Davy Crockett and the River Pirates
Encyclopedia
Davy Crockett and the River Pirates is a 1956 live-action
Walt Disney
adventure film
starring Fess Parker
as Davy Crockett
. It was shot in Cave-In-Rock, Illinois
. This film acts as a prequel
to 1955's Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier
and is an edited compilation
of the fourth and fifth stories featuring the Disney television series
Davy Crockett
:
as they make their way to the Mississippi River
after a successful season of trapping and hunting in Kentucky
. There they encounter Mike Fink
, a blowhard
keelboat
captain
who refuses to take them downriver, unless they pay a ridiculously high fee. That evening, Fink gets Georgie drunk and convinces him to keelboat race down the Mississippi with the season's pelts as wager.
Crockett uses his notoriety to put together a crew and the race begins. Overcoming numerous obstacles along with Fink's dirty tricks, Crockett wins the race but amiably waives his claim on Fink's share of the wager. In gratitude, Fink challenge
s Crockett and Russel in a keelboat race to New Orleans, Louisiana
.
named Colonel Plug who unknown to them is in league with local river bandits. On their way to get horses from friendly Chickasaw
tribesmen, Crockett and Russel are kidnapped by a group of Chickasaws because white men have been murdering members of their tribe. Both Crockett and Fink discover that the river pirates led by Samuel Mason
and the Harpe brothers
are masquerading as Native Americans
as they loot passing boats from a riverside Cave-In-Rock.
Crockett and Russel find their way into the lair, and in the ensuing battle several kegs of gunpowder are exploded, sealing the cave. The victorious heroes escape unscathed with the subdued villains in tow.
Live action
In filmmaking, video production, and other media, the term live action refers to cinematography, videography not produced using animation...
Walt Disney
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
adventure film
Adventure film
Adventure films are a genre of film.Unlike pure, low-budget action films they often use their action scenes preferably to display and explore exotic locations in an energetic way....
starring Fess Parker
Fess Parker
Fess Elisha Parker, Jr. was an American film and television actor best known for his portrayals of Davy Crockett in the Walt Disney 1955-56 TV mini-series and as TV's Daniel Boone from 1964-70...
as Davy Crockett
Davy Crockett
David "Davy" Crockett was a celebrated 19th century American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier and politician. He is commonly referred to in popular culture by the epithet "King of the Wild Frontier". He represented Tennessee in the U.S...
. It was shot in Cave-In-Rock, Illinois
Cave-In-Rock, Illinois
Cave-In-Rock is a village in Hardin County, Illinois, United States. Its principal feature and attraction is a large nearby cave on the banks of the Ohio River. Cave-in-Rock was originally a stronghold for outlaws including; river pirates and highwaymen, Samuel Mason and James Ford, tavern...
. This film acts as a prequel
Prequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
to 1955's Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier
Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier
Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier is a 1955 live-action Walt Disney adventure film starring Fess Parker as Davy Crockett. This film is an edited compilation of the first three stories from the Disney television series Davy Crockett :...
and is an edited compilation
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
of the fourth and fifth stories featuring the Disney television series
Disney anthology television series
The Walt Disney anthology television series refers to a television series which has been produced by the Walt Disney Company under several different titles from 1955 to 2008...
Davy Crockett
Davy Crockett (TV miniseries)
Davy Crockett is a five part serial which aired on ABC in one-hour episodes on the Disneyland series. The series stars Fess Parker as real-life frontiersman Davy Crockett and Buddy Ebsen as his fictional best friend, George Russel....
:
- Davy Crockett's Keelboat Race (first broadcast November 16, 1955)
- Davy Crockett and the River Pirates (first broadcast December 14, 1955)
Keelboat Race
Davy Crockett and George "Georgie" Russel are loaded with peltsFur
Fur is a synonym for hair, used more in reference to non-human animals, usually mammals; particularly those with extensives body hair coverage. The term is sometimes used to refer to the body hair of an animal as a complete coat, also known as the "pelage". Fur is also used to refer to animal...
as they make their way to the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
after a successful season of trapping and hunting in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. There they encounter Mike Fink
Mike Fink
Mike Fink called "king of the keelboaters", was a semi-legendary brawler and boatman who exemplified the tough and hard-drinking men who ran keelboats up and down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers....
