Jesus and Davey Crockett
Title: Jesus and Davey Crockett
Subject: Commitment
"KING OF THE WILD FRONTIER"
An Essay by Dale Freeman
Copyright 2006 Dale Freeman
Age teaches with defiant abruptness that some dreams won't be coming true. I'll never fly a plane, become fluent in another language, climb Mount Everest, or preach to fifty thousand people in an arena. I wish that admitting it somehow made me feel better. I wish.
Add to this list another heartfelt desire that I share with countless other sixty year old boys. For fifty years I have longed to meet Fess Parker in person.
Fess Elija Parker Jr.? That 6''5" guy who was the Dad in Old Yeller and played Daniel Boone on network television for a few years in the 60''s? The 82 year old retired business tycoon who purchased 714 acres of real estate north of Santa Barbara, California to build the highly successful kingdom known as the Fess Parker Winery and Vineyard?
That Fess Parker?
No, the Fess Parker who was discovered by Walt Disney and signed to play Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier! That Fess Parker!
Born on a mountain top in Tennessee
The greenest state in the land of the free
Raised in the woods so's he know''d ev''ry tree
Kilt him a b''ar when he was only three
Davy, Davy Crockett, king of the wild frontier
In 1955 I met Jesus and Davy Crockett.
It sounds strange to include them in the same sentence, and yet both had an undeniable impact on the life of an imaginative ten year old boy. It was during the Frontierland segment of Walt's Disneyland TV show that I was first introduced not only to "Tall tales and true from the legendary west," but also to America''s first real marketing frenzy and the cultural phenomenon that swept across the nation like wildfire dragging millions of coonskin cap laden lads in its wake.
I watched as Davy mounted up along side his ballad singin'' best friend Georgie Russel (Buddy Ebsen) to hunt down marauding Indians for Old Hickory hisself, Andy Jackson.
Fought single-handed through the injun wars
Till the Creeks was whipped and peace was in store
And while he was handlin'' this risky chore
He made himself a legend forever more
Davy, Davy Crockett, the man who knew no fear
Davy, Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier.
I watched with pride as he got hisself elected to Congress and went to Washington where he learned more than he hankered to about politickin'' and the ornery critters that sometimes do it fer a livin''.
He went off to Congress and served a spell
Fixin'' up the Government and the laws as well
Took over Washington, so I heard tell
And he patched up the crack in the Liberty Bell
Davy, Davy Crockett, seeing his duty clear,
Davy, Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier.
Finally, after learnin'' of the passin'' of his wife, he headed off to a place called Texas with Georgie, a cheatin'' gambler named Thimblerig, and a hard luck mute Indian they picked up along the trail. As it turned out, liberty was in trouble near a little dusty town called San Antonio.
When he came home his politic''ing was done
And the western march had just begun
So he packed his gear and his trusty gun
And lit out a-grinnin'' to follow the sun
Davy, Davy Crockett, leading the pioneer
Davy, Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier.
I cried real tears as Davy and his friends joined up with other brave men fighting an evil dictator named Santa Ana in a fortified mission called the Alamo. Greatly outnumbered, Davy and his friends fought a valiant fight, but...
The story books say they were call cut low
But the truth of it is, it just ain''t so
Their spirits will live and their legend grow
As long as we remember the Alamo.
Davy, Davy Crockett, and Crockett''s Company
Davy, Davy Crockett, fighting for liberty!
During the long months following those three 40 minute black and white television adventures, I was Davy Crockett. Donning my coonskin cap, I hunted b''ar in the apple orchards of Washington state, grinnin'' em'' down if I could, and rasslin'' them down if I couldn't. I fought off persistent bands of savages intent on scalping my mother, and sang every verse of the tune that had been cleverly written about me. I loaded my flintlock rifle I named "Old Betsy" with caps, blew a tune on my official powder horn, read of my further adventures in comic books, and carried my lunch to school in a treasured container sporting my colorful likeness emblazoned on both tin box and thermos.
