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Aired: 1977 - 1979
Show Type: Live Action
Country of Origin: US
In the 1970s, Walt Disney Productions revived the concept but modernized the show cosmetically, with a disco re-recording of the theme song and minority cast members. The sets, though colored, were simplistic, lacking the fine artwork of the original. Like the original, nearly each day's episode included a vintage cartoon, though usually color ones from the late 1930s and onward.
Serials were usually old Disney movies, cut into segments for twice-weekly inclusion. Movies included Third Man on the Mountain, The Misadventures of Merlin Jones and its sequel The Monkey's Uncle (both starring Tommy Kirk), Emil and the Detectives (retitled The Three Skrinks), Tonka (retitled A Horse Called Comanche), The Horse Without a Head (about a toy horse), and Toby Tyler (starring Kevin Corcoran). In addition, one original serial was produced, The Mystery of Rustler's Cave, starring Kim Richards and Robbie Rist.
Theme days were:
Monday - Who, What, Why, Where, When and How
Tuesday - Let's Go
Wednesday - Surprise
Thursday - Discovery
Friday - Showtime (at Disneyland, with performers usually at Plaza Gardens)
The series debuted on January 17, 1977, on only 38 television stations, and by June, when the unsuccessful series was discontinued, only about 70 stations in total had picked up the series. Additional stations picked up the canceled program, which continued to run until January 12, 1979; 130 new episodes, with much of the original material repackaged and a bit of new footage added, and a shortened version of the theme song, were produced to start airing January 16, 1978. The series has not had more than token reruns, unlike its 1950s predecessor, and while both the 1950s and 1990s series have DVD releases in July 2005, the 1970s series seems forgotten except by that short generation of youthful viewers for whom it defined "the club."
The show's most notable alumna was Lisa Whelchel, who later starred in the TV sitcom The Facts of Life before becoming a well-known Christian author. Mouseketeer Julie Piekarski also appeared with Lisa Whelchel on the first season of The Facts of Life. Kelly Parsons went on to become a beauty queen and runner-up to Miss USA. Shawnte Northcutte appeared once on Facts of Life. Billy 'Pop' Attmore appeared in a few movies before and after the series, a fifth-season episode of The Brady Bunch ("Kelly's Kids"), and as a streetwise hood in the short-lived Eischied crime drama.
Other Mouseketeers from the 1970s show:
Scott Craig born in Van Nuys, California, in 1964; lived in Las Vegas, died 30 December 2003.
Nita DiGiampaolo born in Long Beach, California, 1966
Mindy Feldman born in Burbank, California, 1968, and sister of Corey Feldman
Angel Florez born in Stockton, California, 1963; died 25 April 1995.
Allison Fonte born in Anaheim, California, 1964
Todd Turquand born in Hollywood, California, 1964
Curtis Wong born in Vancouver, British Columbia, 1962
The lyrics of the Mickey Mouse Club March theme song were slightly different from the original, with two additional lines: "He's our favorite Mouseketeer, we know you will agree" and "Take some fun and mix in love, our happy recipe."
This incarnation was not distributed by Disney directly; while Disney did produce the series, it was distributed by SFM Entertainment, who also handled '70s-era syndication of the original 1950s series. The syndication rights for this version are now with CBS Paramount Domestic Television.
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