There were 29 new "Spin and Marty" episodes for the third season (1957-58). The serial was still a part of the "Mickey Mouse Club", actually a bigger part as MMC's time slot had been cut back to just a half hour. Other new serials were "Clint and Mac" (15 episodes) and "Annette" (20 episodes).
Ollie (Leonard Geer) was replaced (bad move), Darlene was added (good move), and Moochie returned (fatally bad move).
The season began with Spin (Tim Considine), Marty (David Stollery), and Perkins (J. Pat O'Malley) arriving together in a hot rod they had built during the winter. The car quickly catches fire and is out of action until Joe and Speckle repair it one day when Spin and Marty are away from camp. Unfortunately Joe starts it with the transmission in gear and it chases the boys around the ranch building, finally crashing into the kitchen (which is extensively damaged).
The wild stallion Dynamite is back and lures away a bunch of new mares. So Bill Burnett (Harry Carey, Jr.), Spin, and Marty set out to bring them back. Dynamite is captured and the boys compete for his affections when they are not competing for Annette and Darlene.
The season (and the serial) goes out with a big musical show to raise money to pay for the damage caused by the car crash.
Darlene always looked most natural and attractive as a cowgirl (see "Corky and White Shadow") and seemed to be the only one who put much energy into the third season.
Even more than in the second season, Disney desperately tried to keep Kevin Corcoran's lame career alive. By now the "cuteness" manipulation had become so obvious that it was more pathetic than irritating (especially in retrospect).
Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.
