Annette Joanne Funicello (October 22, 1942 – April 8, 2013) was an American actress and singer. She began her professional career at age 12, becoming one of the most popular Mouseketeers on the original Mickey Mouse Club. In her teenage years, Funicello had a successful career as a pop singer recording under the name "Annette". Her most notable singles are "O Dio Mio", "First Name Initial", "Tall Paul", and "Pineapple Princess". During the mid-1960s, she established herself as a film actress, popularizing the successful "Beach Party" genre alongside co-star Frankie Avalon.
In 1992, Funicello announced that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1987. She died of complications from the disease on April 8, 2013.
Early life
Annette Joanne Funicello was born in Utica, New York, to Virginia Jeanne (née Albano), and Joseph Edward Funicello. Her family moved to Southern California when she was four years old. She was of Italian American heritage.
Career
The Mickey Mouse Club
Funicello took dancing and music lessons when she was a child in order to overcome her shyness. In 1955, the 12-year-old was discovered by Walt Disney when she performed as the Swan Queen in Swan Lake at a dance recital at the Starlight Bowl in Burbank, California. Disney cast her as one of the original Mouseketeers. She was the last to be selected, and one of the few cast members to be personally selected by Walt Disney himself.
In 1955, she signed a seven-year contract with Disney at $160 a week that would rise to $500 a week if all options were exercised.
Funicello proved to be very popular and by the end of the first season of The Mickey Mouse Club, she was receiving 6,000 letters a month, more than any other Mouseketeer. She dated fellow Mouseketeer Lonnie Burr. Saying goodbye to cast members in the 1958 show finale, Funicello said "I never cried so hard in my life".
In addition to appearing in many Mouseketeer sketches and dance routines, Funicello starred in several serials on The Mickey Mouse Club. These included Adventure in Dairyland, the second and third Spin and Marty serials – The Further Adventures of Spin and Marty (1956) and The New Adventures of Spin and Marty (1957) – and Walt Disney Presents: Annette (1958) (which co-starred Richard Deacon).
Post-Mickey Mouse Club
After the Mickey Mouse Club, Funicello remained under contract with Disney for a time. She had a role on the Disney television series Zorro, playing Anita Cabrillo in a three-episode storyline about a teen-aged girl arriving in Los Angeles to visit a father who does not seem to exist. This role was reportedly a 16th birthday present from Walt Disney, and it was the first of two different characters she played opposite Guy Williams as Zorro. She had a multiple-episode guest arc on Make Room for Daddy as an Italian exchange student.
Funicello made her feature film debut in the Disney-produced comedy The Shaggy Dog (1959) with Fred MacMurray and Tommy Kirk. The film was a success at the box-office.
Although uncomfortable being thought of as a singer, Funicello had a number of pop record hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s, mostly written by the Sherman Brothers and including: "Tall Paul", "First Name Initial", "O Dio Mio", "Train of Love" (written by Paul Anka) and "Pineapple Princess". They were released by Disney's Buena Vista label. She also recorded "It's Really Love" in 1959, a reworking of an earlier Paul Anka song called "Toot Sweet" (which was later reworked again into Johnny's Theme for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson).
In an episode of the Disney anthology television series titled "Disneyland After Dark", Funicello can be seen singing live at Disneyland. Walt Disney was reportedly a fan of 1950s pop star Teresa Brewer and tried to pattern Funicello's singing on the same style. However, Funicello credits "the Annette sound" to her record producer, Tutti Camarata, who worked for Disney in that era. Camarata had her double-track her vocals, matching her first track as closely as possible on the second recording to achieve a fuller sound than her voice would otherwise produce. Early in her career, she appeared on the NBC interview program Here's Hollywood.
In December 1959, Funicello attempted to have her contract with Disney set aside, claiming that it was unequitable and that she was without an agent or legal counsel when she signed it. She was receiving $325 a week (About $3,000 in 2020 dollars). The court refused.
Marriages and children
Funicello was married to Jack L. Gilardi (1930–2019) from 1965 until 1981. They had three children: Gina Portman (born 1965), Jack Jr. (born 1970) and Jason (born 1974). In 1986, she married California harness racing horse breeder/trainer Glen D. Holt (1930–2018). The couple was frequently seen attending harness horse races at the Los Alamitos Race Course and Fairplex in Pomona in the 1980s and 1990s.
In March 2011, Funicello's longtime Encino, California, home caught fire. She suffered smoke inhalation, but was otherwise unharmed. After the fire, Funicello and Holt lived in a modest ranch that they had purchased decades earlier, located just south of Shafter, California (north of Bakersfield), where she lived her remaining years.
Illness and death
In early 1987, at around 45 years old, Funicello reunited with Frankie Avalon for a series of promotional concerts to promote their film Back to the Beach. She began to experience dizziness, headaches, and balance issues and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. For the next five years, she hid her condition from her family and friends until 1992 when she finally publicly disclosed her diagnosis to combat rumors that her impaired ability to walk was the result of alcoholism. In 1993, she opened the Annette Funicello Fund for Neurological Disorders at the California Community Foundation.
