Jimmie Dodd


Dodd as a Mouseketeer on The Mickey Mouse Club, c. 1956

Born: James Wesley Dodd; March 28, 1910; Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Died: November 10, 1964 (aged 54); Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.

James Wesley Dodd (March 28, 1910 – November 10, 1964) was an American actor, singer and songwriter, best known as the master of ceremonies for the popular 1950s Walt Disney television series The Mickey Mouse Club, as well as the writer of its well-known theme song "The Mickey Mouse Club March." A different version of this march, much slower in tempo and with different lyrics, became the alma mater that closed each episode.

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In 1956, Dodd was the television host for the Hudson's Thanksgiving parade.

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The Mickey Mouse Club

Main article: The Mickey Mouse Club

The Mickey Mouse Club aired each weekday. Dodd always wore "Mouseke-ears", played his "Mouse-guitar", and sang self-composed songs. His tunes contained positive messages for kids. In addition, among his other musical contributions is a song that a generation of kids has used for nearly a half century to spell "encyclopedia". He performed a regular segment on the show singing "Proverbs Proverbs they're so true"...and then would expound on a Proverb from the Bible and give an explanation of its value in everyday life. He wrote some themes for Zorro and performed songs in several of his movies. He also wrote "Lonely Guitar", a Billboard Top 50 charted hit for fellow Mousketeer Annette in 1959. The original Mouseketeers, frequent guests at the Dodd home for backyard barbecues and sing-alongs, said Dodd treated them as part of his own extended family.

Death

Dodd, at age 54, died of cancer on November 10, 1964 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Cheryl Holdridge was the last Mouseketeer to see Dodd alive. Holdridge visited Dodd in his final hours because she and her new husband, Lance Reventlow, had flown to Hawaii for their honeymoon. They came to the hospital before Dodd died. He is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles.

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