For those who grew up, or may still be watching the Disney anthology series, its highly likely there are particular episodes that stand out as favorites. To name some examples: the Davy Crockett adventures, shows originating from Disneyland (and later Walt Disney World), the Ludwig Von Drake episodes, shows about unusual animals, "science fact" excursions that studies future space exploration, an hour that took viewers behind the scenes of a current production, any program where Walt interacted with animals or cartoon characters -- these are sure to elicit some fond memories. Of course, with 50 years worth of shows, pinpointing a particular favorite might be a little difficult. It would be easier (and just as appropriate) to recall how during the 1960s you would walk over to the neighbors house every Sunday evening to fix popcorn and watch Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color in color. Right, Mom? :)

Now since I have written an essay on the history of the anthology series, one could come to the conclusion that it is my favorite television series of all time. Well, it is one of my favorites. Over my 30-plus years, I have enjoyed many great and not-so-great television programs. To come up with a complete listing of them would be quite time-consuming. The Wonderful World of Disney would be on that list simply on the basis that it was appointment viewing on our house every Sunday (and later Saturday) night. My sister and I always enjoyed the cartoon shows the best. At that time, the anthology was really the only place on television where we could see Mickey, Donald, Goofy and pals.

My initial exposure to the series was in the 1970s. Some of you will remember that the "Me Decade" was hardly anything close to the "Disney Decade" in terms of popularity for the company. In those rough and tumble years of elementary school, talking about your visit to Disneyland was acceptable enough but to admit you watched the Disney TV show or saw the latest Disney movie might earn you the eternal scorn of your peers. You were better off commenting on how great Friday's episode of The Incredible Hulk or The Dukes of Hazzard had been (which I both watched and enjoyed each week). For all I know now, my elementary schoolmates probably watched and enjoyed every week too! Later in the 1980s, I was able to catch up on the show's earlier years through regular airings on The Disney Channel and in syndication. It was then that I began to fully appreciate Walt's work and the masterful job he did as host. He could make even the most mundane of episodes (which were few) seem extra special.

In looking back over the many episodes that have been watched and remembered, I have come up with two that strike me as particular favorites -- and one that was positively dreadful. They were all produced in the "post-Walt era." My choices of favorites are not to imply that these were the best episodes ever produced. Interestingly enough, I recently watched the original Davy Crockett shows in their entirety for the first time ever. Their top quality production values, extremely well-written and well-acted, hold up more than 50 years after their original airings. If you don't have the DVD set of the complete Davy Crockett shows, buy it or borrow it from a friend. You will not be disappointed. I thought I'd view the first episode and get to the other four at a later date. I ended up watching the three main episodes in one sitting, with the two follow-up shows the next day. It should also be noted that when it came to an overall theme, the Ludwig Von Drake episodes stand out as well. The character was created specifically for the anthology series and the eccentric duck who claimed to be an expert on everything starred in 18 episodes between 1961 and 1970, and forever favorites in repeats. As noted in an earlier essay, Paul Frees provided the voice of Von Drake and often improvised the dialog.

But getting back to my choice of individual favorites, the two episodes chosen were evidently strong enough to be repeated often on The Disney Channel and in fact were included when Walt Disney Home Video released a select number of Wonderful World of Disney shows in the late 1980s.

Fire on Kelly Mountain (first aired September 30, 1973) :

Forest fire lookout Phil Mallory (Larry Wilcox) is bored working a tower in the Kelly Mountain region of the vast El Dorado National Forest. He would rather be helping to battle an out-of-control fire in nearby Vinegar Creek. But when lightning strikes on the mountain, Mallory is sent to investigate the smoke and discovers another potential disaster. The phrase "Be careful what you wish for" is definitely applicable here as the task Mallory faces is almost too much to handle. With only a few basic tools to combat the sparks being blown from a struck tree, there is little time to keep a relatively small area from becoming an inferno. Complicating matters are increasing wind conditions and fatigue. Also working against his efforts is a broken walkie-talkie, which leaves Mallory unable to contact his boss, Ranger Ed Jorgenson (Andrew Duggan) for a chainsaw. In the great tradition of Disney storytelling, courage and strength ultimately triumphs over adversity. When it seems there is no hope for any help, Mallory's girlfriend -- and Ranger Jorgenson's daughter -- Karen (Anne Lockhart) discovers the increasing smoke visible from Mallory's tower. The elite smoke jumpers are called in and another massive blaze is averted. In the end, it is Mallory, with that much-needed chainsaw finally in hand, who brings down the tree from which the sparks originated.

