An Evening with Darlene

[@tsmgguy]

Sixty-two years have passed somehow, and seven year old me is till in love with sixteen year old Darlene.

[@jeanimperatrice9741]

The most all-around talented of the Mousketeers. Too bad she made some seriously wrong choices later in life.

[@izabellagurdon50]

She was so talented 😍

[@GgvvEdd-kj9dq]

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[@christopherkalble4373]

She was around 15 or 16 years old when she did this.

[@michaeltury1214]

I love Darlene Gillespie my favorite mousekette

[@superjackster0165]

Michael Tury same

[@nightowl4137]

Mine also

[@kevindavis296]

She's funny too doing those impressions 😂😂😂

[@shirenyt7088]

Yes is funny ahahhahaha

[@stacyharper7783]

Darlene gillespie could have been a superstar.

[@robertbowman984]

And she wasn't that bad at Ed Sullivan!

[@williamboylejr.7440]

@@robertbowman984Heck, she could have done Elvis if she wanted to. Although the Mickey Mouse Club was before I was born, I would see the reruns on the Disney Channel. Darlene Gillespie was a very talented Mouseketeer but Disney chose to invest as their next superstar girl of Italian descent from Utica, New York named Annette Funicello.

[@123cappadocia]

Yes, she and her fellow sister could do it all! sing ,dance, tap ballet, and act!. Not like today entertainers!

[@abigalebuss359]

I never got to see The Mickey Mouse Club until the 1970's. This really showed off her talent as an MMCer.

[@LawyerCalhoun1]

Reminds me of a young Judy Garland.

[@staceyharper7827]

She sure does remind me of Judy Garland,too. She had just as much talent as Annette funicello. I thought that she was the best mouseketeer of the bunch.

[@Mathada1957]

Not nearly as beautiful as Judy Garland or as talented. Just my opinion.

[@RustySax1949]

Do folk realize how hard it is for a good singer to purposely sing off-key like Darlene did while doing the Clem Kadiddlehopper character?

[@rcruz4510]

She was a much better performer than Annette - but viewers had other ideas. Disney tried to showcase Darlene's talents early on: she was featured in a serial on the Mickey Mouse Club - "Corky and White Shadow" - and Darlene recorded many albums under the "Disneyland Record" label. Alas, viewers were obsessed with Annette. Show business is a tough business.

[@Mathada1957]

She could sing better but she was not the full package. She was mean and jealous not only to Annette Funicello but to beautiful Cheryl Holdridge. They were talented, sweet and beautiful. Darlene Gillespie was a trouble maker and she looked like a rat. Walt Disney showcased her many times and she still wanted more. People have the nerve to compare her to the late,great and BEAUTIFUL Judy Garland! No way was she even close.

[@rcruz4510]

@@Mathada1957 When things didn't pan out for her, I guess her father got involved, took Walt to task - and that was the end of Darlene's Disney contract?

[@Mathada1957]

@@rcruz4510 Yes, her family sued Disney. I don't know how that panned out,but I know they were mad that Disney wouldn't renew her contract. Even before that, she was known to be difficult to work with. She ended her own career. Later, served time for various crimes with her boyfriends.

[@Mathada1957]

@@rcruz4510 Annette was the only one that Walt renewed. The little girl who was paired with Cubby was going to be renewed but she and her father didn't want to.

[@rcruz4510]

@@Mathada1957 Thanks for the clarification. My guess is that early on the Disney staff thought that Darlene would be a breakout star but all that changed as the show played out and Annette won viewers' favor. Naturally, Darlene's dad went to bat for her - although not in the best of ways. Can't help but wonder if Darlene might have had better success if she went out on her own. Roberta "Jymmie" Shore was never a Mousketeer but certainly used Disney as a solid credential to a future career.

[@staceyharper7827]

Darlene Gillespie wasn't given half a chance by Walt Disney because he lavished all of his attention on Annette funicello.

[@staceyharper7827]

@14ls darlene Gillespie was more talented than Annette funicello. But walt disney favored over the other mouseketeer s. I heard later that Darlene sued disney productions over lost revenue. Darlene was a young Judy Garland.

[@staceyharper7827]

@14ls fun fact trivia. Darlene's kid sister,Gina played the Joan Crawford character as a child in whatever happened to baby Jane?

[@staceyharper7827]

@14ls one last fact. Annette funicello died on Darlene gillespie's birthday which is april eighth

[@PreservationEnthusiast]

@@staceyharper7827 Darlene was far more talented than Annette. Darlene had a quality singing voice. Annette's was childish and squeaky. But Darlene and her father were continually trying to extract more money from Walt. He balked at this and put his attentions on Annette who was far more compliant and fitted the Disney mould

[@staceyharper7827]

@@PreservationEnthusiast darlene Gillespie was your favorite moukrteer

[@billgiordano9975]

I fell in love with her before I knew what love was at 9 years old in 1956. I loved everything about her even her first and last name. She had a wonderful personality, and beauty. Unlike the cardboard one dimensional Annette. I was born a few years to late. My dream girl next door. Even now at 76.

[@metalmacabre9991]

Ed Sullivan impersonation was funny.

[@johnjoy322]

Love this clip it was funny she was😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@mariestreeting4213]

Darlene was sooooooo talented and should have been a big star. Everyone was so wrapped up in Annette. Yes Annette was pretty but she had no personality and couldn’t sing to save herself. Darlene was an all round performer with an amazing voice.

[@DIMON_CAMI]

1:40 LOL ROFL

[@schallrd1]

Where is Whiteshadow?

[@67classical]

What a waste! Darlene could sing, dance and act. She should have had a career on Broadway.

[@harperstacey9604]

All of the attention was focused on Annette funicello.

[@Mathada1957]

If you could get pass the rat face. People comparing this rat faced prison convict to Judy Garland is an insult to this wonderfully talented and BEAUTIFUL lady. Gillespie was so full of herself and pushy that she thought she was the only one with talent. All the kids had talent. Walt Disney was no dummy. He knew Annette would go far and she did. He picked Hayley Mills for the same star quality and both girls did well in their careers.

[@harperstacey9604]

@@Mathada1957 you're a cruel person. What if people criticize you for your looks? You sound like a total bully.

[@harperstacey9604]

@@Mathada1957 I bet you , darlene gillespie had more talent than you.

[@GgvvEdd-kj9dq]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/f6SxdKWkd8x9m5o

[@eleanorforest9652]

Darlene was the Elizabeth Barkley of the 50s. Hot mess of a female Sammy glick

[@saratogasam9204]

And here I was thinking that Annette and Darlene epitomized the dichotomy between the Apollonian and the Dionysian... you have opened my eyes.

[@eleanorforest9652]

@@saratogasam9204 Annette's angel eyes trump Darlene's rodent face. Darlene has that desperate pasted on insincere smile.