Daniel Boone's (Fess Parker) Rifle??

[ppg1949]

Did anyone who watched the original TV showings of Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett, have a kid’s Davy Crockett coon skin replica hat? I did and even wore it to grade school and I wasn’t the only one. That’s how popular these series were.

 

[Walkingeagle]

Did anyone who watched the original TV showings of Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett, have a kid’s Davy Crockett coon skin replica hat? I did and even wore it to grade school and I wasn’t the only one. That’s how popular these series were.

Yup and yup.
Walk

 

[rickystl]

It seems that there were at least 2 variations that Parker used in the Daniel Boone series. One was made up as a genuine flintlock, while at least one other was made as a converted trapdoor. The trapdoor version sold at auction last year. Here is a Link:

https://www.invaluable.com/auction-...ed-documented-rifle-from-tv-s-78-c-e544a32806

Also, I recall that the original Kentucky rifle used in the 1950's Davy Crockett series was also sold at the same auction.

Rick

 

[GomezMunoz1951]

Way back in the early 1980's I was stationed at Washington DC. I saw a article in the base paper that said a movie company was looking for people who knew how to march. (Yeah I know the Air Force doesn't march much) so I figured I would go see if I could get an extra job. I showed up and surprise they hired me. I had to shave off my mustache so they could paste a fake one on me.
The guns most of us used were Trapdoor Springfields with a funky Flintlock hammer welded on. When it came time to shoot, they came around and gave us each a .45-70 blank. The only ones who got real flintlocks were those who were going to be up close to the camera. They even had rubber Flintlock rifles for hand to hand combat scenes.
There were only maybe 100 or so there getting filmed at any time. The way they filmed us, made it look like there was a huge army. We would charge up a hill as British soldiers and then change to blue coats and fire downhill at us supposedly coming up the hill. Surprisingly when we did the Artillery scenes both sides wore blue coats so it was an easy switch. I got to talk to Lloyd Bridges and Patty Duke and got pictures of them with me. I was to intimidated to talk to James Mason but I did take some pix of him. Barry Bostwick was kind of a prick, he didn't want anyone near him, especially if he was on a horse. He was scared shitless of horses. On most of the scenes where he was riding and having closeups he had someone lead the horse. It was fun, I learned a lot about film-making and the food was AWESOME!

 

[hanshi]

That sounds all kind of cool!

 

[Ketchakah]

Ive done alot of movies and shows. Rubber guns are very very common. From early flintlocks to modern m-16s they have rubber replicas. In many movies, including such as "The Patriot" you can see rubber bayonets flopping around in the scenes.

In many of the early period shows up thru the ones depicting 20th century, converted 45-70 trapdoors were very common. Civil war movies, revolutionary even Zulu you can see trapdoors. I actually bought one of these converted weapons from a place in Calif. They had a pile of them in 55 gal drums. I reconverted mine back. but they did look strange.

You should have seen all the cut down 1865 cavalry sabres they ruined to make cutlasses for pirate movies. Makes a collector just sick.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Way back in the early 1980's I was stationed at Washington DC. I saw a article in the base paper that said a movie company was looking for people who knew how to march. (Yeah I know the Air Force doesn't march much) so I figured I would go see if I could get an extra job....
The guns most of us used were Trapdoor Springfields with a funky Flintlock hammer welded on. When it came time to shoot, they came around and gave us each a .45-70 blank. The only ones who got real flintlocks were those who were going to be up close to the camera. They even had rubber Flintlock rifles for hand to hand combat scenes.
There were only maybe 100 or so there getting filmed at any time. ...., got to talk to Lloyd Bridges and Patty Duke and got pictures of them with me. I was to intimidated to talk to James Mason but I did take some pix of him. Barry Bostwick was kind of a prick, he didn't want anyone near him, especially if he was on a horse. He was scared shitless of horses. On most of the scenes where he was riding and having closeups he had someone lead the horse. It was fun, I learned a lot about film-making and the food was AWESOME!