Of course, as an avid student of history through the years, I ultimately learned a lot about the real Davy Crockett. Born near Limestone, Tennessee in 1786, he did fight the Indians and became a media hero in his own time through his penchant for telling tall tales.
"I''m half-horse, half-alligator, and a little attached with a snappin'' turtle. I've got the fastest horse, the prettiest sister, the surest rifle and the ugliest dog in the country. My father can lick any man in Kentucky...and I can lick my father."
The Whig party adopted him as a political symbol, and he was soon swept into Congress "to serve a spell", although there is little factual data about his work "patching up the crack in the Liberty Bell." He did die with other courageous men fighting at the Alamo, and that sealed the deal on his legendary prominence.
I realize that the real Crockett sported some "warts and all," and was probably much more like Billy Bob Thornton's portrayal in the most recent movie documenting that faithful battle. But, I also remember the opinion voiced by a character in the closing moments of John Ford's epic motion picture The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.
"When the legend becomes fact, print the legend."
I'm thankful that Walt Disney did exactly that! What I needed as a boy wasn''t a history lesson. I longed for a hero who stood for something, and a role model who offered qualities identified with a person of character.
After Davy had beat the Indian leader Red Stick in combat he extended a hand of friendship. The Chief inquired, "Why you no kill me?" Davy replied, "Maybe because of another law. We have trouble livin'' up to it, but it ain't bad for red man or white: thou shalt not kill." Through that I learned a little about forgiving my enemies, and the application of grace in either victory or defeat.
When Davy went to Washington, he sacrificed his own career standing up for the rights of the Indians who had once been his foes. Through that I learned that sometimes the needs of others supersede our own, and there are some things worth taking a stand for no matter what the cost.
When Davy arrived at the Alamo he was greeted by the legendary Jim Bowie. "Two acres of walls to defend." Bowie reported. "It'll take a thousand troops to man the garrison completely." Davy leaned on his trusty rifle, Old Betsy, and replied, "Two hundred stubborn men can do a terrible lot of fighting." Through that I learned that sometimes you might be greatly outnumbered in life, and that ultimately it's "the fight in the man" that matters the most.
During the siege of the Alamo, Davy and his friend Georgi had a falling out about something stupid. Ultimately, both men stepped across the line and met in the middle, willing to put the past where it belonged and face the future together. I don't need to tell you what I learned from that exchange.
Just before the final deadly attack by Santa Ana's army, Davy sat beside a crackling fire and sang a song. In it was mirrored the emotions of many a mortal man who has left friends and family behind to fight on behalf of others on foreign soil.
Farewell to the mountains whose mazes to me
Were more beautiful far than Eden could be;
No fruit was forbidden, but Nature had spread
Her bountiful board, and her children were fed.
The home I forsake where my offspring arose:
The graves I forsake where my children repose,
The home I redeem''d from the savage and wild;
The home I have loved as a father his child;
The wife of my bosom -- Farewell to ye all!
In the land of the stranger I rise -- or I fall.
Of course the true and lasting friend that I made in 1955 was my Lord Jesus. Only He could have provided the love and grace needed to step from the shadow of sin and separation into the light of freedom and life. Truly, everyday with Jesus has been sweeter than the day before, and it has been my joyous privilege to proclaim God's love expressed through His Son all over the world.
But, there has also remained in me some qualities for which I am thankful that can be traced back to Davy. That's what I'll never be able to tell Fess Parker.
"Thanks Fess! While playing a part and furthering your career, you unknowingly invested something in the moral fiber of a man in the making."
I can remember singing the song every morning as I dressed for school.
Be sure you''re right, and then go ahead.
Be sure you''re right, and then go ahead.
It's up to you to do what Davy Crockett said.
It's up to you to do what Davy Crockett said.
Life came ahead and the years passed. Sometimes I was sure, and sometimes I wasn't. But, either way I met life like Davy would have wanted.
