of 10 episodes.

I like the idea of the first 5 shows being released as this set. However, being the very early shows, the entertainment value will be less than some of the better later shows. I have never seen the hourly shows - most of the shows I have seen have been the half-hour repeats shown on the Disney Channel in the mid to late 1980s.

But at the very minimum, these first five shows are very interesting to me historically - since they are the very first shows.

I will be glad to have this treasure set but would have preferred a set of the Mickey Mouse serials - such as Spin And Marty, The Hardy Boys, or Annette. Maybe these serials will be released in future treasure sets.

I have given this a 5 star rating, based on others in the series. I am sure this will be of the same high quality. What many of us want, however are the serials from the MICKEY MOUSE CLUB, such as my all time favorite "Spin and Marty", (there were three seasons of them), The "Annette" serial, "Corky and White Shadow", and of course, the wonderful "Hardy Boys" serials. This is what the baby boomers who grew up wearing the ears want!!!!!! I have contacted the Disney Company with my requests and although they answered my emails and letters, as of late, there are no plans to release these. Also, darling Kevin Corcoran as "Moochie" was in "Moochie of the Little League" and "Moochie of Pop Warner Football", how about getting those on DVD?

When the Mickey Mouse Club aired in 1955, the New York Times predicted it would never last. But in 1955, an estimated 10 million kids tuned in, and at it's peak, Disney sold 26,000 pairs of mouse ears weekly. As reviewers have noted, this DVD is not the best of the MM Club. Instead of rating episodes, Disney went for historical value. Here's the first week of hour long shows. The talent line up went like this: Monday: Fun with Music Day; Tuesday: Guest Star Day; Wednesday: Anything Can Happen Day; Thursday: Circus Day; Friday: Talent Round-Up Day.

The best of the extras include Leonard Maltin's intros ( a staple on all Disney Treasures DVDs) and a reunion with the Mousketeers. As many people are beginning to realize, Disney's live action productions were second only to his animation. No, this isn't the best of the club run (Another video has been released with the "best" on it). But it is a trip back down memory lane to when TV was a new fantasyland, and a dreamer named Disney put kids on the stage and turned it upside down.

These two CDs demonstrate how great The Mickey Mouse Club was from the very first week. The hourlong shows are the only way to properly evaluate how far ahead of its time this program was, in respects beyond just the participation of the Mouseketeers. "What I Want to Be" may be criticized for some as hokey and sexist, but it was crisply written by none other than Stirling Silliphant, who rose quickly from being a mere publicist at Disney to writing this and other serial material for MMC. The great Alvy Moore is the correspondent who recruits little Pat Morrow and Duncan Richardson for job training at TWA in Kansas City. Pat Morrow was roughly 10 at the time of this production. She went on to become highly visible as a campaign groupie for John F. Kennedy in 1960, and later became a suffering slut on Peyton Place. But in this series, she looks as if she had been conceived from a Norman Rockwell painting, or from the mind of Disney animator Ward Kimball. She was an incredibly gifted little actress, and Richardson also looks as if he were straight out of a Rockwell cover.

Disney was obligated to produce 39 weeks of these one hour shows for two years, after ABC advanced $1 million to him to finish the construction of Disneyland. He was not stupid. He used MMC as a vehicle to sell the new amusement park, as evidencde in the very first newsreels. He also got a big assist from TWA in the making of the serial, "What I Want to Be." Out of such audacity, the art of cross promotion and product placement was truly born. Disney also furnished many if not most of the commercials aired within the original hour shows. The sped up voice of Jimmie Dodd, for example, was used as the voice of Bucky Beaver, the character selling Ipana toothpaste. The Mouseketeers were also seen in some commercials, i.e. a long series of spots for One-A-Day vitamins.

Jimmie Dodd's brilliance is on complete display within the set. There is a great bonus tribute to the head Mouseketeer, but it is marred by the misspelling of his name at the end of the special bonus feature. How this could have happened speaks volumes for the lack of quality control under the current Disney regime. I still hope for additions to this series. At least some evidence of the "Spin and Marty" serials should be made available to those who truly loved watching these original shows.

One thought on the Mouseketeers. It is remarkable how many ethnic groups were represented during the first season. Annette's exotic ap;peal is very evident from the first moment she appears. The dancing abilities of Sharon Baird and Bobby Burgess are also obvious. These are pros at work, not just kids. But the original Mouseketeers also included one other Italian, Mary Sartori, at least two Jewish Americans, Doreen Tracey and Judy Harriet Spiegelman, and a Mexican Ameican, Mary Espinosa. Though not seen on this set, Disney also included a Japanese American boy, Georga Nagata, to narrate a serial called "Children of the world." African American acts were common on Talent roundup Day.

