 In 1955 Lonnie signed a seven-year contract with Walt Disney Studios as one of twenty-four original Mouseketeers hired for the first season of "The Mickey Mouse Club" from the thousands of children who auditioned.He was made a member of the show's first string unit, the Red Team, and appeared in the show's Roll Call and Alma Mater segments daily for the first two seasons.As one of only four boys, of thirty-nine total kids, who remained under contract for the run of the series, he was a member of the “Red Team”, the group that comprised the show's first string unit.