"I went ahead!"
An Essay by Dale Freeman
Copyright 2006 Dale Freeman
Age teaches with defiant abruptness that some dreams won't be coming true. I'll never fly a plane, become fluent in another language, climb Mount Everest, or preach to fifty thousand people in an arena. I wish that admitting it somehow made me feel better. I wish.
Add to this list another heartfelt desire that I share with countless other sixty year old boys. For fifty years I have longed to meet Fess Parker in person.
Fess Elija Parker Jr.? That 6''5" guy who was the Dad in Old Yeller and played Daniel Boone on network television for a few years in the 60''s? The 82 year old retired business tycoon who purchased 714 acres of real estate north of Santa Barbara, California to build the highly successful kingdom known as the Fess Parker Winery and Vineyard?
That Fess Parker?
No, the Fess Parker who was discovered by Walt Disney and signed to play Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier! That Fess Parker!
Born on a mountain top in Tennessee
The greenest state in the land of the free
Raised in the woods so's he know''d ev''ry tree
Kilt him a b''ar when he was only three
Davy, Davy Crockett, king of the wild frontier
In 1955 I met Jesus and Davy Crockett.
It sounds strange to include them in the same sentence, and yet both had an undeniable impact on the life of an imaginative ten year old boy. It was during the Frontierland segment of Walt's Disneyland TV show that I was first introduced not only to "Tall tales and true from the legendary west," but also to America''s first real marketing frenzy and the cultural phenomenon that swept across the nation like wildfire dragging millions of coonskin cap laden lads in its wake.
I watched as Davy mounted up along side his ballad singin'' best friend Georgie Russel (Buddy Ebsen) to hunt down marauding Indians for Old Hickory hisself, Andy Jackson.
Fought single-handed through the injun wars
Till the Creeks was whipped and peace was in store
And while he was handlin'' this risky chore
He made himself a legend forever more
Davy, Davy Crockett, the man who knew no fear
Davy, Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier.
I watched with pride as he got hisself elected to Congress and went to Washington where he learned more than he hankered to about politickin'' and the ornery critters that sometimes do it fer a livin''.
He went off to Congress and served a spell
Fixin'' up the Government and the laws as well
Took over Washington, so I heard tell
And he patched up the crack in the Liberty Bell
Davy, Davy Crockett, seeing his duty clear,
Davy, Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier.
Finally, after learnin'' of the passin'' of his wife, he headed off to a place called Texas with Georgie, a cheatin'' gambler named Thimblerig, and a hard luck mute Indian they picked up along the trail. As it turned out, liberty was in trouble near a little dusty town called San Antonio.
When he came home his politic''ing was done
And the western march had just begun
So he packed his gear and his trusty gun
And lit out a-grinnin'' to follow the sun
Davy, Davy Crockett, leading the pioneer
Davy, Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier.
I cried real tears as Davy and his friends joined up with other brave men fighting an evil dictator named Santa Ana in a fortified mission called the Alamo. Greatly outnumbered, Davy and his friends fought a valiant fight, but...
The story books say they were call cut low
But the truth of it is, it just ain''t so
Their spirits will live and their legend grow
As long as we remember the Alamo.
Davy, Davy Crockett, and Crockett''s Company
Davy, Davy Crockett, fighting for liberty!
During the long months following those three 40 minute black and white television adventures, I was Davy Crockett. Donning my coonskin cap, I hunted b''ar in the apple orchards of Washington state, grinnin'' em'' down if I could, and rasslin'' them down if I couldn't. I fought off persistent bands of savages intent on scalping my mother, and sang every verse of the tune that had been cleverly written about me. I loaded my flintlock rifle I named "Old Betsy" with caps, blew a tune on my official powder horn, read of my further adventures in comic books, and carried my lunch to school in a treasured container sporting my colorful likeness emblazoned on both tin box and thermos.
