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13 reviews in total

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15 out of 17 people found the following review useful:
A great show for all..., 2 December 1999
Author: Dunsmore (dunsmore@crosswinds.net) from Chicago, Illinois, U.S.

"Daniel Boone" is a show that has flown out of almost every pigeonhole into which the TV critics have tried to stuff it.

It's not really a Western (most action takes place East of the Mississippi), but it has all the elements of a classic Western.

Action/Adventure? Sure, lots of it, but with plenty of food for thought provided by the family and social issues that are woven into most plots.

Drama? Yep, but with elements of humor that bring some episodes into the range of Comedy.

History? ahem Well, let's just say that this Dan'l must have lived in an alternate world (see, Science Fiction, too!) where time travel allows for episodes where President George Washington appears one week, while the next week the American War for Independence is still being fought.

Regardless of how one might label this series, "Daniel Boone" is a show that has something for everyone!

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16 out of 20 people found the following review useful:
Part history lesson,Part Western, 9 September 2002
Author: raysond from Chapel Hill, North Carolina

"Daniel Boone" was a show for everyone...First of all this was part Drama,and part Western(sense most of the action takes place East of the Mississippi).......Second,where can you have the President of the United States,George Washington appear one week,then the next week Daniel is fighting against the British in the War for Independence as well as dealing with Pirates and hostile Indians from other tribes,and the following week goes swordsman(like Zorro)against ruthless Spanish tyrannts and generals(which in one episode was Ricardo Montalban and afterwards you'll have a galaxy of villains who was Spanish tyrants that were played by actors Jose Ferrer and of all people Cesar Romero,aka The Joker on Batman)while maintaining peace and restoration of his beloved Kentucky homestead from individuals who were by all means out to destroy his valley?

NOT ON HIS TURF! DANIEL BOONE WAS A MAN, A BIG MAN!!!(Fess Parker)

All aide by his Indian sidekick,Mingo played by Ed Ames and his wife Rebecca,and son Isreal(played by Darby Hinton)and teenaged daughter Jemina(yes,after the pancake mix which was played by Veronica Cartwright in the first season),Daniel Boone maintained the frontier with a mighty hand!

This was part history lesson as well but this show had plenty of non-stop action and adventure each week since it was a eyepopping show with lots of breathtaking scenery of the Mississippi valley where the show was shot but the rest of it was filmed on the backlot at the studios of 20th Century Fox,where the show was produced. The show was on NBC from 1964 until 1970,where 165 episodes were produced(45 episodes from the 1964-1965,season one were in B&W,while seasons 2 thru 6,1965-1970 were in color producing 120 episodes).

However,the episodes I saw which are on videocassette are from the pilot episode(which was filmed in black and white and its first season from the 1964-65 season was also in B&W where the show originally ran on NBC-TV but the show made the transition to color during its 1965-70 run)where we are introduced to Daniel Boone,the pioneer frontiersman and his adventures along the Kentucky wilderness where each day was a fight for survival. One Great Show!!! Catch It!!!

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21 out of 32 people found the following review useful:
Enjoyable, Kid-Friendly & Refreshingly Non-PC!, 29 August 2006

Author: wmarkley from Ohio

The "Daniel Boone" series is uneven in its qualities, but overall its a good program. Fess Parker presents a stoic, humble and admirable Daniel Boone, who fights for fair play. Blood and gore is kept to a minimum, but there is still plenty of adventure and suspense. The acting by lesser characters is sometimes poor, especially in some of the middle and later episodes, but Parker, Ed Ames, Patricia Blair and Dallas McKennon keep things good. And the show is meant to be fun. While it often presents a moral, it doesn't have the dreary, preachy quality that so many shows from the '70s onwards have.

There are historical inaccuracies, such as Eastern Woodland Indians living in teepees rather than wigwams, Whites not always wearing the costumes of the time, a mixed-up chronology, and Daniel having the ability to quickly dash off from Kentucky to the eastern colonies almost at will. And some episodes with historical figures such as Lafayette, Aaron Burr, Beaumarchais and Patrick Henry are fictionalized. On the other hand, the show preserves some of the spirit of the frontier and the period, which is not often seen these days. Also, the real Daniel Boone was a humane, honorable man who was highly respected by many Indians and Whites of his day, as he is portrayed in the series.

