Hopefully, this battle won’t be as lopsided as the last one was. This time, I have three female child stars who made their singing and acting debuts in the late ’50’s and early ’60’s.
Shelley Fabares, "Johnny Angel": Shelley was the TV daughter Mary Stone, daughter of Donna (Donna Reed) and Dr. Alex (Carl Betz) Stone on The Donna Reed Show. She was apparently told that she would come out with a record in 1962. The song was "Johnny Angel," written by Lyn Duddy and Lee Pockriss. It had been done previously by Laurie Loman and Georgia Lee, with little success. Shelley’s version was recorded in the fall of 1961 and released the following year and spent 15 weeks on the chart, peaking at #1 and earning a gold record.
Patty Duke, "Don’t Just Stand There": Patty Duke gained fame by playing Helen Keller in the stage play The Miracle Worker, playing Helen Keller to Anne Bancroft’s Annie Sullivan, and in the 1962 film adaptation. From 1963 to 1966, She played Patty and Cathy Lane ("identical cousins") in The Patty Duke Show, which also starred William Schallert as her father/uncle. She had two hit records in 1965, "Say Something Funny" (#21) and "Don’t Just Stand There," which peaked at #8.
Annette Funicello, "O Dio Mio": The original, and to my mind only, "Disney Princess," Annette had a pretty good singing career after The Mickey Mouse Club. "O Dio Mio" was written by Al Hoffman and Dick Manning and peaked at #10 in 1960.
Those are our contestants. Here are your instructions:
- Listen to the three songs.
- Decide which song you like the best.
- Vote for your favorite by leaving me a comment with your choice. If you feel like telling us why, feel free.
- Then, visit the other participants and vote in their Battles:
I’ll tally the votes and let you know the winner next Monday, March 8, so get your vote to me by then.
The lines are now open. Good luck to Shelley, Patty, and Annette!