It was the set of George Washington, the mini-series, starring Barry Bostwick, James Mason, Patty Duke Aston, Lloyd Bridges, and Jaclyn Smith, and was shot on the grounds of Ft. Belvoir, VA. and at Gunston Hall.

YES THE FOOD WAS AWESOME....my first lunch on that set I expected a boxed lunch...we got Cornish game hens and wild rice.
I was one of the guys with the actual Bess muskets. My qualifications, being in Navy ROTC (Marine Corps Option), and having done living history with muskets before.
My safety brief, "Don't light anybody on fire".
They paid a swarthy Italian friend of mine an extra $50 one day to shave his head and be a native.
Mason was actually quite nice. Bridges ate WITH us. Sat right down next to me at lunch one day, but his family was "circus" so he was unassuming. Bostwick was indeed really bothered by the horses, and the production didn't use "Hollywood" horses, but local ones, rented for the production. Patty Duke was very nice, and Jaclyn Smith was every bit as pretty in person as on TV.

We were going to do a shoot with the blanks one morning, and the Bess muskets. Mr. Bridges was also doing a scenes as Caleb the scout, and on a horse. He remarked out loud as I was standing near by, "Hmm, this isn't a Hollywood horse". I asked how he could tell, and he explained he couldn't get the horse to "back up" as Hollywood horses are trained to do. About 15 minutes later they called us to do the scene about 20 yards from where Mr. Bridges was sitting on his horse (he was behind the cameras). As we moved I said, "Mr. Bridges, we're going to shoot now." He nodded, but wasn't paying attention, and I had used the wrong word. "Mr. Bridges," he looked at me as I held up the musket, "We're going to shoot blanks, and that's not a Hollywood horse", I said. Then I made a motion with my hand to pull back on the reins and winked hard. He chuckled and said, "Right". Well we did the scene, and sure enough the horse didn't like the volley fire so close, but he held the horse.

Those same trapdoor Springfields included some that were actually used with Spencer Tracey in Northwest Passage. They were used in The Bastard, a romance novel brought to TV, in the movie Little Big Man with Dustin Hoffman, in Daniel Boone and the mini series above. They are probably being used even today.

LD

 

[Daniel Kaylor]

Yeah had one too . Wish I still had it .

 

[Enfieldguy]

Those Trapdoor 'flintlocks' even showed up on an episode of the original series of Star Trek. The episode 'A Private Little War'. There's a great close-up of the breech in the scene where the which-doctor woman is seducing Kirk and her husband takes a bead on her.

 

[8 BORE]

Did anyone who watched the original TV showings of Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett, have a kid’s Davy Crockett coon skin replica hat? I did and even wore it to grade school and I wasn’t the only one. That’s how popular these series were.

I had a superman cape.
I also ate spinnach out of a can

 

[rickystl]

These converted trapdoors certainly have a long movie history. At least from the 1930's through the 1960's. As a kid I remember watching the 1950's TV Series of Last of the Mohicans with John Hart and Lon Chaney, Jr. The opening of each episode would show Hart shooting a genuine flintlock. But at every other instance everyone used the converted trapdoors. Somewhere I read that they would paint the lock brass colored for the early B&W shows because it looked like iron/steel on film.
Here is one that was intentionally cut to carbine length. Maybe for use on horseback ? LOL

Actually, I'm still looking for a full length one. No luck yet.

Rick

 

[ppg1949]

I had a superman cape.
I also ate spinnach out of a can

 

[Daniel Kaylor]

Those Trapdoor 'flintlocks' even showed up on an episode of the original series of Star Trek. The episode 'A Private Little War'. There's a great close-up of the breech in the scene where the which-doctor woman is seducing Kirk and her husband takes a bead on her.

Hmmmmmm, must of missed that one! I have a trap door Springfield .45 -- 70 not a flint though.

