Annette Funicello

Animation did not become the dominant form of children's television until the '60s.
Annette Funicello

As I grew older, I came to feel more responsible for any hardship or trouble my career caused my family.
Annette Funicello

As I travel across the country speaking about MS, perhaps I can offer others comfort and hope.
Annette Funicello

At the beginning of 1955 only about 60 percent of American homes had TVs.
Annette Funicello

Dick Clark really didn't make rock 'n roll safe for America, as many people think.
Annette Funicello

For me, the wheelchair symbolizes disability in a way a cane does not.
Annette Funicello

Growing up in public is especially hard sometimes.
Annette Funicello

I always considered myself a dancer before anything else.
Annette Funicello

I have always thought of Walt Disney as my second father.
Annette Funicello

I still don't know precisely why The Mickey Mouse Club ended when it did.
Annette Funicello

I was not prepared to live as a single parent.
Annette Funicello

I'm saddened to see that some have been misled into believing that Mr. Disney was something other than a kind, caring man.
Annette Funicello

I've always found Mr. Disney to be somewhat of a shy person, a kid at heart.
Annette Funicello

In 1993 my birthday present was a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.
Annette Funicello

In the United States women develop MS at approximately twice the rate men do, and no one can explain why women are affected most often from the waist down.
Annette Funicello

Just learning that you have MS is such a devastating shock.
Annette Funicello

Mickey Mouse... is always there-he's part of my life. That really is something not everyone can call their claim to fame.
Annette Funicello

Most original viewers of the Mickey Mouse Club didn't face the crush of family and social problems children have today.
Annette Funicello

Mr. Disney and his staff were constantly scouting for great stories to bring to life on film.
Annette Funicello

Mr. Disney believed everyone was still a child deep inside.
Annette Funicello

MS is not really a degenerative illness. It is not fatal, nor is it always progressive.
Annette Funicello

My dear friend Jimmie Dodd was the heart and the soul of The Mickey Mouse Club.
Annette Funicello

Of all the roles I've played, none has been as fulfilling as being a mother.
Annette Funicello

Of the many guests we welcomed to the Mickey Mouse Club, my absolute favorites were the Lennon Sisters.
Annette Funicello

The Lord has been with me throughout my life. He's never let me down.
Annette Funicello

The mere thought of divorce terrified me. To me, divorce symbolized failure.
Annette Funicello

The original Mickey Mouse Club, established in the '30s, was designed to attract children to movie theaters.
Annette Funicello

Then, as now, the Disney studio buzzed with activity. You had a strong impression of being at the center of something very exciting.
Annette Funicello

To some, the '50s were a decade marked by the banal, the predictable.
Annette Funicello

Watching television in those days was not the same experience as it is today. After years of listening to radio, we found the black-and-white images mesmerizing.
Annette Funicello

Whatever ambivalence I felt about my own career, Frankie more than made up for it with his ambition and tenacity.
Annette Funicello

Whatever dreams I have wished have come true.
Annette Funicello

When you are young and healthy, it never occurs to you that in a single second your whole life could change.
Annette Funicello