Mouseketeer, Beach Blanket Gal, Racers' Girlfriend in Thunder Alley & Fireball 500; R.I.P. Annette
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For the old times:
Forum Activity for @dave-fulton
Mouseketeer, Beach Blanket Gal, Racers' Girlfriend in Thunder Alley & Fireball 500; R.I.P. Annette
General
I told my wife last night she was underprivileged because she didn't even know who Spin & Marty were and had never even heard of the Triple R Ranch. Imagine going through life and being unable to sing things like "Marty came to the Triple R, Yippee Yay, Yippee Yo... He came in his grandma's big, black car, Yippee Yay, Yippe Yo."
I lived to see some of those Disney serials in the afternoon on MMC, especially Hardy Boys.
I still have a bookshelf full of Hardy Boys books, but can't get the grandsons to even take a peek at them.
Mouseketeer, Beach Blanket Gal, Racers' Girlfriend in Thunder Alley & Fireball 500; R.I.P. Annette
General
Somewhere in the atic, I have a 45 rpm "Pineaaple Princess" record.
Mouseketeer, Beach Blanket Gal, Racers' Girlfriend in Thunder Alley & Fireball 500; R.I.P. Annette
General
In 1955, my outdoor play was interupted for three afternoon television shows - The Mickey Mouse Club , Howdy Doody and Adventures of Superman .
Word came today that Annette Funicello, the best remembered Mouseketeer, has passed. R.I.P., Annette.
While she is best remembered as an original Mouseketeer and star of numerous beach blanket genre films in the late 50s/early 60s, Annette also appeared in several fringe "racing" movies that gave stock car starved fans some action, however unrealistic, on the silver screen in Fireball 500 and Thunder Alley .
Mic key Mouse Club' original Annette Funicello dies
By Alan Duke, CNN
updated 4:11 PM EDT, Mon April 8, 2013
Los Angeles (CNN) -- Annette Funicello, one of the best-known members of the original 1950s "Mickey Mouse Club" and a star of numerous 1960s "beach party" films, died Monday at a California hospital, the Walt Disney Co. said.
Funicello, who was 70, "died peacefully from complications due to multiple sclerosis, a disease she battled for over 25 years," the Disney statement said.
"We are so sorry to lose Mother," her three children said in a statement. "She is no longer suffering anymore and is now dancing in heaven. We love and will miss her terribly."
Funicello was just 13 when she was selected by Walt Disney himself to be one of the original Mouseketeers of the "Mickey Mouse Club," the 1950s television variety show aimed at children.
Funicello, who had a background in dance, quickly became one of the most popular Mouseketeers.
She "was and always will be a cherished member of the Disney family, synonymous with the word Mouseketeer, and a true Disney Legend," Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger said.
She remained with Disney after leaving the "Mickey Mouse Club," appearing in TV shows including "Zorro" (1957), "The Nine Lives of Elfego Baca" (1958) and starring in the Disney feature films "The Shaggy Dog" (1959), "Babes in Toyland" (1961), "The Misadventures of Merlin Jones" (1964) and "The Monkey's Uncle" (1965).
The most enduring images of Funicello, though, may be of her in aswimsuit, her primary wardrobe when she co-starred with teen idol Frankie Avalon in beach party movies in the early 1960s. These included "Beach Party" (1963), "Muscle Beach Party" (1964), "Bikini Beach" (1964), "Beach Blanket Bingo" (1965), and "How to Stuff a Wild Bikini" (1965).
Although she started out in a more modest version, each movie revealed a bit more, leading eventually to Funicello in a bikini.
The movies helped sell her music. Funicello had Top-40 hits including "Tall Paul," "First Name Initial," "How Will I Know My Love," and "Pineapple Princess." Along with the singles, she recorded several successful albums, including "Hawaiiannette" (1960), "Italiannette" (1960) and "Dance Annette" (1961).
