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4 items from 2010

24 March 2010 12:36 PM, PDT | FamousMonsters of Filmland | See recent Famous Monsters of Filmland news »

Actor Fess Parker starred as the iconic frontier heroes Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone in the 1950s and 1960s.  Parker was also featured in the 1954 sci-fi film classic Them! as pilot Alan Crotty, whose encounter with giant flying ants placed him in a psychiatric ward.  His performance in Them! was instrumental in his being cast as Davy Crockett for Walt Disney’s Disneyland television series in the mid-1950s.

Parker was born in Fort Worth, Texas, on August 26, 1924, and was raised on a small farm near San Angelo.  He served in the Marine Corps towards the end of World War II, but his height (6′,6) disqualified him as a pilot.  He attended the University of Texas after his discharge, and graduated with a degree in history in 1950.  He subsequently studied drama at the University of Southern California, and made his stage debut in a production of Mister Roberts in 1951.  He soon signed with Warner Bros. »

- Jesse

19 March 2010 9:15 AM, PDT | The Guardian - TV News | See recent The Guardian - TV News news »

Rugged Texan actor best known for his roles as Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone

The actor Fess Parker, who has died aged 85, was a quintessential westerner, a tall, rugged, Texas-born athlete turned actor, famous for his portrayals of two frontiersmen, Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone, as well as sheriffs, cowboys and ranchers. He greatly appreciated the commercial rewards of these two title roles, and went on to become a successful businessman.

The Walt Disney studio was the first in Hollywood to move wholeheartedly into television, and had the bright idea of combining three episodes of the Davy Crockett series Parker had made for them in 1954 into a feature. The result, Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier (1955), spawned the craze for coonskin hats and became a box-office hit on the back of its singalong theme. Bill Hayes's recording of The Ballad of Davy Crockett topped the charts for three months, »

- Brian Baxter

18 March 2010 5:18 PM, PDT | The Guardian - Film News | See recent The Guardian - Film News news »

The actor Fess Parker, who has died aged 85, was a quintessential westerner, a tall, rugged, Texas-born athlete turned actor, famous for his portrayals of two frontiersmen, Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone, as well as sheriffs, cowboys and ranchers. He greatly appreciated the commercial success of these two title roles, and himself became a substantial businessman.

The Walt Disney Studio was the first in Hollywood to move wholeheartedly into television, and had the bright idea of combining three episodes of the Davy Crockett series Parker had made for them in 1954 into a feature. The result, Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier (1955), spawned the craze for "racoon-fur" hats and became a box-office hit on the back of its singalong theme - Bill Hayes's recording of The Ballad of Davy Crockett topped the charts for three months, »

- Brian Baxter

18 March 2010 2:11 PM, PDT | digitalspy | See recent digitalspy news »

Fess Parker has died of natural causes at the age of 85. The actor donned a racoon-skinned cap as both Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone in their respective TV series of the 1950s and '60s. A long-time contract player for Disney, Parker starred as an adventurer in movies such as The Great Locomotive Chase, Old Yeller and Westward Ho, The Wagons!. Following (more) »

- By Aaron Broverman

4 items from 2010