Spin and Marty with Keith House

Production started on June 28, 1955 at the Golden Oak Ranch and the first episode aired on November 11, 1955 on the Mickey Mouse Club on the ABC network. The Mickey Mouse Club played in all time zones from 5pm to 6pm. I know I have written about Spin and Marty before but I just can't help boring you with a little more information. Adventures of Spin and Marty ran as a serial on the Mickey Mouse Club and was the story of Marty Markham, a spoiled rich kid reared by an elderly grandmother, that goes to summer camp. It wasn't just any old “dirty” camp, it was a dude ranch for boys. The misadventures that followed his arrival at the Triple R Ranch made for a delightful tale of a group of young boys coming of age. Not only were there the Adventures of Spin and Marty, but there were two more additions, Further Adventures of Spin and Marty and the New Adventures of Spin and Marty. The serials were based on the 1942 novel Marty Markham by Lawrence Edward Watkin and the screenplay was written by Jackson Gillis.

Just imagine, you're a young boy in the mid-50’s to the early 60’s when one of the top ambitions of a young boy is to be a cowboy. These boys were living the dream on their summer vacation. It would've been a very dull story if there wasn't some comic relief and, in this story, the adults have most of the comic relief leaving the drama to the boys. The boys did get into some comical situations as well. Action also exists within this story. There's even a boxing match between the two star characters. By the end of this story, the cowpokes of the Triple R Ranch are even experienced enough to participate in the rodeo match with a rival ranch.

The cast starred Tim Considine as Spin Evans, David Stollery as Marty Markham, Roy Bancroft as Mr. Logan, Harry Carey Jr. as Bill Burnett, Lenny Greer as Ollie, Pat O'Malley as Perkins and a great cast of boys as Spin and Marty’s fellow cowpokes. The Further Adventures of Spin and Marty added one new cast member that most of you might know as Moochie, played by Kevin Corcoran (who had his own serial about Pop Warner Football). But he, of course, was up to his old tricks of getting in trouble not once but several times in the course of the serial, and the tenderfoot was saved by the boys of the Triple R Ranch. Even in the New Adventures of  Spin and Marty, our heroes find themselves in deep trouble with no way out until Annette and Darlene come to their rescue.  Yes, that's right, girls were added to the third serial. All three are extremely good and may seem a little dated but, I promise you, they are well worth watching. My wife and I will watch all the episodes in one sitting. I know a lot of you out there just won't give an old black and white TV series a chance, but the innocence of the 50s and the truly wide-eyed wonderment that these young men in this production give it is an absolutely timeless hopeful quality. If only life was really ever like that and, even more, I wish life was like that today. It may be because of my age but it seems like the world is just going so fast that taking just a few minutes a day watching the Mickey Mouse Club’s Spin and Marty takes me back to a time when we enjoyed the minute more than the day. From this tenderfoot to you, find a copy and watch what life really should be all about. Definitely a must own for a Disney library of videos try out Adventures of Spin and Marty.

A couple of years ago I had the great pleasure of meeting Tim Considine David Stollery, The Spin and Marty. I talked to Tim  about the fact that I was a simulator enthusiast and that his son had designed and built a flight simulator chassis that gives movement to the simulation experience. He said, that his son had designed it for automotive simulation such as racing but it could be adapted to flight simulation. David Stollery a car designer himself had designed cars for Toyota in the 60s and 70s. It's always a little awkward meeting your childhood heroes. What do you talk about, what do you say without sounding like a total idiot. I hope I didn't scare them to death, but I loved every minute and every second I had to talk to them. They were great people! I hope sometime we could do it again. If you ever get the chance to see your childhood heroes do it. It will be an experience you never forget. Thank you to Tim Considine and David Stollery and the entire cast and crew and the Walt Disney Studios that worked on the adventures of Spin and Marty. Thank You!