Production Set Stills: Talent Roundup Day
Margene, Doreen, Jimmie and Tommy wait around for a talent roundup winner to perform, most likely either singer Benn Zeppa or dancer Nancy Druckenbrod.
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 The Full Picture This scene was filmed August 7, 1956, and, if it was for the talent winners mentioned above, first broadcast December 14, 1956. The train station platform the Mouseketeers sit on seems to be covered with a soft felt or other cloth covering. In the full picture above, you can see what might be the padded support for some stage equipment, or more likely, the front end of a push broom fitted with cloths to both sweep and dry the soundstage floor. Filming in a Southern California August under those hot lights must have been a sweaty experience for dancers, and the cowboy boots the Mouseketeers wore would probably slip easily on a patch of perspiration. |
Set stills like these were made for the property department, and were not intended for release as publicity photos. Most set stills are devoid of cast and crew; the photographer was only concerned with capturing the appearence of the stage and the presence of people in the frame was a matter of indifference. Hence, when they do show up, as above, they are often out of focus and poorly lit.