I grew up with Davy Crockett, played by American actor Fess Parker who died a few days ago on March 18, 2010. A true conservative who believed in American and the resilience of the American spirit.

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According to the Los Angeles Times …

“Crockettmania surged across the country. Forty million people, a quarter of the nation, watched each of the three programs of the Crockett saga. ‘The Ballad of Davy Crockett’ instantly became the No. 1 hit song. Ten million coonskin caps were sold, causing a coonskin shortage. And Parker was mobbed by tens of thousands of people when he arrived at airports during a personal appearance tour. As surprised as everyone else by the craze, Parker would later ascribe Crockett's popularity to what he called ‘hero hunger’ -- the nation's longing for something in which to believe.”

“If so, Parker himself was a pretty good embodiment of traditional American integrity, and he came with an old-fashioned success story. He'd been born in Texas, joined the Marines, and then attended the University of Texas where, according to one account, he was discovered by a guest artist, the actor Adolphe Menjou, who was known in Hollywood for both his right-wing politics and his sartorial elegance. At Menjou's suggestion, Parker decamped to California and landed small roles in several films. He had given himself 36 months to succeed or head back to Texas. He was in his 36th month when he began filming as Crockett.”

“Crockett wasn't just manufactured by mass culture. It struck a much deeper chord in the American psyche. Some at the time attributed its success to the country's need to assuage its self-doubt after the Joseph McCarthy red-baiting debacle earlier that year and during the struggle against the Soviets at the height of the Cold War.”

“Others thought that Crockett was an example not of inferiority but of American self-confidence. He was courageous, resolute, plain-spoken, common sense, transparent -- the perfect American to contrast with our wily Soviet enemies. Time magazine, surveying America in this period and extolling her virtues, even called it ‘Davy's Time.’" 

A modest man …  

“And yet, if Parker had some John Wayne in him, he also had some Jimmy Stewart. Wayne had no modesty. Parker did. His Crockett was kind, temperate, sensitive, tolerant -- less an Indian fighter in the Wayne mold than an Indian mediator. He was also something of a renegade, opposing authority and challenging the system. That enabled him to bridge political and ideological divides or, rather, to blur them.

“Conservatives claimed him -- and Parker was a conservative himself who was a friend and neighbor of Ronald Reagan -- but so did liberals. He belonged to everyone.”

Stop! Before the liberals open their multi-cultural, moral equivalent, politically correct mouths …

Yes, the program presented a distorted version of history, especially as related to the Indians. But this was a different era and the program reflected the values of the time. So before you start with your claptrap – shut the eff up!

The intrusion of reality …

There is no doubt in my mind that Fess Parker was an actor playing the role of an American icon. But, in real life, he talked the talk and walked the walk. I have met a number of  performers, from major stars to bit players, I can tell you he was polite, gracious and humanly real. He was not a conflicted, approval-seeking individual who would say or do anything to gain fame and fortune. Like Ronald Reagan, he was an authentic person concerned about his fellow man and his country. But, in the final analysis, he was an actor, a conservative and a man who inspired me as well as others to be courageous enough to act on our convictions.

Lessons from the real Davy Crockett, member of Congress from Tennessee and who died defending his beliefs at the Alamo in Texas  …

Let’s take a moment and consider the real Davy Crockett. Who exhibited the same courage and conviction at a time when such behavior was more common – but still outstanding enough to attract attention and inspire confidence. I have selected a few sourced Davy Crockett quotes that are applicable to today’s political scene.

“I would rather be beaten and be a man than to be elected and be a little puppy dog. I have always supported measures and principles and not men. I have acted fearless[ly] and independent and I never will regret my course. I would rather be politically buried than to be hypocritically immortalized.”

“I am at liberty to vote as my conscience and judgement dictates to be right, without the yoke of any party on me... Look at my arms, you will find no party hand-cuff on them!”

“We must not permit our respect for the dead or our sympathy for part of the living to lead us into an act of injustice to the balance of the living.”

I leave this rule for others when I'm dead: Be always sure you're right — THEN GO AHEAD!

Bottom line …

Where the hell are men like this? Men who would stand up to their party’s leadership and do the right thing; for their conscience and for the American public.

Look at the corrupt political leaders of today – pandering to the special interests to maintain their life of privilege. Not doing an honest day’s worth of work in the pursuit of the American dream, but pursuing their own self-interest in gaining and maintain political power.

We need to find old-fashioned conservatives. To fight on against anyone and everything that stands between us and the America we know and love. We may lose but no one cannot say that we did not fight the good fight – and those who have taken America off the path of freedom into the netherworld of socialism and political domination will eventually be damned and then forgotten.

-- steve

Reference Links:

AN APPRECIATION: Fess Parker's Davy Crockett was a hero when we needed one. - latimes.com

Davy Crockett|Sourced Quotes from Wikiquote