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| Dvdivas
was founded by John Gabbard in 2000. It's purpose has been and
remains to be to provide you, the entertainment community with
the latest dvds and movie reviews. It will continue to be your
link to the most popular dvd movies. |
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“Walt
Disney Treasures: The Mickey Mouse Club (1955)”
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Reviewed
by: |
Wayne A. Klein |
| Genre: |
Comedy |
| Video: |
1.33:1 full
screen |
| Audio: |
Dolby Digital
2.0 |
| Languages |
English |
| Subtitles |
English |
| Length |
312 minutes
|
| Rating |
NR |
| Release Date |
12/7/04 |
| Studio |
Walt Disney
Home Video |
| Commentary:
|
None |
| Documentaries:
|
None |
| Featurettes:
|
“Leader Of The Club”,
“Mouseketeer Memories”, “Mouseketeers At Disneyland”, “Opening
Sequence In Color” |
| Filmography/Biography:
|
None |
|
Interviews: |
None |
| Trailers/TV
Spots: |
None |
| Alternate/Deleted
Scenes: |
None |
| Music
Video: |
None |
| Other:
|
Art galleries
|
| Cast
and Crew: |
Jimmie Dodd,
Sharon Baird, Bobby Burgess, Lonnie Burr, Ruth Carrell, Tommy
Cole, Johnny Crawford, Walt Disney, Cliff Edwards, Tommy Kirk,
Annette Funicello, Paul Petersen, Roy Williams |
| Written
By: |
Jimmie Dodd,
Walt Disney |
| Produced
By: |
Walt Disney
|
| Directed
By: |
R. G. Springsteen,
Sidney Miller |
| Music:
|
George Bruns,
Ruth Carrell, Jimmie Dodd |
| The
Review: |
There’s an entire generation of
boomers who grew up with a crush on Annette Funicello and
it wasn’t because of the ears she wore on this show. Wholesome
entertainment on TV was really hard to come by prior to “The
Mickey Mouse Club” in 1955. The only other show that kids
(and these would be tykes mind you) could count on was “Captain
Kangaroo” (which premiered on the same day as “The Mickey
Mouse Club”). “The Mickey Mouse Club” showed that Disney’s
vision of creating family entertainment and how it would enhance
his empire was right on target. Between “The Mickey Mouse
Club”, “Daniel Boone” and the evening show that Disney had,
Walt Disney was the first TV mogul. Featuring the first episodes
of the series from the Disney archives, “The Mickey Mouse
Club” will bring back memories for both early and later boomers
(who caught it in syndication).
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| Image
and Sound: |
On the whole
“The Mickey Mouse Club” looks pretty darn good for a show a
half century old. Considering all the syndication of the original
episodes, the negatives are in surprisingly good condition and
Disney has cleaned up both the audio and video quite a bit.
Blacks are occasionally soft but, on the whole, quite good.
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| The
Extras: |
There’s
a number of very good extras for the fans of the show. The
tribute to host Jimmie Dodd (a respected performer who also
penned the theme song for the show) is touching. The reunion
of some of the key performers of the show is also of interest
as they share their memories of making the show. There’s also
rare footage of the Mouseketeers in color appearing at the
opening of Disneyland and the original opening of the show
in color (it was broadcast in black and white). There’s also
a number of interesting drawings in the art gallery section
focusing on original art created for the series and designs
of sets, etc. ---
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| Commentary:
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There’s no
commentary track and since all the adults that appeared on the
program are deceased and the kids are now grandparents themselves,
it’s possible that most don’t recall with any accuracy the goings
on behind the scenes for specific episodes. --- |
| Final
Words: |
Housed in
a nice tin container, these DVDs will remind boomers of a more
innocent time. “The Mickey Mouse Club” was entertainment devoid
of topical issues of the time (which is just as well considering
that the Cold War and Korean War were still very much at the
back of adult’s minds). While it might be a bit hokey by contemporary
standards, the entertainment value of the series continues to
endure. Lovingly transferred to DVD with some exceptionally
nice extras, Disney continues to set the pace for TV and cartoon
collectible sets. |
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