This new set is also noteworthy in that it includes several Mouseketeers who became early casualties, such as Nancy Abbate, Johnny Crawford, and Mickey Rooney's two young sons. Even Paul Petersen demonstrates why he was fired after just three weeks. He is seen twice, and both times appears hyper beyond control.

I always had the biggest crush on Cheryl Holdridge, who was not added to the roster until the second season. I am hoping to see a DVD release based on season two, for that reason alone. But this set is remarkable, and I never tire of watching it.

Thank you, Walt Disney Company, for FINALLY bringing the Mickey Mouse Club to DVD!!!

I'm old enough to remember the show when it aired as a half-hour version, but to see the original hour-long shows from 1955 was fascinating to say the least!

Of particular interest were the superb bonus features, including the wonderful insights of six of the Mouseketeers (including my faves, Bobby and Cubby), the delightful tribute to Jimmie Dodd, who embraced the morals that are sorely lacking in our current society, AND...(drum roll please)...the opening sequence shot in glorious LIVING COLOR!!!

Let's see more MMC DVDs in the future!!!

Here's a breakdown of the five episodes

Monday, October 3, 1955
The first ever "Mickey Mouse Club" kicks off with a Newsreel that, for some odd reason, promotes several Disney projects. Isn't it odd that the news would be promotional pieces? (Yes, I'm being sarcastic.) I got a particular kick out of the airboat piece about a Native American who holds a grudge against the white man, yet drives two kids through the swamps of Florida. You'd think they'd like a chaperone on board. For Fun with Music Day, a musical bit called "The Friendly Farmers" kills time, but is one of the least impressive bits in this set. It felt too simple for a show that didn't do that very often. The "Show Song" is more impressive, as it combines the kids' ability to sing and dance, and Roy's ability to draw, as he sketches out their songs.

"What I Want to Be" kicks off here with noble intentions about helping children discover what kinds of futures are available, only to then lock them in based on their gender. Pat, a little girl with a dream to travel the world, is chosen by a representative of the Mickey Mouse Club to learn about being an airline hostess. She knows a certain boy who she thinks can be a pilot, but he doesn't believe in himself. But that has to wait until tomorrow, because it's Mousekartoon time. "Pueblo Pluto" features Mickey and Pluto in the Southwest. Highly detailed and well-painted, this is trademark Disney. Jimmie Dodd takes his spot as the closer, telling what's in store over the next week.

Tuesday, October 4, 1955
Guest Star Day introduces a British friend named Sooty, a mute bear hand-puppet, and his puppeteer. Though it looks stupid to start, whenever they close-in on him, it's cute as hell. I'll admit, I laughed a few times. The Guest Star happens to be Wally Boag. I don't think I need to say anymore considering how famous Wally Boag is. Oh that Wally Boag. Seriously, he was apparently a "stand-up entertainer" at Disneyland. Guests don't get any bigger than him and his talk-show act, which must have gone over every kid's head.

"What I Want to Be" continues with part two, where the object of Pat's affections, Duncan, has to show he has the goods with a gas-propelled plane. Pat stands by her man, even when things look glum, and in a moment of emotion that wouldn't fly today, threatens his foe with death. For her efforts, she's being sent to Hostess School, whether she likes it or not. With the drama over, it's Mousekartoon time, which is a Mickey and Pluto show, titled "Mickey's Kangaroo." Oddly, Pluto speaks (or rather thinks out loud) a first in my Pluto experience. This has the effect of making him the creepiest Disney character ever. Jimmie is back with a "final" word, this time about the importance of perseverance. He also slips in a Disney plug, for good measure.

Wednesday, October 5, 1955
Anything Can Happen Day lives up to its name with the Newsreel, which is a winner. The narrator seems upset when one child doesn't die in a boat crash, then we watch an African tribe burn their children's possessions in a manhood ritual. It only gets better from there, with swimming babies and junior rodeos. A gadget band performance by the Mouseketeers, using only items like bottles and cans, increases the weirdness, thanks to a bizarre Hawaiian-themes monologue by a "park cleaner."

"What I Want to Be," part four gets off to a great start with a sign on the door that says "Hostess School - Women Only." Once Pat gets ditched at Girl School, Duncan gets to have some fun, heading up to the control tower. Unlike later installments, Pat is completely forgotten about this time. That's just as well, as the Mousekartoon, "Mickey's Service Station," is waiting to go. Mickey, Donald and Goofy are all in on this one, a rather old episode, based on the guys' character models. This one is as silly as the Mickey cartoons get, going as far as having Goofy goose himself. Jimmie follows it up with a plea for kids to help their parents out around the house. Can't argue with that one.

