A Whitman Sampler

50's Pop Culture Marches On

     Today's post probably won't interest too many people, but it interests me so I thought I'd write a short entry about it.  If you've read along with The Blue Moon Grille, you might remember that, earlier this summer, I started collecting Whitman books from the 1950's.  My collection has grown a bit, and I've expanded into items other than books.  

     A couple of days ago, I received a 78 rpm record from the Mickey Mouse Club serial CORKY AND WHITE SHADOW.  This large plastic record contains a total of 3 songs, "Uncle Dan," "Buckwheat Cakes," and "My Pa."  As I write this, I feel like one of those pitchmen on the tv ads.  "All the hits from CORKY AND THE WHITE SHADOW on one record!!"  The serial starred Darlene Gillespie, who was always the runner-up to Annette Funicello in the Mickey Mouse Club hottest mouseketeer contests.  Buddy Ebsen played her Pa, and the bad guy was the Durango Dude.

Hanging next to the CAWS album on my wall is a 78 rpm single of "The Ballad of Andy Burnett" sung by Mitch Miller and the Gang.  ANDY BURNETT was an obscure but memorable series broadcast on the early Sunday night DISNEYLAND hour long television show.  The original price of the record was 25 cents.  Luckily, Linda gave me one of those little Crosby turntable stereos for Christmas a couple of years ago so I can play not only 33's but 45's and 78's as well.

Above the record albums and tucked behind the Whitman books RIN TIN TIN'S RINTY and LASSIE, FORBIDDEN VALLEY, is a copy of the MICKEY MOUSE CLUB ANNUAL for the year 1956.  It contains the contents of the four MICKEY MOUSE CLUB MAGAZINES for that year.  Although, I could never get the money together to subscribe, I remember the words to the jingle:  "TO GET YOUR MICKEY MOUSE CLUB MAGAZINE/PRINT YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS REAL NEAT AND CLEAN/AND SEND IT ALONG WITH A DOLLAR BILL/FOR FOUR BIG ISSUES AND A GREAT BIG THRILL.  What that thrill was was never explained.  On the cover of the annual is a surprisingly buxom Darlene Gillespie and a boy Mouseketeer name Lonnie.  I always thought there was something a little strange about Lonnie.

My collection also contains Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Hopalong Cassidy, Cheyenne, and Annette titles from Whitman, and copies of TOM SWIFT AND HIS FLYING LAB and TOM SWIFT AND HIS ROCKET SHIP.  

Enough said, but before I stop blogging, I must make an announcement.  I am waiting for a copy of Whitman's THE ADVENTURES OF SPIN AND MARTY.  This volume will become the centerpiece of my collection.