I almost want to speak slowly so that you’ll understand. Isn’t that dumb? And I know it’s dumb, but should I take that as a compliment? You might have heard of Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon, the dynamic duo who stole our hearts in many beach movies in the 60s. In the 80s, they even returned for a movie called Beach Party.
But did you know that behind the scenes, Annette was hiding a secret from her best friend Frankie? Let’s take a closer look at their incredible careers and the surprising truth that remained hidden for years.
Annette Joanne Funicello, born in Utica, New York, didn’t always feel comfortable in the spotlight. But life took her family to the sunny shores of Southern California when she was just a little tot, and boy, did that move change her life.
She took ballet lessons as a kid to help with her shyness, but fate had other plans for her. When she was just 12, her family moved to sunny Southern California, and guess what? That’s where her big break happened
Walt Disney himself spotted her talent during a dance recital in Burbank. She was dancing her heart out as the Swan Queen in Swan Lake. Disney was so impressed that he handpicked her from a bunch of other kids to join the first season of The Mickey Mouse Club. Can you imagine? Out of 200 hopefuls, she was the lucky one chosen by the big boss himself. From 1955 to 1957, she wowed audiences with her singing, dancing, and acting skills on the show.
And you know what’s cool? She got to wear those iconic Mickey Mouse ears while doing it. Annette quickly became a fan favorite. People couldn’t get enough of her. In fact, she was getting a whopping 6,000 letters every month by the end of the first season. That’s more than any other Mouseketeer. Plus, she even had a little romance going on with fellow Mouseketeer Lonnie Burr.
Annette’s Career
Back in 1955, Annette landed a pretty sweet deal with Disney. They signed her up for 7 years at $160 a week, with the promise of bumping it up to $500 if they decided to keep her around for the long haul. That’s a big leap, right? When it was time to say goodbye to her Mickey Mouse Club pals in 1958, Annette got emotional. She said she’d never cried so hard in her life.
But Annette’s talents didn’t stop at dancing and acting. She starred in several serials on the Mickey Mouse Club, like Adventure in Dairyland and The New Adventures of Spin and Marty. She also had her own show, Walt Disney Presents: Annette, where she shared the screen with Richard Deacon.
Music Career
Annette’s singing career kicked off with a bang. Remember that song “How Will I Know My Love”? It got so much love from fans that Disney had to release it as a single. And even though Annette wasn’t too keen on being known as a singer, she had quite a few hits in the late ’50s and early ’60s. Some of them were written by the famous Sherman Brothers.
After her time on the Mickey Mouse Club, Annette stuck around with Disney for a while. She popped up on shows like Zorro and Make Room for Daddy, and she even made her big-screen debut in a Disney comedy called The Shaggy Dog. But that’s not all. Annette teamed up with Disney again for some big projects, like Babes in Toyland and a couple of TV movies shot in Europe. And let’s not forget about those beach party movies she did with Frankie Avalon in the ’60s. This is where the lifelong friendship between these two Hollywood icons would begin.
Frankie Avalon’s Career
Frankie’s star continued to rise in the ’60s. He scored a role in John Wayne’s epic The Alamo in 1960, earning high praise from the Duke himself. Plus, he lent his singing voice to the lead character in the English version of the Japanese anime Alakazam the Great. Frankie found himself in a variety of film genres, from sci-fi adventures to wartime dramas.
But it was his beach party movies with Annette Funicello that really made waves. Beach Party in 1963 was a smash hit, spawning sequels like Muscle Beach Party in 1964 and Bikini Beach in 1964. As the ’60s rolled on, Frankie continued to charm audiences both on screen and on TV. He popped up in episodes of hit shows like The Bing Crosby Show and The Patty Duke Show, often playing himself.
Friendship Between Annette and Frankie
Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon became the darlings of American cinema in the swinging ’60s. But offscreen, they were just pals.