May 21, 2007

• Monday Memories

  I remember my very first favorite television show.  It was the original Mickey Mouse Club, which was in black and white, with Jimmy Dodd. 

  I don't know how old I was when I discovered the show, maybe in 3rd or 4th grade.  I remember being glued to the tv set each day of the week, except Wednesday.  Wednesdays were boring because they only showed a Disney feature movie and had no singing or dancing.  I wasn't old enough to appreciate Annette Funiciello and Frankie Avalon - they were SOOOO old! 

  As the years went by, I learned the words to all of the show's songs and even picked up the choreography to all of the dances (dancing was a natural ability).  To this day I remember the Mouseketeer introduction song and choreography.  I remember asking my elementary school teachers if I could be excused from class to go to the restroom.  I would then stand in the empty restroom in front of the big mirror on the wall and practice the Mouseketeer dance numbers.  The acoustics in the tiled bathroom only enhanced my singing!  As I think back, I have often wondered how long I was really gone from the classroom and why, over all of those years of rehearsing in the restroom, no one ever came to check on me!  Maybe there was a peephole and I entertained masses of teachers and principals without ever knowing about it!

  My poor mother had the hardest time convincing me that I couldn't grow up to be Karen Pendleton (the youngest girl on the show).  She told me all of the shows I was watching each day were reruns, and I just nodded and said I knew.  But, I still wanted to grow up and be Karen!  I think I figured if I knew the dance numbers and the show found out about it, they'd use me as an understudy, discover my TRUE talent, and I would be propelled into stardom by becoming Karen on the reruns.  A little bit of reality/fantasy balancing problems, I'd say!

  I never bought a Mickey Mouse "ears hat" (I thought they were dumb),  but I did mimic the short skirts & white blouses and Karen's long braids!  Tap dancing in a skirt was so much nicer than my plain black dance leotard!

  When I was in my early 20's and married, I came across one of those gossip magazines that had pictures of Karen - then and now.  I remembering snatching it from the display at the check-out stand and hurriedly flipping through the pages to read about KAREN!!! 

  Despite the 40 odd years, or so, that have gone by since my "wanting to be Karen," I think I would still stop to watch one of those "then and now" shows about her if I saw one on tv! 

  The only difference now is that I'm just fine being Cherylyn; I got all of the dancing, singing, & entertaining out of my system years ago; and, my life has turned out just fine.  I hope Karen's did, too! 

   

   

  • 10:42 am
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