Fess Parker
Birthday: Born in 1924-08-16 in Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Deathday: 2010-03-18
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Fess Elisha Parker, Jr. (August 16, 1924 – March 18, 2010) was an American film and television actor best known for his portrayals of Davy Crockett in the Walt Disney 1954–1955 TV miniseries, which aired on ABC, and as Daniel Boone in an NBC television series from 1964 to 1970. He was also known as a winemaker and resort owner-operator.
TV Credits
Burke's Law
Character: Herman Sitwell
Burke's Law is an American detective series that ran on ABC from 1963 to 1965 and was revived on CBS in the 1990s. The show starred Gene Barry as Amos Burke, millionaire captain of Los Angeles police homicide division, who was chauffeured around to solve crimes in his Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II....
CBS News Sunday Morning
Character: Self
The sparkling notes of a trumpet fanfare and the familiar logo of the sun alert viewers that it's time for CBS's Sunday morning staple. Journalist Jane Pauley helms the show, taking over hosting duties from Charles Osgood, who spent 22 years on the job. A morning talk show, this program airs at a different pace and focuses much of its attention on the performing arts. After a quick update of the day's news and national weather, correspondents offer longer-length segments on a variety of topics, ...
Dragnet
Character:
Follows the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners. The show takes its name from the police term "dragnet", meaning a system of coordinated measures for apprehending criminals or suspects....
General Electric Theater
Character: Jonathan West
General Electric Theater is an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations....
Daniel Boone
Character: Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone is an American action-adventure television series starring Fess Parker as Daniel Boone that aired from September 24, 1964 to September 10, 1970 on NBC for 165 episodes, and was made by 20th Century Fox Television. Ed Ames co-starred as Mingo, Boone's Cherokee friend, for the first four seasons of the series. Albert Salmi portrayed Boone's companion Yadkin in season one only. Dallas McKennon portrayed innkeeper Cincinnatus. Country Western singer-actor Jimmy Dean was a featured actor...
The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour
Character: Self
The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour is an American network television music and comedy variety show hosted by singer Glen Campbell from January 1969 through June 1972 on CBS. He was offered the show after he hosted a 1968 summer replacement for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. Campbell used "Gentle on My Mind" as the theme song of the show. The show was one of the few rural-oriented shows to survive CBS's rural purge of 1971....
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Character:
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars is an anthology series that was telecast from 1951 until 1959 on CBS. Offering both comedies and drama, the series was sponsored by the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company. The title was shortened to Schlitz Playhouse, beginning with the fall 1957 season....
City Detective
Character:
Crime drama starring Rod Cameron as 43-year-old Bart Grant, a tough 1950s New York City police lieutenant....
Stories of the Century
Character:
Stories of the Century is a 39-episode Western television series starring Jim Davis that ran in syndication through Republic Pictures between January 23, 1954, and March 11, 1955....
Davy Crockett
Character: Davy Crockett
Davy Crockett is a five-part serial which aired on ABC in one-hour episodes on the Disneyland series. The series stars Fess Parker as real-life frontiersman Davy Crockett and Buddy Ebsen as his friend, George Russel. The first three episodes of the serial were edited together as the 1955 theatrical film Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier, and rebroadcast in color in the 1960s when the Disney program went to NBC. This series and film are known for the catchy theme song, "The Ballad of Davy...
Annie Oakley
Character: Tom Conrad - Newspaper Publisher
Annie Oakley was an American Western television series that fictionalized the life of famous sharpshooter Annie Oakley. It ran from January 1954 to February 1957 in syndication, for a total of 81 black and white episodes, each 25 minutes long. ABC showed reruns on Saturday and Sunday daytime from 1959 to 1960 and from 1964 to 1965....
Startime
Character:
Startime is an anthology show of drama, comedy, and variety, and was one of the first American television shows broadcast in color. The program was aired Tuesday nights in the United States on the NBC Television network in the 1959-60 television season....
Annie Oakley
Character: Len Clinton - The Texas Sandman
Annie Oakley was an American Western television series that fictionalized the life of famous sharpshooter Annie Oakley. It ran from January 1954 to February 1957 in syndication, for a total of 81 black and white episodes, each 25 minutes long. ABC showed reruns on Saturday and Sunday daytime from 1959 to 1960 and from 1964 to 1965....
