You’ve wandered into the topsy-turvy world of Tulgey Wood, the blog of writer and historian Jim Fanning. Tulgey Wood celebrates artistry and creativity (and sometimes just plain madness): movies, animation, TV, books, comics—and of course Disney, lots and lots of true-blue, through-and-through Disney, including D23 and Disney twenty-three Magazine, and Sketches Magazine and the Walt Disney Collectors Society. Tulgey Wood is so fun, fascinating and full of frolicsome photos and facts, it’s scary. So wander through the wonder of it all, and enjoy.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

The Wonderful World of Color Kid


Today, January 16, is the birthday of Roger Mobley. During the 1960s, Roger (a child actor who was already known for co-starring in the TV series, Fury) became one of the most popular stars to regularly appear on Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color. In 1964, Roger made his World of Color debut in For The Love of Willadean, a two-part comedy about a group of kids and their countryside misadventures. (Roger is seen in the still above [a black-and-white photo, unfortunately] on the far right, with his Willadean co-stars, including Lost in Space’s Billy Mumy on the left and Disney favorite Ed Wynn in the center.) That same year Roger starred as Gustav in the theatrical release Emil and the Detectives (below), which was telecast on World of Color in 1966. Later in the decade, Roger was the hero of the action-adventure The Treasure of San Bosco Reef, which debuted in 1968. But the young star’s biggest Disney TV success was as Gallegher, the clever, ever resourceful “boy reporter” who outwitted not only criminals and cheats but also his adult betters at the newspaper where he works. Debuting in 1965, Gallegher ran for eleven episodes, climaxing in 1968 with The Mystery of Edward Sims. So Happy Birthday to my friend Roger, the Wonderful World of Color Kid... and to everyone else, watch this blog for news on an upcoming, in-depth article all about that “sharp as a thorn, natural-born newspaperman,” Walt Disney’s Gallegher.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Roger is my husband of 39 1/2 wonderful, "never a dull moment" years. Thanks for keeping his name in the light. Sharie

Booksteve said...

A happy belated birthday to Roger! Like most folks my age, I grew up with him as a familiar face on TV.GALLEGHER was a special favorite and I look forward to the upcoming piece! You should note also long-time Disney actor Michael McGreevey in that shot!