Davy Crockett King Frontier

[oldschoolhunter55]

Disney was not sure the Boone series would be a success. But the creators, Parker, and the producers did. When Disney said they were afraid to invest much money in the show, Parker worked out a deal with the company where he offered to do the first season without pay to cut expenses and if the series was a success the first season he would be paid back pay the second and subsequent seasons according to scale plus a little extra for his generous offer.
The series was obviously a roaring success. The next season Disney grudgingly paid Parker the standard scale salary for new episodes and nothing extra. They never even paid him the back pay for his first season’s work either.
I never heard or read what Disney or the show’s producers motives were for treating Parker like that.
Maybe some of you old TV show enthusiasts can shed some light on this, or correct me if I am not remembering everything correctly.

dang they did him wrong for sure. He was a good guy way things are now they would be hauled in court.Sometimes I think we have to many lawyers now.People are suing for almost nothing now. times have changed

 

[BEP]

Google says Daniel Boone was " produced by Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation".

 

[Omahkapi'si]

Google says Daniel Boone was " produced by Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation".

Yes I have the DVD series and didn't recall seeing Disney anywhere in credits. Thanks.

 

[springfield art]

The model train folks got into the craze and had H-O scale engines themed to the Great Chase!

 

[Whitworth]

I was a kid glued to the screen of the TV watching Davy Crockett. My grandmother had a powder horn hanging in her house that had belonged to her grandfather (Company K, 13th Virginia Infantry, 1841-1913) and she gave it to me because I liked Davy Crockett so much. Here it is 7 decades later:

 

[Staredge]

Bit before my time, but not by much. I came by my interest in him through history. I visited the Davy (subsequently changed to David) Crockett Birthplace State Park along the Nolichucky River in Tennessee a few years back. My mom is from a small town in East Tennessee. Sadly, the park got hammered really bad from the hurricane flooding earlier this year. The cabin is gone, the museum and visitors center got flooded badly.

 

[TRow]

I loved the Disney Davy as a kid; never noticed things like I saw on TV recently; filmed in Florida where they're fightin' the Seminoles; the chief has a Plains Indian Buffalo-horn head-dress! Then Davey is wading thru water, at one point his horn goes into the drink! They ALL have horns that are WAY too long hanging way down flopping around. Like many here, I got started in history by watching the series on Disneyland TV Sunday nights in the 50's, so I'm being loving, not critical! The attacking Mexicans at the Alamo climax actually look pretty good! Uniforms, etc. It was a shock as a kid to see them "go down"! They followed up with the River Pirates episodes, remember Big Mike Fink?? Who could forget him?

Just watched both the other night. Have them on DVD

 

[olkev]

One of my favorite scenes from Disney’s Davy Crockett
Davy vs. Bigfoot Mason

 

[smoothshooter]

Yes I have the DVD series and didn't recall seeing Disney anywhere in credits. Thanks.

Looks like I am mistaken on the studio for at least some of the Boone series, but it still seems to me there was some connection between Fess Parker and Disney.
Maybe it was the Davey Crockett series/movie.

 

[smoothshooter]

Looks like I am mistaken on the studio for at least some of the Boone series, but it still seems to me there was some connection between Fess Parker and Disney.
Maybe it was the Davey Crockett series/movie.

I watched the series every night that it was on TV, which was one night a week.
It is not a stretch to say that the Crockett and Boone series’ were the primary influence on kickstarting the renewed interest in black powder shooting.
The later Jeremiah Johnson movie also caused a lot of interest in BP shooting as well.

 

[Omahkapi'si]

Looks like I am mistaken on the studio for at least some of the Boone series, but it still seems to me there was some connection between Fess Parker and Disney.
Maybe it was the Davey Crockett series/movie.

Yes you are on the right track. There was some sort of issue over money or contract with Disney I read somewhere. Old Walt was a hard-a$$.

 

[Muley Gil]

Disney produced the Davy Crockett movies. When Fess Parker approached Walt Disney about making a Davy Crockett TV series, Uncle Waltie told him no.

So, Davy got replaced by Dan'l and another coonskin cap craze started. I was also a Daniel Boone Trailblazer club member. I saw my card a few years ago, stored with some "other stuff".

 

[smoothshooter]

As a side note, Fess Parker got screwed over by Disney Studios, and only made a few dollars for the Daniel Boone series.
Parker was a super decent guy in real life.

IRRC, after Fess Parker gave up acting he got into real estate and was pretty successful at that.
One of my cousins I went to school with was a delegate from our school’s FFA program and as such was sent to the 3 day national FFA convention in Kansas City (I think) in 1974 or 1973.
He said that at some point they were all seated in a large auditorium or smaller stadium and had various dignitaries come and give speeches. Then toward the end of the stage ceremony they had a surprise visit from President Nixon and his
extensive security detail. Everyone clapped and cheered when Nixon mounted the stage spoke a few supportive words and greetings before leaving.
My cousin said as soon as the President left there was somewhat of a stir along the side of one section of bleacher seats. He wondered what was going on, and if it was something bad. Then he saw a single tall man striding up to the stage. When he mounted the stage he turned to face the crowd-it was Fess Parker.
Cousin said everyone jumped to their feet and gave Parker a standing ovation that lasted several minutes with a lot of cheering, clapping, and loud whistling.
More than the President got.
Sometimes I get nostalgic thinking about times past and how most of our society back then still looked up to traditional American heroes.