Fess Parker 1924 - 2010

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We write a lot about pop culture here at East Village Afternoon, and under the umbrella of pop culture there are countless songs, movies, t.v. shows, actors, pieces of entertainment, etc., which catch the American attention, but every so often something comes along that is so popular, so huge, that it becomes something by which an entire generation is remembered forever. The late 60's had the hippies and Woodstock, the 70's had its disco and the early 80's had MTV and New Wave music.

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But to children in the mid-1950's there was nothing bigger than the Davy Crockett craze, and the man who embodied that craze has died at age 85.

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In 1954-55, Fess Parker played Davy Crockett in a series of hour long adventure dramas for "Disneyland", the Walt Disney-produced anthology t.v. series. The shows were a monster hit, spawning the sales of millions of coonskin hats and producing three versions of the song, "The Ballad of Davy Crockett", the original version by Bill Hayes was the Billboard number one song in the country for 5 weeks in 1955.

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Texas native Fess Parker had been a strapping football player at The University of Texas, (he stood 6' 5 1/2"), who eventually made it to Hollywood and won a small role in the horror movie "Them" which starred James Arness. Walt Disney was about to produce the Dave Crockett series and had considered casting Arness in the title role, but when he saw Parker in a scene, he was so impressed, he cast him as Crockett over Arness. Davy Crockett catapulted Parker to instant fame.

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Parker never again scored a hit as big as Davy Crockett, but he came close. He starred in the title role in the t.v. series, "Daniel Boone" which ran from 1964-70, which cemented his status as one of the most popular and well-liked actors of the 1960's. Parker was nominated once for an Emmy Award but did not win.

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After Hollywood, Fess Parker began a very profitable career in real estate, later starting an award-winning winery. Parker died of natural causes.