Walt Disney Treasures: The Mickey Mouse Club 1955 (2004)

Before the theme song's memorable spelling became an audio icon, before the series even aired, the Mickey Mouse Club was the most anticipated children's programming ever. This volume features the five episodes of week one of the black-and-white series that launched a television revolution. Also showcased in this volume is a wonderful tribute to the unforgettable Jimmie Dodd, the singer-actor who hosted the show. You'll also see recently discovered, never-before-seen color archival footage of the Mouseketeers' very first appearance at the grand opening celebration of Disneyland. And you'll meet six original Mouseketeers in a reunion on the soundstage where they first got together in 1955. So, sit back and enjoy - and you don't have to wait until 5:00. Featuring exclusive introductions by film historian Leonard Maltin, this is a timeless collection from generations past for generations to come.

DISC 1

Treasures host Leonard Maltin aptly and concisely introduces us to this set (2:30). Maltin contextualizes The Mickey Mouse Club by recalling the significance of a one-hour daily children's program in a simpler age with much less media to choose from. He affirms that while it is firmly grounded in the values and attitudes of the 1950s, the series remains vital a half-century later due to the personalities of the show.

Fun with Music Day (Monday, October 3, 1955) (46:05)

This very first Mickey Mouse Club episode sets up its structure. This episode and others begin with an elaborate three-minute animated opening, which features some early Disney film characters like Jiminy Cricket and Dumbo in addition to short stars like Mickey, Donald, Minnie, Pete, and The Three Little Pigs. The first segment is the Mickey Mouse Club newsreel. Like the rest of the program, this report is geared towards younger viewers. A couple of Mouseketeers take an airboat ride with a Seminole down in Everglades, Florida. In Rome, some Italian youths mix music with motion as they perform Cinderella's "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" in their native language on an amusement park ride. A roundup briefly shows some projects currently-in-production at the Disney studio including the Davy Crockett "River Pirates" adventures, "Spin and Marty", and a behind-the-scenes look at the Mouseketeers.

After this, there's some dancing and the Mouseketeers are introduced. Then, there are two silly musical numbers, one involving farm animal cut-outs and the other all about shoes.

Next, in Part 1 of the recurring "What I Want To Be" series, Mickey Mouse Club "special agent" Alvy Moore heads to an airport looking for a couple of kids to see what it's like to man a real life airplane flight on TWA. His search leads him to Pat, a girl who pretends to be an air hostess, and Duncan, who has "no time for kid games." Though very cheesy, this serial is the most entertaining sequence of the episode.

The first "Mousekartoon" out of the "Mickey Mouse Treasure Mine" is the 1948 short "Pueblo Pluto." These would always lose the opening credits (and color) when presented on the show. Following that, head Mouseketeer Jimmie Dodd explains the schedule that The Mickey Mouse Club will be following, telling viewers about some things they can look forward to and explaining each day's theme. After the end credits of this and every other episode for the week, there is a promo for Walt's True Life Adventure film, The African Lion.

Guest Star Day (Tuesday, October 4, 1955) (47:47)

As promised last time, England's TV stars Sooty (a hand puppet that I'm told is supposed to be a bear) and his "friend" Harry Corbett make their Mickey Mouse Club debut. They struggle to set up a miniature television set that was a gift from Mickey.

Next, living up to the name of the day, the Mickey Mouse Club welcomes "balloonologist" Wally Boag as their guest star. Boag discusses his new form of psychology based on different ways of blowing up balloons into animals. I doubt kids would get the sophisticated adult humor Boag prattles out, but his quick, fluid balloon work is sure to hold captive young audiences. After a break, Boag returns in front of a different group. This time, he plays bagpipes while continuing with his lighting-paced jokes.

The second installment of "What I Want To Be" catches up with Alvy Moore and his two new young friends. Alvy watches Duncan overcome conflict in a model airplane flying competition. Pat warns Alvy about Duncan's foe, who turns out to be not so bad. Not quite as entertaining as the first encounter, but it eventually leads us to the TWA flight tour that it's apparently all about.

