Where Have You Gone, America’s Sweetheart?

 

Unless I missed one somewhere, it seems like many years (decades?) since any celebrity has been hailed as “America’s Sweetheart.” And that’s really not surprising, as it’s the kind of designation that many would now consider demeaning – an archaic expression left over from the oppressive patriarchy. Women don’t exist to be our collective sweethearts…etc.

 

I wonder how the stars of an earlier era felt after having that description bestowed upon them. They probably didn’t see it as demeaning, as there was sincere admiration behind what was intended as a compliment; but I could see how it might be limiting. Once you’re dubbed “America’s Sweetheart” you can’t be spotted doing Tequila shots at a biker bar.

 

It’s an expression that belongs to another time and place, when the public persona of celebrities was more carefully crafted, and millions of people didn’t have phones with video cameras in their pockets, always ready to catch the moment when a beloved public figure slipped from her pedestal. Everyone is an open book now.

 

When the term was in vogue it fit naturally onto some Comfort TV stars, praising some combination of the characters they played and the delightful intrinsic qualities of beauty, charm, and kindness they brought to the role ­– or, in the case of variety show stars, the warm and engaging personality they projected. 

 

 

Who were they? I offer ten selections below.

 

I could find no official criteria for Sweetheart status, but it stands to reason that one prerequisite is a certain level of national acclaim – you can’t be America’s Sweetheart if most of America doesn’t know who you are. That was easier to do in the pre-cable era of television when we were all watching the same shows.

 

It’s also a phrase associated with wholesomeness and even innocence – If you went out with America’s Sweetheart you didn’t take her back to your place – you took her to the malt shop, or home to meet mom. Of course we knew we never had a chance with these lovely paragons – but at least they would be nice enough not to laugh if we asked them out.

 

Annette Funicello

The Mouseketeer turned beach girl turned Skippy spokeswoman was the first America’s Sweetheart created by television. At the age of 15, Annette received 6,000 fan letters a month. And unlike many young women who would bristle at being associated with family-friendly Disney entertainment (back when Disney still provided that), she accepted the responsibility she felt came with that fame. That was why she went along with Walt Disney’s request that she only wear a one-piece bathing suit in her beach movies with Frankie Avalon. 

 

 

There’s a reason why the generation that first loved her never lost that devotion, and grieved so deeply when she was diagnosed with MS, and later passed from that disease. Read some of the comments on her YouTube videos. They’re incredibly touching.

 

Shelley Fabares

Another obvious choice, but I sang her praises already in a recent tribute blog so let’s move on.

 

Karen Valentine

Through her Emmy-winning portrayal of teacher Alice Johnson on Room 222, Karen Valentine had that plucky underdog quality that put viewers in her corner as she coped with the challenges of a difficult and sometimes hazardous profession. She was naïve and nervous but never dumb – this was not a series that would ever portray a teacher that way. Sadly, Valentine never found another role as perfect for her, but this one is enough to secure her Sweetheart status. 

 

Goldie Hawn

Even among a cast as big and colorful and talented as the stars of Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, Goldie Hawn always stood out. Was she really that ditzy blonde who couldn’t read a line without giggling, or was that as much a made-up character as Lily Tomlin’s Ernestine? We found out later that at least some of her confused responses and spontaneous laughter were authentic, because producers would slip  new, unexpected (and occasionally dirty) words into the cue cards they had her read.  Either way, for a while it was one of the most adorable things on television. 

 

 

Sally Field

Had Gidget lasted longer than one season, it might have locked her public persona in permanent Sweetheart mode. Maybe it still did, as three years of wearing a nun’s habit still couldn’t shake that image. Like Goldie Hawn she made the jump to movies when that was still a rare feat, and won an Oscar. But even now, in her ‘70s and after a long and distinguished career, she still resembles that girl who’s ready to grab her surfboard and ride the next big wave. 

 

 

Doris Day

Doris Day first acquired Sweetheart notices when she was still a band singer in the 1940s, and kept them through dozens of movie musicals. By the time The Doris Day Show debuted in 1968, she had held onto the affection of her audience for more than 25 years, a testament to how “America’s Sweetheart” status is something you can never outgrow. Day also enjoyed poking fun at her image with typical Midwestern modesty, especially on her many wonderful TV specials. She understood that it was nice to be thought of in such an affectionate way, but one didn’t have to take it too seriously. Oh, for the days when we didn’t take everything so life-and-death seriously. 

 

 

Mary Tyler Moore

She had already played a happily married wife and mother on The Dick Van Dyke Show, and to great acclaim. But Mary’s America’s Sweetheart status didn’t really kick in until The Mary Tyler Moore Show. As a single 30-ish career woman trying to make it on her own, Mary Richards always had the audience on her side while dealing with an occasionally intimidating boss, an egotistical news anchor, and a never-ending succession of bad dates.

 

Marie Osmond

I know for a fact that a lot of teenage boys who had the Farrah Fawcett poster on their wall in the 1970s also harbored a secret crush on Marie Osmond. 

 

It wasn’t cool to like the Osmonds back then, but if you watched Donny & Marie (secretly or otherwise) you saw those moments when she subtly let you know she thought a lot of this stuff was pretty corny too, even as she gladly delivered punch lines in whatever crazy costume that week’s comedy sketch required. 

