The Mouse Factory (found Disney live-action/animated TV series; 1972-1973)
The Mouse Factory was a television series produced by Walt Disney Productions, airing for two seasons between January 26th, 1972 and March 5th, 1973. The show was created by Disney animator Ward Kimball for syndicated television.[1]
Premise
The Mouse Factory combines various live-action and animated segments, with a different theme and celebrity host per episode. These celebrity guests, known as "Mickey's Friend" in the show, interacted with classic Disney characters and tied in various short films and clips of feature films, mainly by Disney themselves. The show took place at a "factory" at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.[2]
Some episodes included more basic plots, such as an episode about Mickey Mouse's early career, while others were more elaborate, such as an episode about sports, where host Charles Nelson Reilly was a referee at Goofy's basketball game and shown at a horse race betting on the wrong horse.[3]
Some of the celebrity hosts featured on the show include Phyllis Diller, Don Knotts, Annette Funicello, Jim Backus, Jonathan Winters, Shari Lewis, Jo Anne Worley, Kurt Russell, and Harry Morgan.[2]
Availability
Due to the The Mouse Factory being largely forgotten and airing at a time where consumer VCRs were rare, many episodes of the show remain lost to this day. Out of the 43 episodes produced over the two seasons of the show, only four full episodes are available online, with various assorted clips from various episodes. A vinyl record based on the show was also produced by Disneyland Records in 1972, which is archived online and available for purchase on Amazon.[4]
The show did air various re-runs on the Disney Channel during the 80s and 90s,[5] meaning it is possible that someone recorded episodes of The Mouse Factory via this method.
Episode Status
Season 1
# | Episode Title | Host | Airdate | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Vacations" | Charles Nelson Reilly | January 26, 1972 | Lost |
2 | "Women’s Lib" | JoAnne Worley | February 2, 1972 | Lost |
3 | "Folk Tale Favorites" | Johnny Brown | February 9, 1972 | Found (Serbian dub, original English audio can be heard underneath) |
4 | "Spooks and Magic" | Phyllis Diller | February 16, 1972 | Found |
5 | "Physical Fitness" | Don Knotts | February 23, 1972 | Found (1 2 3) |
6 | "The Great Outdoors" | Dom DeLuise | March 1, 1972 | Lost |
7 | "Water Sports" | Joe Flynn | March 8, 1972 | Lost |
8 | "Man at Work" | John Byner | March 15, 1972 | Partially Found |
9 | "Music" | Skiles and Henderson | March 22, 1972 | Lost |
10 | "Interplanetary Travel" | Jonathan Winters | March 29, 1972 | Found |
11 | "Homeowners" | Jim Backus | April 5, 1972 | Found |
12 | "Spectator Sports" | Charles Nelson Reilly | April 12, 1972 | Partially Found |
13 | "Horses" | JoAnne Worley | April 19, 1972 | Lost |
14 | "Aviation" | Johnny Brown | April 26, 1972 | Lost |
15 | "Back to Nature" | Wally Cox | May 3, 1972 | Lost |
16 | "Bullfighting to Bullfrogs" | Pat Buttram | May 10, 1972 | Lost |
17 | "Sports" | Pat Paulsen | May 17, 1972 | Lost |
Season 2
# | Episode Title | Host | Airdate | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Alligators" | Johnny Brown | September 11, 1972 | Lost |
2 | "Paul Bunyan" | Jim Backus | September 18, 1972 | Lost |
3 | "Bullfighting" | Bill Dana | September 25, 1972 | Lost |
4 | "Knighthood" | Henry Gibson | October 2, 1972 | Found |
5 | "Pluto" | John Astin | October 9, 1972 | Lost |
6 | "Goliath II" | Kurt Russell | October 16, 1972 | Found |
7 | "The Mouse Show" | Dave Madden | October 23, 1972 | Lost |
8 | "Cats" | Shari Lewis and Hush Puppy | October 30, 1972 | Partially Found |
9 | "Ben Franklin" | Wally Cox | November 6, 1972 | Lost |
10 | "Mickey Mouse" | Annette Funicello | November 13, 1972 | Partially Found |
11 | "Lions" | Henry Gibson | November 20, 1972 | Lost |
12 | "Consciences" | Harry Morgan | November 27, 1972 | Lost |
13 | "Noah’s Ark" | Bill Dana | December 4, 1972 | Lost |
14 | "Hunting" | John Astin | December 11, 1972 | Found |
15 | "Sports" | Nipsey Russell | December 18, 1972 | Lost |
16 | "Tugboats" | Dave Madden | December 25, 1972 | Lost |
17 | "Automobiles" | Ken Berry | January 1, 1973 | Lost |
18 | "Trains" | Harry Morgan | January 8, 1973 | Lost |
19 | "Homes" | Jim Backus | January 15, 1973 | Lost |
20 | "The Reluctant Dragon" | Wally Cox | January 22, 1973 | Found |
21 | "Wheels" | Johnny Brown | January 29, 1973 | Lost |
22 | "Winter Fun" | Kurt Russell | February 5, 1973 | Partially Lost (1 2) |
23 | "Penguins" | Annette Funicello | February 12, 1973 | Partially Found |
24 | "Elephants" | Nipsey Russell | February 19, 1973 | Lost |
25 | "Mickey and the Beanstalk" | Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop | February 26, 1973 | Found (Serbian dub; English can be heard underneath the audio) |
26 | "Dancing" | Ken Berry | March 5, 1973 | Found |
Video
See Also
- The Search for Mickey Mouse (unfinished Disney animated film; 2002)
- Short Subject aka "Mickey Mouse in Vietnam" (found unofficial animated short film; 1968)
- Mickey's Man Friday (partially found production material of unproduced remake; 1939-1941)
- Minnie Takes Care of Pluto (found original English audio of Mickey Mouse Works animated short; 2000)
- Epic Mickey 3 (lost production material for cancelled video game sequel; 2010s)
- The Mouse Factory (partially found Disney live-action/animated TV series; 1972-1973)
External Links
References
- ↑ Mice Chat article featuring info on The Mouse Factory. Retrieved 23 May '21
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Nostalgia Central page on The Mouse Factory. Retrieved 23 May '21
- ↑ Colin LooksBack's video "Lost Media: Disney Theme Parks Edition!", featuring info on The Mouse Factory. Retrieved 23 May '21
- ↑ Amazon page for The Mouse Factory vinyl album. Retrieved 24 May '21
- ↑ World Heritage Encyclopedia page on The Mouse Factory. Retrieved 23 May '21