This is a visually impressive episode, filmed on location and utilizing stunning forest fire footage taken primarily from the 1961 episode "A Fire Called Jeremiah." Equally riveting is the action-oriented music score by Disney legend Buddy Baker, heard extensively throughout the story, which is narrated by Blake Todd. The effective use of both music and narration work in tandem to involve the viewer in what is happening on the screen. The story itself was based on a book called The Mallory Burn by Pete Pommery. "Fire on Kelly Mountain" is one of the earliest starring roles for Larry Wilcox, who would later appear in two more anthology episodes: "Twister, Bull From the Sky" (1976) and the two-part "Trail of Danger" (1978). But he would become most familiar to views starring as Officer Jon Baker on the police drama "CHiPs" (1977-83) for five of its six seasons. This series was also a favorite of mine and it was especially convenient that "CHiPs" followed Disney on the NBC Sunday schedule during the 1980-81 season. Both Andrew Duggan and Anne Lockhart (daughter of Lassie's June Lockhart) appeared in separate 1979 episodes of "CHiPs": Lockhart as a visiting California Highway Patrol officer who falls in love with Jon, and Duggan as a corrupt minister running a counterfeit money operation.

Three on the Run (first aired January 8, 1978) :

With the help of their grandfather (Denver Pyle), brothers Steve and Scott Tanner (Donald Williams and Brett McGuire) enter their town's annual sled dog race. When he was young, their deceased father had been a three-time champion of the competition, which has been dominated in recent years by smart-aleck Lee Roy Norris (D. Kenton Brine). The Tanner brothers are determined to change that but their choice of dogs leaves a lot to be desired. There is a lazy white German Shepherd, a doughnut-loving Bloodhound and a skittish English Sheepdog. But through intense training and against all the odds, they manage to create what they feel is a competitive team. As the race gets underway, their speed is sluggish -- good enough only for last place. But thanks to a grizzly bear that is awaken from hibernation, the unlikely dog trio forges ahead and passes Leroy to a triumphant win! Co-starring as friendly ranger Harley Townsend is Ron Brown, who played similar roles in a few other Disney productions, most notably the 1967 feature Charlie, the Lonesome Cougar. Davey Davison plays the boys' skeptical mother. Denver Pyle was already familiar to Disney fans as Uncle Bene in the classic movies Escape to Witch Mountain (1975) and Return from Witch Mountain, released a few months after "Three on the Run" aired. He would go on to his best know and beloved role as kindly Uncle Jesse on The Dukes of Hazzard, which ran from 1979 to 1985.

Once again the orchestrations are handled by Buddy Baker. A few scenes feature his distinctive "bear" music: a deep horn played a little slow. It may be difficult to accurately describe in print. But it's a recognizable sound because it was used often in Disney nature shows in which Baker scored the music. It is very easy to become caught up with the music in this story especially during the finale's great sled dog race. In fact, this may have been the episode's original title, being chanced to the less clichéd "Three on the Run" shortly before its air date. On the December 25, 1977 broadcast of "From All of Us to All of You" (one of the all-time classic episodes, which aired nine times during the anthology's original run), this episode is previewed in a clever rhyme narration by announcer Dick Tufeld:

"In two weeks, we've got the tale that wags the dog! Two brothers train a trio of mutts and put an entire town in its place. Then there's a race ... that turns into a chase ... when they meet a bear face to face! You won't want to miss this exciting action story, 'The Great Sled Dog Race,' in two weeks on The Wonderful World of Disney!"

Even though "Three on the Run" aired only one time on network television, later Disney Channel repeats solidified this show as a favorite. Not only is this a good story, but the white German Shepherd has sentimental value. Growing up, we had a German Shepherd who looked exactly like the one in this show. Bullet was a smart, gentle dog who was a part of our family for 13 years. No doubt the night of its original broadcast, we had to be watching and commenting about "Bullet" being on TV!

Over the past 50 years, not too many episodes could be categorized as being really truly awful. That's rather impressive for such a long run. There is one episode that is submitted as being downright bad. It is unfortunate because it is about Walt Disney World:

WELCOME TO THE "WORLD" (first aired March 23, 1975) :