 

[vintovka]

Good topic and very familar with about everything.
1) So old I first went to Disneyland in 1957 attired in Full Crockett regalia compete with red plastic flint pistol and coonskin cap. The Crockett fort of tom sawyers island was equipped with fake muskets that sounded a "gunshot" thru a speaker each time you pulled trigger. All are long gone being politically incorrect to shoot "native Americans)

Fast forward 30 years:
2) Attended the MGM /Stembridge Gun rental prop sale. Dozens of pallets of Trapdoors in all stages of condition see, Hundreds of fake flinters, Blunderbusses, Made up TD pistols. Also many parts and complete rifles/carbines which i "won". Long term friend the Late Clint Walker (Cheyenne) used to spend hours with us whenever he would see some of my wares at shows. His pet peeve was being called "MR PARKER" !!!!
Man lived a long time after getting a ski pole thru the heart and getting to ER by himself. Ended his career. Youll see he didn't move much in dirty dozen.

Fast Forward to today.

Almost all the MGM is either gone or will be sold soon. Let the fake flinters go way to cheap but still have an ample supply of original parts. I bought so much Just now getting to realize i shoulda taken a loan and bought more. The palettes of Real Flintlocks. Model 92 Winchesters and rare bayonets went for unbelievably low amounts. Like $10 to $20 each. WOulda, shoulds, coulda + nightmares

 

[GomezMunoz1951]

Yup and yup.
Walk

I never wore mine to school but I had one...

 

[vintovka]

Still see them for sale at Sportsmas Warehouse. I found one in an auction lot (not MGM) and as a joke i would "plant" it on various friends gunshow tables. Thing made the rounds for a couple years until someone actually bought it.

 

[Heelerau]

It was the Daniel Boone series that I watched as a small child that fired my eternal interest in shooting muzzle loading arms, plus the Pat 53 we had hanging over the mantlepiece, it still does by the way and shoots well !

 

[ppg1949]

These converted trapdoors certainly have a long movie history. At least from the 1930's through the 1960's. As a kid I remember watching the 1950's TV Series of Last of the Mohicans with John Hart and Lon Chaney, Jr. The opening of each episode would show Hart shooting a genuine flintlock. But at every other instance everyone used the converted trapdoors. Somewhere I read that they would paint the lock brass colored for the early B&W shows because it looked like iron/steel on film.
Here is one that was intentionally cut to carbine length. Maybe for use on horseback ? LOL

Actually, I'm still looking for a full length one. No luck yet.

RickView attachment 12810 View attachment 12811

Very cool and ingenious. I've seen converted trapdoors in other movies. One had Gary Cooper in it. I think it was called "The Kentuckian".

 

[Zonie]

Thank you for the close up of the lock.

Ugly as sin but very clever.

From a distance of 30 or more yards, being waved around by actors, and being photographed on fairly grainy movie film to be shown on a big screen 50 to 600** feet away from the viewer, for someone who doesn't know, it does look a lot like a flintlock. What the hey? It seems to have a frizzen and frizzen spring and a real cock with a piece of flint sticking out of it.
It also has the benefit of being easily loaded with a blank and the old hammer face can strike the firing pin.

I'll have to keep my eyes open for these when I watch some of the old movies.

** I was a big fan of drive in theaters back when they existed and believe it or not, sometimes my date and I would actually watch the film.

 

[ppg1949]

Thank you for the close up of the lock.

Ugly as sin but very clever.

From a distance of 30 or more yards, being waved around by actors, and being photographed on fairly grainy movie film to be shown on a big screen 50 to 600** feet away from the viewer, for someone who doesn't know, it does look a lot like a flintlock. What the hey? It seems to have a frizzen and frizzen spring and a real cock with a piece of flint sticking out of it.
It also has the benefit of being easily loaded with a blank and the old hammer face can strike the firing pin.

I'll have to keep my eyes open for these when I watch some of the old movies.

** I was a big fan of drive in theaters back when they existed and believe it or not, sometimes my date and I would actually watch the film.

Zonie, I actually worked at a drive in theater in the late sixty's. It was a really fun job for high schooler but seeing the same movies every night was tiring. About 7 miles from where I live there is a drive in theater that shows two first run movie each night and they pack them in. Still a lot of fun.