Spin and Marty
| Spin and Marty | |
|---|---|
 David Stollery (left) as Marty Markham and Tim Considine as Spin Evans introduce the first Spin and Marty serial | |
| Genre | children's serial |
| Created by | Lawrence Edward Watkin |
| Written by | Jackson Gillis |
| Directed by | William Beaudine, Sr. |
| Starring | David Stollery Tim Considine Harry Carey, Jr. Annette Funicello Roy Barcroft Sammy Ogg |
| Country of origin | USA |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Bill Walsh |
| Running time | ten minutes per episode |
| Original release | |
| Release | 1955 (sequels in 1956, 1957) |
Spin and Marty was a popular series of television shorts that aired as part of the Mickey Mouse Club show of the mid-1950s produced by Walt Disney. There were three serials in all, starting with The Adventures of Spin and Marty in 1955. This series of 25 ten-minute episodes set at the Triple R Ranch, a boys' summer camp, was followed by two sequels — The Further Adventures of Spin and Marty (1956) and The New Adventures of Spin and Marty (1957), both of which also aired during the Mickey Mouse Club. The serials were based on the 1942 novel Marty Markham by Lawrence Edward Watkin.[1] The producer for Disney was Bill Walsh and the screenplay was written by Jackson Gillis.[2]
Premise and major characters
The series starred David Stollery as the rich, orphaned Marty (Martin) Markham and Tim Considine as the poorer Spin Evans, the most athletic and popular boy at the Triple R Ranch. Though starting off as enemies after Marty dismisses the dude ranch as a "dirty old farm", the two eventually become close friends.[2] Co-stars included Sammy Ogg, as their wisecracking sidekick Joe Simpson, and B.G. Norman as Ambitious, Marty's first friend at the Triple R. The second serial adds Annette Funicello and Kevin Corcoran to the cast as Annette and Moochie, respectively. The third serial adds Darlene Gillespie, and quickly turns into a showcase for song and dance sketches as part of a "Let's put on a show!" storyline reminiscent of Mickey Rooney - Judy Garland movies. All three serials also feature Roy Barcroft as Triple R owner "Col. Logan", Harry Carey, Jr., as popular counselor "Bill Burnett", and J. Pat O'Malley as "Perkins", Marty's butler and the Triple R's assistant cook.[3]
Music
The series featured a couple of songs, "Triple R Ranch" song, (Yippee Yay, Yippee Yi, Yipee Yo), as well as a song about "Slue-Foot Sue" (Buckaroo), named for Pecos Bill's tragic love story. Among the musical pieces featured in the third series was a cover of the Disney song "Nowhere in Particular" by Perkins and Sam the cook.
Remake
A TV movie focusing on updated versions of the eponymous characters, The New Adventures of Spin and Marty: Suspect Behavior, was made in 2000. However, it bore almost no resemblance to the original (it was based on the Paul Zindel novel The Undertaker's Gone Bananas)[4] Stollery and Considine made cameo appearances.
DVD release and other media
A DVD version of the 1955 season, The Adventures of Spin & Marty, was released in December 2005 as part of the fifth wave of the Walt Disney Treasures series. Hosted by Leonard Maltin, it includes the complete first season of 25 episodes, plus bonus features such as interviews with David Stollery, Tim Considine, and Harry Carey, Jr., on the 50th anniversary year of the series' original telecasts.
Western Publishing put out comic book adventures of Spin and Marty, first under Dell Comics Four Color title (#714, 767, 808, 826) , then under their own title (#5-9), then in Four Color again (#1026 and 1082).[5] Gold Key Comics would later reprint some of these stories in their titles such as Walt Disney Showcase
Disney Legends
In October 2006, Stollery, Considine and Corcoran were all honored as Disney Legends[6] . Funicello had been so honored in 1992.[7]
References
- ^ Watkin, Lawrence Edward (1942). Marty Markham. New York: Henry Holt. Lua error in Module:LCCN at line 53: Template:LCCN: You must provide an ID...
- ^ a b "Spin and Marty review". Atlas Communications. June 2006. Retrieved 2008-04-20.
- ^ Cotter, Bill (1997). The Wonderful World of Disney Television. New York: Hyperion Books. pp. pp. 187, 189, 191. ISBN 0-7868-6359-5.
{{cite book}}:|pages=has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Firebrand Productions Past Projects Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Michigan State University Libraries Reading Room Index to the Comic Art Collection: "Spin" to "Spiridione" Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Sir Elton John, Joe Ranft Headline Disney Legends Award". AWN Headline News. 2006-10-09. Retrieved 2007-07-07.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Disney Legends - Annette Funicello