Funicello reunited with Avalon in 1987 to star in "Back to the Beach," in which the two former teen idols played as parents of a pair of troublesome teenagers. Avalon and Funicello followed the movie with a nostalgic concert tour in 1989 and 1990, singing their hits from the 1960s.
"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," Iger said in a statement released Monday. "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 moved with her family from her birthplace of Utica, New York, to Los Angeles when she was 4.
Walt Disney saw her dancing the lead in "Swan Lake" at the Starlight Bowl in Burbank when she was 13. Disney asked her to audition for a new children's TV series he was developing called "The Mickey Mouse Club." She was hired on the spot to become a Mouseketeer, Disney's statement said.
She became the viewers' favorite soon after the show debuted in October 1955. Although only three original seasons were produced, the show continued to be see in reruns for another four decades.
Doctors diagnosed Funicello with multiple sclerosis, a degenerative neurological disease, in 1987. She kept the illness a secret until 1992, the year she established The Annette Funicello Research Fund for Neurological Diseases. The charity, which is still active, supports research into the cause, treatment and cure of multiple sclerosis and other neurological diseases.
Funicello made few public appearances by the late 1990s as she became more debilitated by the disease. She lived under the care of her second husband Glen Holt, a rancher she married in 1986.
She had three children -- Gina, Jack Jr. and Jason -- from her first marriage to Jack Gilardi, which ended in 1981.
"It is so sad to lose a wonderful lady like Annette Funicello," said comedian Don Rickles. "I had so much fun working with her in those beach party pictures. She was a great trooper. My wife Barbara and I send our thoughts and prayers to her family."
"Annette's sweet, unassuming spirit, her love of people, and her capacity to exude kindness and good feelings to everyone she met was part of her beautiful charisma, said Richard Sherman, the Oscar-winning composer who wrote many of her hits. "Because the songs we wrote for her brought us to the attention of Walt, Bob and I always referred to Annette as our 'lucky star.'"
Paul Reubens, who worked with Funicello and Avalon in a memorable appearance on Pee-wee Herman's Christmas special in 1988, tweeted about her death: "I loved Annette Funicello from the 1st time I saw her on The Mickey Mouse Club. There wasn't a warmer, lovelier person on the planet. RIP"
updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:02:07PM
Congrats to 12th place Martinsville Rookie Danica, but I Remember 2 Rookies in Top-10 in 1986
Stock Car Racing History
Thanks again, Jay. I didn't realize that. It was a big weekend for rookies making the Martinsville field.
Congrats to 12th place Martinsville Rookie Danica, but I Remember 2 Rookies in Top-10 in 1986
Stock Car Racing History
And a Canadian to boot with his Canadian Carling beer sponsorship for Junior.
I used to love to hear him introduced on the track P.A. back in the day when there was a lengthy buildup before each driver was named.
I can hear the late Ray Melton now, as well as the late Lewis Compton at Martinsville saying...... "And now race fans.... from Ailsa Craig, Ontario, Canada....."
Congrats to 12th place Martinsville Rookie Danica, but I Remember 2 Rookies in Top-10 in 1986
Stock Car Racing History
Jay, I had forgotten how hot it was that day - 90+ degree April day in Martinsville with scorching track temps and lots of drivers getting sick.
According to Ben White's newspaper writeup, all 7 Martinsville cautions that day were for blown engines. Imagine no Martinsville cautions for spins!
Here's a link to Ben's writeup:
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pVUcAAAAIBAJ&sjid=q1IEAAAA...
Congrats to 12th place Martinsville Rookie Danica, but I Remember 2 Rookies in Top-10 in 1986
Stock Car Racing History
Jay, thanks for sharing.
Derrike learned one huge lesson in that first Martinsville race.
By the time we got to Charlotte the following Wednesday for an open test for the Coke World 600, Derrike was so hoarse and his throat so sore he could hardly talk. Dale Earnhardt, who'd given Derrike a lot of tips, told him it was because he'd been breathing through his mouth at Martinsville and you absolutely had to breathe through your nose to keep from burning up your throat.