Thursday, October 6, 1955
"No Fool," a musical Jiminy Cricket cartoon about bicycle safety, kicks things off, with dire warnings that would probably be cut in today's kid-safe environment. It's Circus Day, which means the show features a performance by a troupe of acrobats. By today's standards, it's nothing special, but back then, it must have been something else. The segment that stands out the most though has to be part four of "What I Want to Be," which focuses on the airline industry. Pat learns about the ridiculous career available for women at airlines, as she sees women go through a "makeup analysis," making sure her hair is the right length, he height and weight fall into the right standard and that she knows how to bend over correctly. I'm not kidding. Duncan, on the other hand, finds out about becoming a pilot, and all the interesting tools involved in making sure a flight goes just right. If I was a girl in 1955, I can imagine I would be a bit depressed.

Annette handles the hosting duties for the Mousekartoon, "The Wise Little Hen," a story about what being lazy will get you, featuring an old-style Donald Duck. The level of detail is amazing when compared to the bargain-basement animation seen in modern cartoons. Just before the show wraps up with the familiar refrain, Jimmie gives a message about paying your own way. At least he was speaking the truth. If only kids heard this stuff today.

Friday, October 7, 1955
Talent Round-Up Day starts with a Mickey Mouse Club Newsreel, which shows what kind of freakiness was going on back in 1955. A twisted boxing match between 8-year-olds leads into a series of odd news bites. At least this one isn't quite as self-promoting as Monday's. As part of the Talent Round-Up, a young trumpeter plays two songs (though he looks to be faking it) and Cubby himself brings his dad and brother on-stage to deliver a pretty impressive drum performance. Part five of "What I Want to Be" has Pat nearing Stepford Wife status in her air hostess training, while Duncan is supposedly ready to handle a flight. These segments are one of the few parts of the series that really was troublesome. It's back to fun though as Bobby introduces the Mousekartoon, "Two-Gun Mickey," an early western starring Mickey and Minnie. A kid's cartoon featuring cigarette rolling and gunfighting is unheard of today, which makes this such an interesting artifact. Jimmie's back to deliver his message of the day, this time about being friendly.

The DVDs
Disney's split the first week of the "Mickey Mouse Club" between two DVDs, with Monday through Wednesday on disc one, and the rest on the second DVD. Each disc features an introduction by Leonard Maltin, shot at the Disney studios. The episodes are in their original full-frame black-and-white, while the menus are static and full-screen, with music from the show. Each episode has scene selections, and optional English captions to go with the Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack. The discs come packed in a double-thick white keepcase, inside the now signature collectible tin case. Inside the case is a "collectible art" card, which is a reprouction of the cover of the original sheet music to Dodd's "Mickey Mouse March," a numbered (out of 130,000) certificate of authenticity and a high-quality 6-page booklet that features the text version of Maltin's first-disc introduction, a content listing (with incorrect second-disc info) and some photos and art. Attached (by a thread of glue) to the back of the tin case is the rear art, which repeats the back cover of the keepcase.

The Quality
Considering the majority of the source materials found in his set are nearly 50 years old, the final product is very impressive. The shows do have some visible grain and dirt and scratches, but overall, the footage is very crisp. Obviously, there's not really any color (except in the bonus materials) but the tones in the old footage looks very good. I don't remember this video looking even close to this good when it was on TV. The new video in the bonus features is crisp and without any problems. The audio, presented in Dolby Digital 2.0, is as good as can be expected, with the songs and dialogue sounding as good as any TV show made today. It's so good that I could hear the words spoken clearer than the caption writer, who got several words wrong.

The Extras
The first disc has two special features, including a touching featurette on Dodd, "The Leader of the Club" (9:00). The musical talent behind the show and the adult presence on-screen, Dodd was apparently one of those "good people" who gave freely of himself and lived his life by the "Good Book." As Maltin says, he was perfect for this show, and that if he didn't exist, Disney would have had to invent him. Amazingly, unlike with most children's show hosts, none of the Mousketeers has a bad word to say about him. I was surprised to see the topic of religion is actually broached in the conversation, but it seems only appropriate for him. The ending of the segment, with a clip from the show, is spot-on and beautifully positioned as a tribute to Dodd.

Far less emotional is a set of three Still Galleries, broken up into "Inside the Clubhouse" (on the set), "Spreading the Word: Mouseke-Promotion" (marketing materials) and "Sketching the Ideas" (design concepts.) In all, there are 90 pieces to look at (54, 17 and 9 respectively in their categories), including black and white and color photos, interesting promotional items and concept sketches for props and sets. These are worth at least one spin through. Looking at the "Clubhouse" photos, they are so good, it almost seems like they were taken on the set of a modern movie about the Club. There's an instruction screen included in the galleries that explains how to navigate through it.