The Bob Hope Show
Character: Self - Cameo
The Bob Hope Show hosted by Bob Hope, debuted on April 9, 1950. During the 1952-1953 season, NBC rotated with other variety shows in a Sunday night block known as "The Colgate Comedy Hour" (Sept. 1950 to Dec. 1955). Also known as, "The Chevy Show with Bob Hope." When the first special debuted in October of 1950 it was the most expensive television program made up to that point - costing an astronomical $1,500 a minute to produce. Bob Hope had his own television show and radio show at the same ti...
The Ed Sullivan Show
Character: Self
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the CBS Sunday Night Movie, which ran only one season and was eventually replaced by other shows. In 2002, The Ed Sullivan Show was ranked #15 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time....
The Wonderful World of Disney
Character: John 'Doc' Grayson
Walt Disney Productions has produced an anthology television series under several different titles since 1954. The original version of the series premiered on ABC, Wednesday night, October 27, 1954. The show, which was hosted by Walt Disney until his death and then from 1996 to 2002 by then-CEO Michael Eisner (with one-off hosts or no hosts during other periods) has since aired continually as either a weekly program or an irregular series of specials on several networks and streaming services, m...
The Wonderful World of Disney
Character: Self / James J Andrews
Walt Disney Productions has produced an anthology television series under several different titles since 1954. The original version of the series premiered on ABC, Wednesday night, October 27, 1954. The show, which was hosted by Walt Disney until his death and then from 1996 to 2002 by then-CEO Michael Eisner (with one-off hosts or no hosts during other periods) has since aired continually as either a weekly program or an irregular series of specials on several networks and streaming services, m...
The Wonderful World of Disney
Character: Self
Walt Disney Productions has produced an anthology television series under several different titles since 1954. The original version of the series premiered on ABC, Wednesday night, October 27, 1954. The show, which was hosted by Walt Disney until his death and then from 1996 to 2002 by then-CEO Michael Eisner (with one-off hosts or no hosts during other periods) has since aired continually as either a weekly program or an irregular series of specials on several networks and streaming services, m...
The Wonderful World of Disney
Character: Davy Crockett
Walt Disney Productions has produced an anthology television series under several different titles since 1954. The original version of the series premiered on ABC, Wednesday night, October 27, 1954. The show, which was hosted by Walt Disney until his death and then from 1996 to 2002 by then-CEO Michael Eisner (with one-off hosts or no hosts during other periods) has since aired continually as either a weekly program or an irregular series of specials on several networks and streaming services, m...
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
Character: Ben Wister
A continuation of the anthology series “Alfred Hitchcock Presents”, hosted by the master of suspense and featuring thrillers and mysteries....
The Danny Kaye Show
Character: Self
The Danny Kaye Show is an American variety show hosted by Danny Kaye that aired on CBS from 1963 to 1967 on Wednesday nights. Directed by Robert Scheerer, the show premiered in black-and-white, but later switched to color broadcasts. At the time, Kaye was at the height of his popularity, having starred in a string of successful films in the 1940s and '50's, made successful personal appearances at such venues as the London Palladium, and appeared many times on television. His most recent films ha...
Movie Credits
Them!
Character: Alan Crotty
As a result of nuclear testing, gigantic, ferocious mutant ants appear in the American desert southwest, and a father-daughter team of entomologists join forces with the state police officer who first discovers their existence, an FBI agent and, eventually, the US Army to eradicate the menace, before it spreads across the continent — and the world....
American Gunmaker: The John M. Browning Story
Character:
Discover the remarkable life of John Moses Browning with host Fess Parker as he spans three generations of the Browning family to tell this fascinating story. With over 100 firearms patents to his credit, Browning’s inventive genius spanned six decades and included many legendary pistol, rifle and shotgun designs for Winchester, Remington, Colt, Fabrique Nationle and others. The Browning name is still synonymous with the automatic pistols, rifles, machine guns and cannons used by the United Stat...
The Jayhawkers!
Character: Cam Bleeker
Before the U.S. Civil War rebel leader Luke Darcy sees himself as leader of a new independent Republic of Kansas but the military governor sends an ex-raider to capture Darcy....
Old Yeller
Character: Jim Coates
Young Travis Coates is left to take care of the family ranch with his mother and younger brother while his father goes off on a cattle drive in the 1860s. When a yellow mongrel comes for an uninvited stay with the family, Travis reluctantly adopts the dog....
