The TV show, The Wonderful World of Disney, has been on the air in one form or another since 1954. The anthology series has changed its name many times and has appeared on ABC, NBC and CBS networks. Today, the show is limited to airing theatrical Disney movies, but back in the day, the show produced its own one-offs too.
If you are of a certain age, you are aware that Disney also produced a number of other TV shows, but remembering them can be tough. It’s like a Mandela Effect. Was there really a Herbie the Love Bug TV show? And did they make two different versions of Zorro? And who is Zorro anyway?
There are several other Disney-made TV series that have come and gone that many of us don’t remember ever watching and in some cases, never knew they existed at all. Some can be found on Disney+, others can’t be found anywhere. Here are baker’s dozen of them:
Zorro (1958-1961)
In the adventure series, Zorro Guy Williams plays 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 created the alter ego, Zorro wearing a mask and an all-black disguise. The series also starred Gene Sheldon, Henry Calvin and George J. Lewis.
A total of 78 episodes were produced for 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 just in case he changed his mind.
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 up to this point. Each episode opened with popular costumed Disney characters punching their timecards at the “factory” to the tune of “Whistle While You Work.” The last person to punch in was a celebrity who would host that show’s broadcast. These guest stars included Dom DeLuise, Don Knotts, Kurt Russell, Phyllis Diller, JoAnne Worley and many others.
Only 43 episodes of the show were made. Each one featured live action elements and animation segments from various Disney cartoons. Each episode had its own theme from folk tales to dancing. The show was very clever and had its share of fans, but the show suffered from limited distribution and low ratings.
The New Mickey Mouse Club (1977-1979)
Sure, you know about The Mickey Mouse Club. The original show 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. This show was very similar to the original with kids singing, dancing and showing of their individual talents, but there were a few notable differences.
The new Mickey Mouse Club featured a rainbow of bright colors; a multicultural cast and no adult hosts were in sight. The show had a dozen Mouseketeers who later went on to star in other TV shows including Lisa Whelchel, Julie Piekarski and Kelly Parsons.
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.
Herbie, the Love Bug (1982)
Dean Jones starred as racecar driver Jim Douglas in the original 1969 Love Bug movie as well as 1977’s Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo. In 1982, he reprised his role for CBS’ sitcom, Herbie, the Love Bug. In the series, Jim is now retired from racing and spends his time working as a driving school instructor. Patricia Harty played Susan, his future love interest (even though he actually 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.
Small & Frye (1983)
The CBS sitcom Small & Frye starred Darren McGavin and Jack Blessing as private investigators, Nick Small and Chip Frye. Detective shows are a dime a dozen, but this one 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 to be rather helpful if only he could control this “gift”. The limited series of just six episodes also starred Debbie Zipp and Bill Daily.
Gun Shy (1983)
Barry Van Dyke, Dick Van Dyke’s son and future co-star in Diagnosis: Murder starred in CBS’s Gun Shy. The show was set in 1869 and inspired by Disney’s two Apple Dumpling Gang movies.
In the series, Barry plays Russell Donovan, a gambler who accidentally wins two children in a poker game. The show also starred Bridgette Andersen and Keith Mitchell as Russell’s “adopted” children. (Mitchell was replaced with Eight is Enough’s Adam Rich for the show’s last two episodes.)
Unfortunately, Gun Shy was also shy with ratings ranking in 83rd place with the Nielsen ratings.
Zorro and Son (1983)
In 1983, Disney circled back around the story of Zorro to create Zorro and Son. The new series was set 20 years later with Henry Darrow playing the role of the masked one and Paul Regina as his son learning the ropes.
Although the show featured the same theme song as the original show, Zorro and Son was not the same show. This time it was made strictly for laughs. The show only ran for five episodes which is a shame since it seemed to have a lot of potential.
The Wuzzles (1985)
In 1985, Disney began producing original cartoon series for TV. Walt Disney Pictures Animation Group started with two shows; one for CBS (The Wuzzles) and one for NBC (Disney’s Adventures of the Gummi Bears).
Michael Eisner came up with the concept for the first series which included a cast of characters that were hybrids of two different animal species. All of them had wings and split personalities.
The characters included Bumblelion (bumble bee/lion), Eleroo (elephant/kangaroo), Butterbear (buttefly/bear), Moosel (moose/seal), Hoppopotamus (hippopotamus/rabbit), Rhinokey (rhinoceros/monkey), Crocosaurus (crocodile/dinosaur), Brat (wild boar/rat) and Flizard (frog/lizzard). In addition, just about everything in the Land of Wuz is a hybrid of two things. For an example, some characters live in a castlescraper (castle/skyscraper).
The Wuzzles included the voice talents of Stan Freberg, Brian Cummings, Henry Gibson and Jo Anne Worley. The series ran for one season on CBS and then reruns were shown on ABC the following year.
Disney’s Adventures of the Gummi Bears (1985-1988)
Of the two show, Disney’s Adventures of the Gummi Bears was the better one. This medieval fairy tale centers around a group of bears who protect humans. The bears live underground and when they consume gummiberry juice, they can bounce around all over. However, humans who drink the juice don’t bounce, but they get super-strength.
The names of the bears include Zummi Gummi, Gruffi Gummi, Grammi Gummi, Tummi Gummi, Sunni Gummi, Cubbi Gummi and featured the voice talents of Paul Winchell, Jim Cummings, June Foray, Lorenzo Music and Rob Paulsen. The show ran for six seasons.
Brand New Life (1989-1990)
This one is going to sound really familiar. Originally airing NBC’s 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 and 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 show 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 franchise, 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 causing more havoc for the family. Barbara Alyn Woods plays his lawyer wife, and Hillary Tuck and Thomas Dekker play the couple’s kids. They move to Matheson, Colorado and live next door to police chief Jake McKenna (played by George Buza).
The series was created by Kevin Murphy (known for 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.
The House of Mouse (2001-2003)
Taking place in Toon Town, The House of Mouse was an incredibly creative show and one that would most likely be a hit if they brought it back. The premise placed Mickey Mouse owning his own dinner theatre. The staff included Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy and Pluto. As for the guests, well, they included just about every animated character in the Disney universe that you can imagine including some obscure ones.
There really isn’t much of a plot for The House of Mouse. It’s more like an animated variety show featuring villains and heroes dining together. Brian Setzer’s theme song sets the mood for the show and cartoon shorts (in the style of cartoons made in Disney’s heyday) are sandwiched in between various comical mishaps.
52 episodes were produced for this show which won both a Daytime Emmy and an Annie Award.
Main Images: TVDB
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