OPENING PAGE 
MY SCRAPBOOK
BEFORE & 
AFTER MMC
MY LIFE AS 
A MOUSE
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CONTACT INFO
ROLL CALL

 

 

February 2010


The ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN 
(and did)

Page

 

 

What web
will the
Disney marvelous spider
weave?

 

 

 

Mouseketeer Teddy, on his director’s chair, and me at the beach house: Seacliff, CA 1980.

FEBRUARY 2010 MOUSEKANEWS>>>>>>>>>

 

The Sad News:

Bon Voyage to our friend who loved sailing and Disney - when done right! 

Roy Edward Disney
January 10, 1930 - December 16, 2009).

 


With Roy at the celebration of his Uncle Walt's 100th birthday, "100 Years of Magic" at WDW in December, 2001.

The BAD news:

Depending on how you define the contents of your glass: Larry Larsen was the first original Mouseketeer from the '50s series to turn 70 - September, 2009!  

 

The GOOD NEWS!:

My friend, BILL JUSTICE, I believe the last of Walt’s “old men” [artists that were with Disney for their entire career], will turn 96 on February 9th ; please send him a card:

Mr. Bill Justice
Arbor View Wellness & Rehabilitation Center
1338 20th Street
Santa Monica, CA 90404. 

Bill has lived there for a few years, loves to hear from fans, but will be unable to respond to your cards.

Bill animated THUMPER in guess-what-movie, all of CHIP ‘N DALE's antics and he also created the animation opening of the original Mickey Mouse Club. He designed audio-animatronics for the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean for Disneyland as well as conceiving the now defunct “Mickey Mouse Revue”. At WDW he painted the character mural in the Exposition Hall.

In addition to many other works, he began stop-action animation in the ‘50s which brought him three Oscar Nominations and used the same style for titles on the original film The Parent Trap as well as for the the musical number “A Spoon Full of Sugar” in Mary Poppins.

Bill was named a Disney Legend in 1996, achieved the ASIFA-Hollywood/Winsor McCay Award in 2001, and authored the book JUSTICE FOR DISNEY.

I have been lucky enough to know Bill for years and talk about him in my memoir: CONFESSIONS OF AN ACCIDENTAL MOUSEKETEER, which includes a photo of the two of us at WDW in 1995 during the 40th Anniversary celebration of the MMC, .

Bill is known by all as a creator of the first caliber and a very agreeable, jovial man. Without Bill, Walt may not have cast Jimmie Dodd as the leader of the MMC. Among his many lively raconteur accounts, Bill explains that he thought his buddy and tennis partner, songwriter/actor Jimmie Dodd, would be perfect for the adult leader of our series. He also knew that Walt liked to discover things “his own way”. So, when Walt asked for a song for kids about a pencil, Bill had Jimmie write one of his hundreds of tunes, titled "The Pencil Song", and brought him to Walt’s office to strum his guitar and sing it for Walt and others involved in our upcoming children’s program.

Walt liked Jimmie’s song and singing and said, “He’s our host!”  Everyone present but Walt knew that this one discovery was nudged along by Bill! The “Pencil Song” was performed on a segment of our series later.

Lonnie

I worked with my buddy Arte Johnson in the musical Sugar; he played the Jack Lemmon role from the film Some Like It Hot, which preceded the musical stage version.  I played the tapping hood Spats Palazzo - a larger role in the musical than George Raft had in the film.  Even though Raft started as a dancer, the role was a non-dancing part in the film, but a heavy dance part in the musical - my gang and I tapped our machine guns and gats >>>>>>>>>with a LOUD rat-a-tat-tat!

In the mid-90s I choreographed the world premiere of a musical based on the life of Dorothy Parker titled The Lady In Question.  My filmmaker friend Mike Hoey directed and the irascible Tony Award winning composer Albert Hague, who played the irascible music teacher on the TV series Fame, wrote the score.

After the MMC albums, my next album was this production of West Side Story in the 1960s acting/dancing/singing the role of Riff, leader of the Jets. My second West Side  run was with Pat Boone as Tony. I followed this singing in the '70s with the cast album for Gower Champion in the Broadway musical Mack & Mabel.

 
Above, left to right:  My mom in the foreground chatting with Ruth Dodd; other Mouseka-moms in the background, mid-1950s.  In the middle, my gram and mom in the late 1980s.  The late Mouseketeer Charley Laney, in full Mouse regalia, posing with me backstage (or backtent) at the 1955 Mickey Mouse Club Circus in Fantasyland.

Right:  I worked with Sidney Miller, sidekick to Donald O'Connor, on two of my twelve appearances on The Colgate Comedy Hour in the early '50s prior to the MMC.  In those days I was still collecting autographs from people I worked with like Jimmy Durante, Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis and Bob Hope.  Miller signed this to me before he became the director of the last two seasons of the MMC - but he had changed his attitude. I believe he must have taken irascible lessons from Al Hague!

Diane and I grace the cover of Elle magazine (faux cover done near Disney's Queen Mary in Long Beach in the '90s).