Its very striking how different "Daniel Boone" is compared with current-day movies and TV shows. In "Daniel Boone," Daniel and his half-breed friend Mingo are definitely heroes. Mingo, who was taken to England as a boy and educated at Oxford, has a deep love for classical European literature, music and philosophy. The goodness of the American Revolutionary cause is assumed. While some of the enemy British soldiers and Indians are treacherous, several of them are also shown as being decent and honorable. Daniel and many of his friends believe in and fight for freedom, private property, law and civilization. Some of the white frontiersmen are bad, but some are good, and many are just trying to find a better life in Kentucky for their families.

If "Daniel Boone" was produced by the politically-correct and supposedly "open-minded, enlightened" Hollywood people of today, Daniel would be a psychologically-conflicted man, continually fighting his rapacious urges that stem from his white culture. Mingo would decide to go completely native and would be continually ashamed of his British education. Daniel's Indian enemies would be shown as wholly noble and innocent, and they would never commit any atrocities unless in retaliation for worse ones done by the Whites. The American Revolutionaries would get their only legitimate ideas from the Indians. And the worst villains of all would be the English, since in today's Hollywood the pre-Socialist English are considered the world's worst villains ever. Anyone who has closely studied history knows that these politically-correct stereotypes are far from the truth, but its shocking how prevalent they are today.

Therefore, with its flaws, "Daniel Boone" still presents entertaining stories, admirable characters, and some of the fighting spirit and concern for fair play of the past, and that's enough for it to earn good marks with me.

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8 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
The whole series is excellent, 7 June 2007

Author: happyjeanene from United States

I am very pleased with the with the whole series of Daniel Boone. The first and second seasons were package very nice with only 2 disc in a case and a lot of information about the episodes on it. However, when I received the third season, all the disc were in the same case, with very little information. I was disappointed in the packaging, but still pleased with the show itself.It seemed like they cheap ed out on us and are not providing the same quality as was in the beginning. I used to sit with my daddy and watch Daniel Boone way back when it first aired. It is the only show that I know of with the setting of the frontier in the early Revolutionary days. We often forget the sacrifice those people made for us. If there is any other show like it, please tell me. I just preordered the fourth season, and I hope the packaging is better. A great show to watch with your family!!!!!

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12 out of 16 people found the following review useful:
Covered Quite A Range of American History, 28 August 2006

Author: bkoganbing from Buffalo, New York

If the real Daniel Boone ever saw this show from some heavenly perch, he would have been amazed to see just how much was attributed to him. Boone in fact did live a very long life (1734-1820) for his era. But he not only was on the scene for just about every event in American history from the French and Indian War to the Jefferson presidency, but he, his family, and friends, never aged.

I remember back in the day that had Boone involved in the French and Indian War right up to the Aaron Burr conspiracy of 1805. That's about fifty years difference. Boone apparently knew and met just about every important person in that time period. I thought he had enough to do just settling the state of Kentucky and keeping himself and his family alive in dangerous times and places.

But Boone was played with charm and modesty by Fess Parker who after essaying the role of Davy Crockett for Disney seemed like the only choice for this part. The real Daniel Boone by all accounts was a modest and retiring man who was startled by all the fuss made about him. He also lost two sons in fights with the Indians, tragedy dogged him in his long life.

Parker had a good cast of regulars to help him, most notably Ed Ames, lead singer of the Ames brothers who went out on a solo career of his own while the show was running. He made a never to be forgotten appearance on the Tonight Show demonstrating the art of tomahawk throwing and scalping somewhat below decks.

It was a pleasant enough show, but kids if you see the reruns on TV Guide Channel don't cheat on your history homework by watching this.