 

 

Valerie Bertinelli

The 1970s were a decade with more beautiful prime time stars than any other; there were Charlie’s Angels, of course, and Wonder Woman, the Bionic Woman, Daisy Duke, and your Cruise Director Julie McCoy – but they were all impossible dreams. And then there was Valerie Bertinelli, who was likewise out of my league, but at least she was in my age group. 

 

Was there really any other reason to watch One Day At a Time, at least until fellow Sweetheart Shelley Fabares joined the cast? She had one of those smiles that just burst through the TV screen and into your heart. No wonder Eddie Van Halen married her; if we were Eddie Van Halen, that’s exactly what we would have done too.

 

Katie Couric

Look, I don’t make the rules. And I get that this is a status a journalist would reject more vociferously than an actress or singer. But when Couric joined NBC in the ‘80s and got promoted to Today Show cohost not long after, that title locked onto her like a targeting missile and wouldn’t let go. 

 

 

Who did I miss? Did you have an ideal America’s Sweetheart classic TV star? Is there anyone on TV now that would qualify? Let me know!

I Still Miss Annette

Who’s the little lady who’s as dainty as a dream?

Who’s the one you can’t forget?

I’ll give you just three guesses

Annette, Annette, Annette

-- “Annette” (Jimmie Dodd)

It’s hard to explain my enduring affection for Annette Funicello. 

Typically the TV stars that have lingered longest and fondest in my memory are those I grew up watching, but that didn’t happen with Annette. The Mickey Mouse Club was canceled years before I was born, and her beach movies were released before I started kindergarten.

The first time I became aware of seeing her on television, she was the Skippy Peanut Butter lady. But even in those innocuous 30-second commercials something about her resonated with something in me. She seemed genuine, in a way that Madge the manicurist and Josephine the plumber did not. It wasn’t a crush – more of a recognition that this lady was probably a really nice person. 

That’s why I didn’t do a “Top TV Moments” piece here as I have for other actors I’ve admired. Sure, I could have talked about her appearances on Disney’s Zorro series and several guest spots as Italian exchange student Gina Minelli on Make Room for Daddy. She also reunited with Frankie Avalon on Love, American Style, played a young widow on The Love Boat and a ventriloquist on Fantasy Island.

But none of these roles were as memorable as when she was just being herself.

Thanks to the Disney Channel’s “Vault Disney” rebroadcasts of The Mickey Mouse Club I was able to watch, more than 30 years later, the series that launched her to ‘America’s sweetheart’ status. At the age of 15, Annette received 6,000 fan letters a month, more than any other Mouseketeer. Along with Lucy and Milton Berle, she was one of the first pop culture icons created by television. 

I admired all the Mouseketeers the more I watched them, and I understood why Annette became so popular. Cheryl Holdridge and Nancy Abbate were as pretty, Darlene Gillespie was a better singer and Sharon Baird was a better dancer. But Annette had a quality that drew your attention. 

Perhaps the best word for it is authenticity. There’s a famous quote about how the key to show business success is sincerity…”and once you can fake that you’ve got it made.” In the pre-internet, pre-TMZ world, it could take years for a public persona to evaporate, sometimes leaving a less-flattering picture of the real person behind.

This was never a concern with Annette Funicello. She didn’t try or claim to be more than what she was. Rather than bemoan the baggage that came with being an ex-child star, she expressed only gratitude for the opportunity, and spoke of Walt Disney with reverence for the rest of her life.

She also didn’t consider her association with a wholesome, mainstream brand to be a burden. Instead, she accepted a responsibility that came with that fame, most famously by acquiescing to Mr. Disney’s request that she wear a one-piece bathing suit in her beach movies with Frankie Avalon. 

Here’s the quote from 1987: "Mr. Disney said to me one day, Annette, I have a favor to ask of you. I know all the girls are wearing bikinis, but you have an image to uphold. I would appreciate it if you would wear a one-piece suit.”

She went on to say that she never regretted that decision.

Everything about this seems utterly foreign to our present culture – not just the modesty but the motivation behind it. Contrast that perspective with later generations of teen stars, who couldn’t run away fast enough from their Disney Channel fame to prove…something, I guess.

Maybe they were right. In today's entertainment industry it’s more important to be provocative than humble. Awards and record sales are the only measures for success. Kindness doesn't count for much.

Viewed objectively, Annette Funicello’s professional achievements are modest. But she never lost the heartfelt affection of the audience that grew up with her, and she never let them down. Read some of the comments on her YouTube videos. They’re incredibly touching. It would be hard to imagine someone leaving a similar sentiment 30 years from now on a Miley Cyrus video.

I wasn’t a part of that audience but somewhere along the way I began to share their devotion. She personifies the era before celebrity became a pulpit of entitlement. I never knew who Annette voted for in any election. I wish I could say that about more TV stars now.

There was an integrity in how she lived her life. And there was grace in how she accepted a medical diagnosis that no one deserves, much less someone who brought so much joy to others. Yes, I still miss her, but I know she’s feeling much better where she is now.

If you’d like to find out more about the Annette Funicello Research Fund for Neurological Diseases, you can do so here.