On October 27, 1954, ABC aired the first Disney TV series: Walt Disney’s Disneyland. The anthology series has changed its name many times and has aired in one form or another on ABC, NBC and CBS. It has gone on hiatus many times, but it always seems to come back to network TV. It is still being produced today with the title of The Wonderful World of Disney. It is well known and well loved by families and fans. But there are several other Disney-made TV series that have come and gone that many of us don’t remember watching or in some cases, never knew they existed at all. Some can be found on Disney+, others can’t be found anywhere. Here are 10 of them:
Zorro (1958-1961)
This ABC series starred Guy Williams who played Don Diego de la Vega, a university student in Spain sent home by his father to fight crime and injustice in 1820’s Los Angeles. Diego would dress all in black, wear a mask and go by the name of Zorro. With a continuing storyline, the show also starred Gene Sheldon, Henry Calvin and George J. Lewis.
A total of 78 episodes aired during the show’s first two seasons (39 episodes each) plus four hour-long episodes were shown on Walt Disney Presents in 1960 and 1961. Although very popular, the show had a short life, due to a financial dispute between Walt Disney and ABC. By the time the legal battle was over, Walt decided that Zorro wasn’t popular enough to keep the series going, though he continued to pay for the rights to the story until 1967 if he changed his mind.
The New Mickey Mouse Club (1977-1979)
Sure, you know about The Mickey Mouse Club. The original one aired on ABC from 1955-1959. Reruns were later syndicated from 1975-1977. Then, in the fall of 1977, a new, updated version of the show aired. Also syndicated, this show was very similar to the original one but with a few notable differences. This new show featured a rainbow of bright colors, a multicultural cast and no adult hosts were in sight. The show had a dozen Mouseketeers including Lisa Whelchel, Julie Piekarski and Kelly Parsons.
This Club (which was made for you and me) wasn’t nearly as popular as the original series (nor the two that came after it in the 90s and 2000s), but Disney did try. The colorful Mouseketeers were part of Super Bowl XI’s halftime show, and they also had their own special, The Mouseketeers at Walt Disney World, which aired on The Wonderful World of Disney on NBC.
The Mouse Factory (1972-1973)
Created by Disney animator Ward Kimball, The Mouse Factory was a syndicated half-hour show unlike most anything else Disney has produced. Each episode opened with customed Disney characters punching their timecards at the “factory” to the tune of “Whistle While You Work.” The last one to punch in was a celebrity host for that show’s broadcast. These celebrities included the likes of Dom DeLuise, Don Knotts, Kurt Russell, Phyllis Diller, JoAnne Worley and many others.
Each of the 43 episodes featured live action elements and segments from various Disney cartoons. Each show had its own theme from folk tales to dancing. Although the show had its share of fans, the show had a limited distribution, and the ratings were not the best.
Herbie, the Love Bug (1982)
Dean Jones starred as racecar driver Jim Douglas in the original 1969 Love Bug movie as well as the 1977 Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo movies. Somehow Disney talked him into working with his VW co-star one more time for this half-hour sitcom.
Now retired from racing, Jim worked as a driving school instructor. Patricia Harty played Susan, his future love interest, even though Mr. Douglas got married at the end of the first movie and had a new girlfriend in the second film. Susan was a divorced single mom with an angry ex-boyfriend.
Only five episodes were produced for this mid-season replacement series for CBS and Jim and Susan got married in episode 4!
Small & Frye (1983)
This CBS sitcom starred Darren McGavin and Jack Blessing as private investigators, Nick Small and Chip Frye. Detective shows are a dime a dozen, but this sitcom had a twist. Chip had the ability to shrink to just half a foot tall and later return to his regular height. This would have proved helpful if he could have been able to control this “gift” rather than it happening inconsistently. The limited series of just six episodes also starred Debbie Zipp and Bill Daily.
Gun Shy (1983)
In yet another short-lived sitcom for CBS, Gun Shy was set in 1869 and was inspired by Disney’s two Apple Dumpling Gang movies. The show starred Barry Van Dyke (Dick Van Dyke’s son and future co-star in Diagnosis: Murder) as Russell Donovan, a gambler who accidentally wins two children in a poker game. The show also starred Keith Mitchell and Bridgette Andersen as Russell’s “adopted” children. (Mitchell was replaced with Eight is Enough’s Adam Rich for the show’s last two episodes.) Ranking #83 on the Nielsen ratings, it’s no surprise that this sitcom wasn’t renewed.
Zorro and Son (1983)
Based on Disney’s hit series from years past, Zorro and Son was set 20 years later with Henry Darrow playing the role of the masked one and Paul Regina as his son learning the ropes. The show featured the same theme song as the original Zorro, series, but unlike the first series, this one was done strictly for laughs. Unfortunately, it must not have gotten them since it only ran for five episodes on CBS. It’s a shame since this one seemed to have a lot of potential.
Brand New Life (1989-1990)
This one is going to sound really familiar. Originally airing as a made-for-TV movie for the NBC Monday Night at the Movies, Brand New Life starred Barbara Eden and Don Murray. Eden played Barbara McCray, a single mother of three children and Murray played Roger Gibbons, a single dad also with three kids. They got married and they all had to get along like one big, happy, blended family much like The Brady Bunch.
The TV movie was a hit which quickly led to it becoming a regular sitcom for the network. In a strange move though, Brand New Life began airing episodes as part of The Magical World of Disney with three episodes airing in October, another in January and a fifth in April.
The short-lived series also starred Shawnee Smith, Byron Thames, Jennie Garth, Alison Sweeney, David Tom and Eric Foster.
The 100 Lives of Black Jack Savage (1991)
Originally beginning as a made-for-TV movie for NBC, this comedy/drama series dealt with Barry Tarberry (Daniel Hugh Kelly), a fugitive billionaire finding himself on the cusp of going to hell if he didn’t get his life straightened out. While hiding out on the Caribbean island of San Pietro, he meets the ghost of Black Jack Savage, a 17th century pirate. The two worked together saving 100 lives so they could save their souls.
Stoney Jackson played Black Jack during the pilot episode. He was replaced by Steven Williams. The show also starred Roma Downey, Bert Rosario and Steve Hytner.
At the end of each episode, a countdown was shown letting audiences know how many more lives the pair would need to save. The show ended after just one season of seven episodes.
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, the TV Show (1997-1999)
Based on Disney’s successful Honey, I Shrunk the Kids movies, this syndicated series featured the same cast of characters (but none of the stars of the films) with a storyline that takes place between the first and second films. Peter Scolari played inventor Wayne Szalinkski who is legendary for shrinking his kids. But in this series, other experiments go sideways as well causing more havoc for the family. Barbara Alyn Woods played his lawyer wife and Hillary Tuck and Thomas Dekker played the couple’s kids. For the series, the family moved to Matheson, Colorado and lived next door to police chief Jake McKenna (George Buza).
The series was created by Kevin Murphy (Known for creating Desperate Housewives) and former pro wrestler-turned-writer, Edward Ferrara), but they left the show after the first season. Ed Naha, a creator of the first movie, came on board for the next two seasons.
Main Image: TVDB
Leave a comment