Further Adventures of Spin and Marty Online

Fresh off the unexpected mega-success of its first season, "Spin and Marty" re-titled itself "The Further Adventures of Spin and Marty" for the 24 episode 1956-57 season. The serials continued to be one fourth of the content of the daily "Mickey Mouse Club" show. Other serials that season were "The Hardy Boys" (20 episodes about Applegate's gold also starring Tim Considine) and "The Secret of Mystery Lake" (7 episodes).

Now best friends, Spin (Tim Considine) and Marty (David Stollery) return to the Triple R Ranch for their second summer. Marty is no longer the snooty rich kid-he has become one of the guys and pitches right in with the work. Unfortunately they have exhausted the elements of the "Marty Markham" source novel and with Marty's transformation have run out of ideas for dramatic tension. Also unfortunately Walt has taken an interest in the series and the MMC, programs he never liked but whose success he wants milked for its theme park promotion value and its opportunity to showcase young actors he hopes to use in feature films. Enter Annette and Kevin Corcoran.

Adding Annette made sense as her growing "talents" on the MMC were attracting older boys as viewers, plus Considine and Stollery are old enough to be developing an interest in girls. What this takes away from the boyhood magic of the first season is somewhat compensated for by the increase in girl viewers. Although girls watched season one (because it was part of the MMC show) only the ones who developed a crush on Considine were real fans.

The Corcoran addition was a huge negative as the producers jammed his cuteness down everyone's throat and his horrible overacting destroyed the natural charm and style so critical (in retrospect) to the success of the first season. Imagine a male version of Margaret O'Brien without any talent; minus her sparkle of intelligent self-awareness that let you know she was in on the parody embedded in her performances. But Corcoran should not get the entire blame, he was just a hammy clueless kid who took direction well. Since all episodes were produced the summer before they were broadcast, there was no way for the producers to see how badly he was hurting the show (although a visit to our school that fall would have quickly set them straight and they could have eliminated him from season 3).

In the second season they introduce a girl's riding camp (The Circle H) on the other side of the lake. An upcoming swimming competition with North Fork provides an excuse for a lot of lake time. The big event is a dance at the Triple R featuring Annette and Peggy (Melinda Plowman). Marty gets an immediate crush on Annette who plays both boys along before dumping them for a boy at the North Fork camp.

Spin and Marty have a major falling out but renew their friendship in the end and vow to stay away from girls.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

What I remeber most of tha Further Adventues of SPin and Maty was the emphasis that Triple R put on swimming. THAT made possible some MIXED company, which is not really commonplace at a ranch camp, ordinarily. In other words, the boys at Triple R, Spin, Marty, Moochie, and others were swimming, which girls like also, so they had something to immunize them against misogyny. In one episode, some of the boys at Triple R saw Annette and Peggy from the girls' camp Circle H, while they were swimming.

The other part I remeber was a campfire scene, where the Triple R boys joined Circle H girls in a songfest, including the Cirlce H camp song, "Out at Circle H". Very fond memories.

FOLLOWING THE VERY welcome and surprising successes that were racked up by the initial season of SPIN AND MARTY, the next season of Walt Disney's MICKEY MOUSE CLUB featured an inevitable, though unplanned, sequel. This FURTHER ADVENTURES OF SPIN & MARTY (it would be "S & M" for short)did manage to build on the first season; as well to make some extensive references to it early on.

FOR AN EXAMPLE, Marty (David Stollery) makes a similar entrance as in the previous Summer. Upon exiting the Markham family Limousine, Marty exclaims, "Same dirty, old farm!" At first, all within earshot believe him to have relapsed into his old, spoiled "poor little rich kid" self; not realizing that Marty was all the while pulling their collective leg.

OTHER THAN THE now well established fact that Marty is now a young guy who has had a much needed epiphany, and no longer the guy who doesn't or won't fit in, so much of this 2nd serialized adventure was very much the same story. But there was the inclusion of a very sharp and totally unexpected element. "Uncle Walt" was about to throw some stuff in the game.

AFTER ESTABLISHING THAT the Triple R Boys Ranch & Summer Baby-Sitting Service was a heaven for "Ridin', Ropin' & Roundups", it is revealed that the camp also has access to a lake adjacent to its property. The Triple R also has an outstanding aquatic program and will have a competition in swimming & diving with its dreaded rival, the boys from North Fork Boys Ranch. These are the same bozos that Spin, Marty and company competed against in Rodeo events.

WHEN YOU HAVE the addition of aquatic sports, that means bathing suits are the order of the day. The inclusion of bathing and swimming also logically brings the next step of the introduction of girls into this manly world of the Triple R.

THIS DISCOVERY IS made one day when Spin & Marty are racing in the lake using the old Australian Crawl in swimming out to the raft in the lake. As the first to arrive, Spin (Tim Considine) is astounded to find Annette Funicello siting there in her dark Jantzen one piece swim suit.

INTRODUCING THE ELEMENT of a Girls' Ranch to the story did manage to add some life to what would become a repetition of season one. Spin and Marty both show a definite interest in her and the other Triple R boys also take to favoring various girls from the "{Rancho Femminine". Even Camp Counselor Burnett (Harry Carey, Jr.) strikes up a romance with the girls camp leader.

BUT, BY THE time of the big showdown swim meet with North Fork, the Eternal Triangle is taking its toll on the boys as Spin & Marty's friendship is threatened by their feelings for Annette. The point is driven home without any doubts left.

HOWEVER, WITH THE competition in full swing, a third young buck enters the picture. Annete winds up going with some hot-shot big mouth swimmer-diver from North Fork!

OH ANNETTE, HOW could you be so fickle!