MOUSEKETEER LONNIE'S
CLUB HOUSE

APRIL 2013

Annette Funicello

October 22, 1942  -  April 8, 2013

Ave Atque Vale

1978 at Disneyland

On April 8, 2013 we all lost the sweetest and most popular Mouseketeer, Annette Funicello.

Annie and I fell in love early in the first year of the original MICKEY MOUSE CLUB (1955) and early in our lives; I turned 12 that year and Annie 13. Our youthful love lasted through filming and later performing in the Mickey Mouse Club Circus, holding hands while parents drove us down to Disneyland in the morning and back at night. The Circus closed on January 10, 1956.  

I was very pleased when Annie included our going together in her 1994 autobiography “A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes” and also talked about our romance in an interview with the Star. 

 Of course, I also recalled our year together in my recent memoir “Confessions of an Accidental Mouseketeer”. I kept in touch with Glen and Annie to see how things were going; my mom suffered from multiple sclerosis the last 41 years of her life and I understood the disease. I was one of those who helped them after their house was burned down in 2011. 

We will all miss this charismatic American Sweetheart of the ‘50s and ‘60s and remember her clean, all- American, honest spirit as well as the bravery she and Glen showed during their 25+ year long battle with the very worst form of M.S.

Since the early 1990s Annie wanted most of all to help others. To honor her memory please make a contribution, no matter how small, to the Annette Funicello Research Fund for Neurological Diseases at  http://annetteconnection.com.   

Unlike some charitable funds, 100% of your contribution goes to RESEARCH so that present and future victims of these diseases may hope to find help for their pain and suffering.

        Sadly,

Lonnie

Hi, and welcome to my Clubhouse on the web NOW IN ITS 13TH YEAR! Stay awhile. Look for something NEW every once in a while. Browse, remember, say hello to some old friends. Be sure to check out Roll Call, maybe write a note or ask a question. If you want an answer, you need to put your email address IN YOUR MESSAGE. Remember.... Every day is ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN DAY - IF you work at it !

1957   MOUSEKA-James Dean     At age 13 in my 'cycle jacket, levis & 'cycle boots - only allowed at my school on rain days - but I was always ready! No license, no 'cycle but I WAS READY!!!!

Some Things to Check Out

NEW THIS TIME:  You can WATCH MY "DEMO-REEL" - clips from TV and film appearances at   http://vimeo.com/19155664. As a character actor, part of my job is to make these guys very different from each other.        Check it out.  

While you're browsing, leave time for cartoons; the Mousekartoon link is on Anything Can Happen Page .  

Also,  Now and Again - Writings by Lonnie Burr, a glimpse into a separate area of my life and work, this time with a different poem.   

My involvement with museums and libraries around the country is at My Gifts to Museums and Libraries and can also be found on the Anything Can Happen Page .

And, of course, other never seen before photos and items here and there.

HANGING WITH SOME FRIENDS

Two Mouseketeers* enjoying "100 Years of Magic" at WDW

[ *The late Roy Disney, Jr. who may have lost his EARS off of his sailboat.]

CHIP and I are sad that DALE is missing. 

A few reviews:
CONFESSIONS OF AN ACCIDENTAL MOUSEKETEER

Autographed and NEW, LOWER PRICE only here (v.s. Amazon, Barnes and Noble, publisher, etcetera).

"If you grew up watching THE MICKEY MOUSE CLUB, as I did, you'll enjoy learning about Lonnie's show-business adventures from childhood on. He talks about early days on live and filmed television, how he was chosen to join the Club, what it was like on the set and around the Disney studio and what he's been up to ever since -- including scores of stage and television appearances." Leonard Maltin

"This an easy book to read... After a few chapters Tristram Shandy came to my mind, though I think the author would regard Proust rather than Sterne as an exemplar. His frequent discursive asides, which always just manage to meander back to the mainstream at chapter's end, are his own unique style however, as are bawdy anecdotes..." www.originalmmc.com

"Of course, I was most interested in events and impressions related to the Mickey Mouse Club. The book goes well beyond those experiences, as it should since it represents some 60 years of performing professionally...the book gives a unique perspective on one of the most influential television shows in history." 
Samland's Disney Adventures