Jimmie Dodd facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jimmie Dodd
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Dodd as a Mouseketeer on The Mickey Mouse Club, c. 1956
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James Wesley Dodd
March 28, 1910 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
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| Died | November 10, 1964 (aged 54) Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
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| Occupation | Actor, singer-songwriter |
| Years active | 1937–1959 |
| Spouse(s) | Ruth Carrell (m. 1940–1964; his death) |
James Wesley Dodd (born March 28, 1910 – died November 10, 1964) was an American actor, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the host, or master of ceremonies, for the popular 1950s Walt Disney TV show The Mickey Mouse Club. He also wrote its famous theme song, "The Mickey Mouse Club March." A slower version of this song, with different words, was used as the alma mater that ended each episode.
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Jimmie Dodd's Career
Working in Films
Jimmie Dodd had some early acting jobs in movies. He appeared in a series of westerns called The Three Mesquiteers. His first movie role was in the 1940 film Those Were the Days!.
He also acted in many other movies during the 1940s and 1950s. Sometimes, his name wasn't even shown in the credits. He appeared with famous actors like John Wayne in war movies such as Flying Tigers (1942) and Janie (1944). He also worked with Harry Carey in China's Little Devils (1945).
Dodd played a taxi driver in the musical film Easter Parade (1948), which starred Fred Astaire and Judy Garland. He also had a small but important role in the Mickey Rooney movie Quicksand (1950).
He acted in two movies about baseball players:
- The Jackie Robinson Story (1950), where Jackie Robinson played himself.
- The Winning Team (1952), where future president Ronald Reagan played the baseball pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander.
Other TV Shows
Besides The Mickey Mouse Club, Jimmie Dodd also appeared in a few other TV shows. He had a small part in an early episode of Adventures of Superman called "Double Trouble." In 1955, he played a deputy in an episode of the TV show Stories of the Century called "Sontag and Evans."
Hosting The Mickey Mouse Club
The Mickey Mouse Club was a popular children's TV show that aired every weekday. Jimmie Dodd was a big part of it! He always wore his special "Mouseke-ears" and played his "Mouse-guitar." He sang songs that he wrote himself, which often had positive messages for kids.
One of his musical contributions was a song that helped a generation of kids learn how to spell "encyclopedia." He also had a regular part on the show where he sang "Proverbs Proverbs they're so true." After singing, he would explain a proverb from the Bible and talk about how it could be helpful in everyday life.
Jimmie Dodd also wrote some theme songs for the TV show Zorro. He performed songs in several of his own movies too. He even wrote "Lonely Guitar," a song that became a hit for fellow Mouseketeer Annette Funicello in 1959. The original Mouseketeers often visited Dodd's home for barbecues and sing-alongs. They said he treated them like they were part of his own family.
Jimmie Dodd's Death
Jimmie Dodd passed away at age 54 on November 10, 1964, in Honolulu, Hawaii. He died from cancer. Cheryl Holdridge, one of the Mouseketeers, was the last Mouseketeer to see him alive. She and her new husband, Lance Reventlow, visited him in the hospital during their honeymoon in Hawaii, just before he died. Jimmie Dodd is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles.
