Gone With or Without fanfare

[RedRiver]

Looks like we have another one. Margaret Thatcher wasn't a film personality. But her passing is certainly newsworthy. They do come in threes, don't they?

[Western Guy]

Yes, the "Celebrities Dying in Threes", if you will. Began back in '75 when Richard Conte, Fredric March and Larry Parks all passed away within days of each other during the month of April.

[mrsl]

.
Roger, Margaret, and now the friend I saw every day for years on The Mickey Mouse Club - Annette. I'm sure someone will post an L.A. Times obit about her so I'm just going to say how very sad I am, but also glad her pain is over.

Rest in peace Annette, I will always have a special place in my heart for you.
.

[Lzcutter]

Walt Disney's daughter, Diane, remembers Annette Funicello:

Walt Disney’s daughter said the nation lost a consummate professional and one of the loveliest people she has ever known with the death of Mouseketeer Annette Funicello.

Funicello, the longtime Disney and beach movie star, passed away Monday at Mercy Southwest Hospital in Bakersfield at the age of 70. She died peacefully from complications due to multiple sclerosis, a disease she battled for a quarter-century.

"Everyone who knew Annette loved and respected her. She was one of the loveliest people I've ever known, and was always so kind to everyone. She was also the consummate professional, and had such great loyalty to my father, “ said Diane Disney Miller, daughter of Walt Disney. “Annette will always be very special to me and [my husband,] Ron.”

Her husband, Ron Miller, who oversaw Disney in the 1980s and once worked with Annette when he was a young assistant on "The Mickey Mouse Club," added: “She was always in good spirits and ready to help out if she needed to step in when something unexpected happened.”

In a statement, Bob Iger, chairman and CEO of the Walt Disney Co., said, "Annette was and always will be a cherished member of the Disney family, synonymous with the word Mousketeer, and a true Disney Legend. She will forever hold a place in our hearts as one of Walt Disney’s brightest stars, delighting an entire generation of baby boomers with her jubilant personality and endless talent."

More of the story can be found here: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-m ... 1010.story

[Lzcutter]

We watched her grow up from The Mickey Mouse to the Beach Movies and beyond. Annette Funicello has died at the age of 70:

From the LA Times:

Annette Funicello, the dark-haired darling of TV's “The Mickey Mouse Club” in the 1950s who further cemented her status as a pop-culture icon in the '60s by teaming with Frankie Avalon in a popular series of “beach” movies, died Monday. She was 70.

Funicello, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1987 and became a spokeswoman for treatment of the chronic, often-debilitating disease of the central nervous system, died at Mercy Southwest Hospital in Bakersfield, Walt Disney Co. spokesman Howard Green said.

Funicello and her husband, Glen Holt, had moved from the Los Angeles area after a 2011 fire gutted their home in Encino.

Bob Iger, Disney’s chairman and chief executive, said: “Annette was and always will be a cherished member of the Disney family, synonymous with the word 'Mousketeer,' and a true Disney legend. She will forever hold a place in our hearts as one of Walt Disney’s brightest stars, delighting an entire generation of baby boomers with her jubilant personality and endless talent. Annette was well known for being as beautiful inside as she was on the outside, and she faced her physical challenges with dignity, bravery and grace. All of us at Disney join with family, friends, and fans around the world in celebrating her extraordinary life.”

Funicello was a 12-year-old dance-school student when Walt Disney saw her performing the lead role in “Swan Lake” at her dance-school's year-end recital at the Starlight Bowl in Burbank in the spring of 1955.

She joined a group of other talented young performers hired to become Mousketeers on “The Mickey Mouse Club,” the children's variety show that debuted on ABC in October 1955 and quickly became a daily late-afternoon ritual for millions of young Americans.

For more: http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/ ... 9102.story

[Sue Sue Applegate]

Thanks for sharing those touching tributes to Annette, Lynn.
So sad about how she had such difficult times in her later years.

[Rita Hayworth]

I always have a dear fondness of the wonderful actress and person in Annette ... she was a big part of my youth watching reruns of the Mickey Mouse Program and the Beach Bikini Movies that I like so well. She is a cultural icon and a big part of Disney Folklore as well. She will be missed by all fans ... including me.

[moira finnie]

I was too young to see the Mickey Mouse Club in its original run, and movies where people ran around in bathing suits were not the kind of fare allowed in my life either, but thanks to many repeats of Make Room for Daddy on the telly when I was a kid, I do have a fondness for Annette Funicello as "Gina," a believable Italian exchange student in high school whose scholarly demeanor, wistful homesickness for home, schoolgirl crushes, enthusiasms, and tentative explorations of American teenage culture were quite endearing.

