SEARCH SITE

 

FEATURED

TAGS
Abandoned Disney (8) Adventure Thru Inner Space (2) Adventureland (12) America Sings (1) Animal Kingdom (2) Animation (19) Animatronics (20) Area Music (7) Backyard Imagineering (6) Behind-the-Scenes (39) Big Thunder Mountain (3) California Adventure (6) Captain E.O. (1) Carousel of Progress (12) Castle (7) Characters (6) Club 33 (1) Concept (13) Construction (15) Country Bear Jamboree (2) Death (2) Disney Channel (1) Disneyland (50) Disney-MGM Studios (1) Donald Duck (3) Entertainment (5) Epcot (28) Fantasyland (16) Fess Parker (1) Film (25) Frito Kid (4) Frontierland (14) Germany (1) Hall of Presidents (4) Haunted Mansion (10) Hidden Mickeys (2) Holidays (1) Hollywood Studios (1) Horizons (3) House of the Future (1) Illustration (3) John Lasseter (4) Journey Into Imagination (2) Jungle Cruise (15) Lake Buena Vista (1) Liberty Square (3) Lillian Disney (2) Ludwig Von Drake (1) Magic Kingdom (23) Main Street U.S.A (12) Maintenance (1) Management (4) Maps (13) Marc Davis (8) Marty Sklar (3) Matterhorn (6) Monorail (4) Mr. Lincoln (3) Muppets (2) Music (3) Mystery (9) Nature's Wonderland (7) New Orleans Square (6) Orange Bird (2) Paul Frees (1) PeopleMover (10) Peter Pan (2) Photos (1) Pirates of the Caribbean (9) Pixar (5) Pleasure Island (1) Podcast (1) Progress City (1) Props (2) Railroad (2) Resorts (2) River Country (4) Rivers of America (2) Roy Disney (1) Scale Models (21) Skyway (3) Song of the South (2) Sound Effects (2) Souvenirs (3) Space (3) Space Mountain (7) Splash Mountain (1) Tangled (2) The Living Seas (1) Then and Now (17) Tiki Birds (2) Tilt Shift (2) Tomorrowland (39) Tomorrowland 67 (8) Treehouse (1) Vintage Disneyland (3) Walt Disney (15) Walt Disney Family (7) Walt Disney Family Museum (1) Walt Disney World (6) Ward Kimball (1) Wonders of Life (1) World of Motion (2) World's Fair (2) Yeti (1)
LINKS
MORE FEATURED

 

 

MORE MORE FEATURED


Orange Bird Photo Hunt

EVEN MORE FEATURED

ADMINISTRATORS

Entries in Fess Parker (1)

Thursday
Mar182010

Fess Dies Today at 85

Davy Crockey, Daniel Boone, the dad on Old Yeller

As a kid growing up in the mountains north of Santa Barbara, CA, I lived a little like the boys on Old Yeller (except we had cars and electricity and stuff).  I even made a home movie in my backyard based on Old Yeller, starring my own dog.  

My dad would take us to a little restaurant in Santa Ynez for lunch because he knew Fess Parker ate there often.  I loved seeing him at the next table and thinking "I'm eating chicken strips next to Davy Crocket".  I never had the guts to do more than just look at the guy.  He looked like an older version of Davy Crocket and the dad on Old Yeller and sounded exactly the same.

Walt and Fess, Disneyland 1955

2004 ceremony honoring Parker with a Frontierland Window

Just last week I listened to the audio commentary on the Old Yeller DVD to hear Fess Parker talk about his experience, and thought to myself, "I hope he lives for many years to come".  I only wish I went up to the old man in that little restaurant one of those times and chatted for a minute about his cool legacy.