Dick Clark really didn’t make rock ‘n roll safe for America, as many people think.

Meaning of the quote

Many people believe that Dick Clark made rock and roll music popular and acceptable in America. However, Annette Funicello, a famous American actress, says this is not true. She thinks that Dick Clark did not actually make rock music safe or comfortable for the country, as many people believe he did.

About Annette Funicello

Annette Funicello was an American actress and singer who became famous as a Mouseketeer on the original Mickey Mouse Club. She later had a successful career as a pop singer and film actress, starring in the popular ‘Beach Party’ movies. In 1992, she announced that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and she passed away from complications of the disease in 2013.

More about the author

More quotes from Annette Funicello

I always considered myself a dancer before anything else.

Annette Funicello

American actress and singer (1942-2013)

For me, the wheelchair symbolizes disability in a way a cane does not.

Annette Funicello

American actress and singer (1942-2013)

When you are young and healthy, it never occurs to you that in a single second your whole life could change.

Annette Funicello

American actress and singer (1942-2013)

In 1993 my birthday present was a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.

Annette Funicello

American actress and singer (1942-2013)

Whatever dreams I have wished have come true.

Annette Funicello

American actress and singer (1942-2013)

The Lord has been with me throughout my life. He’s never let me down.

Annette Funicello

American actress and singer (1942-2013)

Mr. Disney and his staff were constantly scouting for great stories to bring to life on film.

Annette Funicello

American actress and singer (1942-2013)

Growing up in public is especially hard sometimes.

Annette Funicello

American actress and singer (1942-2013)

The mere thought of divorce terrified me. To me, divorce symbolized failure.

Annette Funicello

American actress and singer (1942-2013)

I have always thought of Walt Disney as my second father.

Annette Funicello

American actress and singer (1942-2013)

Dick Clark really didn’t make rock ‘n roll safe for America, as many people think.

Annette Funicello

American actress and singer (1942-2013)

As I grew older, I came to feel more responsible for any hardship or trouble my career caused my family.

Annette Funicello

American actress and singer (1942-2013)

I still don’t know precisely why The Mickey Mouse Club ended when it did.

Annette Funicello

American actress and singer (1942-2013)

Of the many guests we welcomed to the Mickey Mouse Club, my absolute favorites were the Lennon Sisters.

Annette Funicello

American actress and singer (1942-2013)

The original Mickey Mouse Club, established in the ’30s, was designed to attract children to movie theaters.

Annette Funicello

American actress and singer (1942-2013)

Mr. Disney believed everyone was still a child deep inside.

Annette Funicello

American actress and singer (1942-2013)

I was not prepared to live as a single parent.

Annette Funicello

American actress and singer (1942-2013)

Just learning that you have MS is such a devastating shock.

Annette Funicello

American actress and singer (1942-2013)

My dear friend Jimmie Dodd was the heart and the soul of The Mickey Mouse Club.

Annette Funicello

American actress and singer (1942-2013)

Mickey Mouse… is always there-he’s part of my life. That really is something not everyone can call their claim to fame.

Annette Funicello

American actress and singer (1942-2013)

MS is not really a degenerative illness. It is not fatal, nor is it always progressive.

Annette Funicello

American actress and singer (1942-2013)

Of all the roles I’ve played, none has been as fulfilling as being a mother.

Annette Funicello

American actress and singer (1942-2013)

Whatever ambivalence I felt about my own career, Frankie more than made up for it with his ambition and tenacity.

Annette Funicello

American actress and singer (1942-2013)

At the beginning of 1955 only about 60 percent of American homes had TVs.

Annette Funicello

American actress and singer (1942-2013)

Animation did not become the dominant form of children’s television until the ’60s.

Annette Funicello

American actress and singer (1942-2013)

I’ve always found Mr. Disney to be somewhat of a shy person, a kid at heart.

Annette Funicello

American actress and singer (1942-2013)

Then, as now, the Disney studio buzzed with activity. You had a strong impression of being at the center of something very exciting.

Annette Funicello

American actress and singer (1942-2013)

I’m saddened to see that some have been misled into believing that Mr. Disney was something other than a kind, caring man.

Annette Funicello

American actress and singer (1942-2013)

Watching television in those days was not the same experience as it is today. After years of listening to radio, we found the black-and-white images mesmerizing.

Annette Funicello

American actress and singer (1942-2013)

Most original viewers of the Mickey Mouse Club didn’t face the crush of family and social problems children have today.

Annette Funicello

American actress and singer (1942-2013)

As I travel across the country speaking about MS, perhaps I can offer others comfort and hope.

Annette Funicello

American actress and singer (1942-2013)

In the United States women develop MS at approximately twice the rate men do, and no one can explain why women are affected most often from the waist down.

Annette Funicello

American actress and singer (1942-2013)

To some, the ’50s were a decade marked by the banal, the predictable.

Annette Funicello

American actress and singer (1942-2013)