Walt Disney Treasures: The Adventures Of Spin & Marty - The Mickey Mouse Club

The Adventures of Spin and Marty was a 25 episode serial shown 1955-1956 during the first season of the Mickey Mouse Club. Spin Evans is the most popular boy at the boys' summer ranch, The Triple R - where boys gain actual experience on a working ranch, including learning to ride horses. Spin returns to camp after attending the previous year. Marty Markham is a rich, spoiled kid who is new to the camp. He doesn't want to be at the camp and doesn't want to play and work with the other boys. He starts off on the wrong foot with the other boys by calling the ranch a "dirty old farm". Marty is actually poor in many ways, and is very lonely because he just doesn't know how to act with other kids. Marty eventually learns not to be so spoiled and makes friends with several of the boys before the summer is over.

The 25 episodes end up about 4 1/2 hours, with another 1/2 hour for the Mickey Mouse Club show that contains the introduction to the serial.

Even though set in the 1950s, the series is timeless due to the setting of the boys' ranch. The shows deal with universal themes of friendship, understanding others, teamwork, and just getting along with others. There are numerous fun scenes throughout the series, with a very satisfactory ending to the series. This serial had two sequels: Further Adventures Of Spin And Marty (1956-1957 season) and The New Adventures Of Spin And Marty (1957-1958 season). Possibly these serials will be released in future Walt Disney Treasures within a few years.

Bonus features announced as being on this set are:

The complete episode of the Mickey Mouse Club that first introduced the series.

Tim Considine's (Spin) original screen test.

"Return To The Triple R" - Tim Considine (Spin) and David Stollery (Marty) give an exclusive interview and tour the location that was the original "Triple R Ranch" filming site.

"Back In The Saddle With Harry Carey Jr." where he reminisces with Leonard Maltin. Harry Carey Jr. was Bill Burnett, the foreman of the ranch in the serial.

A gallery of still frame images from the series.

I have owned this serial since it was shown in the 1980s on the Disney Channel showings of the Mickey Mouse Club. I have enjoyed it for years, either watching the whole series in one sitting or just watching one or two episodes at a time. I think the DVD would work out fine however you choose to watch it.

The acting, direction, and overall story are high quality. I enjoy the serial because I remember it from the original Mickey Mouse Club and from the Disney Channel showings. I believe this DVD set would interest most people, no matter how old they are.

I was born too late to watch the Mickey Mouse Club on TV and I never caught the reruns. Even so, as a life long Disney fanatic, I have heard lots of things about "The Adventures of Spin and Marty." Naturally, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this set and watch it. I immediately found the appeal of the serial.

Originally airing as part of the Mickey Mouse Club in 1955, this two-disc set contains twenty-five eleven minutes episodes about the adventures of a group of pre-teen boys spending a summer at the Triple R dude ranch.

Spin Evans is returning for his second year. He's got lots of horse knowledge and is quite popular.

On the other hand, Marty Markham is new to the ranch this year. He's a spoiled kid overly sheltered by his grandmother. In fact, their butler, Perkins, spends the summer at the ranch to keep an eye on him. Marty has a fascination with horses, yet is terrified of them. He tries anything he can to get the other boys to like him, causing rifts at the ranch, especially with Spin. Will he ever learn to get along with guys his own age?

Meanwhile, the guys will have lots of adventures, including a snipe hunt, an encounter with a bear, and an overnight camping trip to a haunted mine. As if that weren't enough, at the end of the summer, the ranch will compete in a rodeo with another ranch. Will this be the year the Triple R finally wins?

Starting this set, I wasn't sure what to expect. I got quickly hooked on the story, however. While it takes it time developing, it is charming from the start. You can't help but root for Spin, Marty, and the other guys. The great writing and acting help. These may be kids on a low budget show, but they do an impressive job with the material. The few special effects are poor by today's standards, but they fit with the charm of the show. The story takes the time to let us get to know the characters so we care about what happens to them at the various points along the way.

As previously mentioned, there are 25 episodes in this two-disc set. These cover the first season. After the serial proved to be popular, the cast came back twice more over the next two years. Hopefully those adventures will be released soon. The episodes are presented in their original black and white. Somehow, anything else would just feel wrong to me. While the occasional dust or grain betrays the shows age, the show is remarkably well preserved and very clear. Extras include introductions from Leonard Maltin on both discs, the complete Mickey Mouse Club episode that first introduced the characters (it spoils much of the series, so I recommend watching it last), Tim Considine's screen test as Marty (he actually played Spin), photo galleries, interviews with stars Tim Considine and David Stollery as they tour the area where the series was filmed, and an interview with Harry Carey, Jr., who played counselor Bill Burnett in the series.

This show, with its low-key action and slow story telling, would never make it on TV today. But this set gives us a chance to enjoy a truly wonderful piece of television history. Those who grew up watching the show will love the trip down memory lane. Anyone willing to give this gem a chance will find it just as charming now as it was fifty years ago.

The TV shows on The Adventures of Spin and Marty will be

The Triple R (November,7,1955), The Misfit (November,8,1955),

The White Stallion (November,9,1955),

Froggy Day (November,10,1955), The Battle (November,11,1955),

A Surprise Decision (November,14,1955),

Homesick (November,15,1955), Logan's Lesson (November,16,1955),

The Chase (November,17,1955), Ride 'Em Cowboy (November,18,1955) The Snipe Hunt (November,21,1955),

The Secret Ride (November,22,1955), Tragedy (November,23,1955),

Perkins' Decision (November,24,1955),

Tossing the Calf (November,25,1955),

Rope Artist(November,28,1955),

Nothing Happens on A Sunday (November,29,1955),

Perkins and the Bear (November,30,1955),

The Runaway (December,1,1955), Haunted Valley (December,2,1955),

The Live Ghost (December,5,1955),

The Big Rodeo (December,6,1955),

Off on the Wrong Foot (December,7,1955),

Sky Rocket's Trick (December,8,1955) and

The Last Campfire (December,9,1955). The bonus features are the Mickey Mouse Club episode that started the series, Return to Triple R - a review with Tim Considine and David Stollery, Triple Ranch filming site, Back In The Saddle With Harry Carey Jr - an interview with Harry Carey Jr and Leonard Maltin and some galleries.

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