The Adventures of Spin and Marty

I just recently purchased the DVD set and have watched the first DVD. Like all the others on this post, I, too, would race home to watch this show. Yeah a little corny by today's standards, I guess, but the innocence and clean cut type stories are refreshing.

My grandsons (4 & 5 1/2) sat and watched part of the DVD with me. I think it was hard to get them interested because it was in black and white....I kept telling them, "look at the horsies" -- and they thought it was a bit boring....a sign of the times, I guess. But, I will not give up!

I had a crush on Spin....he was a cutie. And then when "Annette" came into the picture, I was really glued to the TV set! I hope they bring that series to us on DVD....does anyone know if it is available?

Every day when I got out of school, I would race home as fast as possible to get my homework done so that I could sit down watch The Mickey Mouse Club and the serial that ran every day: Spin and Marty.

I loved the show. It was about a summer camp for boys that was a ranch. They had horses and swimming and mysteries and Marty, my first real crush. I don't think I would ever want to see any episodes again. Like Nancy Drew books and Hostess Twinkies, some things belong to the magic of the past.

When this first aired on the Mickey mouse club in 1955, I was not even born yet. In fact, it wasn't till recently that I saw this serial in it's entirety on DVD. Wow, what a good show this was! Spread out over 25 11 minute segments on the original Mickey Mouse club in 1955, now we can see this all in one sitting! Spioled rich kid Marty Markum(David Stollery)arrives at the ranch-and he is trouble right from the start. He calls the triple R ranch a "dirty old farm". When Spin Evans(Tim Considine)Puts a frog in his bed-Marty is mad-he does not like the joke-and he wants to knock Spin's block off. Well, the Ranch's Counseler Gives Marty a chance to do just that in a boxing match. Mr. Logan-who heads the ranch, isn't crazy about the idea-but goes along with it.

Marty has a chip on his shoulder the size of the national debt-and it is hoped that boxing match would knock that chip off his shoulder-but Marty puts up a very good fight-better than anyone expected. You need to see this to see who wins.

In time Marty begins to get along with others. He makes friends with "Skyrocket" the horse he's been given for the summer. He must however face himself first. He lies about being a polo player. Before this, he tells Mr. Burnett-The Ranch's Counseler(Harry Carey, Jr.)that he has never been on a horse before. As Mr. Burnett points out "For a kid who's never been on a horse-you sure picked your self a hobby" He is forced to reveal the truth, he tries to runaway.

But Marty Returns to the ranch in style-riding "Skyrocket". He becomes a pretty good rider. He makes friends with "Ambitus" "Al" and Freddie" But when he decides to go on a secret ride, "Skyrocket" encounter a snake Knocking Marty off-breaking his arm. The horse then tramples on the snake-saving Marty's life.

The serial culminates with the rodeo between Tripple R and Northfork-this is perhaps the most fun part of this show. There is some comical moments-Besides the frog incident, There's a scene where Ambitus, Freddie and Marty Fixed Marty's Jeans! Then there's The Ghost trick that Marty & Ambitus played on Spin & 2 others.

This show has everything, there's the fun of watching kids riding horses and wrestling calves(and occasionally each other)It has drama and comedy. Great actors-and great script-all contribute to this show. It takes 4 1/2 hours to unfold on two discs. It's the kind of storytelling that we don't see much of any more. There's a sense of wonderment and joy watching this. I highly recommend it!

I grew up on "The Mickey Mouse Club" repeats as a child, yet I have absolutely no recollection of watching this corny, but entertaining "serial" that played within them, and have only now "discvered" it through watching reruns again.

Listed as a "western,"which is a genre I don't usually like, this is actually a sort of charming little show about two friends who meet at a western-themed summer camp named, surprise surprise, Spin Evans(who would name their child SPIN?!), a fun-loving country boy and Marty Markham, a spoiled rich kid who takes his butler to camp with him and demands of everybody. At first Spin and Marty are enemies(very entertaining), but slowly their hatred dwindles and soon they are the best of pals, getting into lots of adventures at their camp with Mr. Perkins(Marty's butler), the camp counselor and their other friends Ambitious(ugh), Moochie(Kevin Corcoron, of just about every Disney project at the time) and gettting some girl friends like Annette and Darlene(the Mousketeers, who act...just like they do in the Mickey Mouse club.) The plots are usually simple(Moochie gets lost in the desert, Spin and Marty enter horse races, etc), but it is in a nice and relaxing way, and the acting, by Tim Considine(later to go onto "My Three Sons") and David Stollery is actually pretty good, considering. It's one of those dated little shows that would never sell with the wild, Pokemon obsessed kids of today, but it's kind of fun to watch and look back upon the olden days, when all entertainment was that simple and relaxed and "feel good." This is certainly a fun and feel good show alright. Swell.

With only the fondest of memories do I recall the days of The Mickey Mouse Club. It was a quieter, gentler time which I dearly miss. And what better way to celebrate such a time than with the youthful innocence and vigor of young boys at a summer camp known as The Triple R. Before the DVD's came out I could only vaguely remember bits and pieces of this series. However, now that the DVD's came out last year I have once again been enraptured by the memories of such a wonderful time in my life.

In this modern, fast paced, tech-no life that has been thrust upon us all, it's comforting to know that the "Good Old Days" of youth and innocence have not been forgotten, thanks to The Spin and Marty DVD's.

I have more than 1,200 movies, television series, documentaries, etc. in my personal collection and Spin and Marty is on my top shelf because it is a Top Rated series. I only hope that they release the other two series that came about because of spin and Marty; The Further Adventures of Spin and Marty, and, The New Adventures of Spin and Marty. If and when they do, I will be amongst the first in line to buy them.

One of my favorite characters was "Al" played by Brand Stirling. Does anyone know what became of him or where he is nowadays? It was because of him and other characters that I learned how to ride a horse and to break them and teach them their gaits. Thanks guys! Thanks for the memories and let me know if the other two series come out. "Way out there at the Triple R...Yippie ya, yippee yo!"