First time, in fact, I ever saw one of those "Breathe Right" strips was at Martinsville. It was being used by Geoff Bodine. First full face helmet I ever saw was also at Martinsville, being used again by Bodine.
Dale used to make fun of Bodine's full faced helmet and DW's sport goggles. Little did we know.
Only 7 cautions that day at Martinsville, but with today's rules that would still have been 7 Lucky Dogs and 7 Wave Arounds. Back then you raced every lap for what you got. And you didn't do it with millions of dollars.
1986 Sovran Bank 500
NASCAR Winston Cup race number 8 of 29
April 27, 1986 at Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville, VA
500 laps on a .526 mile paved track (263.0 miles)
Time of race: 3:25:15
Average Speed: 76.882 mph
Pole Speed: 90.716 mph Cautions: 7 for 33 laps
Margin of Victory: 1 lp 6 sec
Attendance: 38,000
Lead changes: 15
Fin St # Driver Sponsor / Owner Car Laps Money Status Led Points
1 4 15 Ricky Rudd Motorcraft (Bud Moore) Ford 500 40,850 running 163 185
2 10 26 Joe Ruttman Quaker State (Kenny Bernstein) Buick 499 17,325 running 0 170
3 7 44 Terry Labonte Piedmont Airlines (Billy Hagan) Oldsmobile 496 17,125 running 0 165
4 16 35 Alan Kulwicki Quincy's Steak House (Bill Terry) Ford 496 8,350 running 0 160
5 12 7 Kyle Petty 7-Eleven (Wood Brothers) Ford 496 11,050 running 0 155
6 23 8 Bobby Hillin, Jr. Miller American (Stavola Brothers) Buick 495 7,680 running 0 150
7 20 90 Ken Schrader Red Baron Frozen Pizza (Junie Donlavey) Ford 493 7,830 running 0 146
8 11 22 Bobby Allison Miller American (Stavola Brothers) Buick 492 6,710 running 0 142
9 17 79 Derrike Cope Western Peterbilt (Warren Razore) Ford 489 2,350 running 0 138
10 13 75 Jody Ridley Nationwise Auto Parts (RahMoc Enterprises) Pontiac 487 6,620 running 0 134
11 25 23 Michael Waltrip Hawaiian Punch (Chuck Rider) Pontiac 484 2,070 running 0 130
12 31 52 Jimmy Means Means Racing (Jimmy Means) Pontiac 479 5,000 running 0 127
13 30 48 Jerry Cranmer Fleet Service (James Hylton) Chevrolet 465 4,790 running 0 124
14 28 6 Trevor Boys U.S. Racing (D.K. Ulrich) Chevrolet 465 4,580 running 0 121
15 24 67 Buddy Arrington Pannill Knitting (Buddy Arrington) Ford 464 6,120 engine 0 118
16 19 71 Dave Marcis Helen Rae Special (Dave Marcis) Chevrolet 463 4,245 running 0 115
17 6 5 Geoffrey Bodine Levi Garrett (Rick Hendrick) Chevrolet 455 7,280 engine 1 117
18 29 70 J.D. McDuffie Rumple Furniture (J.D. McDuffie) Pontiac 429 4,035 running 0 109
19 21 94 Morgan Shepherd Kodak Film (C & M Motorsports) Pontiac 381 1,525 running 0 106
20 1 25 Tim Richmond Folger's Coffee (Rick Hendrick) Chevrolet 372 7,440 running 13 108
21 3 3 Dale Earnhardt Wrangler Jeans (Richard Childress) Chevrolet 347 9,915 engine 102 105
22 27 19 Mike Skinner Zanworth Racing Team Pontiac 344 1,205 running 0 97
23 22 64 Jimmy Hensley Sunny King Ford & Honda (Elmo Langley) Ford 326 3,375 oil pressure 0 94
24 14 18 Tommy Ellis Eric Freedlander Chevrolet 301 1,185 engine 36 96
25 15 33 Harry Gant Skoal Bandit (Hal Needham) Chevrolet 292 9,075 engine 83 93
26 18 12 Neil Bonnett Budweiser (Junior Johnson) Chevrolet 267 8,265 engine 5 90
27 2 11 Darrell Waltrip Budweiser (Junior Johnson) Chevrolet 241 12,155 engine 97 87
28 8 43 Richard Petty STP (Petty Enterprises) Pontiac 202 3,315 axle 0 79
29 26 17 Doug Heveron Hesco Exhaust Systems (Roger Hamby) Chevrolet 78 3,295 fan belt 0 76
