One of the many cool things about the Hollywood Show in Burbank being held on Saturday, April 24, 2010, was the fact that they were having a great Mouseketeer reunion of kids from The Mickey Mouse Club. Two of those present were Cubby O’Brien and Tommy Kirk who I had met before (as you can see by clicking on their names). And although they weren’t technically Mouseketeers, Tim Considine and David Stollery, who portrayed Spin and Marty in serial installments on the Mickey Mouse Club were also present (and I’ve covered them in a Spin and Marty posting). In addition to these four were five more of the original Mouseketeers, three of who will be covered here, the remaining two in the next posting.
The first of these so-called Red Team original Mouseketeers is Bobby Burgess, who had been performing on the stage since the age of five, but didn’t get his first starring role until being hired by Walt Disney for the show in 1955. Bobby had a distinctive big smile, but it didn’t lead to further acting jobs. In fact, he didn’t re-surface into the public eye until he won a dance contest with a partner and was given a recurring spot on The Lawrence Welk Show.
Bobby Burgess, tall and toothy Mouseketeer
Bobby Burgess today
Bobby was a friendly guy and happily posed not only for a photo with me, but with Doreen Tracey, who was sitting next to him. Doreen is our second Mouseketeer of the posting. She starred in all three seasons of the original Mickey Mouse Club and the went on to star in Disney’s Westward Ho, The Wagons! She also had a part in the serial Annette, which was featured during the third season of The Mickey Mouse Club. Of disdain, or possibly to delightl, of some Disneyphiles, Doreen appeared in the men’s magazine Gallery wearing mouse ears and little else in 1979. Looking at how attractive she is at the age of 67, I might be interested in seeing that.
Annette, Tommy, Doreen, and Head Mouseketeer Jimmy Dodd
With Doreen today
Bobby and Doreen
Big ears and Mouseketeers
Also seen in the photo above is Tommy Cole. Tommy originally started on the second-string Mouseketeer Blue Team, but his singing ability got him transferred to the Red Team midway through the first season and he remained on the show for the next two seasons as well. After the series ended, Tommy was acting in an episode of My Three Sons and became interested in the techniques of make-up application. He continued to evolve this craft and became a respected make-up artist in Hollywood, being nominated for numerous Emmy Awards, including for one of my favorite sitcoms Wings.
With Tommy Cole
The Mousketeers at the Spring 2010 Hollywood Show will continue…
I love the Mouseketeers!
Bev
August 27th, 2010
I JUST HAVE TO SAY THAT BOBBY BURGESS IS ON OF MY FAVORITE MOUSEKATEERS AND IS REALLY CUTE AND HANDSOME I LOVED HIM ON THAT SHOW AND I ALSO LOVED HIM ON LAWRENCE WELK AS WELL AND WHEN HE DANCES I JUST CAN NOT GET ENOUGH OF IT I JUST DROP EVERYTHING THAT I AM DOING AND GO AND SIT IN FRONT OF THE TV AND WATCH HIM DANCE WITH ONE OF HIS MENAY DANCE PARTNERS WEATHER IT IS ELAINE OR CISSY OR BARBRA AND THAT SIMLE OF HIS IS CONTAGOUS IT GETS EVERYONE ON THE SHOW IN THE AUDIENCE AND PEOPLE AT HOME WATCHING IN A GOOD MOOD SO THAT IS WHY I LOVE HIM.
LOVE ALWAYS
JENIFER HANSON
JENIFER HANSON
July 6th, 2011