Fess Parker
Fess Parker | |
---|---|
Davy Crockett | |
Spouse |
Marcella Belle Rinehart
(m. 1960) |
Children | 2 |
Website | fessparker |
Fess Elisha Parker Jr. (born F. E. Parker Jr.;
Early years
Parker was born in Fort Worth, Texas, and raised on a farm in Tom Green County near San Angelo.[5] His father – born Fess Parker but later added the initial "E." – was a tax assessor. The name Fess had been given to him in honor of the educator and politician Simeon D. Fess.[1] The future actor decided to change his name from F.E. Parker Jr. to Fess Elisha Parker Jr. He selected the middle name himself, when he was a teenager (about 1937), because it sounded rhythmic and matched his middle initial.[1]
He enlisted in the
Discharged in 1946, he enrolled at
Career
Parker began his show-business career in the summer of 1951 when he had a $32-a-week job as an extra in the play Mister Roberts,[9] although he is credited with the voice of Leslie, the chauffeur, in the 1950 film Harvey. Within months, he was on location with a minor part in Untamed Frontier with Joseph Cotten and Shelley Winters.
Parker became a contract player with
In another 1954 appearance, Parker was cast as Curt Morrison, a cowboy/militia-marshal patrolling the land rush in the New Mexico Territory, in the episode "The Kickapoo Run" on the syndicated anthology series Death Valley Days. In the 1961 Death Valley Days episode "A Miracle at Whiskey Gulch", Parker portrayed the Reverend Joel H. Todd, who tries to instill Christian principles in a wild frontier town.[citation needed]
Davy Crockett
According to Parker himself, when the Walt Disney Company was seeking an actor to play Davy Crockett,
During the screening of this film, Walt Disney looked past Arness and discovered Parker. Disney was impressed by Parker's portrayal of a man who was unswerving in his belief in what he saw despite the forces of authority against him. Parker was asked to drop by the Disney Studio. When he did, he brought his guitar, met Disney, sang a song, and then said goodbye. Several weeks later, Parker was informed that he had been selected over Arness and several others for the role, including Buddy Ebsen, who eventually played Crockett's sidekick, Georgie Russell.[10]
Disney's three-episode version of Crockett depicted his exploits as a frontiersman, congressman, and tragic hero of the
Parker became a contract star for Disney and appeared in
Parker was dissatisfied with Disney's proposal to use him only in a small role in Tonka. He was put on suspension for refusing the role, and subsequently left Disney.[12]
Post Disney
Parker made guest appearances on many television programs, and composed and sang. He performed the occasional role of Tom Conrad, editor of the Diablo Courier in the
Parker was contracted to
In 1962, he starred in the title role of the TV series Mr Smith Goes to Washington, portraying the same idealistic character that James Stewart had played in the 1939 film. Parker took to the stage in 1963, in a traveling production of Oklahoma! as Curly. The movie roles he sought were elusive.[10] In 1966, Parker starred in the movie Smoky, directed by George Sherman where he played the role of Clint Barkley, who finds a black stallion named Smoky, a wild stallion who eventually becomes a wonderful cutting horse and the best friend an old cowboy could ever want.
Daniel Boone
Parker's Daniel Boone television series portraying another historic figure of America's frontier days began filming in 1964. Over its six years (1964 to 1970) as one of the highest-rated shows of its time, Parker was not only the star of the series, but also the co-producer and director of five of its most popular episodes.[14]
Turning down the title role of McCloud, Parker retired from acting at the age of 49 after a sitcom pilot called The Fess Parker Show was broadcast on March 28, 1974, but was not subsequently picked up by the network.
Awards
Fess Parker was nominated for best new personality
In 1991, he was named a
In 2003, Parker received the Texas Cultural Trust's "Texas Medal of Arts Award", established only the year before.[16][17]
For his work with Disney, Parker was honored in December 2004 with his own tribute window on a façade in the Frontierland section of Disneyland.[18]
Business and politics
Parker became interested in opening a Davy Crockett-themed amusement park. In the late 1960s, he optioned land in northern Kentucky at the intersection of Interstates 71 and 75, with the intention of building Frontier Worlds. However, when the
Fess Parker Winery
After his acting career, Parker devoted much of his time to operating his Fess Parker Family Winery and Vineyards in Los Olivos, California.[22] The winery is owned and operated by Parker's family, and has produced several different types of award-winning wines. Parker's son, Eli, is president and director of winemaking and vineyard operations, while daughter, Ashley, is vice president of marketing and sales.[22][23]
The Parker operation includes over 1,500 acres (610 ha) of vineyards, and a tasting room and visitor center along the Foxen Canyon Wine Trail. In addition to wine, the winery is known for selling coonskin caps and bottle toppers inspired by Parker's Crockett and Boone characters, and for its appearance under another name in the movie Sideways. In reminiscence of his acting days, Parker's wine labels have a logo of a golden coonskin cap.[24]
Politics
In 1985, Parker briefly flirted with running in 1986 for the
Personal life and death
Parker married Marcella Belle Rinehart on January 18, 1960. They had two children, Fess Elisha Parker III and Ashley Allen Rinehart, along with 11 grandchildren and a great-grandson.[14] Fess served in the navy during WWII.[27]
Parker died of natural causes on March 18, 2010, at his home in Santa Ynez, California, near the Fess Parker Winery. He is buried in the Santa Barbara Cemetery with a simple headstone, and a coonskin hat inscribed below his name.[2][28]
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1943 | We've Never Been Licked | Uncredited 1st screen appearance, may be glimped in crowd scenes | |
1950 | Harvey | Leslie | Voice, Uncredited |
1952 | No Room for the Groom | Cousin Ben | Uncredited |
Untamed Frontier | Clem McCloud | ||
Springfield Rifle
|
Jim Randolph | Uncredited | |
1953 | Man on a Tightrope | Checkpoint Soldier | Uncredited |
Take Me to Town | Long John | Uncredited | |
The Kid from Left Field | McDougal | ||
Island in the Sky | Fitch's Co-Pilot | Uncredited | |
Thunder Over the Plains | Kirby | ||
1954 | Dragonfly Squadron | Texas Lieutenant | Uncredited |
Them! | Alan Crotty | ||
The Bounty Hunter | Wild Cowboy at Finale | Uncredited | |
1955 | Battle Cry | Pvt. Speedy | |
Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier
|
Davy Crockett | ||
1956 | The Great Locomotive Chase
|
James J. Andrews | |
Davy Crockett and the River Pirates | Davy Crockett | ||
Westward Ho, The Wagons!
