Fess Parker

Fess Elisha Parker, Jr. (born August 16, 1924) is an American film and television actor best known for his 1950s portrayals of Davy Crockett for Walt Disney and of Daniel Boone in the late 1960s. He is also known as a wine maker and resort owner-operator.

Biography

Early years

Parker was born in Fort Worth, Texas, and grew up on a small farm outside San Angelo, TX.^[1] He served in the U.S. Marine Corps at the end of World War II. He joined to become a pilot, but was turned down for being too tall (six feet, six inches) for a pilot.

After being discharged, he was stabbed in the neck by a drunken driver during a post-collision argument. Parker required many months of rehabilitation, but was unable to participate in sports to the extent he desired.

At the University of Texas he was initiated into the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity in 1948. Parker graduated from the University in 1950 with a history degree, and then moved to California, where he studied drama at the University of Southern California.

Career

Parker began his show-business career in the play Mister Roberts in 1951, although he is credited with the voice of Leslie, the chauffeur, in the 1950 film Harvey.

Parker became a contract player with Warner Brothers appearing in small roles in several films such as Springfield Rifle (1952), Island in the Sky, The Bounty Hunter and Battle Cry. In 1954, he appeared as Grat Dalton in the Jim Davis western anthology Stories of the Century in the episode The Dalton Brothers.

There is an interesting story from Parker himself. When Walt Disney Company was looking for their "Davy Crockett," they originally considered James Arness for the title role. Parker had recently graduated to a contract weekly actor, but listened to his agent, so he appeared instead in a B movie called Them! that required only one day's work. He had a small scene in the movie, that of a pilot put into an insane asylum after claiming his plane had been downed by giant flying insects. Arness appeared in a larger role in the same film.

It was during a screening of this film that Walt Disney discovered Fess Parker. Disney was impressed when Parker, a pilot who had seen flying giant ants was imprisoned in an insane asylum by the authorities so as not to panic the population. Unswerving in his belief in what he saw despite the forces of authority against him impressed Disney over many other major stars considered for the role such as Arness, George Montgomery, and Buddy Ebsen who eventually played Georgie Russel. Parker was asked to drop by the Disney Studio. When he did, he brought his guitar, met Walt, sang a song, and then said his goodbye. A couple of weeks later he was told that he had been selected to play Davy Crockett.

He was subsequently hired by the Walt Disney Studios in 1954 to play the legendary Davy Crockett in three episodes depicting his exploits as frontiersman, congressman, and heroic figure of the Alamo (in the first television miniseries though the term had not yet been coined). Davy Crockett was a tremendous hit with children, and led to a merchandising frenzy for all things Crockett.

Parker became a contract star for Disney appearing in many films such as The Great Locomotive Chase, Old Yeller, and Westward Ho, The Wagons! but complained they were all the same role. Disney refused to loan out Parker for roles not of his persona, such as The Searchers and Bus Stop.^[2]

Parker made guest appearances on many television programs; and composed and sang music. In 1962 Parker starred in the title role of the TV series Mr Smith Goes to Washington and from 1964 to 1970 he starred in the NBC series Daniel Boone, portraying another historic figure of America's frontier days. Turning down the title role of McCloud, Parker retired from the film industry in the 1970s, after a short-lived 1974 sitcom, The Fess Parker Show.

In 2003, Parker received the Texas Cultural Trust's Texas Medal of Arts, established only the year before.^[3]

Fess Parker Winery

The Fess Parker Winery in Los Olivos, California.

Parker currently devotes most of his time operating his Fess Parker Family Winery and Vineyards^[4] in Los Olivos, California. The winery is owned and operated by Parker and his family, and has produced several different types of award-winning wines.

Parker's operation includes over 1,500 acres (6.1 km²) of vineyards, and a tasting room and visitor center along the Foxen Canyon Wine Trail. In addition to wine, Parker is known for selling coon skin caps and bottle toppers at his winery (inspired by his Crockett and Boone characters).

Personal life

Parker married Marcella Belle Rinehart on January 18, 1960. They have two children: Fess Elisha III and Ashley Allen Rinehart.

Filmography

The handprints of Fess Parker in front of Hollywood Hills Amphitheater at Walt Disney World's Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park.

• Harvey (1950)
• No Room for the Groom (1952)
• Untamed Frontier (1952)
• Springfield Rifle (1952)
• Take Me to Town (1953)
• The Kid from Left Field (1953)
• Island in the Sky (1953)
• Thunder Over the Plains (1953)
• Dragonfly Squadron (1954)
• Them! (1954)
• The Bounty Hunter (1954)
• Battle Cry (1955)
• Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier (1955)
• The Great Locomotive Chase (1956)
• Davy Crockett and the River Pirates (1956)
• Westward Ho, The Wagons! (1956)
• Old Yeller (1957)
• The Light in the Forest (1958)
• The Hangman (1959)
• Alias Jesse James (1959)
• The Jayhawkers! (1959)
• Hell Is for Heroes (1962)
• Smoky (1966)
• Daniel Boone: Frontier Trail Rider (1966)

Television

• City Detective, (1 episode, 1955)
• Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1962-1963)
• Daniel Boone (lead cast member from 1964-1970, with Ed Ames, Patricia Blair, Darby Hinton, and Veronica Cartwright)
• Climb an Angry Mountain (1972)
• The Fess Parker Show (1974) (unsold pilot)

References

External links

• Official bio and winery information
• Fess Parker at the Internet Movie Database
• Fess Parker at TV.com
• Fess Parker's Resort
• Interview with Fess Parker
• Archive of American Television Interview with Fess Parker July 24, 2000 (video)