Thu, Jan 2, 1958
The Mickey Mouse Club 14-episode serial, "The Adventures of Clint and Mac", takes place during the course of one Saturday in London. Fifteen-year-old Clint Rogers, an American whose USAF father is stationed in the UK, has formed a friendship with his neighbor, a slightly younger English boy, Alastair "Mac" MacIntosh. Mac's father is a Scotland Yard Inspector, who will be in charge of security for the Royal Birthday Party of young Prince Charles. The boys decide to get their own present for Prince Charles. They agree to buy a tortoise at an outdoor Market, but can only put down half the money. Mac, meanwhile, notices one of his father's plain-clothes men nearby. Seeing a sign asking for an errand boy at a bookstall, they are interviewed by an elderly man who calls himself the Bookworm, and a customer of his named Smith. The Bookworm offers the boys money to deliver a parcel to Camden Town for Smith, who warns them not to give it to anyone else but him. Clint and Mac are unaware the parcel contains the original manuscript of Treasure Island, stolen from the British Museum. Reaching Camden, Clint and Mac have a running tussle with three teddy boys. Arriving at Smith's lodgings, they are greeted by Toby Jug, who describes himself as Smith's secretary. Refusing to give up the parcel, the boys settle in to wait for Smith. Toby Jug then suggests they spend the time touring the London Zoo. He drives them there and gives them a shilling for the entrance fee, reminding them to return in fifteen minutes. The slightly dim-witted boys entrust the parcel to Toby, who promises to wait right there. While looking at the zoo's tortoises, Clint chats up a young girl, Pamela Stuart, who is there with her chaperon. The boys inform her they have a tortoise too. She and Clint take a shine to each other, but the boys have to hurry back to Toby's auto. Naturally it isn't there, but on the sidewalk nearby Mac finds a business card for Breckinridge and Sons, a leather goods shop. The boys visit Breckinridge and Sons, where a man named Kurt says Toby Jug is on his way to Brighton. The boys return to Camden Town, where they spot Toby climbing into his car. Jumping on the back platform, they cling on for a ride across London. At a traffic light they hear Toby ask a lorry driver for directions to Rennie's Wharf in Limehouse. The lorry driver, however, tips Toby to his unseen riders. Toby stops and starts the auto in a jerky fashion, shaking off the boys. The boys hurry on foot to the wharf. Meanwhile, Pamela asks her father, General Sir John Stuart, to locate Clint's father, so she can invite Clint and his tortoise to tea the next day. Sir John telephones the American General Gibson, who tracks down Captain Rogers, Clint's father, on a golf course. Back at the Shepard's Bush Market, the Bookworm is taken into custody by the plain-clothes man, and brought to Scotland Yard. There, Inspector MacIntosh is informed that his son and an American boy were seen earlier talking with the Bookworm. The boys haven't been seen since, so a radio alert is put out for them. Arriving at the deserted wharf, Clint and Mac are accidentally locked in underneath it by a watchman. Unable to swim the powerful Thames this far down river, they investigate a small rowboat, but discover it has a hole in its side. Meanwhile, Inspector MacIntosh and his superior Inspector Atkins are questioning the Bookworm, who tells the police how the boys got involved, and about the man named Kurt, who is also picked up. Back under the wharf, a forty-foot launch pulls up to the dock. The Irish skipper meets Toby Jug, who climbs down a ladder from the wharf above. The boys are captured trying to regain the parcel from the launch. Smith arrives and orders the boat to head down river for the English Channel. Kurt has told the police that the manuscript will be smuggled out of the country on a forty-foot launch. Pamela arrives at Scotland Yard with her driver, Sergeant Mulvaney, and joins the Inspectors aboard a river police launch hunting for the boys. Clint show Mac how to send Morse code with a flashlight, then distracts the gang. Alerted by Mac's signaling with the flashlight, the harbor police stop and board the launch. Smith tries to fight it out, but is quickly overcome, while the skipper flees and Toby Jug surrenders. The manuscript is recovered, the boys are freed, and in the concluding scene, accompany Pamela to the Royal Birthday Party with their present for Prince Charles...a tortoise with birthday greetings painted on its shell.
Fri, Jan 24, 1958
In 1957, the Mickey Mouse Club was televised weekly over ABC and aired 5:30 pm Pacific Standard Time and was highly popular. One of the segments was a short documentary like newsreel segment sometimes shot by independent companies. These were inexpensive to purchase or make and were popular with viewers according to survey, and producer Bill Walsh was constantly looking for material to fill that slot. After months of negotiations and prodding, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) finally agreed to cooperate and allow the Disney Studio to feature the FBI in it's 'Inside Washington' Mickey Mouse Club Series which would feature young Dirk Metzger in Washington as on-site correspondent. Four episodes dealt with the FBI and then two on Congress, three on the making of money and two on the White House. These episodes were edited down to ten minute shorts. In the first episode shown Friday afternoon, January 24, 1958, Dirk Metzger is filmed against backdrop of Washington, D.C. with Capitol Building in foreground, as seen through window. Desk in foreground. Close Up on window, pull back to find Dirk in Medium Shot partially facing backdrop. He speaks before turning: "Washington, D.C. Quite a place. Believe me. I'm Dirk Metzger. Maybe some of you will remember me as a Mickey Mouse Club foreign correspondent from a couple of years ago. Well, Walt Disney has now assigned me to cover Washington..not from the tourist angle, as we just saw.but Washington from the inside. What goes on behind those big doors? As a Mickey Mouse Club reporter I did a little exploring, and for the next two weeks, I'm going to show you what I saw, where I went, what I did. Follow me!" Dirk is then photographed with J. Edgar Hoover in the Director's outer office. After that opening, Dirk goes right to Quantico and there is a sequence with firearms training.
