Remembering FESS PARKER....as Davy Crockett

Over the last decade and more, many celebrated Hollywood stars known to people of my generation have sadly passed on. Some were legends in their own right. Others will always be remembered or associated with a particular person or role they portrayed in their film that stood out so well that it was indeed very difficult to separate the actor from the legend he was portraying on TV or in the movies.

Think of the musical "The King and I" and Unk Dicko always see bald-headed Yul Brynner's face in his mind's eye. Think back to the days of Tarzan and Jane with all the swinging from tall vines to taller vines, accompanied by the dreaded sounds of the "tom-tom" drums somewhere in dark Africa and I can only see Johnny Weissmuller's Tarzan-like face. No doubt, there were maybe 5 or 6 actors who had played that role before, all reasonably good-looking but not one of them except for Weissmuller, had that "perfect" look of what Tarzan should look like.

It's kind of hard to explain but I suppose Walt Disney himself exemplified this talent for spotting best when he first laid eyes on FESS PARKER and exclaimed, " That's our Davy Crockett ! "
And millions upon millions of Americans kids who grew up from the mid 50's and 60's clearly loved Fess Parker in his portrayal as Davy Crockett and later as Daniel Boone with his raccoon top.

An entire generation in America after the tiredness of the Wars were in search of National heroes to revitalise and guide their new-found consciousness. Hollywood and the movie industry were the perfect channels to recapture the imagination of the American people, especially the young.

As for me, Fess Parker became my hero figure in the form of Crockett and Boone since the 60's.

He embodied everything that is good...fighting for survival, for justice, for good over evil.

He has remained a hero for me to this day. His memory will always remain.

R.I.P

I leave you with this original "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" sung by Fess Parker himself.

We used to sing it in our younger days ( I still sing it today!).

Ps: Do remember to turn off my Jango Jukebox before playing this video.

Otherwise you will have double sounds.