The saga of the aging cinema star is a part of American folklore — the heady upward trajectory, the few brief seasons on the summit, and the swift descent to "B" pictures, guest appearances, and, of late, odd jobs on television. Next October the saga will be re-enacted again, but with one big difference. The old friend taking a job as TV master of ceremonies will have all his joints in top working order, and there will be no paunchy or balding look to pain his old fans. His eyes will be as glossy as ever, and his voice as strong and clear. His cheerful bounce will be undiminished, and his prospects immense. Most important of all, he will have behind him the world's most versatile impresario. He's bound to be a hit. His name: Mickey Mouse, sponsored by his fabulous creator, Walt Disney.
Pyramid of Schemes: Mickey hasn't been in the limelight too much lately. He stars in only one or two cartoons a year, and it is well over a decade since his popularity was at its real peak. But last week he was back on the drawing boards as a major project in one of history's greatest examples of industrialized (and shrewdly synchronized) entertainment, Walt Disney Productions. With his "Mickey Mouse Club," a series of 180 hour-long television shows that will be seen five nights a week across the land, Mickey has his own white-gloved hands more than full. But for his oldest friend and admirer, Disney, Mickey's club is only one of a sensationally pyramiding stack of schemes.
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