Customer Reviews

Daniel Boone - Season One

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I got this for my wife for her birthday. She has been wanting this on DVD for a very long time and we are glad it is out.

To the reviewer who claimed the picture quality was not good, remember this was a B&W TV from the early 1960s, what did you really expect? It was not recorded with modern hi-def digital cameras, it was recorded over 40 years ago.

I found the picture quality to be quite good, as good or better than other shows I have seen from the same era.

If you are a fan of the show, or just want to get some quality family DVDs to watch, get this set.

Let me start by saying...I HAVE WAITED YEARS FOR THIS!!!!!! DANIEL BOONE is on DVD!!! I was more than a little concerned about the audio/video quality of season 1 when TVLAND recently did a weekend-long DB marathon & the quality of the first season episodes was less than stellar. I contacted TVLAND & was advised that the problem must have been with my local carrier, that the quality of the shows was quite good. I was still a little nervous. If you were like me, let me assure you that you have nothing to worry about. The audio/video quality of this set is at least as good or better than the season-by-season releases of I LOVE LUCY, ANDY GRIFFITH, & WILD WILD WEST. There may be a few glitches due to time that all the remastering in the world couldn't fix, but overall, this set is well worth the price I paid. This is good, wholesome entertainment that the whole family can enjoy. The stories are very good & Fess Parker's lopsided grin & down-to-earth performance are as charming & grin-inducing as you remember them to be. So get seasons 1 & 2, grab your coonskin cap & beef jerky, & settle down with the family to a great, great show.

Tired of watching people with rubber gloves rummage around in a corpse's abdomen? Tired of "edgy" TV programs filmed in murky half-light? Tired of interminable police/courtroom dramas that feature heinous sex crimes and all look alike? Try a trip down nostalgia lane with Daniel Boone. TV Land just ran a two day marathon of shows from 1964 through 1968. By today's standards the theme song is corny and the pacing is definitely relaxed. It's fun to watch unsung character actors like David Opatashu tear up the scenery.Ed Ames makes a good sidekick as Mingo, an educated Cherokee who speaks better English than most of the rustic, leather stocking types around him. In the 1960s that was a radical change from the usual sterotypical TV and movie Indians of the time. I don't have a clue whether or not Ames has any Native American blood, but he certainly looked more authentic than some of the other blue-eyed palefaces playing Indians in the program. Fess Parker does a reprise of his popular Davy Crockett persona, just with a different name. The series is a pleasant way to pass the time compared to surfing the news channels and getting incessant coverage of various actor's babies, Mel Gibson's drunken anti-semitism, and non-stop coverage of Jon Benet Ramsey's killer. It makes me long for something better than the popular gore-spattered and obscenity-laden fare that passes for entertainment in 2006 - like maybe Playhouse 90 or Star Trek? But that's old school too...

Great news...great show...great memories!! The company that is releasing the show is doing it right too. It`s going to be a first rate release. Restored & remastered prints...nice packaging. Something to look forward to!

Hi ,

just cracked the seal on Season 1 and the images are acceptable...not great by any stretch of the imagination but a notch above Public Domain editions...very VHS quality. The good news is Season 2 in Color ....notches up the quality in a BIG way and is quite good! While I enjoy Black and White it just seems this type of program is better in color and packs a better punch.

just have to add....the interview with Fess Parker is NEW and very cool...nice bonus!!

Have been watching the Daniel Boone TV series on Lonestar channel in Canada for just over a year - it is going to be great to own this collection starring Fess Parker, Ed Ames, Patricia Blair and Darby Hinton.

I loved watching Daniel Boone when I was a kid. I've been waiting for years for the TV series to be available on VHS/DVD. Daniel Boone is still one of my favorite TV shows & I watch a couple of episodes every night. I think the quality of the film is great considering it's from the early 1960's. I'm looking forward to buying the rest of the series.