Fri, Feb 7, 1958
Newsreel Special: Inside Report on Washington (The White House - Part 2). Dirk Metzger, host of English Correspondent in the earlier seasons, does the introduction and narration, and is also the on-camera visitor to the various locales around the capital. This was the 11th and final episode of the series of Inside Report on Washington Newsreel Specials.
Mon, Feb 10, 1958
Sharon, Karen, Lynn, and Cubby sing a song as other Mouseketeers waltz by. The action then shifts to a music shop whose outdoor speaker broadcasts snippets of different styles of music. Mannequins from a nearby store window dance to the music, abruptly shifting to each change of style.
Tue, Feb 11, 1958
Annette McCloud, an orphan from Nebraska, arrives unannounced at the home of her Uncle Archie and Aunt Lila in the town of Ashford. She is the daughter of their deceased younger brother, and was previously unknown to them. Though initially suspicious, they take the country girl in, and prepare her for a life in town.
Wed, Feb 12, 1958
In the 2nd episode of the Mickey Mouse Club Serial: Annette, while shopping for new clothes with Aunt Lila, Annette meets Val Abernathy, her mother, and Moselle Corey. Annette is invited to a party at Val's home, given in honor of Moselle's house guest, Laura Rogan, who will attend Old South High with the other kids this year. Through a mix-up, Annette's escort to the party turns out to be a perpetually-hungry, smart-aleck kid named Olmstead Ware. "Steady" takes Annette to the local malt shop first, and introduces her to another country kid, soda jerk Mike Martin.
Mon, Feb 17, 1958
Annette is invited to a party at Val's home, given in honor of Moselle's house guest, Laura Rogan, who will attend Old South High with the other kids this year. Through a mix-up, Annette's escort to the party turns out to be a perpetually-hungry, smart-aleck kid named Olmstead Ware. "Steady" takes Annette to the local malt shop first, and introduces her to another country kid, soda jerk Mike Martin. Despite her shy manner and quiet voice, Annette catches the eyes of the boys at the party, annoying the snobby Laura.
Thu, Feb 20, 1958
While playing a party game, Laura loses track of her expensive necklace, and halfway accuses Annette, who left the party early, of taking it. The following Monday at Old South High School, Annette finds her transfer from a country school means she must go down a level to the tenth grade, instead of joining the other kids in eleventh grade. Her friend, Jet Maypen, who lives on a farm just outside Ashford, takes Annette to the soda shop during lunch. When the other kids arrive at the soda shop, Laura again insinuates that Annette took the necklace. Annette overhears her and leaves the shop. Thereafter, Annette avoids the crowd at school, eating lunch with Jet. Later, Steve Abernathy, who is the student body president, appoints Annette to the entertainment committee as tenth-grade chairman. Surprisingly, Annette accepts and comes to the committee meeting at the Abernathy home.
Mon, Mar 3, 1958
Steve Abernathy decides to have a barbecue at his parent's country house. He invites Annette, but she declines, since she and Uncle Archie are going to visit Jet Maypen and her father at their farm. The kids ride a hay wagon out to the Abernathy place. Laura is happy to have Mike and Steve to herself, but gets miffed when they stop the wagon at the Maypen farm. The boys persuade Jet and Annette to come along with them, sending Laura into a funk. At the barbecue Steve pays attention to Annette, ignoring Laura, who throws a fit.
Tue, Mar 4, 1958
Steve Abernathy decides to have a barbecue at his parent's country house. He invites Annette, but she declines, since she and Uncle Archie are going to visit Jet Maypen and her father at their farm. The kids ride a hay wagon out to the Abernathy place. Laura is happy to have Mike and Steve to herself, but gets miffed when they stop the wagon at the Maypen farm. The boys persuade Jet and Annette to come along with them, sending Laura into a funk. At the barbecue Steve pays attention to Annette, ignoring Laura, who throws a fit. Jet forces Laura to come right out and accuse Annette of theft, and when she does jumps in and tackles her. They fall into the swimming pool, which ends the fight and barbecue.
Thu, Mar 6, 1958
At the barbecue Steve pays attention to Annette, ignoring Laura, who throws a fit. Jet forces Laura to come right out and accuse Annette of theft, and when she does jumps in and tackles her. They fall into the swimming pool, which ends the fight and barbecue. Mrs Abernathy gets the necklace story out of Val, and very quickly all the other parents know it as well. Feeling she has brought trouble to her Aunt and Uncle, Annette runs away but is brought back by Mike. At the next entertainment committee meeting at the Abernathy residence, Laura, Jet, and Annette all show up. To forestall trouble, Steve asks Laura to do her song.
Fri, Mar 7, 1958
At the next entertainment committee meeting at the Abernathy residence, Laura, Jet, and Annette all show up. To forestall trouble, Steve asks Laura to do her song. She tries to play the piano, but it produces off-key noises. Steve and Drew Stafford open it up and discover the necklace deep inside. Laura apologizes to Annette, Jet apologizes to Laura, and everything ends happily.