The Ballad of Davy Crockett

[Ibleedbrown]

For those of you expecting a flick that ends at the Alamo, it’s not quite that extensive of a ballad. I get the impression they were aiming for some historical accuracy with this flick, but it focuses on a snapshot in time starting with President Jackson trying to pass the Indian Removal Act.

Davy was then a congressman from Tennessee, and he made the trek to DC to sign the act. The plot line is basically his long and difficult journey back to TN after signing it to get back to his sick wife and young sons.

A good chunk of the movie is basically a back and forth story between his struggles to get back to them, and their struggles trying to make it on the homestead where they have troubles of their own, including a run-in with a fur trading boss who discovers that Davy’s sons stole a beaver to eat.

Mmm…beaver.

Anyway, the trapper boss ends up seizing Davy’s sons to work off the debt, and Davy of course has to rescue them.

There’s this weird scene where the trapper boss’ gang burns down Davy’s cabin, and Davy rescues his wife from their burning home at the last moment. Then in the next scene, it’s time to rescue the kids, so he throws a blanket over his sick wife laying in a prairie outside their smoldering home, and heads off to rescue the kids. Like “stay warm babe, hope a bear doesn’t come. Gonna get the kids now…” 

It’s not a very good movie. Davy is played by William Mosely, best known as a child actor in the Narnia flicks, and his performance in this is pretty rigid and at times corny. 

The main villain actor did ok with his role, but other than that there are no acting performances that are noteworthy. The presumed historical accuracy part of this film are ok, but from an entertainment standpoint it mostly sucks. 

I give it a D.