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7 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
Loved this one., 3 October 2006

Author: szanity from US

I loved this show as a kid and I remember it being on the air all of my childhood. It is full of historical inaccuracies but the fictional relationship between Daniel and Mingo, his half-English, half-Indian friend, makes up for it. Mingo was a unique character. I am watching the DVD's now of the first and second seasons and it's like going home again. The color episodes feature some really nice footage of authentic mountains and streams as you find them in Kentucky. This is a good series to share with young kids. They are not likely to see anything like it on TV again. I'm glad to see that many people agree and have managed to get Daniel Boone out on DVD. Let's hope the remaining seasons are to follow.

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10 out of 14 people found the following review useful:
Historical accuracy? No but who cares., 30 December 2003
Author: yenlo from Auburn, Me

An interesting show that as another reviewer wrote was indeed part history and part western. Historical accuracy? No but who cares it was close enough. On top of all else had it not been for this show then one of the most memorable funny events in television history would not have been possible. The famous Ed Ames (who played Mingo) Tomahawk demonstration toss on the Tonight Show in 1965.

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6 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
The Frontier as Seen By "The Great Society", 29 February 2008
Author: aimless-46 from Kentucky

The 165 one-hour episodes (45 in B&W, 120 in color) of the frontier western "Daniel Boone" originally aired on NBC from 1964-1970. This was an extremely popular baby boomer show that may seem a little odd today due to an uncharacteristic emphasis on racial/ethnic diversity (insert Ed Ames as Mingo and NFL lineman Rosey Grier as Gabe Cooper). But the times were a-changing as the country tried to turn itself into LBJ's "Great Society" and network executives smelled an opportunity to cash in on the baby boomer's budding social awareness.

The series moved between a domestic focus on Boone's family (Patricia Blair as wife Rebecca, Veronica Cartwright as daughter Jemima, and Darby Hinton as his son Israel) to "one-with-the-wilderness"/"the British are evil" themes. The series focused on Boone after he had moved to Kentucky.

Daniel was played by Fess Parker who already had an established coonskin cap franchise from his mid-1950's Disney TV portrayal of Davy Crockett. Boone is played as an even tempered peaceful man who likes to chum around in the woods with Oxford educated Indians and runaway black slaves (see above), your basic 1770's flower child. Other than his confrontations with "the man" (represented by those nasty Redcoats) there is very little messy violence and lots of "Little House on the Prairie" moments.

Cartwright, the most talented of the ensemble, is frustratingly underutilized. Particularly given that the most celebrated event in the real Daniel Boone's life was the rescue of his daughter and her two friends from Indian kidnappers.

Cartwright bailed out after season two, Ames after season four, and Blair after season five. Budding sausage king Jimmy Dean was added as Josh Clements, a character in the tradition Chester and Festus from "Gunsmoke".

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

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2 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Where have shows like this gone?, 21 March 2010

Author: MovieBuffMarine from Nova

I just recently started watching the re-runs on the Retro Television Network. While I know it's mostly fiction, this is family entertainment at its finest. Again, while fiction, this show gets you interested in an American icon. I found myself looking up Daniel Boone on the net. My daughter even got interested and did a little report on Boone (not from material in the show, but she went to her school library and started reading about him)!

A shame I only knew of this show's existence recently, and as I got into the show, I was saddened to hear of Fess Parker's passing just three days ago.

Shows like this are gone as with Mr. Parker. But re-runs and DVD and Blue-ray have made it possible for future generations to appreciate this fine show for family entertainment.

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3 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
The whole series is excellent, 7 June 2007

Author: happyjeanene from United States

I am very pleased with the with the whole series of Daniel Boone. The first and second seasons were package very nice with only 2 disc in a case and a lot of information about the episodes on it. However, when I received the third season, all the disc were in the same case, with very little information. I was disappointed in the packaging, but still pleased with the show itself.It seemed like they cheap ed out on us and are not providing the same quality as was in the beginning. I used to sit with my daddy and watch Daniel Boone way back when it first aired. It is the only show that I know of with the setting of the frontier in the early Revolutionary days. We often forget the sacrifice those people made for us. If there is any other show like it, please tell me. I just preordered the fourth season, and I hope the packaging is better. A great show to watch with your family!!!!!

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