Tuesday, June 10, 2008

June 10: Birth of Moochie

On this day in 1949, Kevin Corcoran (a child actor and director/producer) was born in Santa Monica, California.
As a young boy he appeared in numerous Disney projects between 1957 - 1963. Corcoran played several different (but similar) characters - oddly all bearing the nickname Moochie. He appeared in 3 Mickey Mouse Club serials beginning with "Adventure in Dairyland," in which he played Moochie McCandless, a farmer's son. He then portrayed Montgomery "Moochie" O'Hara in two Spin and Marty serials - "The Further Adventures of Spin and Mary," and "The New Adventures of Spin and Marty."
Although never a Mouseketeer, he did appear in a Mouseketeer outfit (with the name Moochie across the chest) in the 1957 TV episode "Disneyland: The Fourth Anniversary Show."
In 1959, Corcoran portrayed Montgomery "Moochie" Daniels in the live-action feature The Shaggy Dog. He also starred as Moochie Morgan in the made-for-TV films Moochie of the Little League and Moochie of Pop Warner Football.
His non-Moochie roles for Disney included Old Yeller (as younger son Arliss Coates), Pollyana (as Pollyana's friend. orphan Jimmy Bean), Swiss Family Robinson (as younger son Francis Robinson), and Babes in Toyland (as Boy Blue).
Corcoran later graduated from California State University (with a degree in theater arts) and returned to Disney as an assistant director and producer. Beginning in the early 1970s, his credits included Superdad, The Island at the Top of the World, and Pete's Dragon. In 1977 he worked on The New Mickey Mouse Club and was an associate producer on the 1978 sequel Return to Witch Mountain. He later co-produced Herbie Goes Bananas and produced the comedy series Zorro and Son.
Corcoran was honored as a Disney Legend in 2006.

Click HERE for more June 10 Disney history.

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