Annette Funicello, what does one say about America's sweetheart. I and many others swooned over this good-looking brunette who came across our television sets on the Mickey Mouse Club in the infancy of television

. She made her mark on entertainment. Whether you like the younger Annette or the older Annette, she stayed America's sweetheart up until her death and she will always be in my heart and be remembered as the perfect American sweetheart.

My favorite thing that Annette did was the Mickey Mouse serial “Annette”.  I have tried most of my adult life to acquire autographs of all of the cast members of the “Annette” serial.  I've done pretty well  but there are still several that I don't have that might be completely impossible to get, one being the one Mouseketeer that I was head over heels in love with, Sharon Baird and also Judy Nugent, Rudy Lee and most of the adults on the show. Even though it's a little on the adolescent side, I still enjoy watching the serial “Annette”. Her nemesis in it is played by Roberta Shore.  I've had the pleasure of meeting her in person twice and each time she has been more than gracious and sweet to me and my wife. She even introduced us her to her husband.  Just recently I had the pleasure of meeting David Stollery and Tim Considine (aka “Spin and Marty”) and they too were extremely pleasant to talk to.

You know, I don't even think the kids were as innocent as this serial makes them out to be, but I long for the days of my innocence like it was in this serial. For me it brings back some part of my childhood and I just can't
get enough of it. When it came out on the Walt Disney Treasures DVD series I purchased two copies because I knew that I would wear the first copy out. I haven't yet, by the way, but I'm trying.  Annette also appears in the New Adventures of Spin and Marty and it is also a wonderful little series. Please, just because it's black and white, don't put thumbs down on these or any of the early Disney TV productions. They are wonderful for adults as well as children and how much television can you say that about today. It's either so childish that it is sickening or it’s so adult oriented that you dare not let your children watch it. I absolutely long for the days on Sunday nights when you knew that you were going to be able to watch family movies or some type of Disney special that the whole family would enjoy. This is the legacy that people like Annette Funicello have brought to us. God bless her and all of those Disney stars that we remember with fondness.

 Do you have any old favorite Disney TV or old Disney movies that you just can't get enough of. The Walt Disney Treasures series has been a Godsend to me especially since, in their stupidity, the Disney Channel decided to discontinue “Vault Disney” in the late evening hours and now, it seems to me, that all they show on the Disney Channel is adolescent tripe, teenage comedy that's embarrassing and not funny. Unfortunately, I very seldom watch the Disney Channel anymore. Fortunately for the Disney Channel though, they do have some good children's programming and I won't get started on the new Mickey Mouse cartoons that make Mickey, Donald and Goofy look like Ren & Stimpy. That type of stylistic animation just does not go over well with me but I said I would not get started on that and I'm sorry. I love Disney, I love the parks, I love the movies.  I just love sharing my Disney memories with y'all.