Davy Crockett and the River Pirates

When Walt Disney’s TV series debuted its first Davy Crockett short-lived series in 1954, no one would have thought it would be such a success. Rick29 said in his review, “Not only was it a ratings smash, but it spawned an extremely lucrative line of tie-in merchandise and a hit song. It also made a TV star of then-unknown 31-year-old Fess Parker and made coonskin caps popular again (at least with the young folks).” To exploit on the overwhelming response to the three-episode Davy Crockett series, Disney had an edited version released as “Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier.”

A sequel was predictable and in 1956, Disney aired two additional Davy Crockett episodes. They were also edited together and released in theaters as “Davy Crockett and the River Pirates.” Technically, the second film is a prequel as it takes place before the climax at The Alamo at the end of the first film.

After several months of hunting, Davy and his friend Georgie Russel, played by Buddy Ebsen, plan to hire a keelboat to travel from Kentucky to New Orleans to sell their pelts. They first encounter the energetic Mink Fink, the self-proclaimed “King of the River,” played by Jeff York, who wants to charge them $1000. Davy and Georgie veto that offer and decide to make their own crew aboard the old Captain Cobb’s (Clem Bevans) Bertha Marie Marietta.

Mike Fink doesn’t respond well, so he gets a drunk Georgie to bet every fur against two barrels of whiskey that Davy and crew reach New Orleans first. Rick29 said, “It's a lively boat race with Davy navigating river rapids, fighting Indians (more on that later), coping with sabotage, and helping out a marooned farmer.”

The second half of the film is Davy and Georgie trying to fight a local Native American rebellion. They find a band of cruel “river pirates” are imitating the Native Americans and attacking boats. Realizing they need some help; Davy turns to Mike Fink and his crew.

Rick29 noted, “The plot of Davy Crockett and the River Pirates is understandably disjointed, as it was comprised of two 60-minute episodes that aired on Disneyland as Davy Crockett's Keelboat Race and Davy Crockett and the River Pirates. The keelboat race is the more entertaining of the two as it provides more screen time to Jeff York as the colorful Mike Fink. York breathes life into his loud and bigger-than-life character, providing an effective contrast to Fess Parker's incorruptible hero.” Fink even has his own catchy song which describes him as “a bull-nosed, tough old alligator, and real depopulator, born too mean to die.”

If Jeff York looks familiar, you may be remembering him from “Old Yeller,” where he played Fess Parker and Dorthy Maguire’s lazy, grub-hunting neighbor. Rick29 mentioned, “He also later appeared opposite Parker as a guest star on the Daniel Boone TV series. York briefly had a series of his own, co-starring with Roger Moore in The Alaskans (1959-60).”

The other standout performances in the film are Buddy Ebsen and Kenneth Tobey. Rick29 noted, “The former rarely got a chance to stretch himself on The Beverly Hillbillies, so it's entertaining to watch him as a humorous sidekick. As for Tobey, who famously played the hero of The Thing from Another World, he's barely recognizable as Fink's grizzled, cigar-chewing, red-headed crony.”

Watching it today, the film is filled with nostalgia and is highly recommended for film and TV fans who grew up in the 50s and 60s. It’s also surprisingly progressive the way they treat Native Americans, who are not portrayed as villains.

Rick29 ended his blog by noting, “Incidentally, Fess Parker did not benefit financially from the Davy Crockett merchandise bonanza due to the nature of his contract with Disney. When repeats of the Davy Crockett episodes sparked renewed interest in the character in 1963, Parker approached Disney about a Davy Crockett TV series. When that didn't work out, Parker and producer Aaron Rosenberg developed the Daniel Boone TV series, which ran for six years on NBC. Parker owned 30% of the show and pretty much retired from acting after its run.”

Even though you might say that this was superfluous and not as good as the first, it is still another one that is worth seeing. If you liked the first film, you should not skip this one. Check it out on Disney+ whether you’re familiar with the show or not. You will love it, I promise you.

Tomorrow I will look at a film that I first heard about when Nostalgia Critic did his first Top 11 list in “Disney Month 2024.”