James Wesley Dodd (March 28, 1910 – November 10, 1964) was an American actor, singer and songwriter best known as the master of ceremonies for the popular 1950s Walt Disneytelevision seriesThe Mickey Mouse Club, as well as the writer of its well-known theme song "The Mickey Mouse Club March." A different version of this march, much slower in tempo and with different lyrics, became the alma mater that closed each episode.
Dodd grew up in Cincinnati where he was an outstanding amateur tennis player, even reaching the Round of 16 twice at his hometown tournament, now known as the Cincinnati Masters. Later, a heart ailment made him ineligible to serve in combat in World War II, but he and his wife Ruth traveled extensively entertaining the troops.[1][2]
Dodd moved from Cincinnati to Florida, where he worked in radio before moving to California to become a songwriter. Of the estimated 400 songs he wrote, his best-known are Amarillo, He Was There, I Love Girls, Nashville Blues, and Rosemary, though not all were published.[1]
Dodd came to the attention of Walt Disney after submitting a song for the show. Disney was impressed by Dodd's outgoing personality and rapport with the younger members of the cast and signed him to a seven-year contract.[1][2]
The Mickey Mouse Club aired each weekday. Dodd always wore "Mouseke-ears", played his "Mouse-guitar", and sang self-composed songs. His tunes contained positive messages for kids. Among his other musical contributions is a song that a generation of kids used for nearly a half century to spell "encyclopedia." He performed a regular segment on the show singing "Proverbs, proverbs, they're so true"... and would then expound on a proverb from the Bible and give an explanation of its value in everyday life. He wrote some themes for Zorro and performed songs in several of his movies. He also wrote "Lonely Guitar," a Billboard Top 50 charted hit for fellow Mouseketeer Annette Funicello in 1959. The original Mouseketeers, frequent guests at the Dodd home for backyard barbecues and sing-alongs, said Dodd treated them as part of his own extended family.[6][7] John Updike's novel Rabbit, Run makes reference to Dodd and his appearance on a Mickey Mouse Club episode.
