Movie Info:
Writer: Lillie Hayward, Janette Sebring Lowrey
Director: Charles Lamont
Cast: Annette Funicello, Tim Considine, David Stollery, Jymme Roberta Shore, Doreen Tracy, Richard Deacon, Sylvia Field, Rudy Lee, Judy Nugent, Sharon Baird, Cheryl Holdridge, Doris Packer, Tommy Cole, Bonnie Fields, Barry Curtis, Steve Stevens, Shelley Fabares, Ralph Dumke, Irving Bacon, Mary Wickes
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Disney Home Entertainment
Release Info:
DVD Release Date: November 18, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $24.99
Whether you were here for the Mickey Mouse Club or like me, you were too young for it, you probably are aware that Annette Funicello was one of the stars of the show. Funnily enough, I learned this as a child in the 80s. During the 80s classic Stand by Me, the four boys are sitting around talking about The Mickey Mouse Club and whether or not Annette’s chest has gotten larger. This was my first experience with Annette. Over the years I have seen bits and pieces of her work on the Mickey Mouse Club and her infamous beach movies, though I have never sat and watched anything all the way through. This would end up being the first time for me and it was quite an experience!
Annette was given plenty of exposure thanks to this interesting and irreverent show. I don’t want to call it a train wreck, but if I were to do so, I would also say that it’s one of the best marketed train wrecks that I have ever seen. This is a show with mediocre acting, absolutely ridiculous story lines, and the inability to carry over years later. Still knowing everything came out bad and fruity in a number of ways, I still kept watching. I admit it! I couldn’t stop watching. Despite there being nothing impressive to see Mickey Mouse Club had me hooked. Maybe I was just waiting to see the next outlandish thing that they would do. Whatever it was, I was like a deer in headlights and I couldn’t stop watching until the very end.
Annette began as a book and worked her way to a television character. Annette is a teenage orphan from Beaver Junction, Nebraska. She shocks what family she has, Uncle Archie (Richard Deacon) and Aunt Lila (Sylvia Field) by dropping herself on their doorstep! The reason it is so shocking is because these particular family members did not even know that she existed! Naturally, being that this is a Disney show everything works out more or less okay. She gets to stick around with the McCleods’ and attend high school. Of course, plenty of new experiences abound for both Annette and her newfound relatives.
The most relateable part of the show comes in the corny teenage nature of this vehicle. The entire high school existence is catty, wishy washy, and vindictive. Annette isn’t in with the ‘in crowd’, instead she’s an outsider. Naturally, the popular girls love to stick it to her. Much of the show is corny, but it’s incredibly easy to see why teenagers would like this type of show back when it was made. In many ways, this show is similar to such shows as Hannah Montana or Drake and Josh. They are incredibly popular with the kids even if they offer little substance whatsoever.
I think the thing that interests me the most is the nostalgic appeal of it all. I’m sure that in sixty or so years the new generation of adults will say that about some of our teen shows. I have to say that one of the most interesting things is the length of the shows. At only ten or so minutes you wouldn’t think that much could be done, though there is a lot of show for such a little time frame. The serial idea has been expanded greatly since this show and the time in which it aired, but it’s still equally as popular. The main difference is that these days, the shows last for a minimum of 30 minutes, if not an hour.
The point is that Annette is fun. I didn’t think it would be. I wasn’t sure how it would be at all, considering I’d never really seen it at all. Come to find out, I liked it. The kids weren’t as into it as the adults that were watching were, but I didn’t really think that they would be. It was entertaining for nostalgia sake if nothing else. This is one of those recommended titles that older adults will love and that kids might watch, though if you’re buying it for them you might want to rent this first.
The Walt Disney Treasures: The Mickey Mouse Club Presents: Annette Plot
Though Annette has been over a long time this serial is certainly in good company. Prior to this release, other Disney serials to end up in the Treasures line include The Hardy Boys and Spin and Marty. In the case of Annette, each episode/serial lasts for just under eleven minutes. So, as you can imagine it does not take a great deal of time to finish watching the twenty episodes that were part of the Annette serials. After the third season, Annette would go on to have a singing career and to star in various movies by Disney and other studios.
This twenty serial show shows Annette moving in with her Aunt and Uncle and learning to adapt to a new high school after being orphaned. She has some issues in highschool. She is not well versed in things like High School Math (Algebra) and Latin. This forces the school to send her to a younger grade. Some of the girls, specifically Laura Rogan (Roberta Shore), one of the most popular girls in school, like to remind her of her outsider status.
At the heart of things, the teenagers here are your average teens. Some are quirky, some are funny, and some are just downright plain. Tim Considine, plays Steve Abernathy. This is the boy that many of the girls would love to get a chance to date. He’s your average teenage heartthrob. Then there is Mike, (David Stollery) a nice kid that is a senior in high school and seems to be the only one that ever works at the town ice cream parlor.
At home, Annette lives with a comically cheery housekeeper named Katie (Mary Wickes) and her Aunt and Uncle. Uncle Archie is always fun because you get the direct impression that he wishes that Annette would have went away to boarding school. He’s your typical lazy father figure that is always good for a small laugh or two. The serial has been placed on two discs. All twenty episodes are detailed a little more in the episode descriptions that are listed below.
“An Introduction”: In this episode, “Annette” is introduced to the viewing audience by Mary Wickes. As mentioned above, Mary plays Katie the housekeeper.
“The Newcomer”: This is the first official episode where Annette shows up at the McCleods’ and prepares to move in.