Hell Is for Heroes
Character: Sgt. Bill Pike
World War II drama where the action centers around a single maneuver by a squad of GIs in retaliation against the force of the German Siegfried line. Reese joins a group of weary GIs unexpectedly ordered back into the line when on their way to a rest area. While most of the men withdraw from their positions facing a German pillbox at the far side of a mine-field, half a dozen men are left to protect a wide front. By various ruses, they manage to convince the Germans that a large force is still h...
Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier
Character: Davy Crockett
Legends (and myths) from the life of famed American frontiersman Davy Crockett are depicted in this feature film edited from television episodes. Crockett and his friend George Russel fight in the Creek Indian War. Then Crockett is elected to Congress and brings his rough-hewn ways to the House of Representatives. Finally, Crockett and Russell journey to Texas and the last stand at the Alamo....
The Great Locomotive Chase
Character: James J. Andrews
During the Civil War, a Union spy, Andrews, is asked to lead a band of Union soldiers into the South so that they could destroy the railway system. However, things don't go as planned when the conductor of the train that they stole is on to them and is doing everything he can to stop them. Based on a true story....
Westward Ho, The Wagons!
Character: John 'Doc' Grayson
The pioneering trail to Oregon was littered with constant danger. Yet, the hope of the "promised land" keeps American families westward bound despite overwhelming odds. A calm, clear-thinking pioneer attempts to lead a wagon train through territory occupied by Pawnees and Sioux. Along the way, the hardy settlers face horse thieves, kidnappers, and unpredictable Indian attacks in their push to establish a new life in the rugged West....
The Light in the Forest
Character: Del Hardy
A young white man who spent his whole life raised by a Native American tribe is sent to live with his true family and must learn to fit in with the people he was taught to hate....
The Hangman
Character: Sheriff Buck Weston
A marshal nicknamed "The Hangman" because of his track record in hunting down and capturing wanted criminals traces a robbery suspect to a small town. However, the man is known and liked in the town, and the citizens band together to try to help him avoid capture....
Davy Crockett and the River Pirates
Character: Davy Crockett
Davy Crockett and his sidekick Georgie compete against boastful Mike Fink ("King of the River") in a boat race to New Orleans. Later, Davy and Georgie, allied with Fink, battle a group of river pirates trying to pass themselves off as Native Americans....
Battle Cry
Character: Pvt Speedy
The dramatic story of US Marines in training, in combat, and in love, during World War II. The story centers on a major who guides the raw recruits from their training to combat....
The Grand Opening of Walt Disney World
Character: Self
A celebrity-filled look at the opening festivities for Walt Disney World in Florida....
Dragonfly Squadron
Character: Texas Lieutenant
A Korean War film with a secondary plot of the training of South Korean pilots, to fly fighters in air defense, by American Air Force instructors,led by Major Brady, a famed and skilled-but-grounded pilot, assigned to the Kongku base....
Springfield Rifle
Character: Jim Randolph (uncredited)
Major Lex Kearney, dishonourably discharged from the army for cowardice in battle, volunteers to go undercover to try to prevent raids against shipments of horses desperately needed for the Union war effort. Falling in with the gang of jayhawkers and Confederate soldiers who have been conducting the raids, he gradually gains their trust and is put in a position where he can discover who has been giving them secret information revealing the routes of the horse shipments....
The Kid from Left Field
Character: McDougal
Coop's an ex-ballplayer is now a peanut vendor, who takes too much of an interest in the game. But he's passed on his craze for baseball to his son, Christie. When his dad gets fired, Chris makes friends with the former team owner's niece (and her boyfriend Pete), and not only gets his dad's job back, but a batboy position for himself. With his dad's help, Christie begins to make a few suggestions here and there. And as a publicity stunt, the team makes him their youngest manager on record. But ...
Harvey
Character: Leslie - Chauffeur (voice) (uncredited)
The story of Elwood P. Dowd who makes friends with a spirit taking the form of a human-sized rabbit named Harvey that only he sees (and a few privileged others on occasion also.) After his sister tries to commit him to a mental institution, a comedy of errors ensues. Elwood and Harvey become the catalysts for a family mending its wounds and for romance blossoming in unexpected places....
No Room for the Groom
Character: Cousin Ben (uncredited)
A young GI elopes to Las Vegas with his housekeeper’s daughter, but delays to their wedding night arise from illness, her manipulative mother, and a house full of relatives....
