Charles’ 
Slide of the Week: December 15th, 2006
Love Annette, Disneyland, Dec 1955
Disney’s biggest live action star Annette Funicello sports smart western wear for an afternoon autograph session. Spin and Marty, signing beside her, go for a more casual jeans and t-shirt look. A uniformed Disneyland security guard protects the Mickey Mouse Club Stars form circle skirted and plaid shirted fans.
Speaking of the Mickey Mouse Club in 1972 when I was twelve I got a big beautiful Hobie skateboard for Christmas. I soon discovered that the best place in my neighborhood to ride it was a driveway down the street and around the corner. It was the only hilly spot around. Afternoon after afternoon I would go over there and ride my skateboard. One day the mother came outside and said “my son wants to know if you’ll come in and watch the Mickey Mouse Club with him.” I didn’t know him. He was a year older than me and far more bookish. I went in and sat in their den and watched the show with him. Then when it was over he said “Do you want to come to my room and listen to the soundtrack for Funny Girl?” I can’t tell you what he said after that!
Here’s to Annette, the Mickey Mouse Club the Funny Girl Soundtrack and YOU!
HAPPY HOLIDAZE!
Charles Phoenix
Los Angeles
December 2006
Sets this Slide belongs to:
Los Angeles & Theme Parks
11 Comments on “Love Annette, Disneyland, Dec 1955”
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December 15th, 2006 at 3:46 pm
I love your story!!! I’m seeing your show in Hollywood tonight and I’m SO going to ask you to tell me what he said next!!!! I hope you’ll indulge me…I’m dying to know!
: )
December 15th, 2006 at 4:30 pm
That looks like the Carnation Pavillion. It’s still there, but now I think it’s Nestle corner or some other conglomerate. I totally remember M-I-C-K-E-Y Everyone sing M-O-U-S-E. And what young boy did not have a crush on Gidgette! Oh yeah ! Sounds like little bookworm neighbor had some sort of weird motives there. Well Charles I have a hot little Latina number that I am going to be bringing to one of your shows soon. She is absolutley amazing inside and out. And you my friend have a birthday that we need to start celebrating. ! ! ! !
December 15th, 2006 at 5:30 pm
Mr. Increasingly-Famous Charles!
Isn’t Annette a treat? What a little darling she is! I admit there are a few celebrities I’d love to meet while they are wearing a cowboy hat and a neckerchief … but perhaps they should remain nameless on this page! What, if in a strange twist of fate, said celeb was reading this very entry and they thought, “Why that Miss Sharon is one nutty bun! I better leave her a wide berth!” Quelle tragique! I would like to ask you all now to erase memories of me waxing on about the tv show Prison Break the other week … let’s not entangle those boys with my hat and neckerchief admission …
Well, then, speaking of celebrities — how in heaven’s name are you supposed to act around them? If it is someone particularly entrancing, I fear that I might turn to a stammering, fawning, ill-mannered fool and what kind of impression would that leave? But wherever can a person turn to find out just how to treat and approach a celebrity? Oh that’s easy! How about _Amy Vanderbilt’s Complete Book of Etiquette_(1956)? You know it’s the perfect guide because Andy Warhol did all the illustrations! Isn’t that a tiny bit of kismet? Surprisingly, Amy Vanderbilt has a financial bent to her recommendations for asking a celebrity for an autograph! The following is from the chapter, “You and Celebrities”:
“The autograph of a really famous person, even if he is still alive, has a financial value — it can be bought and sold as a commodity. The more autographs such a person gives, the lower the market values of the autograph. You may desire an autograph for a serious collection of your own or for one you may be starting for a child, but you may be quickly rebuffed if the object of your interest is someone who rarely, if ever, gives an autograph because he knows that those that exist are bought and sold. Why should he stop and hand you, a stranger, the equivalent of a few dollars? […] Remember, autographs given freely to all and sundry have no value either historically or monetarily (if that interests you). The rare ones are the good ones, if the person who gives them is of the stuff that makes for more than transitory fame.
I’d rather encourage a child to ask grown-up friends to save important signatures for him from their own mail or collect them for him as a result of their connections, than have him turn into a little autograph-pest with no ability to discriminate between the worth-while and the meretricious. To ask a really important person to sign an autograph book full of the names of nobodies is to insult him, no matter how graciously he may rise to the occasion in his acceptance of the request — or more probably, in his refusal.”
Well now I fear that sweet Annette is torpedoing the value of her autograph while she simultaneously feels insulted by the nobodies she’s putting her name next to! I had no idea that enjoying interaction with a famous person could be fraught with such psychological drama. Ms. Vanderbilt also reminds the reader that, “not even the most publicity-loving movie star can enjoy having the clothes torn literally off his back.” I should think not! But given the security guard in this slide, I imagine Annette is safe from the handful of children that surround her. Which one of them would rip that cute shirt from her? Mr. High Waters and a Plaid Shirt? He looks quite peaceable to me!
I admit that I never thought that asking for autograph was tantamount to demanding a couple of bucks from that darling man on your favorite tv show. But if you see one on the street, tell them Miss Sharon told you to tell them, “You are a peach, darling! Let’s have a drink or two sometime!” No autograph-pest you!
xoxo!
Miss Sharon
December 15th, 2006 at 9:48 pm
Charles:
Please tell me that an occasional serious coment is okay!
Just a note to let you know that the child actors flanking Annette were David Stollery (left, who played Marty) and Tim Considine (right, who played Spin.)
Tim Considine was the son of Bob Considine, a Los Angeles sports columnist of the 1950’s. Tim continued his acting career and is probably best known (outside the “Disney Franchise”) for starring in the ensemble cast of “My Three Sons,” as one of Fred MacMurray’s sons.
Bill R.
December 15th, 2006 at 11:40 pm
promiscuous, was he? You know we are all dying to know what that little Mickey Moouse Club-loving freakshow kid said to you in his room…
December 16th, 2006 at 9:18 am
Spin & Marty…
do you have… more pictures of Spin & Marty
I’ve had a crush on those boys since I first saw the 70’s re-runs of the Mickey Mouse show when I was 9.
December 16th, 2006 at 4:58 pm
Gee whiz, I never had guys say unprintable stuff to ME when I was 12. Maybe having a skateboard would have helped.
***
Charles Phoenix was once a guest on THE APRIL WINCHELL SHOW on KFI and displayed some of his slides on what might have been the first live interactive radio/internet slide show ever. On December 11, 2006, Ms. Winchell posted on her website a slide from her Christmas past equal to the many colorful ones Mr. Phoenix shows in his Retro Holiday Slide Show (She also posted some equally colorful explanations of the many gifts you see in the slide.) You can see it here. http://www.aprilwinchell.com/12/9/2006/
December 18th, 2006 at 6:39 am
I just bought the Mickey Mouse Club shows from the fifties for my wife for Christmas. That’s a neat picture. One can only imagine what that guy said to you.
December 18th, 2006 at 8:28 pm
Please let me know when you are going to tour Los Angeles again, I have about 10 people that I would like to bring on the tour.
Loved your Christmas slide show at the Egyptian.
Linda
December 22nd, 2006 at 7:48 pm
Meekska Mooska………..Annette, Darlene, Spin and Marty, cowboys, life was good…….
April 17th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Wow. Found this picture looking for Spin & Marty & Annette.
I stood in that line on that day with my brother and sister.