“See You Real Soon”: The Original Mouseketeers!

Lonnie Burr Then and Now

Lonnie Burr is one of the original Mouseketeers and stars of The Mickey Mouse Club. His parents were Vaudeville stars “Dot and Dash” so it’s no surprise he went into show business. He got his first gig at age five and over the years appeared in a variety of radio shows, television commercials, and shows. He is thought of as one of the best dancers on The Mickey Mouse Club and was nicknamed “The Velvet Smog” for his husky voice. He was also reportedly the first boyfriend of Annette Funicello. He later got both his bachelor and masters in Theatre Arts from UCLA.

As an adult he continued to appear in various TV, films, and Broadway shows. He appeared on many different shows including Murder She Wrote and the Beverly Hillbillies. He also continued to star on Broadway, began directing, and used his many talents to write multiple books including one about about his time as a Mouseketeer.

Johnny Crawford’s Mouseketeer Career Was Short Lived

Child actor Johnny Crawford was one of the original Mouseketeers but only appeared in the first season. He went on to star in the very popular television Western, Rifleman. He was even nominated for an Emmy for the role. His older brother, Robert was also an actor.

As a young man, he became a teenage heartthrob with a number of pop music hits. He continued acting in both TV and film, appearing in performances like The Donna Reed Show and on film as a Native American in a movie called Indian Paint. He also appeared in a short called The Resurrection of Broncho Billy, which was made by a USC student film and ended up winning an Academy Award. For Johnny, despite his pretty impressive film career he ended up involved with a pretty juicy Disney scandal.