"Blackie, Wonder Horse, Swims Golden Gate"

Below is a rarely seen short film from 1938 titled Blackie the Wonder Horse Swims the Golden Gate.

The film documents Blackie's historic swim across the Golden Gate channel, which came about from a bet between San Francisco businessman Rickie "Shorty" Roberts and Bay Meadows Racetrack operator Bill Kyne as to whether a horse could swim. Together, Blackie and "Shorty" were successful in proving Mr. Kyne wrong and their story is remembered and repeated by San Francisco residents to this day.

Glen Holt (Chairman of the Annette Funicello Research Fund for Neurological Diseases) trained horses for the Roberts family in the late 60's and early 70's. He recently came across this video and wanted to share it with you all. "It's a great story", he says. "I hope everyone enjoys it."

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Annette Funicello: Tributes from Fans and Friends

It's simply not often enough that I have the opportunity to alert our readers of a brand new Annette related product, but finally, the long dry spell between such releases has come to an end with the book, Annette Funicello: Tributes from Fans and Friends . Rita Rose, former president of Annette's international fan club, has compiled the personal memories and reflections of over forty individuals who are related to, have met, worked with or befriended this most likable star. While Annette is famously remembered for being the same person in her daily life as she appears on screen, this book takes you deeper and reveals some of the lesser known dimensions of her character and personality. Find out what it was like to encounter Annette as a fan, to be a guest in her home, to collaborate with her in the recording studio and attend to her on-set or on one of her early promotional tours in the '60s. Some share how they first learned and reacted to the news of Annette...

NEWS: Bikini Beach and Pajama Party Debut on Blu Ray

Just in time for Christmas, MGM is releasing two of Annette's classic AIP films on Blu ray - a wonderful gift to fans this Holiday season! BIKINI BEACH (1964) and PAJAMA PARTY (1964) are both currently available to order at major retailers online and are scheduled to ship by December 5th. Those familiar with the MUSCLE BEACH PARTY, BEACH BLANKET BINGO and HOW TO STUFF A WILD BIKINI Blu Rays can attest to the beautifully enhanced image and sound quality revealed in those releases. It is assumed we can expect the same level of improvement over the old DVD's for these latest titles as well!

A CLOSER LOOK: The Annette Cheerios Cereal Box

When it comes to Annette cut-out dolls, it's fair to say that among the rarest isn't one of the brightly colored doll books produced by Whitman Publishing for retail markets between 1956 and 1962...but rather an Annette doll offered for free on the back of a cereal box! In 1958, General Mills included an Annette cut-out doll on the packaging of Cheerios breakfast cereal. The doll, doll stand and a few outfits and accessories were printed directly on the back and left-hand side panel of the box, ready to test one's scissor skills and provide hours of playtime fun. While vintage, uncut cereal box panels with the Cheerios doll will surface from time-to-time on the collectors market, surprisingly, the front panel featuring unique and charming artwork of Annette promoting the doll included with purchase was rarely if ever preserved. Even rarer are complete, fully assembled boxes which are nearly impossible to find today. Given it's scarcity, I feel especially f...

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