rdoyle29 Davy Crockett saves the day during the Creek Indian War, runs for Congress and dies at the Alamo (spoiler!) in this "film" compiled from three episodes of the TV series. It's not really a rip-off since the series was filmed on colour film stock, but aired in black and white. Seeing it in colour is impressive, especially much of the scenery shot in North Carolina in the opening segment. I don't think it's top notch Disney, but it's good stuff.

Hitchcoc What a phenomenon for the time. I was in second grade and we watched these episodes faithfully. I didn't know much about Congress or the Alamo, but I got a taste of each watching this. But it was only three half hour episodes. Kids all over had coonskin caps (the crappy ones with the plastic tops, not like Davy's). There were lunch boxes and pencils and all the usual stuff. I remember a knife with a leather sheath. But it was only three episodes. Fess Parker became a god to us and Buddy Epson (Jed Clampett on Beverly Hillbilles) was his sidekick. In one episode he fought the Indians, the next he went to Congress, and, of course, died at the Alamo, fighting the Mexicans. And, finally, there was that song. Everyone knew a "bar" was a bear, and so on. The production value was OK. If something was this hot today, there would have been a whole TV series. Come to think of it, Fess reprised the character as Daniel Boone. Good stuff.

Wizard-8 "Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier" may have been the first made for television production to be deemed worthy of a theatrical release. Walt Disney was shrewd enough to have filmed the production in color, as well as to have given the movie strong enough production values so that the end results certainly don't look like a typical television production at the time. And the movie is certainly entertaining. It's certainly not perfect - the movie feels very episodic due to the editing of three TV episodes together, some depictions of Native Americans don't feel very PC, and the character of Davy Crockett in some aspects feels kind of thin. But the movie is never boring, having some good action sequences (especially the Alamo segment), some welcome comedy relief here and there, and while episodic, does feel breezy and without any lulls. It's no wonder this made an impression on me when I first saw it as a child during a theatrical reissue in the 1970s.

ccthemovieman-1 Wow, was this big stuff back in the mid '50s. I remember my little brother walking around with his coonskin cap on all day. This was exciting material back then, and when we were young boys. When we first saw this, it wasn't one film but three episodes on the weekly "Disneyland" TV program.Looking at it 50 years later was a bit disappointing, but I should have expected that. It looks so dated and the story ends so abruptly. However, it was still fun to watch, not just a piece of nostalgia.It's almost refreshing to see such a likable, old-fashioned, God-honoring hero on screen again. You certainly don't see a lot of that today.The grammar is so bad in here with Davy (Fess Parker) and his buddy "George" (Buddy Ebsen) and the expressions so country-corn pone that you can't believe some of the things you hear!The best part for us old codgers might be that Davy Crockett theme song. Tough to get that out of your head, once it's in there.