The Tommy Kirk Archives Trivia Quiz

Answer: True

Tommy Kirk began his Disney career in 1955 as a Mouseketeer on the "Mickey Mouse Club" television show. Tommy was so popular as Joe Hardy on the show's "The Hardy Boys" mystery serial that he was cast as Travis Coates in Disney's 1957 film "Old Yeller". "Old Yeller" was one of Disney's best live action films and certainly was one of Tommy Kirk's best roles. "Old Yeller" was set in Texas in the 1860s. Young Travis Coates was left in charge of watching after his family, while his father was away on a cattle drive.

At first, Travis wanted nothing to do with the stray yeller (yellow) dog. Time and time again Yeller proved his devotion until Travis and Yeller were inseparable companions. No one who ever watched "Old Yeller" forgot its heartwrenching ending. Dorothy McGuire, Fess Parker, and Kevin Corcoran were other cast members.

Answer: Kevin Corcoran

Kevin "Moochie" Corcoran was another popular Disney child star. He was about eight years younger than Tommy Kirk (Tommy was born in 1941 and Kevin in 1949) which made him perfect to be cast as Tommy's younger brother in five Disney films. These films and the roles he played are: "Old Yeller" (1957) and "Savage Sam" (1963) as Arliss Coates, "The Shaggy Dog" (1959) as Moochie Daniels, "Swiss Family Robinson (1960) as Francis, and "Bon Voyage" as Skipper Willard (1962).

He also appeared as Boy Blue in "Babes In Toyland" with Tommy Kirk.

Answer: Fred MacMurray

"The Shaggy Dog" was a comedy about the misadventures of a teenage boy who was transformed by a magic ring into a sheepdog. The cast also included Jean Hagen as Freeda Daniels, Kevin Corcoran as Moochie Daniels, and Annette Funicello as Allison. Fred MacMurray appeared in three other Disney movies with Tommy Kirk: "The Absent Minded Professor" (1961), "Bon Voyage" (1962), and "Son of Flubber" (1963).

Answer: Janet Munro

Janet Munro (1934-1972) was born in Blackpool, England. Walt Disney was so delighted with her performance as Katie O'Gill, the spunky Irish lass with a mind of her own, in "Darby O'Gill and the Little People" that he cast her as Roberta in "Swiss Family Robinson".

The three Robinson brothers were played by James MacArthur, Tommy Kirk, and Kevin Corcoran. Their parents were played by John Mills and Dorothy McGuire.

Answer: Ray Bolger

The Mother Goose characters worked together to bring about a happy ending, when Mary Contrary was kidnapped on the eve of her wedding to Tom Piper in "Babes In Toyland". This was Disney's first live action musical. Tommy Sands was Tom, Annette Funicello was Mary, Tommy Kirk was Grumio, Kevin Corcoran was Boy Blue, and Ed Wynn was the Toymaker. Song and dance man Ray Bolger (1904-1987) will always be remembered by the young and young at heart as the Scarecrow in MGM's 1939 movie classic "The Wizard of Oz".

Answer: Flubber

Prof. Ned Brainard couldn't remember to show up for his own wedding, but he did invent a gravity defying goop called Flubber, which could bounce basketball players to new heights and even make the professor's jalopy fly. Fred MacMurray was Prof. Brainard. Tommy Kirk appeared as Biff Hawk. Keenan Wynn played his dishonest father, Alonzo P. Hawk, and Jean Hagen was Betsy.

They all returned in the same roles in the 1963 Disney sequel "Son of Flubber".

Answer: Bon Voyage

Annette Funicello and Tommy Kirk were both Mouseketeers on the "Mickey Mouse Club" when it debuted in 1955. They had the clean-cut "boy and girl next door' look that Disney wanted. Their first movie together was "The Shaggy Dog" (1959). "The Monkey's Uncle" (1965) was the last movie that Tommy Kirk and Annette Funicello made for Disney.

Answer: Tom Tryon

Tom Tryon (1926-1991) quit acting after the success of his 1971 horror novel "The Other". His novel "Harvest Home" was turned into the highly rated television mini-series "Dark Secrets of Harvest Home" starring Bette Davis. As an actor, perhaps Tom Tryon (sometimes credited as Thomas Tryon) is best remembered as John Slaughter in the Disney television series "Texas John Slaughter" which debuted in 1958.

In the 1962 Disney comedy about the first manned flight to orbit the moon, Tryon played Capt. Richmond Talbot. Tommy Kirk was Walter Talbot, Sarah Selby was Mrs. Ceila Talbot, Edmund O'Brien was McClosky, and Brian Keith appeared as Maj. Gen. John M. Vannerman.

Answer: Savage Sam

Tommy Kirk and Kevin Corcoran again co-starred as Travis and Arliss Coates in Disney's "Savage Sam" (1963). Other cast members included Brian Keith as Uncle Buck Coates and Slim Pickens as Willy Crup. Brain Keith also appeared with Tommy Kirk in the 1962 Disney comedy "Moon Pilot".

Answer: Beach Boys

"The Monkey's Uncle" co-starred Tommy Kirk as super smart campus oddball Merlin Jones and Annette Funicello played Jennifer. It was the sequel to the very popular 1964 Disney comedy "The Misadventures of Merlin Jones". The Beach Boys (Brian Wilson, Dennis Wilson, Carl Wilson, Mike Love, and Al Jardine) appeared in "The Monkey's Uncle" as themselves. "409", "Surfin' Safari", "Surfin' USA", "Little Deuce Coupe", and "Barbara Ann" were some of the bands many hits. "The Monkey's Uncle" was the last movie that both Tommy and Annette made for Disney. I hope you enjoyed your visit to the Tommy Kirk Archives. Thanks for stopping by.