In the cartoon short, "Mickey's Kangaroo", Mickey and Pluto get a package from Australia that makes things interesting. Afterwards, Jimmie talks about perseverance, which conveniently ties in to a husband-wife cameramen pair filming the wild for Disney's new feature The African Lion (which is again promoted after the credits).

Anything Can Happen Day (Wednesday, October 5, 1955) (47:10)

The middle of the week brings the unpredictability of "Anything Can Happen Day"! Like the first episode, this one opens with the Mickey Mouse Newsreel. The more interesting subjects include an African tribe, a Kentucky teenager awarded for his farming and named "Mickey Mouse Club Boy of the Week", and a two-year-old swimmer.

Next, Jimmie and the kids give a rollicking performance using objects like bottles and combs for musical instruments, and some mustachioed man comes in for a wacky Hawaiian story.

Part 3 of "What I Want To Be" has Alvy taking Duncan and Pat to the airport to get some training. While Pat is left on her own to fend in hostess school (the door reads "Women Only"), Duncan gets to go inside the control tower and learns what air traffic controllers do.

The cartoon is "Mickey's Service Station", in which the feisty Pete gives Mickey, Donald, and Goofy ten minutes to fix his car. In his closing message, Jimmie encourages children to help their parents tonight not out of magnanimity, but so that they can watch the night's "Disneyland" episode together.

DISC 2

The second disc opens with another introduction from Maltin (2:03), in which he talks about the different days of the week for the show and their significance.

Circus Day (Thursday, October 6, 1955) (46:02)

This fourth episode opens with the Jiminy Cricket short "I'm No Fool With a Bicycle." Like the other shorts in the "I'm No Fool" series, Jiminy imparts wisdom here, occasionally resorting to song.
The subject is obviously the bicycle, and Jiminy tells you the right way to ride one if you want to live to be 23, 33, 103… He also tells you about the way a fool rides a bicycle and what happens to him. This short is a definite highlight of the set, and it's the first time it's available on DVD in the US.

Next, the Mouseketeers join in on some fun-spirited acrobatics with the DeWayne Circus Troupe. These hijinks are followed up by the fourth installment of "What I Want To Be", which has Pat learning about all the work that goes into being an airline hostess. (There's lots of bending!) She has second thoughts when she learns that to be a hostess, she'd have to have her pigtails cut. Then, Duncan learns about how pilots use information about the weather to plan their flights.

This episode's "Mousekartoon" is the charming short "The Wise Little Hen", which is noteworthy for containing the very first appearance of Donald Duck. In his closing message, Jimmie talks about the way riding the Mark Twain riverboat at Disneyland reminded of his childhood, and how his youthful experiences were most satisfying when he paid his own way. So, he encourages kids to earn some money and treat themselves.

Talent Round-Up Day (Friday, October 6, 1955) (47:35)

The Mickey Mouse Newsreel opens the show and looks at 8-year-old boxers (including one whose trunks just won't stay up), a bunch of Little Leaguers who get baseball tips from the New York Giants, and some mountain climbers.

On the set, a boy named Larry Ashurst plays the trumpet and is named the first "Honorary Mouseketeer." Then, regular Mouseketeer Cubby O'Brien plays drums with his brother and father, and they put on quite an impressive show. Like Larry, the O'Brien trio are promised a Mouseke-treasure later.

Next is Part 5 of the "What I Want To Be" serial, in which Pat takes her final hostess test and gets her wings. I wrongly assumed the end of the week would mean the end of this set of stories, but Alvy Moore promises more "tomorrow", which must mean it continued through the following week.

The "Mousekartoon" presented is "Two-Gun Mickey" which has Mickey and Minnie doing battle with (who else?) Peg-leg Pete in the Old West. In his talk following this, Jimmie encourages children to smile at people so that like a mirror, they'll see a smile right back, and then, the aforementioned Mouseke-Treasure is unveiled.

Bonus Features

Introduction by Film Historian Leonard Maltin
The Leader of the Club
Mouske-Memories
The Mouseketeers Debut at Disneyland
Opening Sequence in Color
Art Galleries: Inside the Clubhouse, Spreading the Word: Mouseke-Promotion, Sketching the Ideas
8-Page Booklet with Notes
Color Photo Card
Certificate of Authenticity