Revisiting Walt Disney's Davy Crockett: Part 3 (Western Wednesdays) (Belated)

Listen to the thunder, hear the winds roar

Hurricane's a'comin', board up the door

Load up the cannon, call out the law

Worstest calamity that folks ever saw

Girls run and hide, brave men shiver

He's Mike Fink, King of the River

     After the phenomenal success of Davy Crockett Disney was eager to capitalize on its success and two additional episodes were quickly put into production. As Davy had died at the end of the first film, the writers decided to present the later episodes as a pure piece of folklore, "History remembers the name of his gun, And some of the deeds he really done, But most of his chores, For freedom and fun, Got turned into legends, And this here is one." These episodes, like the first three, were edited together and released as a feature film, Davy Crockett and the River Pirates, on July 18th, 1956.

     In this film, Davy and Georgie (played, once again by Fess Parker and Buddy Ebsen), on their way to New Orleans to sell the fur pelts they've accumulated over the winter, inadvertently end up challenging the famous keel-boat captain Mike Fink (Jeff York) to a race, the winner of which will get to keep their prized furs. After winning the race (by the skin of their teeth) they are caught up in a conflict between the white river-men and Shawnee Indians who, it appears, have been attacking boats as they pass down the river.

     Of the two Crockett films, River Pirates feels more assured. The continuity errors and occasionally egregious use of stock footage are not as present here as in the first film. This is, I assume, because the latter two episodes were given a bigger budget then the first three. Additionally, as the filmmakers only had to edit together two episodes instead of three, the editing in this film is much more minimal. The pacing, in general, is more leisurely and, though lacking the distinctive three act structure of its predecessor, this film has more of a natural flow. It's more aware of its youthful audience as well, with less violent content and a more lighthearted tone.

     As a kid, I recall having a preference for King of the Wild Frontier (probably because of its battle scenes) but I watched this film at least as often. It's certainly filled to the brim with memorable sequences: Georgie swinging on a chandelier in the bar after becoming intoxicated with "Mike Fink Specials"; Davy pretending to catch a bullet in his mouth to one-up Fink, who shoots a glass of whiskey off his own head; Fink eating his red-feathered hat in shame after being defeated in the race; Davy and Georgie hanging helplessly from a deer snare; the climatic battle with the titular River Pirates. All of this provided plenty of fodder for me and my brothers backyard reenactments.

     It also has more memorable supporting characters then the original film: Walter Catlett's devious banjo player, Colonel Plug; Clem Bevans as the crotchety old keel Captain Cobb; Jocko, Fink's Popeye-esque crewman played by Kenneth Tobey (who portrayed Jim Bowie in King); and of course Mike Fink himself, played by Jeff York, who almost matches Parker's onscreen presence and magnetism with his larger-then-life performance. It helps that Fink has his own theme song to match Crockett's ballad, "King of the River'. Both songs are used to great effect in an early scene were the two crews have a bit of a dueling sing-along. Fink, like Georgie Russell, was staple of our childhood Davy Crockett play and, in a way, he was our first introduction to the anti-hero. He may be a bully, a swindler, a cheat and a braggart but, in the end, he has a good-heart.

     It does have it's shortcomings. Though the river pirates are an ever-present threat throughout the story, having the race conclude halfway through does give it an episodic feel. The dramatic score, which gave King of the Wild Frontier a more epic feel then its TV counterpart, doesn't work as well with this lighter material and is, at times, overly bombastic and out of place. The final confrontation between Crockett and the Sam Mason, leader of the river pirates, is also a bit limp, probably in part because he doesn't have a very menacing presence in the film.

     Despite this. River Pirates is probably the stronger of the two films overall, even if I prefer the mythic aspirations and more grounded tone of King of the Wild Frontier. It's an old-school adventure, with just the right blend of humor and thrills.