The Bounty Hunter
Character: Wild Cowboy
A year after a violent train robbery the Pinkerton detective agency hires a bounty hunter to find the three remaining killers. He tracks them to Twin Forks but has no clue to their identity. Tensions surface as just his presence in town acts as a catalyst....
Davy Crockett, Indian Fighter
Character: Davy Crockett
Davy Crockett seeks a truce with his Indian foes....
Disneyland: U.S.A.
Character: Self - Davy Crockett
A tour of the Disneyland theme park....
Davy Crockett's Keelboat Race
Character: Davy Crockett
Davy and Georgie end a particularly successful season of trapping and hunting with the hopes of easy sales, only for such hopes to be dashed by the self-proclaimed "King of the River", Mike Fink, and a band of renegade Indians that have been notorious for attacking passing boats....
Thunder Over the Plains
Character: Kirby
Set in 1869, after the Civil War, Texas had not yet been readmitted to the Union and carpetbaggers, hiding behind the legal protection of the Union Army of occupation, had taken over the state. Federal Captain Porter, a Texan, has to carry out orders against his own people. He brings in the rebel leader Ben Westman whom he knows is innocent of a murder that he is accused of. In trying to prove his innocence, Porter himself becomes a wanted man....
A Conversation with Fess Parker
Character:
“A Conversation with Fess Parker” (17:05) is another interview, edited almost exactly like the previous, where Maltin visits the man who played Davy Crockett at his winery in California. Memories of how he got the part, what it was like to make the series and the reaction from fans are all recalled by Parker. This is a low-key documentary, but a very nice inclusion for the set. Next we find A Conversation With Fess Parker. For this 17-minute and five-second piece, Maltin visits the actor at his...
Smoky
Character: Clint Barkley
A cowboy named Clint bonds with a beautiful wild stallion that he trains, but after the two are separated and the horse ends up in a rodeo, Clint is determined to set it free....
Island in the Sky
Character: Fitch's Co-Pilot (uncredited)
A C-47 transport plane, named the Corsair, makes a forced landing in the frozen wastelands of Labrador, and the plane's pilot, Captain Dooley, must keep his men alive in deadly conditions while awaiting rescue....
'Old Yeller': Remembering a Classic
Character: Self
Short documentary on the making of the Disney classic....
NBC Salutes the 25th Anniversary of the Wonderful World of Disney
Character: Self
Walt Disney Presents, Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color, Disney’s Wonderful World, Walt Disney, The Disney Sunday Movie, The Magical World of Disney. These are some of the titles of the Disney anthology series that first aired as Disneyland in 1954. Ron Howard and Suzanne Somers serve as hosts for the musical celebration....
Untamed Frontier
Character: Clem McCloud
The Denbow family denies access across their land to homesteaders. To evade a murder charge, Glenn Denbow marries Jane, the only witness who's in love with him. But the woman favors the settlers......
Daniel Boone: Frontier Trail Rider
Character: Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone leads a party of settlers into Kentucky to found the town of Boonesborough. Along the way, he meets and falls in love with a lovely, red-haired servant named Rebecca and must vie with the gambler, Jim Santee for her affection....
Davy Crockett Goes to Congress
Character: Davy Crockett
The second of five programs about Davy Crockett involves him being bored with life, so he and Georgie plan to resettle their families and file their claims. In town, Davy wins a gunfight against the town bully, Big Foot Mason, and, as a result, he becomes the town lawman....
Climb an Angry Mountain
Character: Sheriff Elisha Cooper
Sheriff Elisha Cooper has to work with New York City officer Nelson after his son is taken hostage by a fugitive who is hiding out on California's Mount Shasta....
Alias Jesse James
Character: Davy Crockett (uncredited)
Insurance salesman Milford Farnsworth sells a man a life policy only to discover that the man in question is the outlaw Jesse James. Milford is sent to buy back the policy, but is robbed by Jesse. And when Jesse learns that Milford's boss is on the way out with more cash, he plans to rob him too and have Milford get killed in the robbery while dressed as Jesse, and collect on the policy....
The Disneyland Story
Character:
Walt Disney presents a preview for both his upcoming park called Disneyland and several episodes of the show to come. Then the show focuses primarily on the career of Mickey Mouse....
Davy Crockett at the Alamo
Character: Davy Crockett
The third of five programs about Davy Crockett involves him, Georgie and a riverboat gambler they meet searching for a new adventure, which leads them to the Alamo, which they must defend....