they were scanned from my 1965 Gold Key Gallegher comic Updated with new scans March 2, 2011 |
Sorry, as far as I know Gallegher cannot be found on video and DVD.
I know who you're talking about, you say: Leo Gallagher, the comedianthe one who smashes the watermelons. Well, I'm a fan of that Gallagher, too, but to me there is really only one Gallegher, that character created by Richard Harding Davis at the turn of the century, and made into a series of stories on Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color from 1965 to 1968. He's the copyboy with a nose for news, whether it be working in the city for The Daily Press, as in the first six of his adventures, or later on out West, as a reporter for the Brimstone Blast.
One of ten children growing up at the turn of the century, Gallegher is determined not to stay a copyboy for long. Despite the complaints of Mr. Crowley, the city editor forever exasperated at Gallegher's inability to keep his mind on his real job (but secretly admiring the boy's "get up and go"), Gallegher is forever chasing clues and gathering information in the vain hope that Crowley will someday appoint him reporter. Gallegher's closest friend at the Press is Brownie, one of the head reporters, who often must have to cover up or excuse Gallegher's schemes, as well as persuade Crowley to re-hire the boy.
Regular Daily Press employees included Mr. Dwyer, the sporting editor of the paper, in the initial run of three episodes, and later Adeline Jones, a tough woman determined to become a newspaper reporter despite the mores of the time that dictated that "ladies of the press" should report solely on society events and flower shows or be a "sob sister" writing an advice-to-the-lovelorn column.
Keeping up with the continued interest in television Westerns in the late '60s, Gallegher was transported to Brimstone, Arizona, for the second half of his career. There he must persuade Whit White, owner, publisher, and head writer for The Brimstone Blast, and his wife Erm that he can actually be an effective reporter, even at his tender age. He eventually gains the respect of the Whites, who later seem to consider him an adopted son. Mr. Snead, the "Winkleton" (a cute play on "Pinkerton") detective first introduced in the initial Gallegher story, also arrives in town on the trail of The Sundown Kid and is eventually elected Sheriff of Brimstone.
Well, okaybut what's this kid's full name?
We never do find out. He always introduces himself simply as "Gallegher." He finally admits to Laurie Carlson in "Tragedy on the Trail" that it doesn't matter; no one's ever called him anything but Gallegher.
The catchy theme song, sung in bouncy barbershop quartet style, was written by Robert B. and Richard M. Sherman, who did the songs for Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, The Aristocats, and Bedknobs and Broomsticks, among others.
"Gallegher, Gallegher, Gallegher, Gallegher, Gallegher
Ohhhhh, Gallegher, Gallegher, runnin' down the street
After another newsbeat,
Gallegher, Gallegher, wearin' out his shoes,
Nosin' around for
Who, what, when, where, how,
What, when, where, why,
What, when, where, newsnosin' around for news." "A lad was born with printer's ink flowin' through his veins (his veins),
And big bold headlines rollin' through his brains (through his brains).
He'd follow up a story no matter where it led
Unafraid,
He made the grade
Where others feared to tread (feared to tread).
No slicker could out-trick him, no one was quicker than (quicker than)
That sharp as a thorn,
Natural born
Newspaperman!" "That's Gallegher, Gallegher, runnin' down the street
After another newsbeat,
Gallegher, Gallegher, wearin' out his shoes,
Nosin' around for
Who, what, when, where, how,
What, when, where, why,
What, when, where, newsGallegher got the...news...
When I was growing up in the sixties, most of the so-called "teen idols" left me cold. I didn't care about the Beatles or Herman's Hermits or Simon and Garfunkel. The girls' magazines, with their talk about upcoming dates, wearing makeup, and fancy clothes bored me to tears. I grew up on the adventure series: Fury, Sky King, Annie Oakley, My Friend Flicka, Jonny Quest, and, of course, Lassie. The sickly sweet childrens' series of today would have put me to sleep. I didn't want party dresses and dolls, I wanted adventure!
And Gallegher did have adventures! He outsmarted the adults, chased criminals, tracked down leads with logical thinking, and in the end got to see his exploits in print. Who wanted to be one of these fluffy creatures cooing at some football player when you could make your own excitement
Besides, Gallegher was everything I wasn't: he had nerves of steel, the guts to tell the adults and the bad guys what he thought of them. I was the "yes man," quiet and nodding, off in my own corner with my stories and my drawing materials. Still, Gallegher inspired me for many years to become a reporter, a dream I realized was unrealistic when I knew as an adult I still was almost too shy to speak with anyone except family and close friends. Having to ask prying questions to total strangers would have completely floored me.
So through Gallegher I dreamedand in honor of that dream, this page was born.
Who's Richard Harding Davis?
Davis (1864-1916), an American writer and newspaper reporter, wrote dozens of short stories well-known during the late 1800s, including Gallegher, the story of a copyboy who attempts to catch a crook, and The Bar Sinister, the story of a cocky bull terrier from the streetstold from the dog's point of view!who becomes a show dog (this later was turned into a delightful movie called It's a Dog's Life starring Dean Jagger and Edmund Gwenn). His greatest fame was as a war correspondent. Davis covered six wars, including the Boer War in South Africa, the Spanish-
Who's Roger Mobley?
If you watched television during the sixties you couldn't miss Roger Mobley; he was one of the most prolific juvenile actors of the era. My own memories of Mobley begin with the series Fury, in which he played Packy Lambert, the young neighbor of Joey Newton and his black stallion FuryPacky owned a pony named Lucky and was always in some sort of trouble that Fury helped him out of. Mobley also guest starred on series such as National Velvet and Dragnet, although in his guest-starring roles he often played a bad kid. About the time he was doing Gallegher, he also worked for Disney in the theatrical movie Emil and the Detectives, as Gustav, leader of a gang of boys who help Emil find his stolen money. For The Wonderful World of Color, he did For the Love of Willadean, co-starring Michael McGreevey and Bill Mumy ("Will Robinson"), in 1964 and The Treasure of San Bosco Reef, co-starring James Daly, Nehemiah Persoff, and Antony Alda, in 1968.
Mobley disappeared from acting in the early seventies; he became a paratrooper and served in Vietnam, worked in a Texas hospital, and has been a paramedic and a police officer. He is now a minister. He returned to the Disney Studio to play two small roles, one in The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again (1979) and the second a bit part as a policeman in The Kids Who Knew Too Much (1980).
Short Gallegher clip on YouTube
Video from 2013 in which Roger Mobley appears with his TV costar (in Fury), Bobby Diamond, and Jimmy Baird who played Peewee, as well as Johnny Washbrook from My Friend Flicka
The Roger Mobley Website at Broken Wheel Ranch
The Gallegher Page at Broken Wheel Ranch; has a sound file of the theme song and screen caps
Small pic of Bryan Russel and Roger in Emil and the Detectives
Roger Mobley publicity shots at Fanpix
Roger Mobley filmography from the Internet Movie Database
Emil and the Detectives DVD Review Page (Star Bryan Russell also played Jimmy the bootblack on a Gallegher episode)
Treasure of San Bosco Reef screen captures
* * * * * The Stories * * * * *
Gallegher
The Further Adventures of Gallegher
Gallegher Goes West
The Mystery of Edward Sims
Many thanks to Bill Cotter, who sent me the copy of "The Mystery of Edward Sims."
Gallegher (Boy Reporter) and Gallegher Goes
West are the property of Walt Disney Productions. This is a fan page. No
copyright infringment is intended. Any opinions stated are my own and do not
reflect the thoughts of the creators or producers. Some information for this page was gleaned from Leonard Maltin's The Disney Films and Dave Smith's Disney A to Z. |