|
John 'Doc' Grayson | ||
1957 | Old Yeller
|
Jim Coates | |
1958 | The Light in the Forest | Del Hardy | |
1959 | The Hangman | Sheriff Buck Weston | |
Alias Jesse James | Davy Crockett | Uncredited | |
The Jayhawkers! | Cam Bleeker | ||
1962 | Hell Is for Heroes | Sgt. Pike | |
1966 | Smoky | Clint Barkley | |
Daniel Boone: Frontier Trail Rider | Daniel Boone | ||
1972 | Climb an Angry Mountain | Sheriff Elisha Cooper | TV movie[29] |
Television
- Dragnet: The Big Winchester (March 5, 1954 - Season 3, Episode 27)
- "Annie Oakley: (May 8th, 1954), Annie and the Texas Sandman"
- Death Valley Days: (1954) Season 2, Ep 15, Kickapoo Run
- Davy Crockett(miniseries 1954–1955)
- City Detective(1 episode, 1955)
- Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1962–1963)
- Alfred Hitchcock Hour"Nothing Ever Happens in Linvale," as Sheriff Ben Wister (1963)
- Daniel Boone (lead cast member from 1964 to 1970, with Ed Ames, Patricia Blair, Darby Hinton, and Veronica Cartwright)
- Climb an Angry Mountain (1972)
- The Fess Parker Show (1974) (unsold pilot)
- Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure (2007) (as himself, discussing wine making)
See also
References
- ^ a b c Weaver, Tom. Sci-Fi Swarm and Horror Horde: Interviews with 62 Filmmakers, p. 148 (McFarland 2012).
- ^ a b c (March 18, 2010) Daniel Boone Actor Fess Parker Dies at 85" CBS News; Accessed March 18, 2010.
- ^ Obituary London Guardian, March 19, 2010.
- ^ Obituary London Independent, March 25, 2010.
- ^ "Disney Legends Award: Fess Parker-1991" Disney.com
- ^ "Davy Crockett actor Fess Parker dies, aged 85". BBC. March 19, 2010.
- ^ Duke, Alan (March 18, 2010). "'Daniel Boone' star Fess Parker dies". CNN.
- ^ a b c Remembering Fess Parker The Alcalde, Vol. 91 (no. 6), pg 34–37, University of Texas via Internet Archive. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
- ^ The Los Angeles Times. Archived from the originalon June 4, 2011. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
- ^ a b c d Richard Severo (March 19, 2010) "Fess Parker, Who as Davy Crockett Set Off Coonskin Cap Craze, Dies at 85", The New York Times Accessed March 19, 2010
- ^ Fess Parker Interview Playset Magazine #34
- ^ "MichaelBarrier.com – Interviews: Fess Parker". Michaelbarrier.com. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
- ^ "Annie Oakley". tvacres.com. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved January 11, 2010.
- ^ a b Official Website Biography Page Archived June 23, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Accessed March 18, 2010
- ^ Tom O'Neil (March 18, 2010) "Fess Parker had that cool coonskin cap – who needs an Emmy?" Archived March 22, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, Los Angeles Times, Accessed March 19, 2010
- ^ "Talented Texans to be Honored". The Houston Chronicle. Associated Press. February 7, 2003. p. 2. Retrieved January 22, 2008.
- PRNewswire, Accessed March 19, 2010
- ^ Heather Hust Rivera (December 18, 2009) "Did You Miss It? Davy Crockett’s Window in Frontierland" Disney Accessed May 25, 2010
- ^ "Riding History To The Limits – The Concept". CET. August 26, 2009. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
- ^ "Coney Island History". Coney Island. Archived from the original on October 9, 2015. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
- ^ Suess, Jeff. "Northern Kentucky's Frontier Worlds theme park lost to Kings Island". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Gannett. Archived from the original on June 14, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
- ^ a b Official Fess Parker Website fessparker.com
- ^ Loe, David (June 1, 2018). "Renovated Santa Barbara resort will no longer carry Fess Parker name". Ventura County Star. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
- ^ Eric Lindberg (March 18, 2010)"Fess Parker, famed actor and hotelier, dies at 85" Archived March 23, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, The Daily Sound, Accessed March 19, 2010
- ^ "Fess Parker Has Eye on Senate". Los Angeles Times. August 9, 1985. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
- ^ "He Died as Davy Crockett at the Alamo, but Actor Fess Parker Lives Oh as a California Hotel Baron". People.com. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
- ^ "Fess Elisha Parker Jr". Hardin-Simmons University. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
- ^ "Fess Parker dies – played Davy Crockett - Around Disney : The Orange County Register". Archived from the original on March 22, 2010. Retrieved March 19, 2010.
- ^ Climb An Angry Mountain 1972, YouTube