While on a salt-making expedition, Daniel and the Boonesborough men are captured by the Choctaw, advised by the French Comte de Michelet (Cesar Danova) and his adjutant Gagne (Maurice Marsac). Absent their men, the Boonesborough women prepare the fort's defense.
Season 1 of DB reaches its high-water mark with a rousing two-part action epic accompanied by high production values. Some history will have to be forgiven, but all the DB cylinders are hitting in this hour. The outing is helped considerably by the casting of Europeans as the main antagonists; Italian Danova ( "Cleopatra") who enjoyed a long spell if European and American film work, is a convincing French colonial officer. Real Frenchman Marsac ("Against All Flags") served with the French Army and Resistance in World War II and might have been a better choice for the command slot, but as always the better-looking leading man wins out. Both would return in other roles during the series run. TV villain specialist Ted de Corsia ("20,000 Leagues Under The Sea") is the Choctaw chief Talawa. Cincinatus and Yadkin get a rare turn in the command chair.
Part 1 keeps the vignettes coming one after the other, including a staged Dan-Mingo fight (akin to the Kirk-Spock battle in "Star Trek: TOS's" "Amok Time," a desperate ploy to get water into Boonesborough, tribal rivalries and escape plots. In addition, women are shown taking an active role in firing and loading, somewhat more frontier-authentic. We do get to see the fort's powder magazine blown up, a one-time occurrence for the series.
Some dissection of the history is due, as follows:
* The story melds the 1750's-60's French & Indian War, Pontiac's Rebellion against the British in the 1760's, the 1778 American Revolution siege of Boonesborough, and the 1782 Revolutionary siege of Bryan's station, Kentucky.
* No mention is made of the larger F&I War except to note Michelet had fought against Rogers' Rangers in the New York area, and it might be implied that Michelet is a freebooter.
* The real Boone's capture at the Salt Licks and subsequent escape to Boonesborough took up a good portion of 1778.
* Boonesborough is fighting a coalition of Creek (nominally British-friendly) , Choctaw (never a British adversary) Illinois (too small by the 1760's to take on anyone), and the Wyandot (active against the Americans during the Revolution). Michelet wants Boone to bring over usual standby villains the Shawnee (what influence would Boone have with them?) and the Cherokee. As always the black and white format allows the tribesmen to seem more authentic as mid-South warriors.
* The water-carrying scene actually took place during the 1782 Bryan's Station siege, but probably carried out then with more finesse.
French Bourbon bulletin: Michelet is reasonably costumed as a F&I War command officer; Gagne is wearing the white of a French line infantry regiment in European service. Impossible to deduce regiment in black and white format.
Part 1 sets the chess pieces up well, and the denouement will leave us sufficiently in doubt as to the outcome.
