Production Set Stills: An Evening with Darlene
This specialty skit was one of the more complex shows in terms of the number of scene changes, about twice that of a normal Fun with Music Day. The show was a tour de farce performance by Darlene, doing both celebrity imitations and her own singing.
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 The Full Picture The opening scene, the empty set for which is shown above and at left, was a short song and dance called Hop Scotch Hop. An ensemble performance by six Mouseketeers, it leads to Darlene musing about doing her own solo show. (Below is a poor quality screen capture from this number).  |
The second scene is set later that evening in Darlene's bedroom at home. In the set still below Darlene is dressed in her Mouseketeer outfit, but the actual scene was filmed with her wearing a nightgown. The set is very similar to the one used for her When I Grow Up number from the first season.
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 The Full Picture  Another view of the set  |
Both scenes above were apparently shot the same day, July 3, 1956. The remainder of the skit ran to two more scenes, both dream sequences. The third scene had Darlene play Ed Sullivan, introducing herself as a singing guest, and Red Skelton. The fourth scene switched to a view of the audience in which Darlene, as both Jimmy Durante and Marilyn Monroe, also appeared. Some images from those sequences appear below.
 As Ed Sullivan |
 As Red Skelton |
 As Jimmy Durante |
 As Marilyn Monroe |
 As herself |
The genesis for this show was Darlene's tendency to be always "on", even when the cameras weren't rolling. According to some of her colleagues, her most frequent (and annoying) off-camera bit was her Ed Sullivan imitation. Perhaps hoping to get it out of her system, director Sid Miller had writer Tom Adair build a show around her mimicry.
Fun with Music shows were usually ensemble-based. Darlene's star turn in this and the first season When I Grow Up was a nod to her appeal and talent. Shorter skits in the third season would lead to other Mouseketeers getting the same chance. |
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.