, a blowhard
Blowhard
Blowhard may refer to:*A braggart, see also Bloviate*Blowhard , member of The Tunnelers group of Marvel Comics mutants*Blowhard , fictional character*A duel level in the Nintendo 64 game Mario Party 3....
keelboat
Keelboat
Keelboat has two distinct meanings related to two different types of boats: one a riverine cargo-capable working boat, and the other a classification for small- to mid-sized recreational sailing yachts.-Historical keel-boats:...
captain
Captain (nautical)
A sea captain is a licensed mariner in ultimate command of the vessel. The captain is responsible for its safe and efficient operation, including cargo operations, navigation, crew management and ensuring that the vessel complies with local and international laws, as well as company and flag...
who refuses to take them downriver, unless they pay a ridiculously high fee. That evening, Fink gets Georgie drunk and convinces him to keelboat race down the Mississippi with the season's pelts as wager.
Crockett uses his notoriety to put together a crew and the race begins. Overcoming numerous obstacles along with Fink's dirty tricks, Crockett wins the race but amiably waives his claim on Fink's share of the wager. In gratitude, Fink challenge
Challenge
Challenge is a United Kingdom digital TV channel that mostly airs programmes dedicated to gameshows. It is owned by British Sky Broadcasting. The channel mostly transmits repeats of programmes acquired from UK terrestrial channel archives and a few from around the world Challenge is a United...
s Crockett and Russel in a keelboat race to New Orleans, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
.
River Pirates
Along the way, the men pick up a traveling minstrelMinstrel
A minstrel was a medieval European bard who performed songs whose lyrics told stories of distant places or of existing or imaginary historical events. Although minstrels created their own tales, often they would memorize and embellish the works of others. Frequently they were retained by royalty...
named Colonel Plug who unknown to them is in league with local river bandits. On their way to get horses from friendly Chickasaw
Chickasaw
The Chickasaw are Native American people originally from the region that would become the Southeastern United States...
tribesmen, Crockett and Russel are kidnapped by a group of Chickasaws because white men have been murdering members of their tribe. Both Crockett and Fink discover that the river pirates led by Samuel Mason
Samuel Mason
Samuel Mason or Meason was a Revolutionary War militia captain on the frontier, who following the war, became the leader of a gang of river pirates and highwaymen on the lower Ohio River and the Mississippi River in the late 18th and early 19th centuries...
and the Harpe brothers
Harpe brothers
Micajah "Big" Harpe and Wiley "Little" Harpe , pronounced and , were murderers, highwaymen, and river pirates, who operated in Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, and Mississippi in the late 18th century...
are masquerading as Native Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
as they loot passing boats from a riverside Cave-In-Rock.
Crockett and Russel find their way into the lair, and in the ensuing battle several kegs of gunpowder are exploded, sealing the cave. The victorious heroes escape unscathed with the subdued villains in tow.
Cast
- Fess ParkerFess ParkerFess Elisha Parker, Jr. was an American film and television actor best known for his portrayals of Davy Crockett in the Walt Disney 1955-56 TV mini-series and as TV's Daniel Boone from 1964-70...
as Davy CrockettDavy CrockettDavid "Davy" Crockett was a celebrated 19th century American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier and politician. He is commonly referred to in popular culture by the epithet "King of the Wild Frontier". He represented Tennessee in the U.S... - Buddy EbsenBuddy EbsenBuddy Ebsen was an American character actor and dancer. A performer for seven decades, he had starring roles as Jed Clampett in the long-running television series The Beverly Hillbillies and as the title character in the 1970s detective series Barnaby Jones, and played Barnaby Jones in the movie...
as George "Georgie" Russel - Jeff YorkJeff YorkJeff York was an American film and television actor who began his career in the late 1930s using his given name Granville Owen Schofield...
as Mike FinkMike FinkMike Fink called "king of the keelboaters", was a semi-legendary brawler and boatman who exemplified the tough and hard-drinking men who ran keelboats up and down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.... - Kenneth TobeyKenneth TobeyKenneth Tobey was an American stage, television, and film actor.-Early years:Born in Oakland, California, Tobey was headed for a law career when he first dabbled in acting at the University of California Little Theater...