The Canadian program W5 profiled Funicello in 2012 after 15 years out of the public eye, revealing that her disease had severely damaged her nervous system. She had lost the ability to walk in 2004, had lost the ability to speak half a decade later in 2009 and required a feeding tube, needing round-the-clock care in order to survive. Funicello's close friend Shelley Fabares also appeared in the profile piece.
On April 8, 2013, Funicello died at age 70 at Mercy Southwest Hospital in Bakersfield, California, from complications attributed to multiple sclerosis. Her family and Fabares were with her when she died. A private funeral was held at the Cherished Memories Memorial Chapel in Bakersfield. Commenting on her death, Walt Disney Company chairman and CEO Bob Iger said:
Legacy
The power pop band Redd Kross's 1980 song "Annette's Got The Hits" was inspired by Funicello.
In 1992, Funicello was inducted as a Disney Legend. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for motion pictures on September 14, 1993; it is located at 6834 Hollywood Blvd. In 1995, she appeared on a Disney TV documentary commemorating the 40th anniversary of The Mickey Mouse Club.
In the Disney Village shopping and dining area of Disneyland Paris, a 1950s themed restaurant called Annette's Diner is named after her.
- MAKES
- 20 (about)
- COOK TIME
- 10 Min
Our favorite go-to snack is cheesy, easy, and has just enough crisp to satisfy. That's right! Our Crispy Cheddar Bites mix up with your favorite cheddar cheese, some crispy rice cereal, and a secret ingredient that gives it just enough pep. They bake up in less than 15 minutes, and you can keep them for a few weeks. They're an anytime snack, that's also perfect when you're on-the-go!
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, slightly packed
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup crispy rice cereal
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Preheat oven to 375º. Coat 2 rimmed baking sheets with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine all ingredients; mix with a wooden spoon until thoroughly mixed. Form mixture into 1-inch balls and place on baking sheets. Flatten slightly using the palm of your hand or the bottom of a drinking glass.
- Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden around the edges. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store in an air tight container for up to a couple of weeks.
1921 – John Glenn, American astronaut and politician (d. 2016)
1939 – Dion DiMucci, American singer-songwriter (Dion and the Belmonts)
1950 – Richard Branson, English businessman, founded Virgin Group
Today is July 18 on the National Day Calendar and we are celebrating the delicious food holiday National Tropical Fruit Day. This fruity National Day celebrates the variety of exotic tropical fruit from around the world and gives us the opportunity to get a taste of some sweet facts, too.
Tropical fruits grow in regions where the weather his hot and humid in regions we call the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn. Asia, Africa, Central and South Americas, and the Caribbean produce some of the most delicious tropical fruits in the world.
National Tropical Fruit Day presents an opportunity to snack, cook, and sample tropical fruit all day long!
7 Familiar Tropical Fruits in the U.S.
- Bananas
- Coconuts
- Mangoes
- Pineapples
- Avocados
- Kiwi
- Papayas
What makes tropical fruit so unique?Throughout the world tropical fruit has grown naturally for centuries. However, the ability to grow true tropical fruit depends on specific environmental conditions. For example, the right combination of heat, humidity, and rainfall sets the stage for the plants of tropical fruit to grow. Because the weather conditions are specific, plants have adapted to the climate over a period of time. This adaption produces tropical fruit. Interestingly, pollination does not occur with tropical fruit. Instead, the seeds of tropical fruit tend to be replanted by animals of the region.
Though many Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn regions now produce tropical fruit for export, there was a time when these delicacies were a simple addition to the diets of people in these regions. For the people who live in these areas, access to tropical fruit is plentiful. However, for people who live in countries like the U.S., tropical fruit gives a sense of an exotic delicacy during specific times of the year. When tropical fruit is found in stores, consumers are drawn to the unique sweet flavor these juicy fruits provide.
Health Benefits of Tropical Fruit
Many people refer to tropical fruit as a superfood because they are full of vitamins and minerals. They contain protein-digesting enzymes that reduce inflammation, including kidney inflammation. Because they are also rich in potassium, eating tropical fruit helps regulate blood pressure and helps in maintaining a healthy heart. In addition, tropical fruit contains Vitamin C, which removes impurities from the body. Vitamin C also provides a natural defense mechanism to help fight off infection.
Did you know eating tropical fruit promotes happiness? It’s true! Your mind automatically feels as sense of happiness when seeing tropical fruit because the bright beautiful colors trigger excitement.
WAYS TO CELEBRATE NATIONAL TROPICAL FRUIT DAY
- Sample a variety of tropical fruit with your family during mealtime.
- Create or try a new recipe using tropical fruit and an ingredient.
- Try cooking tropical fruit on the grill to add additional flair to your cookout.
- Make a Tropical Fruit Bucket List and see how many different types you can try in a year.
- Share your recipes and photos of your favorite tropical fruit on social media using the tag #NationalTropicalFruitDay.
HISTORY BEHIND NATIONAL TROPICAL FRUIT DAY
National Tropical Fruit Day was recommended by National Day Calendar staff member Amy Monette. She thought this delicious food day would be perfect to add to the calendar. Amy loves tropical fruit, especially mango and papaya. She also knew celebrating National Tropical Fruit Day during the summer months would add another refreshing reason to Celebrate Every Day!
Beginning in 2023, National Tropical Fruit Day will be celebrated each year on July 18!