30 5 27 Rusty Wallace Alugard (Raymond Beadle) Pontiac 56 7,125 engine 0 73
31 9 9 Bill Elliott Coors (Harry Melling) Ford 42 9,025 engine 0 70
Congrats to 12th place Martinsville Rookie Danica, but I Remember 2 Rookies in Top-10 in 1986
Stock Car Racing History
Much has been made about Danica Patrick's 12th place finish as a rookie in the spring 2013 Martinsville Cup race. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Danica mix it up in the late stages enroute to her good finish in her first Martinsville race.
Taking nothing away from Danica, but I happened to be at Martinsville in April 1986 - 27 years ago - as part of a Winston Cup rookie operation when not just one, but TWO Winston Cup rookies posted top-10 finishes on the demanding 1/2-mile Virginia oval. Believe me, neither of those two racers had ever seen the Martinsville oval either, but they didn't get nearly the hype, credit and respect for their top-10 rookie finishes as Danica did for 12th with many more resources behind her.
I arrived at Martinsville in April 1986 as Vice President/General Manager of Rabanco Racing, a rookie effort out of Campobello, SC, making its very first Winston Cup start with young Derrike Cope at the wheel. I had "discovered" Cope in Washington state in 1984 and sponsored him for 7-Eleven for two years in Winston West racing.
Also getting his first look at Martinsville that beautiful April weekend of 1986 was a fellow from Wisconsin named Alan Kulwicki, a fellow who'd made a name for himself in ASA racing.
When qualifying was complete, rookie Alan had put his #35 Bill Terry owned Quincy's Steak House Thunderbird in 16th place on the starting grid.
Rookie Derrike put his #79 Warren Razore owned Western Peterbilt Thunderbird in the 17th starting spot, right behind Alan and to the inside of Neil Bonnett.
Both young rookies charged through the field, cracking the top-5 during the race - a stupendous feat for one rookie, let alone two.
We were pitted with Derrike's car on the old backstretch Martinsville pit road beside the #12 Junior Johnson Budweiser Chevy entry of Neil Bonnett, crewed by Tim Brewer.
While running 5th, we pitted and had a brand new Ingersoll-Rand air gun break as our rear tire changer (who'd flown in from California) attempted to take off the lug nuts.
Seeing our predicament, Bonnet crew chief, Tim Brewer grabbed an air gun from the Junior Johnson pit box and leaped toward our driver's side rear wheel, sliding on his knee pads. He took off the wheel and put on the new one handed to him.
It was a heck of a display of sportsmanship by a big name crew chief on a high dollar team to help an underdog. To this day I have never forgotten Tim's action.
Derrike went back out on the track and salvaged what he could of his rookie Martinsville start. By the time the checkers flew he'd worked his way back up to 9th place.
Young rookie Alan Kulwicki finished 4th that day.
So, please let's praise Danica for her accomplishment running 12th, but's let's also remember two rookies who both had top-10 Martinsville finishes in the same race without benefit of Lucky Dogs, wave arounds . or a multi-million dollar effort and team.
updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM
A Racing History Minute - April 8, 1956
Stock Car Racing History
Thanks, Tim, for not only refreshing our memories, but adding to them with tales that are new to many of us. My loss that I never saw a convertible event.