| Jimmie Dodd | |
|---|---|
| Born | James Wesley Dodd March 28, 1910 Cincinnati, Ohio U.S. |
| Died | November 10, 1964 (aged 54) Honolulu, Hawaii U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1940–1959 |
James Wesley Dodd (March 28, 1910 – November 10, 1964) was best known as the MC of the popular 1950s Disney TV show The Mickey Mouse Club, as well as the writer of its well-known theme song, "The Mickey Mouse Club March". A slowed-down version of this march, with different lyrics, became the "Alma Mater" that closed the show.
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Dodd had some early film roles in The Three Mesquiteers series of westerns. Coincidentally, he performed in two unrelated series whose names were plays on "musketeers".
Dodd made his first screen appearance in the 1940 William Holden film Those Were the Days! in a minor role.[1] He also played the taxi driver in the MGM film Easter Parade starring Fred Astaire and Judy Garland.[2] Dodd had a small role in an early episode of Adventures of Superman, titled Double Trouble.[3] He also appeared in many theatrical films in the 1940s and 1950s, often uncredited. Two of those films were biographies of baseball players: The Jackie Robinson Story, in which Jackie Robinson played himself,[4] and The Winning Team, in which future president Ronald Reagan played pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander. He also appeared with John Wayne in the film Flying Tiger.
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 almost 50 years to spell "encyclopedia." Dodd also wrote some themes for Zorro and performed songs in several of his movies.
The original Mouseketeers were frequent guests at the Dodd home for backyard barbecues and sing-alongs. They said that Dodd treated them as part of his extended family.[5][6]
Dodd died of cancer on November 10, 1964, in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was 54.