as Jocko - Clem BevansClem BevansClem Bevans was a character actor best remembered for playing eccentric, grumpy old men.Bevans had a very long career, starting in vaudeville in 1900 in an act with Grace Emmett. He progressed to burlesque, Broadway, and even light opera, before making his film debut at the age of 55 in Way Down...
as Captain Cobb - Irvin Ashkenazy as Moose
- Mort MillsMort MillsMort Mills was an American film and television actor who had roles in over 200 movies and television episodes. He was often the town lawman or the local bad guy in many popular westerns of the 1950s and 1960s. From 1957-1959 he had a recurring co-starring role as Marshal Frank Tallman in Man...
as Samuel MasonSamuel MasonSamuel Mason or Meason was a Revolutionary War militia captain on the frontier, who following the war, became the leader of a gang of river pirates and highwaymen on the lower Ohio River and the Mississippi River in the late 18th and early 19th centuries... - Paul Newlan as Big Harpe
- Frank RichardsFrank RichardsFrank Richards may refer to:*Frank "Cannonball" Richards, vaudeville performer*the pseudonym of Charles Hamilton , writer of the Billy Bunter stories...
as Little Harpe - Hank WordenHank WordenHank Worden was an American cowboy-turned-character-actor who appeared in many Westerns.-Biography:...
as FiddlerFiddlerA fiddler is a person who plays a fiddle or violin.Fiddler may also refer to:*Fabrangen Fiddlers, an American musical group founded in 1971*Tupolev Tu-28 "Fiddler", a fighter aircraft*Fiddler , a DC Comics villain... - Dick CrockettDick CrockettDick Crockett , born Richard DeHart Crockett, was an American television and film actor, stunt performer, stunt coordinator, producer, and director....
as Ben - Troy Melton as Hank
- Douglass DumbrilleDouglass DumbrilleDouglass Dumbrille was a Canadian actor and one of the Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood.-Life and career:...
as Saloon owner (uncredited) - Walter CatlettWalter CatlettWalter Catlett was an American actor. As a San Francisco citizen, he started out in vaudeville with a detour for a while in opera before breaking into films.-Early career:...
as Colonel Plug - William BakewellWilliam BakewellWilliam Bakewell , also known as Billy Bakewell, was an American actor, who achieved his greatest fame as one of the premiere juvenile performers of the late 1920s and early 1930s.-Life and career:...
as Keelboat Race Master of Ceremonies (uncredited cameo) - William FawcettWilliam Fawcett (actor)William "Bill" Fawcett was a character actor in Hollywood B-films and in television. His career extended from 1946 until the early 1970s. He is probably best remembered for his role as the cantankerous, rusty-voiced Pete Wilkey of the Broken Wheel Ranch on the NBC series Fury, co-starring Peter...
as Old Timer with Livestock (uncredited) - George J. LewisGeorge J. LewisGeorge J. Lewis was a Mexican-born actor who appeared in many films and eventually TV series from the 1920s through the 1960s, usually specializing in westerns...
as Chief Black Eagle (uncredited) - Mike MazurkiMike MazurkiMike Mazurki was an Austrian-born American actor and professional wrestler who appeared in over 100 movies. His towering 6' 5" presence and intimidating face usually got him roles playing tough guys, thugs, strong men, and gangsters.Mazurki was born as Mikhail Mazurkevych in Tarnopol, Galicia,...
as Unnamed character (uncredited)
Songs
- "The Ballad Of Davy Crockett" Words by Tom Blackburn, Music by George Bruns, sung by The WellingtonsThe Wellingtons (folk group)The Wellingtons were a folk singing group who performed the title songs for multiple television programs, including "Gilligan's Island" and "Davy Crockett." They were also regulars on the television series "Shindig!"...
- "King Of The River" - Lyrics by Tom Blackburn, Music by George Bruns, sung by Jeff York
- "Yaller, Yaller Gold" - Lyrics by Tom Blackburn, Music by George Bruns, sung by Walter Catlett and The Wellingtons