This videotaped episode is hosted by actress/singer Lucie Arnaz with special guests Lyle Waggoner and Tommy Tune. All three have come to Walt Disney World to celebrate the opening of the Magic Kingdom's new thrill ride Space Mountain. But before experiencing it, there are other areas of the park to check out, present some musical acts and take part in a pre-opening celebration in Adventureland. The opening segment is actually done quite well with all three "simultaneously" arriving at their respective resorts: Lucie at the Polynesian, Lyle at the Contemporary and Tommy at Fort Wilderness. It is after the opening credits that it all goes downhill. It is not the subject matter but in the way it is presented. The producer and director of this show is Marty Pasetta, a veteran of numerous variety and other "big event" specials during the 1970s and '80s, including Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii (1973), Happy Birthday Las Vegas (1977) and multiple telecasts of the Academy Awards and Grammy Awards. The emphasis here is on musical performances and scripted comedic banter. While this may work well in an indoor staged setting, most of the action in "Welcome to the 'World'" takes place outside. The overreliance on canned laughter and applause is completely out of place. This is arguably the worst offense with the possible exception of the requisite loud and colorful clothing befitting of The Herb Tarlek Collection. Next, throw in a cheesy group of seven bubble-gum pop singers called The Rhodes Kids, who instantly reminds one of The Partridge Family. Although introduced as an "exciting new talent," this musical family soon faded into obscurity but not before releasing a record album with the groan-inducing title of "Rock n' Rhodes Christmas." To add a bit of sex appeal, a crowd of adoring female fans follow Lyle Waggoner around, first as the Contemporary Resort and later as he heads over to the Magic Kingdom via monorail. Some appear a bit too young for Lyle. If this wasn't disturbing enough, there is a forced comedy and song bit between Lucie and 14-year-old entertainer Scotty Plummer, who professes his love to 20-something Lucie (to which she responds, "You'd better give me up. I'm no good for you. These May-December romances never work out."). What saves this segment from being a complete embarrassment is some fancy banjo playing by Plummer, who was a well-regarded musician in this field. Also worth noting is Tommy Tune cleverly dancing his way through the Magic Kingdom. Just about everything else in this show is an exercise in entertainment futility, climaxing in a nighttime party in Adventureland. Tommy and Lucie give unconvincing renditions of "Then Came You" and "You've Got a Friend," and Lyle looks uncomfortable interacting with some characters and Lucie's Carmen Miranda act is reminiscent of mom Lucille Ball's imitation of the performer in one of the earliest I Love Lucy episodes. Finally, after many promises throughout the show, our three hosts arrive for Space Mountain's dedication. The ceremonies themselves are given scant attention (the presence of actual astronauts is almost overlooked) and the ride itself is too staged to be the real thing thanks to superimposed visual shots. Now ask yourself: when riding Space Mountain did you have the urge to sing about the sensation of flying? Well, Lucie certainly does!

It is worth noting that Lucie, Lyle and Tommy have proven their talent in other venues, where in this episode it is wasted given the inferior material written for them. The daughter of Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball got some of the best acting training possible working with her mom, along with brother Desi Jr., on Here's Lucy (1968-74). She later garnered much acclaim performing in a variety of Broadway shows as well as in numerous TV and movie productions. Just as Diane Disney Miller has done to promote her father's memory through many multimedia projects, Lucie and Desi Jr. have done in regards to their parents through their organization Desilu, Too.

At the time of this episode, it had been almost a year since Lyle had left The Carol Burnett Show (1967-78) to pursue more serious acting roles ... and ended up in a supporting part opposite the buxom Lynda Carter on Wonder Woman (1976-1979). But it was as an entrepreneur that he has achieved his greatest success. In 1979, he founded Star Waggons, which designs and builds custom-made trailers for television and movie performers.

Tommy Tune has been a major presence on Broadway stages since the 1960s. However, one of his first successes was as Ambrose Kemper in the 1969 film version of Hello Dolly! Tommy and Lucie appeared in the 1973 stage production of Seesaw in which he won the first of nine Tony Awards. He continues working primarily on stage as a multi-talented singer, dancer, choreographer and director.

Despite the variety show clichés that make this episode so dreadful, Marty Pasetta was called on again by Disney to produce and direct a handful of other theme park-related specials. These included Christmas in Disneyland (a 1976 ABC special starring Art Carney, which also relied on the canned laughter and applause effects), Disneyland's 30th Anniversary Celebration (1985), Disney's "Captain EO" Grand Opening (1986) and The Walt Disney World Celebrity Circus (1987). Among the many episodes of the anthology series, "Welcome to the 'World'" is one of the rarest. It only aired once during the series' original run and again during a 1970s themed week on The Disney Channel in 1998.

For a look at the entire anthology series, please check out my earlier essay. And if you remember a particular moment or episode in the program's history, share it with us! And Happy 50th Anniversary to The Wonderful World of Disney!

- Written by Bill Griffiths
Posted March 25, 2005

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