Daniel Boone was, and still is, a wonderful show. It ran from September 24, 1964 until it was cancelled on September 10, 1970 for a total of six seasons and 165 episodes. Fess Parker starred as Daniel Boone, (which could be considered a recreation of his role as Davy Crockett) explorer, adventurer, and all-around family man. The beautiful Patricia Blair was Daniel's wife Rebecca, Ed Ames was the civilized, Oxford educated Cherokee named Mingo, Albert Salmi was Yadkin (first season only), Daniel's loyal sidekick, Veronica Cartwright was Daniel's young daughter Jemima, Darby Hinton was Israel Boone, and Dal McKennon was the hilarious Cincinnatus. The show was set in and around the small settlement of Boonesborough, Kentucky, and was basically about Boone's always exciting adventures. "DANIEL BOONE" always sported high production values in its casting, action pieces, stunts, special effects, and sets. But I guess that's not too surprising, since the producer was Aaron Rosenberg, who was also the producer for such great movies as "WINCHESTER '73". Both elements of the show - its action pieces and stunts, and its more family friendly values, are complimentary to each other. Without the action and stunts (particular examples would be in "CAIN'S BIRTHDAY" and "MY BROTHER'S KEEPER", two of the best episodes), the show would be boring and lifeless, but without the human element (such as one of the criminals wanting to be a teacher in "THE DEVIL'S FOUR"), the show would have no meaning to the families that have loved the show for the past forty-odd years. The show featured many guest stars in its first season alone, such as Brock Peters, Pat Hingle, Michael Rennie, Leslie Nielsen, Kelly Thordsen, Peter Whitney, and Walter Pidgeon. So join Daniel Boone as he battles hostile Indians, evil British, dishonest settlers and many other disreputable inhabitants of the land in and around Boonesborough. An absolutely great television show which is definitely one of the best. Below is a list of episodes included in this 8-disc set.

---All Ratings Based On My Opinion of Episode; 4 **** Rating System---


1. KEN-TUK-E (Series Pilot) ****

2. TEKAWITHA McLEOD ***

3. A SHORT WALK TO SALEM ***1/2

4. LAC DUQUESNE ***1/2

5. POMPEY ****

6. THE CHOOSING ****

7. THE FAMILY FLUELLEN ***

8. MY BROTHER'S KEEPER ****

9. MOUNTAIN OF THE DEAD ***1/2

10. THE SOUND OF WINGS ***

11. THE SISTERS O'HANNRAHAN ***

12. THE PROPHET ****

13. THE COURTSHIP OF JERICHO JONES ***1/2

14. THE RETURNING ****

15. NOT IN OUR STARS ***

16. THE HOSTAGES ***1/2

17. THE FIRST STONE ***1/2

18. A PLACE OF 1,000 SPIRITS ****

19. THE SOUND OF FEAR ****

20. THE PRICE OF FRIENDSHIP ***1/2

21. THE QUIETISTS ***

22. THE DEVIL'S FOUR ****

23. THE REUNION ***1/2

24. THE BEN FRANKLIN ENCOUNTER ***1/2

25. FOUR LEAF CLOVER ***

26. CAIN'S BIRTHDAY (Part 1) ****

27. CAIN'S BIRTHDAY (Part 2) ****

28. DAUGHTER OF THE DEVIL **1/2

29. DOLL OF SORROW ***


(Episodes on DVD's in different order than originally aired)


SPECIAL FEATURES
Prospectives On Making Daniel Boone, The Series
Looking Back: Recent Interviews With The Cast
Chronological Air Dates Listing
2006 Cast Reunion Photos
Daniel Boone Web Links




THIS REVIEW IS DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF ANYONE, LIVING OR DEAD, INVOLVED WITH THE MAKING OF "DANIEL BOONE".

For a taste of early frontier life, with a family flavor, and some touches of warm folksy humor, you might want to check out Season One of Daniel Boone (1964). The real Daniel Boone had a near legendary reputation as a soldier, fighter, marksman, outdoorsman, and civic leader. He blazed the way through the Cumberland gap, to establish the settlement of Boonesborough, in what is now Kentucky, paving the way for other settlers. Boone was very familiar with Indians and their customs, having been captured, adopted into a tribe, and then later escaping. The series incorporates basic elements from this period in Boone's life establishing a setting, and then goes on to feature the character in a wide assortment of adventures. Fess Parker, who got a career break playing Davy Crockett for Disney in the 1950's, stars as Boone. Parker appears to be a humble, soft spoken, easy-going, genteel sort, with a dry sense of humor, and much of the actor's personality appears to have been adopted by the series' writers into the persona of the mythical Kentucky frontiersman.

Boone resides in Boonesborough, with wife Rebecca (Patricia Blair), daughter Jemima (Veronica Cartwright), and son Israel (Darby Hinton). Although at the time, Boone was hugely popular with families, this may not be a program appropriate for very young children, as there is often violence, and the nature of the frontier is that death and hardship are not uncommon. The setting provides opportunities for stories of many types, although the amount of historical accuracy is open to question, particularly as related to native Americans. Being an hour long, time is often devoted to exploring the domestic side of Boone's life, and even some occasional slapstick humor, or a song. Usually the focus is on serious matters, as being on Indian lands, peace is apparently a tenuous condition that can be broken at any time. Another threat are the forces of the British empire, seeking to maintain control of the troublesome rebellious colonists. Boone's main sidekicks are Yadkin (Albert Salmi), Cincinatus (Dallas McKennon), and whip wielding Mingo (Ed Ames), a member of the Cherokee tribe, who was educated at Oxford.

Interestingly, irregardless of the tribe, Indians usually understand English. Some are men who are willing to live in peace, and others are warriors who only wish to remove the white man from their ancestral lands. Due to the time spent living with Indians, Boone had a special status with some tribes, and was familiar with customs like the 'running the gauntlet' and the various tests for determining truth. Viewers quickly come to understand the limitations of the days' weaponry. Flintlock rifles and pistols can only fire one shot, and then must be reloaded. If there is no time to reload, hand to hand combat usually ensues. The limited firepower does tend to keep the body count down, and overall the program is perhaps less violent than many Westerns. With an emphasis on justice and family values in a dangerous world, Daniel Boone is something of a frontier fairly tale.

Perhaps the most memorable stories concern those that are not prepared for the harsh realities of frontier life. In 'Four Leaf Clover', George Gobel guests as schoolteacher Francis Clover, who is looking to establish a school inside of Boonesborough Fort. With the supply of gunpowder dangerously low, Clover foolishly gives to some Indians, a load of gunpowder entrusted to him to deliver to the settlement. Compounding his errors, and with the invasion of the fort imminent, the survival of the settlers depends on Clover's ability to turn what is found in one of his books into reality. Also arriving in Kentucky ill-prepared, are a family of Quakers in 'The Quietists'. After purchasing a farm, the Quakers intend to live there in peace, completely unaware of the threat that Indians pose. Believing that violence is not the answer, the Quakers take in an injured Indian. Only when his cabin is set afire and his daughter abducted, does the Quaker father (Alexander Scourby) realize the gravity of the situation.

For those interested in learning more about Fess Parker, particularly during the Davy Crockett period, there is at You Tube, an extensive seven part interview, conducted by the Archive of American Television in 2000, that totals about three hours. According to Parker, the initial idea was to bring Davy Crockett to television, but due to objections by Disney, the subject was changed to Daniel Boone. Crockett's raccoon skin cap, which Daniel Boone apparently didn't favor, was one of the traits that was transferred to Boone.

The 28 black and white episodes in Season One are on eight single sided discs. Image and sound quality in general is acceptable, for a forty year old program. The episodes are not subtitled, and menu design is poor. There are some extras, including a decent interview with Fess Parker, and mostly shorter clips with Ed Ames, Veronica Cartwright and Darby Hinton. The presentation is brief and disjointed, but better than nothing. After Daniel Boone was cancelled, Parker basically left television and devoted more time to real estate development. Today, one of his businesses is the Fess Parker Winery & Vineyards, which is featured in some of the bonus materials. The Season One set has been discontinued, but is still available in used condition at very reasonable prices. With over 24 hours of content, it is quite a nice value.

High drama, gripping plots, empathic character building ... these are not the things you buy a 1950's TV series for. But oh, to be 6 years old again. Dan'l, Mingo and the folks at Fort Boone came back to me as easily as yesterday's roast. Not seen nor heard in over 30 years I reckon - but like old friends I welcomed them into my lounge with a smile on my face (similar to the one Daniel was showing as he gleefully fired on the hunting Indians ... they were different times back then). I finally realised just who exactly I was thinking of when I built a model fort for my son back in 1992. He has never played with it. He doesn't identify with it but it looks uncannily like Fort Boone. For a trip back in time this series is a must. (Now I'm off to see if Dan'l can intervene with the Cheyenne chief and save the folks at Fort Boone from being wiped out - Oh I do hope he can save the day.)