Davy Crockett: Le roi des trappeurs

"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.

1st watched 9/23/2001 - 6 out of 10(Dir-Norman Foster): Simple yet BIG-hearted hero in Davy Crockett is represented here as doing many bigger than life things than dying as a martyr for the American old west at the Alamo but living on in the hearts of others. Fess Parker displays this hero with much humor along with his partner played by Buddy Epsen which helps because we have a hard time believing all of the stories of grinning a bear down(or 'bar' according to Crockett) and fighting injuns with his bare hands and winning. Light-hearted fare with wonderful character shown in the Davy Crockett legend should always be appealing to the American spirit.

Fess Parker's "Davey Crockett" provides an entertaining story of his Tennessee origins to his final act of courageous devotion at the Alamo. Serious historians can certainly dispute the film's adherence to the facts of Davey Crockett's life. This portrayal made Davey Crockett a hero to the men of the US's baby boomer generation.

I was 7 years old when this movie came out. I had a coonskin cap and wore it until it cut off my circulation. I'm now 50+ and have seen exactly three professional basketball, one hockey, two baseball and no football games. I built and hunt with a 1775 flintlock, horn and bag. My focus these days is Lewis and Clark but it was Fess Parker and Buddy Ebsen who captured my imagination and have kept me dreamin' for nearly half a century. Sure there were some Hollywood inaccuracies but the flavor, feeling and freedom of the eastern woodlands and the early frontiersmen were portrayed good enough to make me, and a lot of others, life-long Crockett admirers. "Be sure you are right then go ahead."

The life of Davy Crockett is told in this popular Disney television series that introduces Fess Parker as the resourceful backwoodsman from Tennessee. Crockett's exploits as Indian fighter are detailed in the first part of the series as he and partner Georgie Russel save the soldiers from being wiped out by the Creeks in that Indian war. Crockett as a Congressman from Tennessee comprises the middle part which sets up the third and exciting finale as Crockett and friends battle the Mexican army in the famous battle at the Alamo. The Appalachians of North Carolina where the Creek War skirmishes were filmed show beautiful mountain vistas and add realism to this fine film story of an American legend.