"I know, that obscure as I am, my name is making a considerable deal of fuss in the world."
--David Crockett 'himself', 1834.
David Crockett was a real man whose exploits were what tall tales are made of-- a legend of his time in the early 1800's-- that was made even bigger with the help of Walt Disney and his new ABC TV show, Disneyland. The first episode, of the Davy Crockett trilogy, "Davy Crockett Indian Fighter", starring Fess Parker as Davy Crockett and Buddy Ebsen as Georgie Russel, aired Wednesday, December 15, 1954. By the time the second episode, "Davy Crockett Goes to Congress" aired, on January 26, 1955, the country was in a Crockett frenzy. By the time the last episode, "Davy Crockett At the Alamo", aired, February 23, 1955, the whole nation was Crazy For Crockett, with everything from Davy Crockett guitars to Davy Crockett underwear!
What red blooded American boy, or girl for that matter, didn't want to live out the Disneyland television adventures 'ol Davy had? From b'ar hunting to fighting for freedom at the Alamo, Davy did it all with modesty, courage and a sense of what's right. Even if we don't admit it, consciously or subconsciously, Davy's motto, "Be sure you're right, then go ahead" shaped our values and gave us all a better belief in ourselves. To me, as a 3-year-old who wasn't even allowed to cross the street in 1955, that was a big deal. Then, of course, there was the song, that catchy, incessant tune!! What boomer today, some forty years later, still can't sing at least the first verse of "The Balled of Davy Crockett", if not possibly all 20 verses? |