Of course, as an avid student of history through the years, I ultimately learned a lot about the real Davy Crockett. Born near Limestone, Tennessee in 1786, he did fight the Indians and became a media hero in his own time through his penchant for telling tall tales.
"I''m half-horse, half-alligator, and a little attached with a snappin'' turtle. I've got the fastest horse, the prettiest sister, the surest rifle and the ugliest dog in the country. My father can lick any man in Kentucky...and I can lick my father."
The Whig party adopted him as a political symbol, and he was soon swept into Congress "to serve a spell", although there is little factual data about his work "patching up the crack in the Liberty Bell." He did die with other courageous men fighting at the Alamo, and that sealed the deal on his legendary prominence.
I realize that the real Crockett sported some "warts and all," and was probably much more like Billy Bob Thornton's portrayal in the most recent movie documenting that faithful battle. But, I also remember the opinion voiced by a character in the closing moments of John Ford's epic motion picture The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.
"When the legend becomes fact, print the legend."
I'm thankful that Walt Disney did exactly that! What I needed as a boy wasn''t a history lesson. I longed for a hero who stood for something, and a role model who offered qualities identified with a person of character.
After Davy had beat the Indian leader Red Stick in combat he extended a hand of friendship. The Chief inquired, "Why you no kill me?" Davy replied, "Maybe because of another law. We have trouble livin'' up to it, but it ain't bad for red man or white: thou shalt not kill." Through that I learned a little about forgiving my enemies, and the application of grace in either victory or defeat.
When Davy went to Washington, he sacrificed his own career standing up for the rights of the Indians who had once been his foes. Through that I learned that sometimes the needs of others supersede our own, and there are some things worth taking a stand for no matter what the cost.
When Davy arrived at the Alamo he was greeted by the legendary Jim Bowie. "Two acres of walls to defend." Bowie reported. "It'll take a thousand troops to man the garrison completely." Davy leaned on his trusty rifle, Old Betsy, and replied, "Two hundred stubborn men can do a terrible lot of fighting." Through that I learned that sometimes you might be greatly outnumbered in life, and that ultimately it's "the fight in the man" that matters the most.
During the siege of the Alamo, Davy and his friend Georgi had a falling out about something stupid. Ultimately, both men stepped across the line and met in the middle, willing to put the past where it belonged and face the future together. I don't need to tell you what I learned from that exchange.
Just before the final deadly attack by Santa Ana's army, Davy sat beside a crackling fire and sang a song. In it was mirrored the emotions of many a mortal man who has left friends and family behind to fight on behalf of others on foreign soil.
Farewell to the mountains whose mazes to me
Were more beautiful far than Eden could be;
No fruit was forbidden, but Nature had spread
Her bountiful board, and her children were fed.
The home I forsake where my offspring arose:
The graves I forsake where my children repose,
The home I redeem''d from the savage and wild;
The home I have loved as a father his child;
The wife of my bosom -- Farewell to ye all!
In the land of the stranger I rise -- or I fall.
Of course the true and lasting friend that I made in 1955 was my Lord Jesus. Only He could have provided the love and grace needed to step from the shadow of sin and separation into the light of freedom and life. Truly, everyday with Jesus has been sweeter than the day before, and it has been my joyous privilege to proclaim God's love expressed through His Son all over the world.
But, there has also remained in me some qualities for which I am thankful that can be traced back to Davy. That's what I'll never be able to tell Fess Parker.
"Thanks Fess! While playing a part and furthering your career, you unknowingly invested something in the moral fiber of a man in the making."
I can remember singing the song every morning as I dressed for school.
Be sure you''re right, and then go ahead.
Be sure you''re right, and then go ahead.
It's up to you to do what Davy Crockett said.
It's up to you to do what Davy Crockett said.
Life came ahead and the years passed. Sometimes I was sure, and sometimes I wasn't. But, either way I met life like Davy would have wanted.
"I went ahead!"