To my knowledge, I have the only Mouseketeer Chasen's card in existence. Chasen's, which catered to the stars. was famous for its chili and chose to avoid credit card fees by billing their patrons monthly -- quite an end-of-meal surprise to the tourists and out-of-towners who arrived with  wallets filled with plastic and no cash!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cast member John Fitzgibbon stands between me and my love interest in the play Tamara (Shelly Hack playing the title role) at the play's 1989 New Year's Eve party.

Even before high school I got along well with high school girls!
 

  • MY N-E-W UPDATED 2008 DVD - is NOW AVAILABLE. In addition to all that is on the 2005 discs, I have added post 2005 talk shows: ONE AND A HALF HOURS MORE FILM with lots of new information from my 60 years, as of 2008, of professional work in show business, including my 54 years as Mouseketeer Lonnie - MORE THAN 4.5 hours in all! [Do not watch all of this at once - it may be hazardous to your health.] I also cover God, the law, women and men, friends, Hollywood Professional School, "showbizaphobia" and other parts of my life of 66* years. [*To anyone in show business, this is a typo for I am only 59 and will remain there as Mr. Benny did at 39.]

 

  • More items of MY MEMORABILIA are at my colleague Dave Mason's SATURDAYSTOYS.COM, along with his own great collection. In addition to MMC items including a couple of rare photos and my pass to Disneyland for the Mickey Mouse Club Circus in 1955, I have an opening night note and program from Ginger Rogers, with whom I did the musical Coco; A note and autograph from Mel Tormé saying "To The Velvet Smog, from the Velvet Fog" [I looked a bit like the blond singer in 1955 and had a "husky" voice so during the early filming of the MMC the other Mice gave me the "Velvet Smog" moniker]; and an opening night note for my Los Angeles run of 42nd Street  from Pres, Robert Preston, with whom I had done the musical Mack & Mabel on Broadway.

 
 

MOUSEKA-SENIOR MOMENTS

The oldest original Mouseketeer, Larry Larson, was born on September 3, 1939; the youngest, Bronson Scott, on July 21, 1947.  All the original Mice are in their sixties, Larry turning 71 this year, thus,  are capable of Mouseka-Senior moments!

I've noted a few MSMs in recent years such as a female Mouse among the nine who lasted the entire filming of the show who recalls the Mouseketeers "staying overnight at Walt's apartment above the Fire Station"  (photo on right) as you first enter Disneyland.  [I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO MAUI!]

I was in Walt's apartment on opening day, June 17, 1955 and again signed the Distinguished Visitors' Book joining sundry celebrities, Presidents and foreign rulers, on June 17, 2005 - on the right, 50 years later - when four of us performed for specially invited guests. The next day we had a surprise tour of the newly restored apartment. Even if Walt had moved to the Disneyland Hotel, there is no way that we all "stayed over" since it is much too tiny.

August 2, 2009  -  Cubby has just joined the mouseka-senior-moments (MSMS) group a Facebook friend reports. He was quoted as saying the nine Mouseketeers who lasted the entire filming included the lovely, late Cheryl and excluded me. Of course, I was in the group but Cheryl joined us the second year and was so popular and identified with the show that she became our unofficial 10th Mouse even with only two seasons!

Bobby said in an interview at WDW that Tommy replaced me in Roll Call, but that is not true.  Cubby, Tom, Bob and I were the only four boys to appear on every season, but in the third season I fell doing a handstand in rehearsal.  I received a scrape the size of a silver dollar on my cheek and it could not be covered by makeup, so for that reason I did not do the last year roll call, nor the closing alma mater, for five days a week all season as well as in summer reruns.

Bob was later quoted on a video saying that he and Cubby were the only boys who lasted the three filming years along with seven girls, thus excluding me AND Tom.  Wrong again, but I suspect many guys might have had pleasant recollections like this.  Bobby is leading in the senior-moment derby.

Finally, I found out that at the 2005 MMC reunion days at Disneyland that a greeting between Walt and me early in our first season was co-opted by a female Mouse who appeared on only one later year of the MMC.

During the first few weeks of filming, I was walking across the lot and passed Walt who was smoking his pipe and talking to another man. Walt said "Hi Lonnie" and I responded, "Hi, Mr. Disney.  Good to see you."  I proceeded to the cafeteria thinking it was very cool that out of all the twenty-four Mice he knew MY name.  Then I stopped dead and realized I had on my costume shirt that said LONNIE.   Apparently, I was not quite as special as I had thought.

Finally, do not think that Mouseka-senior moments are confined to just my generation,  nor even necessarily to seniors. Subsequent generations will have theirs and previous ones managed - way before Toys 'R Us - to do some odd things in misusing our language.  That is why it always was, and still is, misspelled as MOUSECLUBOUSE.

The lost "H" has remained lost since the '50s whenever the phrase is printed, even in this new century.

 

 

 

LONNIE'S 2008 NEW Volume II, DOUBLE DVD

4.5+ Hours of unique viewing

To the original 3+ hours I've added 1.5 hours of post- 2005 talk shows with new info about my
60 years (as of 2008)  in show business .

 Available only from this website including film and tape you won't see anywhere else:

For details click on Special Offers now!

