Web Quotableonline.com Frasescelebres.org Greatbookscollection.org

Annette Funicello (born October 22, 1942) was one
of Walt Disney's most popular Mouseketeers.

Born in Utica, New York, she took dancing and
music lessons as a child and was discovered by
Disney while performing in Swan Lake.

She was cast as one of the original
"Mouseketeers", and went on to television roles in
Zorro and Elfego Baca, and Disney-produced movies
such as The Shaggy Dog, Babes in Toyland, The
Misadventures of Merlin Jones, and The Monkey's
Uncle.

Annette had a number of pop record hits in the
late 1950's and early 1960's, including: "Tall
Paul," "First Name Initial," "O Dio Mio," "Train
of Love" (written by Paul Anka) and "Pineapple
Princess."

After maturing, she became a teen idol and went on
to star in a series of "Beach Party" movies with
Frankie Avalon including Beach Party, Muscle Beach
Party, Bikini Beach and Beach Blanket Bingo.
Although Funicello said in interviews that the
reason she never wore a bikini or was scantily
clad in these films is because she made a promise
to Walt Disney that she would never show her navel
in a film, she does in fact wear navel-baring
two-piece bathing suits in both Beach Party and
Muscle Beach Party, and wears a (relatively
modest) bikini in Bikini Beach. Funicello and
Avalon re-united in 1987 for Back to the  Beach,
and toured the country as a singing act.  After
keeping it a secret for years, Annette announced
in 1992 that she had begun suffering from multiple
sclerosis.

Her autobiography, 1994 in literature|published in
1994, is A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes: The
Annette Funicello Story.  A made-for-TV movie
based on the book was made the following year.

== Positions in Billboard ==
*Tall Paul # 7 (1959)
*Jo-Jo The Dog # 73 (1959)
*Lonely Guitar # 50 (1959)
*My Heart Becams Of Age # 74 (1959)
*First Name Initial # 20 (1959)
*O Dio Mio # 10 (1960)
*Train Of Love # 36 (1960)
*Pineapple Princess # 11 (1960)
*Talk To Me Baby # 92 (1960)
*Dream Boy # 87 (1961)

==Filmography==

*The Shaggy Dog (1959)
*Babes in Toyland (1961)
*Elfego Baca: Six Gun Law (1962)
*Beach Party (1963)
*The Misadventures of Merlin Jones (1964)
*Muscle Beach Party (1964)
*Bikini Beach (1964)

*Pajama Party (movie)|Pajama Party (1964)
*Beach Blanket Bingo (1965)
*The Monkey's Uncle (1965)
*How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965)
*Fireball 500 (1966)
*Thunder Alley (1967)
*Back to the Beach (1987)


She also made cameo appearances in Ski Party (1965
in film|1965), Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine
(1965), Head (movie)|Head (1968 in film|1968), and
Troop Beverly Hills (1989).

==External links==

*imdb name|id=0002088|name=Annette Funicello