Thomas Leroy Mahoney was an American actor, dancer, and choreographer, who served as the main choreographer for the incarnation of Mickey Mouse Club in the 1950s, as well as various Disney productions throughout the years.
Mahoney was born in Minnesota to Bill and Mary Mahoney and was the second youngest of nine children. Tom's father was a yard master for the Northern Pacific Railway. Tom received his dance training in St. Paul as well as in Minneapolis. In the 1940s, he joined the U.S. Army and served in World War II. After the war, he continued his dancing career.
Having worked on The Donald O'Connor Show and The Colgate Comedy Hour with Sidney Miller, he was recommended him to Walt Disney as a replacement for choreographer Burch Mann for season two. Mahoney's style of dance emphasized showmanship, the virtuosity of the performer, and more demanding yet less complicated numbers that would draw in a new target audience of 12 years and older as opposed the pre-teen and younger targets in season one. He would also appear in small roles in segments during the final two years of the show, such as in the episode "Anything Can Happen Day: A Day in the Life of a Mouseketeer".
Despite budget cuts and reduced work on the show's third season, Mahoney remained busy with other projects, such as anniversary specials for Disneyland, a dance director for scenes in The Shaggy Dog, and working on numbers for what would've been Rainbow Road to Oz. His career reached a highpoint as choreographer for Babes in Toyland, which starred former Mouseketeer Annette Funicello. Walt wanted Funicello to work with a choreographer she felt comfortable with in this first attempt at a Disney musical without overtaxing her.
Outside of Disney, Mahoney worked on shows, like Family Affair and My Three Sons, which starred another Mousekeeter, Don Grady. He would also work with Funicello again for the AIP film Bikini Beach and later would choreograph numbers for the comedy-satire film Airplane!. He finished his professional career at Knott's Berry Farm, choreographing their Ice Revue.
He died in St. Paul, Minnesota on May 28, 1995, and was buried at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis, partly due to his military service prior.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1955-1958 | Mickey Mouse Club | Choreographer Actor: Curley (5 episodes) |
| 1957-1965 | The Magical World of Disney | Choreographer: "The Fourth Anniversary Show" "Backstage Party" "Disneyland 10th Anniversary" |
| 1958 | Annette | Actor: Wagon driver (uncredited) |
| 1959 | The Shaggy Dog | Dance director (uncredited) |
| 1959 | Kodak Presents Disneyland '59 | Choreographer |
| 1961 | Babes in Toyland | Choreographer |
Gallery
Trivia
- Mahoney went with Walt to see the Broadway production of My Fair Lady, starring Julie Andrews. He would say Walt thought Julie would make a good "Mary Poppins", then promptly fell asleep for the rest of the performance.
- For the third season, in both musical numbers and serials.
- His most prominent on-camera performance came as a flamenco dancer, tapping away on a table-top, with Doreen Tracey as his partner.
- He danced as Bobby Burgess' shadow for one skit.
- Partnered Funicello in a jazz-ballet number.
- He appeared as a specialty dancer in The New Adventures of Spin and Marty wearing a snowman costume.