GET YOUR COPY TODAY!! 

 

 

 

Some photos from the 1980s LIVE shows at Disneyland
(We will add more as we find them!)

These were very energetic, non-stop 30 minute shows. Our original venue was the Space Stage near Space Mountain which has magically vanished

  

No, I was not frightened by a mouse!   It's called an over the leg jump.

 

Being a Hobo has its pleasures.

 

  

Jitterbugging with my favorite partner, Bonnie Lynn.

 

 
     
 

The goofy one is on the left.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bonnie and I are Trying to kick our boots off.

 

nostalgia: two of my early dancing partners: my first televised dancing while I continued my changing roles on the children's radio show: The Enchanted Lady  in 1948.
Some of my ballet showed in this tap routine  - center photo - in my eighth year.
My partner on the right is BJ Kunkel.

               HISTORY BYTES                                    

      I began acting, dancing and singing professionally at age 5 and just before 12 became Mouseketeer Lonnie. After an M.A. in Theatre at 20, I returned to performing and added writing, directing and choreography to my career pursuits. Some of the stars and other celebrities with whom I have worked include:

Jimmy Stewart
Elvis Presley
Roy Rogers
Eddie Cantor
Bob Hope
Sammy Davis
Robin Williams
Dinah Shore
Danny Kaye
Jean Claude Van Damme
Clayton Moore (Lone Ranger)
Ed Wynn
Carol Channing
Robert Preston
Jack Benny
Scatman Carothers
Shirley MacLaine
 		  

Ginger Rogers
Paul Winfield
Charlie Ruggles
Bernadette Peters
Jock Mahoney
Abbott & Costello
Donald O'Connor
Cesar Romero
Dean Martin
Buddy Ebsen
Pat Boone
Jimmy Durante
Charles Coburn
Christian Slater
Billy Crystal
Jerry Lewis
Angela Lansbury
 

 


...and some of the Directors, Producers, Composers, Choreographers and Conductors
with whom I have worked are:  

 

Cecil B. de Mille
Steven Spielberg
Walt Disney
Bob Fosse
Gower Champion

 

John Williams
Mark Shaiman
Jerry Herman
Alan Menken
Jack Lee
Buddy Baker
Sherman Brothers
 

 

Twyla Tharp
Vincent Paterson
Dee Dee Wood
Larry Fuller
Kenny Ortega
Joe Layton

 

 

Several people asked me to leave the birdwatching photos, so here they are.

Gulling on the Santa Barbara Pier.

 

 

Undercover at the Louvre 2006. 

 

Penguin lineup at the san diego zoo.

 

Suspicious hummingbird near Arlington, VA

[at least according to the C.I.A.]

The Hook vest was a "wrap" gift from Dustin Hoffman. 

who is watching whom at the Uffizi Gallery's open air snack bar in Florence, Italy? 
[Given the size, this spy must be from Lilliput.]  

There are a few
NEW  CARTOONS
for 2010

Mouseketeer Harley says...be sure to look at the Mouseketeer  CARTOON Page.  

Harley also says thank you to Asst. Cartoon Page Editor Julie!
 

 

 

Note: The artist's signature reads "Hallman '89"
 

You asked for it............... Here's
THE ARCHIVE OF OLD pages viewers have requested

 

Have a look at
 The MMC Costume Page 

 

for all the latest fashions!

 

 

To see the photos of Annette's birthday party in the 1990s that appeared in one of the updates, visit

  

ANNETTE'S PARTY AT CHERYL'S


 

And last but not least: Here's the link to the MMC 25TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW  

 

  • If you haven't already - check out Before & After MMC for a biography, vintage photos  and resume of the very early performing I did (1948-1955) before the MMC, including an Oscar winning film, a few TV "classics" and a commercial that many of the 50+ gang may remember. My latest acting/writing/choreographic and directing credits are here as well. Another memory lane trip is Scrapbook.  

  • Take a look at Special Offers for the new, 2008 extended DOUBLE DVD!  4.5+ hours including scads of things you've never seen before! Give someone else (or yourself) a mouseka-present. All items personally signed - unless you don't want me to - but be warned that NOT signing costs extra (:--)) !  

  • The Roll Call page: BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN YOUR MESSAGE IF YOU WANT ME TO RESPOND!

  • Finally, if you want to correspond with me, but  don't want to share your e-mail address with other fans, I can be reached at Lonniemmcataoldotcom.  It's written that way to avoid spam; change the at to @ and dot to .

                                                Lonnie

           

    SOME LINKS YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN TRYING  - and if there are links you recommend, please let me know:

    www.originalmmc.com - comprehensive MMC site!!  Excellent!!

    www.solarguard.com/spannver4.htm - One of the many shows I was on before the MMC was SPACE PATROL and I briefly describe the memory. The site for fans of this golden TV classic.

     

 OPENING PAGE  MY SCRAPBOOK BEFORE & 
AFTER MMC 		MY LIFE AS 
A MOUSE 		SPECIAL OFFERS AND 
CONTACT INFO 		ROLL CALL
 
 

© 2010 Lonnie Burr
Some photographs © Disney