Disc Two has a trio of bonus features, starting with "Mouseke-Memories," (14:30) a reunion of six of the original Mousketeers (Sharon, Lonnie, Cubby, Bobby, Karen and Doreen), hosted by Leonard Maltin. (It will look familiar, as the footage for "The Leader of the Club" was shot at the same time.) The sit-down chat takes place on the original soundstage, in front of the original curtain backdrop. They talk about how they got on the show, their favorite memories and their castmates, including the late Roy and Jimmie, as well as Annette, who couldn't make it to the interview. This is light and fluffy material, but it's interesting to see the Mousketeers all grown up and to hear their stories.

Introduced by Maltin, "The Mouseketeers Debut at Disneyland" is a newly-constructed bit of footage using the original live black-and-white TV introduction of the Mouseketeers at the theme park and recently discovered color film of the event. A much larger group than the one that later appeared on TV, this cast performed the opening later used for the first Talent Round-Up. The color footage is so vibrant that it's hard to imagine that it's almost 50 years old.

Maltin returns to introduce another new rarity, in the form of a color version of the "Mickey Mouse Club" animated open. Disney did the into theme in color and black-and-white, and the color version, which never aired, is outstanding. The quality and creativity is simply incredible. The coloring adds another dimension to what was already an outstanding piece of animation, making it just that much better. Truly a terrific find for animation buffs.

The Bottom Line
For any fan of television history, Disney or just the Mickey Mouse Club, this is a fascinating DVD set; a trip back to a very different time. In a way, it's sad to know this kind of show just wouldn't work today, because for all the politically incorrect things it incorporated, it was a wholesome and entertaining way for kids to learn and have fun. Thankfully, Disney doesn't seem to feel the need to deny history (at least for these discs) and gives us the original shows, no matter what they say. Though the extras seem a bit light for the cost of the set, the material is quite good, and should satisfy anyone who's ever wanted to put on the ears.

This really is a special set and its so wonderful it is now on DVD!!
ENJOY!!

Although I'm glad the MM Club is finally on DVD, this release could have been so much more. With numerous TV shows being issued in complete seasons, there's no excuse to only release just one week of MM club episodes, except perhaps greed. Even the 5 days a week soap, "Dark Shadows", has several 4 disc/$40 sets that each cover months of shows. I believe with black and white episodes, you can squeeze more on a disc than color? A better idea would be to craft multi-disc sets around the serials, with a box set for each serial storyline. I believe there were several Spin & Marty stories, as well as Hardy Boys, Annette, etc. If those come out- I'm buying 'em! Are you listening Disney?

I fondly remember watching reruns of the MMC on our ABC affiliate when I was only five. I was so inspired by the singing and dancing of the young cast, and cried after each
episode. Viewing the episodes as an adult was fascinating. Both of these disks represent a 1950's America--a time capsule of sorts. It's wonderful to see Jimmy Dodd espousing virtue and morals. And, it's refreshing to see a simpler less sophistaced way of life. There is a great introduction by Leonard Malten. In it, he mentions that these original episodes may be considered quaint by today's children. To test this theory, I sat my three year old in front of the screen. He smiled, and tried to sing along with the mouseketeers!! He also enjoyed the mouse cartoons! Fortunately, here's one child who didn't find the material quaint, but very entertaining. I loved the bonus material, which included interviews with some of the mouseketeers conducted by Leonard Malten. Both DVD's are very well done, formatted with an easy to use menu.

This was truly taking a trip back in time for me. I can only hope that Disney will release more of these original MMC shows. This DVD does indeed live up to the "Disney Treasures" label.

What an enjoyable Christmas afternoon to be wisked back to childhood days with all of the first 5 episodes of the Mickey Mouse Club.All I can say is get this DVD while you can. And to the Walt Disney Company, you must release more.

I first watched the original MMC when it was reborn in the 70s, alongside the Disco Mouse series. I literally ran home to watch Annette, Bobby, and the rest!
This DVD set is better than the sad VHS releases of recent years, the latter containing only chopped up shows and the same "We're the Mouseketeers..." opening.
Here are the first five shows, complete with everything, including the kids out of apron-dresses and into their sweaters and ears. It's quite fun looking at Mouseketeers like Mike, Bonnie, Nancy, and others who wouldn't last past the season, and/or were relegated to second string.
Jimmy is here with his words of wisdom at the end, I always loved Jimmie Dodd too. We actually see Roy drawing pictures, something else left out of the tapes.
My only beef is that 5 shows isn't enough! Will Disney please release more?!
The shows seem a bit cheesy, but, if I had kids, I'd rather them watch this than the garbage and filth of today.
Watch for Alvy Moore (Hank Kimball from Green Acres), hanging around an airport, flashing a secret Disney ID, looking for kids to talk into airline careers!