Tag: Annette Funicello

Annette Funicello Gone Aged 70: Now it’s Time to Say Goodbye

Annette Funicello (born: October 22, 1942 - died April 8, 2013) RIP
Annette Funicello (born: October 22, 1942 – died April 8, 2013) RIP

When I was five years old, we lived in Sacramento California and I used to watch the reruns of the original Mickey Mouse club. In black and white. One of my favourite “Mouseketeers” was Annette Funicello. This dark-haired song bird stole my five-year old heart.

Of course by the time I saw the old Mickey Mouse show, Annette was already getting ready to make those “beach” movies with heart-throb Frankie Avalon.

But television is a sort of time machine and when I watched first the Mickey Mouse Show and later the Wonderful World of Disney, Annette would be the same age, even though years had passed. She exuded, through the magic of television, an ageless “girl-next-door” glow that made her special to an entire generation of Mouseketeer fans.

These same fans would go on to love her even more as the love interest in a swimming suit. But however you were introduced to Annette, it was her voice and they way she sang that impressed and made you fall in love with her all over again.

Bio’s will tell you that she was the last Mouseketeer chosen and that she was the most popular. But what they can’t tell you is the special magic that this young girl and then woman had. A magic that kept her in people’s hearts long after the Mouse Club and the Beach Party films ended.

She was a champion who fought for everyone who had Multiple Sclerosis, which she had been diagnosed with the disease in 1987 and after a five-year silence went public with the news. Her fans never stopped loving her and supporting her and she passed that love and support to others who suffered from the disease.

It was complications from this disease  that took her life aged 70.

It is with a lump in my throat and prayer for her family and friends that I write this short love letter to the Mouseketeer of my youth.

So long Annette. Like the song says, you made me love you; but with a pure childlike love that never grew up.

I’ll finish this by including a video from YouTube that, quite appropriately, features Annette and her fellow Mouseketeers singing the “Goodbye” sign-off song from the show.

Related articles

Super Sweet Blogging Award…Up! Up! And Away!

I’ve got to thank the lovely Marilyn over at Serendipity for bestowing this award on my little blog. Which is, in essence, me I suppose. Still it’s wonderful to be nominated for anything with the word super in its title. It always makes me regress to childhood when the coolest guy on the television was Superman (the real program with George Reeves, not the cartoon).

Okay so I’m not that old, I used to watch the re-runs which were shown daily in Sacramento California when I was about 4 or 5. Poor old George had Up, up and ‘awayed’ himself to the hereafter by the time I got old enough to watch his show. I also watched the re-runs of the Mickey Mouse club with Annette Funicello and pals, I think Annette had graduated to Beach Party Bingo or some other teen bikini film with Frankie Avalon when I watched her.

Sorry I’m digressing something rotten. Back to the award.

I will set out the guidelines and answer some questions and nominate a baker’s dozen of other bloggers that I think fit the bill for the Super Sweet Blogging Award (or more accurately pull some blogger out of my metaphorical hat, because I hate having to choose just a few).

Right! The guidelines are as follows:

1. Thank the person who nominated you for the award aka give credit to. So Thanks Marilyn at Serendipity (The coolest blog name ever).

2.Answer the super sweet questions, which I will do right after passing on the guidelines.

3. Nominate a Bakers Dozen.

The super sweet questions are:

1. Cookies or cake? Cookies. Not just any old ordinary cookies either. The old-fashioned (as when I was a boy) Girl Scout Peanut Butter cookies. Oh man!

2. Chocolate or vanilla. Chocolate every time.

3. What is your favourite sweet treat, cheesecake or frozen yoghurt? That’s a toughie…frozen yoghurt.

4.When do you crave sweet things the most? I don’t as a rule crave sweet things, but I’d have to say probably after a meal.

5. If you had a sweet nickname what would it be? Of all the people who could have a “sweet” nickname, I would not be one of them. The only ‘handle’ I’ve ever had besides my own name was Texas Ted (don’t ask, it’s a boring story).

The awards:

Now here I’m going to deviate a little bit from the formula. Instead of nominating special posts that I find inspirational, I am going to nominate blogs that I’ve just discovered. I’d like to nominate everyone but sadly I don’t have the time. So here goes:

Austin ‘Bishop Review’

pikeknight

42ndego

overthinkerer

Dawn Akemi

filmhipster

timneath

mformariya 

Thomas Priday

Filmcraziest

TheNovelReviewer

Logan Krum Movie Reviews

Chris Martin

And there you have it. I’m just doing my bit to spread a little love around. If you get a chance check these blogs out, I’m sure you’ll find something you like.

Thanks again Marilyn! All awards gratefully and cheerfully accepted! Cheers mate!!

Related articles
%d bloggers like this: