TV's Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone— Fess Parker, Has Died— Archive Interview Online

Fess Parker became a TV star portraying "Davy Crockett" in a series of adventures that aired on the anthology series Disneyland, earning him an Emmy nomination as Most Outstanding New Personality in 1955. Parker had a rare second act in American TV stardom, as Daniel Boone, on the NBC series that ran from 1964-70.

The Archive of American Television interviewed Fess Parker on July 24, 2000, currently available online.

Interview description:
Fess Parker was interviewed for two-and-a-half hours at his inn in Los Olivos, CA. Mr. Parker talked about his childhood in Texas and his eventual journey to Hollywood after visiting there during his military service in World War II. He discussed his early roles in filmed westerns and his early television roles including Dragnet and Annie Oakley. In 1954, he was hired by Disney to play the lead in Davy Crockett, a limited series. The program was so popular, and spawned such a merchandising craze, that Parker’s Crockett was brought back for two more limited series. After the series ended, Parker worked on many other series as a guest star, before launching into the short lived 1962 series, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. In 1964, Parker triumphed as the lead in (and occasional director of) the series, Daniel Boone, which ran for six years. With his success with Daniel Boone, Parker semi-retired and acquired real estate, resorts and wineries. The interview was conducted by Don Carelton on July 24, 2000.

Art Linkletter's Archive Interview is Now Online

Take a look at one of the newest interviews online -- show host Art Linkletter. He's truly an engaging and a exceptional storyteller. Here's one of our favorite little-known anecdotes from the interview:


On the opening of Disneyland in 1956 (Part 4 at 16 minutes in):

Walt Disney asked me if I would be MC [for the opening of Disneyland]. It was live, two hours, no tape in those days, no rehearsal, jumping all over the fairgrounds doing the thing. He knew I was good at that and he wanted me to do it. Then he said, "Art, we have a difficult moment here. We’re good friends, and I’ve gotta negotiate a price with you. Why don’t you have an agent like every other normal star in Hollywood?" I said, "because I like to do my own business." He said, "I’m not playing poor boy, but we’ve had cost overruns, we’ve had strikes, we’ve had problems financing. I’ve had to mortgage part of the studio." I said, "it’s a sad story but don’t tell me any more because you don’t need any of those arguments with me. I’ll do it for scale." He said, "you’ll do it for scale?" I said, "Certainly. And in return I expect you to do something for me. I’m a partner in one of the largest photo development companies in Los Angeles, and I would like to have the concession for all the film and all the cameras sold at Disneyland for the next ten years." He says, "You've got it!" So I got the highest fee anybody ever got for appearing on any show, even Oprah.

To access his whole interview, click here.

Interview description:
In his 6-part oral history interview, Art Linkletter discusses his years in radio and his start, in 1950, in his first television series, Life with Linkletter. Linkletter recounts his most memorable stories from the television series he is most associated with, Art Linkletter's House Party and People Are Funny. For these series, he discusses the shows' universal appeals and his humorous interviews with thousands of kids. The interview was conducted on September 15, 1997 by Sam Denoff.

Archive Interviewee Peter Ellenshaw, Disney's Legendary Matte Artist, Has Died

Peter Ellenshaw, a matte artist whose work was seen in many projects for Walt Disney, has died at age 93. Mr. Ellenshaw's interview can be viewed at Television Academy headquarters in North Hollywood.

Interview description:
Mr. Ellenshaw described his long association with the Walt Disney Studios where he became a preeminent matte artist. He discussed the craft of the matte artist and how a matte is incorporated into a film. He talked about Disney’s foray into television with the Disneyland series, and mentioned his work on such segments of the show as Davy Crockett. B-roll consisted of Ellenshaw voicing-over descriptions of mattes done for various projects, as well as a few photos from his Disney years. Additionally, a 30-minute interview was conducted with his son, Harrison Ellenshaw, who talked about his father as well as the work that he has done as a special effects artist in his own right, which includes the feature film Star Wars. The interview was conducted by Karen Herman on September 11, 2003.

Link to Peter and Harrison Ellenshaw's website.