I know it was just a tv show, but in a period when pop culture sometimes seemed to enshrine "The Blonde Bombshell" as the sole beauty standard, I suspect that the sight of a dark-eyed, brunette and lovely young woman as a viable person on television may have helped many similarly featured growing girls to think a bit better of themselves. (Though she is hardly thought of as a shrinking violet, I once heard Cher say in an interview that if it hadn't been for women like Sophia Loren, Ina Balin, and Annette Funicello coming along, she might never have had the nerve to leave the house).

I hope that Annette Funicello's spirit is free of all pain and dancing on the sand somewhere!

[Sue Sue Applegate]

Me, too, Moira. Sweet thoughts.

It would be wonderful if she was free of pain and dancing on the beach. From what I've heard on the news today, her husband, Jack Gilardi, took very good care of her in these last difficult years.

[Maricatrin]

As someone who grew up with the Disney shows and movies (not original run, however), I'm also sad to hear of her passing... but with the following in mind...

“Has this world been so kind to you that you should leave with regret? There are better things ahead than any we leave behind.” ~ C.S. Lewis

[Vecchiolarry]

Hi,

Very sad news about Annette Funicello... It's very heartbreaking to think that such a beautiful, happy and smiling young girl suffered a horrible disabling condition.

I have just returned from London and was a Heathrow when the announcement came over to PA system that Margaret Thatcher had died that morning...
The whole place came to a standstill

Larry

[RedRiver]

Wow. What a place to hear that news!

Annette...I was four. She was fifteen. An older woman!

[Rita Hayworth]

I have just returned from London and was a Heathrow when the announcement came over to PA system that Margaret Thatcher had died that morning...
The whole place came to a standstill

Larry

Thanks for sharing that ... Larry and rightfully so.

[moira finnie]

...thanks to many repeats of Make Room for Daddy on the telly when I was a kid, I do have a fondness for Annette Funicello as "Gina," a believable Italian exchange student in high school whose scholarly demeanor, wistful homesickness for home, schoolgirl crushes, enthusiasms, and tentative explorations of American teenage culture were quite endearing.

I know it was just a tv show, but in a period when pop culture sometimes seemed to enshrine "The Blonde Bombshell" as the sole beauty standard, I suspect that the sight of a dark-eyed, brunette and lovely young woman as a viable person on television may have helped many similarly featured growing girls to think a bit better of themselves. (Though she is hardly thought of as a shrinking violet, I once heard Cher say in an interview that if it hadn't been for women like Sophia Loren, Ina Balin, and Annette Funicello coming along, she might never have had the nerve to leave the house).

I hope that Annette Funicello's spirit is free of all pain and dancing on the sand somewhere!

ME-TV, which is a broadcast channel that many of our members have access to, is featuring a two hour tribute to Annette Funicello as "Gina" on Danny Thomas' Make Room for Daddy show this Sunday, April 14th. The following episodes being featured begin at 1pm (ET/PT):

SUNDAY, APRIL 14

1 PM Make Room for Daddy Gina From Italy
Danny awaits the arrival of Italian exchange student, Gina Minelli, with great anxiety. The Williamses do everything they can to welcome the shy and homesick girl, but Danny, particularly, makes all the wrong, albeit well-intentioned, moves.

1:30 PM Make Room for Daddy Gina's First Date
As Gina attempts to adapt to the American high school social scene, Danny takes it upon himself to help her get the attention of the star football player.

2 PM Make Room for Daddy Frankie Laine Sings for Gina
Gina is thrilled to learn that her idol, Frankie Laine, is performing with Danny at the Copa. She and her friend ask him if he would perform at their high school dance and Mr. Laine, who has taken a shine to Gina, consents. Gina is overjoyed, but as she's getting ready for her exciting evening, Kathy, a former nurse, notices that Gina is down with the measles.

2:30 PM Make Room for Daddy Gina for President
As the battle of the sexes heats up between Danny and Kathy, Gina gets a phone call to tell her that she's been nominated to run for class president. It's wonderful news, except she's running against her steady boyfriend, Buck. Danny backs Buck and Kathy helps Gina in their respective campaigns, until some ugly leaflets are floated around the school urging students to "vote American."

[RedRiver]

To be honest, I was unaware of Annette's connection to the Thomas show. It's not one I've regularly watched.