Annette Funicello Sexy

You can’t spell Annette Funicello without “Fun” and “Nice,” two words that sum up this former “Mouseketeer” perfectly. She became America’s sweetheart on the original Mickey Mouse Club in the ‘50s. Parents adored her, girls wanted to be her, and boys wanted to do her. Annette left the show in ’59, still loaded with moxie and now buxom and foxy. She used her connections (and ample bosom) to record dozens of hit records and star in a bevy of beloved beach films such as Beach Party (1963), Muscle Beach Party (1964), Bikini Beach (1964), and Beach Blanket Bingo (1965). Although Annette knew how to stuff her bodacious body into shapely attire, flaunting her full figure in every flick, she retained her giggling sweetness and vulnerability. Co-star Frankie Avalon said of Annette, “She doesn’t have a bad bone in her body, she’s the sweetest girl I know.” The former surfer stud failed to mention his case of the old two blues while working with this curvaceous cutie, an ailment shared by every viewer. Annette never got naked on film. The closest she--and us--came was when she frolicked on the beach in her signature '60s films. She had giant boobs but the bikinis of the era didn't do them justice. A sliver of cleavage escapes from her white bikini in Beach Party, and she exposes a little more skin in the aptly-titled sequel Bikini Beach, making the latter film somewhat jerkable. Annette passed away in 2013. We miss Ms. Funicello and her funbags dearly.