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''Davy Crockett'' was a five-part serial which aired on
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
from 1954–1955 in one-hour episodes, on the ''
Disneyland Disneyland is a theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney initially envision ...
'' series. The series starred
Fess Parker Fess Elisha Parker Jr. (born F. E. Parker Jr.;Weaver, Tom.Sci-Fi Swarm and Horror Horde: Interviews with 62 Filmmakers p. 148 (McFarland 2012). August 16, 1924 – March 18, 2010),(March 18, 2010Daniel Boone Actor Fess Parker Dies at 85" ''CBS ...
as real-life frontiersman Davy Crockett and
Buddy Ebsen Buddy Ebsen (born Christian Ludolf Ebsen Jr., April 2, 1908 – July 6, 2003), also known as Frank "Buddy" Ebsen, was an American actor and dancer, whose career spanned seven decades. One of his most famous roles was as Jed Clampett in the CBS ...
as his friend, George Russel. The first three and last two episodes were respectively edited into the theatrical films ''
Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier ''Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier'' is a 1955 American Western film produced by Walt Disney Productions. It is an edited and recut compilation of the first three episodes of the '' Davy Crockett'' television miniseries. The episodes ...
'' (released in 1955) and ''
Davy Crockett and the River Pirates ''Davy Crockett and the River Pirates'' is a 1956 American Western film produced by Walt Disney Productions. A prequel to '' Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier'', the feature film is an edited and recut compilation of the last two episod ...
'' (1956). This series and film are known for the catchy theme song, " The Ballad of Davy Crockett".


Episodes

Walt Disney produced weekly one-hour television programs for
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
as part of a deal that allowed him to build the
Disneyland Disneyland is a theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney initially envision ...
theme park. Disney wished to highlight historical figures, and his company developed three episodes on Crockett – "Davy Crockett, Indian Fighter", "Davy Crockett Goes to Congress", and "Davy Crockett at the Alamo", broadcast December 1954–February 1955. They were shot on color film at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park at the Mountain Farm Museum adjacent to the
Oconaluftee Visitor Center Oconaluftee Archeological District is within the eponymous river valley in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, located in the Southeastern United States. Formerly a historic Cherokee village, followed by an Appalachian community, were ...
, near Qualla Reservation's entrance; and at
Janss Conejo Ranch Wildwood Regional Park is a suburban regional park in the western Simi Hills and Conejo Valley, in Ventura County, California. It is located in western Thousand Oaks, northern Newbury Park, and southern Moorpark. Wildwood is home to over 27 m ...
, California. Crockett's death at the
Battle of the Alamo The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna reclaimed the Alamo Mission near San An ...
is not actually shown; all we see is Crockett, the last survivor in the battle, on the parapet swinging his rifle at the oncoming hordes of Mexican soldiers. The picture fades and the flag of Texas is shown flying in the breeze as the male chorus reprises the last lines of "The Ballad of Davy Crockett". The first three episodes of the serial were edited together as the theatrical film ''
Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier ''Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier'' is a 1955 American Western film produced by Walt Disney Productions. It is an edited and recut compilation of the first three episodes of the '' Davy Crockett'' television miniseries. The episodes ...
'' (1955). Although the historical Crockett perished at the Alamo, two other TV segments followed in November–December 1955: "Davy Crockett's Keelboat Race" and "Davy Crockett and the River Pirates", filmed in Cave-In-Rock, Illinois. These episodes were edited together as the theatrical film ''
Davy Crockett and the River Pirates ''Davy Crockett and the River Pirates'' is a 1956 American Western film produced by Walt Disney Productions. A prequel to '' Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier'', the feature film is an edited and recut compilation of the last two episod ...
'' (1956). Crockett faces off against Mike Fink, another early American legend. In "Davy Crockett and the River Pirates", the men pick up a traveling minstrel (
Walter Catlett Walter Leland Catlett (February 4, 1889 – November 14, 1960) was an American actor and comedian. He made a career of playing excitable, meddlesome, temperamental, and officious blowhards. Career Catlett was born on February 4, 1889, in S ...
), who unknown to them is in league with local river bandits. On their way to get horses, from friendly
Chickasaw The Chickasaw ( ) are an indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands. Their traditional territory was in the Southeastern United States of Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee as well in southwestern Kentucky. Their language is classified as ...
tribesmen, Davy and Georgie are kidnapped by a group of Chickasaws, because white men have been murdering members of their tribe. Crockett and Fink discover that the river pirates led by
Samuel Mason Samuel Ross Mason, also spelled Meason (November 8, 1739 – 1803), was a Virginia militia captain, on the American western frontier, during the American Revolutionary War. After the war, he became the leader of the Mason Gang, a criminal gang o ...
, portrayed by Mort Mills, are impersonating Indians.


