The Accidental Mouseketeer

A 60-year show business veteran, Lonnie has been seen in 25 films; over 300 TV shows, 49 plays and musicals including Broadway, off-Broadway, regional theatre and national tours; many commercials; and heard on 100+ radio shows and voice overs. He has been seen in numerous live performances and TV and radio talk shows. He is also a book author, playwright, poet, film and theatre critic, choreographer and director.

This enlightening book is the go-to guide for fans for biographical information, rare photos, and interesting trivia about their favorite child stars, shows, series, networks, and the times that defined the shows. Spanning forty years of television history, this book details both the success stories and misfortunes of many child stars. Included in this book are the stories of Anissa Jones, Buffy on Family Affair, who tragically died from a drug overdose at the age of eighteen, as well as Ron Howard, who starred in both The Andy Griffith Show and Happy Days, and who later became an Academy Award–winning director. A child star herself, Kathy Garver profiles these and other legends of classic television in a book that will answer the question: Where are they now?

Popular TV and film of the American 50’s and 60’s evolved over time, but themes of family and fun never wavered. Many Baby Boomers look back and miss those old days, but surprising, hilarious, and even shocking stories hid in Dark Shadows despite so many Happy Days. Now, secrets are revealed as celebrities share their memories and mishaps. Shooting the Breeze with Baby Boomer Stars is a collection of first person stories and histories shared with Baby Boomer radio host, Torchy Smith. Torchy’s celebrity connection began before his own kids entered the entertainment business. He always had an interest in seeking a way to combine his nostalgia obsession with communications, which resulted in his own radio show where he interviewed actors from the past. Read trade secrets never before revealed as stars chat about being on set for Animal House, Star Trek, Leave it to Beaver, and more. Go back in time with Baby Boomer icons as they relive behind-the-scenes snafus and fights all while honoring the glory days of television. Where are they now, and what are they doing? You’re about to find out.

The Disneyland Book of Lists offers a new way to explore six decades of Disneyland® history. Hundreds of fascinating lists cover the past and present and feature everything from the park’s famous attractions, shops, restaurants, parades, and live shows to the creative artists, designers, characters, and performers who have made Disneyland® the world’s most beloved theme park. Inside the pages of this fun- and fact-filled book you will find: • 13 of Walt Disney’s Disneyland® Favorites • 32 Signs and Structures Reminding of Disneyland’s® Past • A Dozen Scary Moments on Disneyland® Attractions • 47 Disneyland® Parades • 18 Secrets in the Haunted Mansion • 30 Jokes from the Jungle Cruise • 25 Special Events You May Not Have Heard Of • 15 Urban Legends • 123 Celebrity Guests • 26 Attractions and Exhibits with the Longest Names • 11 Movies Based on Disneyland® Attractions • A Dozen World Records Set at Disneyland® In addition to lists created by author Chris Strodder (The Disneyland® Encyclopedia), the book will include lists from celebrities, Disneyland® experts and historians, Disneyland® Imagineers and designers, and other current and former Disneyland® employees. People have been making lists since Biblical times (think Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, compiled 2,100 years ago), and to this day various top tens, hit parades, and bucket lists chronicle every aspect of our lives. But until now, no book has used lists to categorize all the diverse elements in Disneyland®. Fun, fascinating, factual, and sixty years in the making, The Disneyland® Book of Lists is the only Disneyland® book of its kind.

Reasserting the Disney Brand in the Streaming Era investigates the evolution of the Disney brand at a pivotal moment – the move from content creation to acquisition and streaming – and how the company reasserted its brand in a changing marketplace. Exploring how Disney’s acquisition of Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm and Fox positioned the company to launch the Disney+ streaming service, the chapters look at the history of those acquisitions, and the deployment of the content, brands, and intellectual property from those acquisitions, through an analysis of the original content that appeared on Disney+. Offering a focused investigation of how the content offered from these various media brands was adapted for Disney+ so that it reflects the Disney brand, the authors illustrate through close textual analysis how this content reflects elements of the "Classic Disney Style." The analysis positions these texts in relation to their industrial contexts, while also identifying important touchstone texts (both television and film) in Disney's catalog. This comprehensive and thoughtful analysis will interest upper-level students and scholars of media studies, political economy, Disney studies, media industries and new technology.

This work demonstrates that not everything that Disney touched turned to gold. In its first 100 years, the company had major successes that transformed filmmaking and culture, but it also had its share of unfinished projects, unmet expectations, and box-office misses. Some works failed but nevertheless led to other more stunning and lucrative ones; others shed light on periods when the Disney Company was struggling to establish or re-establish its brand. In addition, many Disney properties, popular in their time but lost to modern audiences, emerge as forgotten gems. By exploring the studio's missteps, this book provides a more complex portrayal of the history of the company than one would gain from a simple recounting of its many hits. With essays by writers from across the globe, it also asserts that what endures or is forgotten varies from person to person, place to place, or generation to generation. What one dismisses, someone else recalls with deep fondness as a magical Disney memory.

From the bestselling author of Sienfeldia, a behind-the-scenes history of the Mickey Mouse Club that is a treat for anyone who grew up with Walt Disney's television classic. Full of nostalgia, this book gives you the never before told story of how The Mickey Mouse Club paved the way for all that came after, from its humble beginnings as a marketing ploy, through its short but mesmerizing run, to the numerous resurrections that made it one of television's first true cult hits--all through the recollections of those regular kids-turned-stars who made it a phenomenon. It will reveal, for the first time ever, the stories of Annette, Darlene (and her famous rivalry with Annette), Cubby and Karen, Bobbie and the rest of the beloved cast. It will explore, through the reminiscences of former fans who grew up to be some of television's finest minds, what made the show so special. Finally, it will examine why the formula the creators of the show invented is more relevant than ever, and whether we'll ever see yet another Club for a new generation. Take a trip down memory lane with the original Mickey Mouse Club cast and creators, through drama and unexpected fame, to see how an television institution came into being.