Davy Crockett, O Rei das Fronteiras

Watching Disney's Davy Crockett at the impressionable, ripe old age of seven in 1954 started me on a lifelong love affair with American History. I now have in my den a flintlock Kentucky long rifle on one wall replete with arrowheads, powder horn, etc. and lots of Civil War (my other interest) books and just historical stuff in "my" room/retreat. Interestingly, I gave my co-worker (much younger than me) the Disney DVD to show his son. He gave it back to me stating he didn't want his son saying Injun or Redskin and wondered why the term "Native American" hadn't been dubbed in. I told him history was history and wasn't politically correct and that if the PC crowd had their way American history would indeed be revised. And by the by, I, as a person born in the USA was a "Native American". What a shame...am sure his son would have been enthralled!!! Watching those DVD's today brings my childhood rushing back to me and as I get older a keener sense of appreciation to Walt Disney and a gratitude to him for sparking my interest in our nation's history...thanks Walt!! And thanks Fess Parker and Buddy Ebsen!!!

I've noticed most of the comments on this film have come from guys who saw "Davy Crockett" back in the fifties and sixties. I just want to assure those folks that Fess Parker was still working his magic years later.

In the early eighties, when I was about nine years old, HBO or one of those channels ran the entire series. After we watched it, us kids around the neighborhood were piling up firewood behind our fences to make a sort of rampart upon which to stand while we defended the Alamo from old Santy' Anna. We didn't have the coonskin caps, but we did have active imaginations. Some of us even took it upon ourselves to learn more about the battle. Surely our teachers were mystified when, at that years history fair and contest, half of the boys entered carefully constructed miniatures of the battle, composed of Play-Do, pencils, and toy soldiers.

I guess the show still had an impact on me later on when I was in the military. I learned from Fess Parker to make every shot count. When the time came, I did. I suspect quite a few of our nation's finest marksmen learned that from him as well.

I won't go into the artistic or historic discrepancies of the film. Nor will I ramble on about politics in the so-called Age of Jackson, the causes of the Texan war for independence, or the speculations made about the death of David Crockett. This is a film for kids (regardless of age), and should be enjoyed as such. But one more thing has to be thrown in.

On a late autumn night about six years ago I got the news that my grandfather had passed away. I went home and sat alone in the dark in my living room feeling that terrible numbness that we've all known at such times. I must have sat there a couple of hours before I found the TV control and hit the switch, mainly so there would be some light.

On the screen were Fess Parker and Buddy Ebson, just beginning their adventure with the river pirates. For an hour or so I was able to smile a bit and feel a little of what I once had when I had first seen re-runs of that show twenty years before. Then I got some sleep and was able to wake up and face reality with a little more grit than I might otherwise have had.

If Fess Parker ever reads this, I hope he knows how grateful I was, and am.

Perhaps not a masterpiece, or the best Disney film or live-action Disney film. However, it is more than easy to see why the 'Davy Crockett' series and films and merchandise were so popular.

'Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier' still holds up quite well now, and to me more than just nostalgic value (have had several childhood favourites that have not held up, but 'Davy Crockett' still has a huge amount to like). Due to it being basically three episodes of the series rolled into one film, 'Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier's' episodic nature is inevitable but it doesn't hurt the film that much, the middle third may not be quite as exciting as the outer two but not in a bad way.

Some of the exaggerated action sequences may come over as a bit silly and childish now and the dialogue (with some hilariously bad grammar) even more so. However, 'Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier' has a huge amount to like and is impossible to dislike, a lot happens and very rarely does it lull.

It is a good-looking film, with gorgeously epic scenery and evocative production design that looks like a lot of care and homework went into it, all handsomely filmed. The music is rousing, especially the timeless theme song that is one of Disney's and childhood's best and most memorable theme songs.

There is some endearingly-good natured dialogue, and as said the story is eventful and often exciting, especially the final third in the Alamo. The characters are a lot of fun, with a charismatic and likable hero in Davy Crockett, and direction is breezy and bright.

Fess Parker is jovial, charismatic and immensely likable in the title role and Buddy Ebsen counteracts with him very nicely. The acting may not be "great" but hardly bad, more than competent.

On the whole, an impossible to dislike film and with a lot of good things. 8/10 Bethany Cox

How can you say anything bad about a movie that gave you so much joy as a child and one that you can watch over and over again? The acting is a little bad and the script is a little stupid. Reference General Jackson "stoppered?" But even thought those things I feel are true, the joy is still there and you hate to see it end. Since no one knows how Crockett really died, not having him dead at the end but knowing it was only moments away was the best way they could have done it. The movie even had some historic truths which other movies about the Alamo lacked such as the attack before dawn. It seemed longer when I was a kid and I know they have cut some; yea even important scenes, which I wish they would restore to DVD or VHS.

"Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier" is a movie made up edited portions of three episodes of Disney's VERY popular television series. It is a highly fictionalized version of the exploits of the frontier scout and adventurer, Davy Crocket. It's odd, as when the film begins there is a statement reading 'The characters and events in this photoplay are fiction....'. Well, this isn't completely true...quite a bit of the movie is truth. Crockett DID exist, as did many others in the film, such as General Andrew Jackson. And, some of the events happened...but the Disney writers decided that the real story of the man's life was too dull and so they just made stuff up. It's a shame, as Crockett was a very interesting and unusual character from 19th century American history.

The plot of the first portion of the film is something that wouldn't work well today. First, it shows Andy Jackson as a heroic man--but today his image has been re-assessed and he's known mostly for being a crazy President who was rash, a bit derranged and responsible for the Trail of Tears. Second, the Indians are the baddies and it's a bit of simplistic depiction of the Creek War....and again, I cannot see this sort of depiction being done today on film. These aren't necessarily complaints....just observations about how times have changed. Plus, the film DID show one of Crockett's better qualities....his standing up for the rights of the native Cherokee tribe....in this sense, he was a very honorable and decent man.

As far as the rest of the film goes, it, like the Creek War, is often true...and often completely made up. It follows Crockett to Congress as well as fighting at the Alamo...both of which did occur but the details are completely fictionalized. Not bad but it leaves you wishing a more fact-based film would be made about his incredible life.

Because so much of the film is fake, I cannot give the movie an especially high score. Parker is just fine in the lead and the film is reasonably well made even if it was written by someone who lies more than Pinocchio! Fun and enjoyable. The theme song, in particular, is incredibly catchy! That and most of the cinematography (aside from asome grainy stock footage) is nice, as it was filmed in the Smoky Mountains and looks authentic.

By the way, although this film is mostly forgotten today, back in the 1950s, this picture ushered in a sort of 'Crockett Mania'....with little kids all wanting coonskin caps and other paraphernalia in order to have their own adventures. It also was such a popular film that Fess Parker later starred in the "Daniel Boone" television series--and it was pretty much Davy Crockett all over again.