Cast

Kenneth Tobey Kenneth Jesse Tobey (March 23, 1917 – December 22, 2002) was an extremely prolific American actor who performed in hundreds of productions during a career that spanned more than half a century, including his role as the star of the 1957-1 ...
, later of the syndicated television adventure series '' Whirlybirds'', starred as
Jim Bowie James Bowie ( ) ( – March 6, 1836) was a 19th-century American pioneer, slave smuggler and trader, and soldier who played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution. He was among the Americans who died at the Battle of the Alamo. Stories of h ...
in the "Alamo" segment and then as Jocko in the two later episodes. Future ''
Zorro Zorro (Spanish language, Spanish for 'fox') is a fictional character created in 1919 by American pulp magazine, pulp writer Johnston McCulley, appearing in works set in the Pueblo of Los Angeles in Alta California. He is typically portrayed a ...
'' star George J. Lewis portrayed Chickasaw chief Black Eagle. Thirty-three-year-old Don Megowan was cast as 26-year-old
William Travis William Barret "Buck" Travis (August 1, 1809 – March 6, 1836) was a 19th-century American lawyer and soldier. At the age of 26, he was a lieutenant colonel in the Texas Army. He died at the Battle of the Alamo during the Texas Revolution. ...
.
Pat Hogan Pat Hogan (born Thurman Lee Haas; February 3, 1920 – November 21, 1966) was an American actor. He mostly played Native Americans over the course of his career. He was best known for his portrayal of Chief Red Stick in the film '' Davy Crocke ...
portrayed Chief Red Stick. William Bakewell portrayed Major Tobias Norton and in the final episodes as a keelboat race Master of Ceremonies. York, Parker, Tobey and Megowan met again as cast members for '' The Great Locomotive Chase''.


Popularity

According to historians Randy Roberts and James Olson, "by the end of the three shows, Fess Parker was very well known, the power of television was fully recognized, and Davy Crockett was the most famous frontiersman in American history." By the end of 1955, Americans had purchased over $300 million worth of Davy Crockett merchandise, including
coonskin cap A coonskin cap is a hat fashioned from the skin and fur of a raccoon. The original coonskin cap consisted of the entire skin of the raccoon including its head and tail. Beginning as traditional Native American headgear, coonskin caps became assoc ...
s and
bubble gum Bubble gum or bubblegum is a type of chewing gum, designed to be inflated out of the mouth as a bubble. Bubble gum flavor While there is a bubble gum "flavor" – which various artificial flavorings including esters are mixed to obtain – i ...
cards.Alex McNeil, ''Total Television'', New York: Penguin Books, 1996, 4th ed., p. 892 Fess Parker later claimed he lost millions because a contract granting him a percentage of the merchandising sales was voided, as being with Walt Disney personally rather than Walt Disney Productions. The shows sparked heated debate, with many questioning whether Crockett was really deserving of the amount of attention that he was receiving. Letter writers also questioned the series' historical accuracy. Nevertheless, the shows proved very popular. They were combined into a feature-length movie in the summer of 1955, and Parker and his co-star
Buddy Ebsen Buddy Ebsen (born Christian Ludolf Ebsen Jr., April 2, 1908 – July 6, 2003), also known as Frank "Buddy" Ebsen, was an American actor and dancer, whose career spanned seven decades. One of his most famous roles was as Jed Clampett in the CBS ...
toured the United States, Europe, and Japan. In the following years, Disney made less successful miniseries based on other historical American heroes including
Elfego Baca Elfego Baca (February 10, 1865 – August 27, 1945) was a gunman, lawman, lawyer, and politician in New Mexico; during the later years of the New Mexico Territory frontier he became an American folk hero. His goal in life was to be a peace office ...
, Texas John Slaughter, and
Francis Marion Brigadier-General Francis Marion ( 1732 – February 27, 1795), also known as the Swamp Fox, was an American military officer, planter and politician who served during the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. During the Ameri ...
.


Legacy

The Davy Crockett shows were repeated on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are ...
in the 1960s after Disney had moved his program to that network. The 1960 repeats marked the first time that the programs had actually been shown in color on TV. Walt Disney Home Video released the two theatrical films on DVD as ''Davy Crockett - Two Movie Set'', on September 7, 2004. On November 15, 2015, the films were released on Blu-ray on a "60th Anniversary Edition" set through the Disney Movie Club. A three-episode 1988–89 revival was made entitled ''The New Adventures of Davy Crockett'', in which
Tim Dunigan Timothy P. Dunigan (born August 2, 1955) is an American actor who is best known for having played the lead role of Captain Jonathan Power in '' Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future''. He also played con-man 1st Lt. Templeton "The Face-Ma ...
took over Fess Parker's famous role. Johnny Cash played an older Davy in a few scenes set before he went to Texas. In 2002, Disney (under its Touchstone Pictures label) revisited the subject of Davy Crockett and the Alamo, with the film ''
The Alamo The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna reclaimed the Alamo Mission near San Ant ...
''. The film, however, was a significant box-office failure.


See also

* Daniel Boone


References


Bibliography

*


External links

* * * * * * * {{Davy Crockett 1954 American television series debuts 1955 American television series endings American Broadcasting Company original programming 1950s American television miniseries Black-and-white American television shows Cultural depictions of Davy Crockett Television shows set in Tennessee Television shows set in Texas Television shows set in Kentucky Television shows set in New Orleans American folklore films and television series 1950s Western (genre) television series Television series by Disney Television shows adapted into comics