“Annette Meets Jet”: Annette has a chance to settle in with her relatives and they have a chance to get used to her being there. In the meantime, Annette meets a girl, Jet.
“An Invitation (To a Party)”: Annette does everyday things like shopping and eating. While doing one of these things she earns a party invitation from Mrs. Abernathy (Doris Packer.)
Annette eats hamburgers, talks school, and, while shopping for new dresses, earns a party invitation from host parent Mrs. Abernathy (Doris Packer).
“The Escort”: Steve has a date with Laura to go to the party mentioned in the previous serial, so he has Steady take Annette.
“The Party”: Annette and Mike meet at the malt shop on their way to the party. Laura is at the party showing off her musical skill with the piano.
“Paying the Piper”: Annette has a chance to sing at the party, but the real excitement comes with a game of Spin the Bottle!
“The Missing Necklace” The party continues and a necklace (as you can see by the title) goes missing.
“What Happened at School”: Laura refuses to speak to Annette anywhere she sees her because she is mad about her missing necklace.
“Almost a Fight”: There is some dancing courtesy of Steady and Madge, but not before a dramatic (if you want to call it that) malt shop melt-down.
“Steady Gets an Idea”: Annette has a rough time at the entertainment committee meeting and is later comforted by Mike.
“The Explosion”: Jet invites herself over to Annette’s house for dinner. There is also some singing and dancing over at the Malt Shop.
“The Turned Down Invitation”: Jet asks Annette and Uncle Archie to spend Saturday over at her ranch. However, a barbecue is scheduled for the same time at the Abernathy’s.
“Annette Makes a Decision”: A decision is made about where to spend Annette’s Saturday. Uncle Archie and Annette make plans for their ranch trip, but an unplanned flat tire occurs along the way.
“The Hayride”: Normally a flat tire would be a disaster, but not when the hayriders are there to rescue you!
“The Barbecue”: It’s an exciting cookout for this serial and some singing that occurs at the hayride.
“The Fight”: The barbecue dancing is fun until Jet has a discussion with Laura.
“The Farewell Letter”: Annette writes a farewell letter and various clips of Annette are shown.
“Mike to the Rescue”: Mike makes a huge effort to catch Annette prior to her leaving town.
“The Mystery is Solved”: You can figure out what this is about by the title of the serial. Laura finds her necklace and everyone ends up happy.
Storyline/Plot: 
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:
Audio/Visual:
Annette looks remarkable considering that it’s over 50 years old. There are some specks of dirt or grain that can be found in the 1.33:1 transfer, but for the most part things look crisp and clear. Other than specks the only other noticeable issue is occasional bouts of softness. There really isn’t much to complain about here. Sure, some things could have been cleaned up a little bit, but this is much better quality than I was expecting. Things offer a nice clarity and look just fine in their full screen setting.
Standard two-channel mono is used for the audio for Annette. As you can imagine this is where you are going to feel the age of these discs. Noticeable issues include distortion, background noise, and feed issues. Some of the episodes include an annoying humming/rumble that comes in the background. This is the biggest issue for me, though again, considering the age, it could have been worse. Still it would have been a joy had these been cleaned up more than they were here.
Visual:
Audio:
Bonus Features:
As you should expect from any Walt Disney Treasures set, Annette is filled with plenty of special features. It feels a little light in this area compared to other releases, though what is here is definitely welcome. I would have liked to see a more in-depth section, but think for the amount of discs this was a fair undertaking in terms of bonuses.
Both discs include introductions by Leonard Maltin. On the first disc, he speaks of the crew and the younger members of the cast. The second disc has Maltin paying closer attention to the cast of older, adult actors while sharing some thoughts and reflection on the show as a whole. Next up is the Mickey Mouse Club’s tenth episode. Like many of these half an hour shows you get to enjoy a couple of music numbers, a Jimmie Dodd sign off song, and the standard opening roll call.
Another episode, this time the last Annette episode, is included on the second disc. Again, you’re looking at a musical number or two, a showcase of some of the talent on the show, and a comfortable way to wrap up the show for good. Annette Funicello appears in the featurette from Musically Yours, Annette. After discovering her old guitar she sings “Tall Paul.” This clip will be fun for any Annette fan. This featurette is fun because Funicello also looks at other songs from her career, boys she might have had some crushes on, and she looks back at her old fan mail memories.
“To Annette with Love” lasts for nearly twenty minutes and serves as a career retrospective in the simplest form. Friends of Funnicello are interviewed along with her. She offers some great stories about Disney and her career is delved into and explored from her time on Mickey Mouse Club to her later beach movies and other aspects of her career. Other friends and family are brought in to speak about Funicello. It feels kind of sad to watch this, though the featurette itself was well worth watching.
Also included are a certificate of authenticity, a collectible photo card, an advertising booklet, and a booklet about information on the show and the Treasures line.
Bonus Features:
Bottom Line:
The Mickey Mouse Club: Annette is an interesting look back at one portion of television history. Annette might not have offered the best of the time period, but it is certainly memorable nonetheless. Annette ends up being entertaining for all of the unexpected reasons. If you grew up with the show you will definitely want to pick it up when you can. If you’ve never seen Annette you might want to rent it first just to make sure it will be what you’re looking for in a classic television show.
Overall Rating:
Technorati Tags: DVD, Disney Classics, Annette Funicello, Mickey Mouse Club, Disney Treasure Wave, DVD Review, Kids, Television, Classic TV
