Walt Disney's The Swamp Fox

Leslie Nielsen as Swamp Fox.

During its first decade, Walt Disney's television series featured several action-packed episodes about historic American heroes. The most famous example is Davy Crockett, who was played by Fess Parker in five episodes that aired between 1954 and 1955. Its immense popularity led to shows about Texas John Slaughter (a Texas Ranger), Mexican gunfighter and lawyer Elfego Baca, and Francis Marion, the subject of today's review.

Marion served as a lieutenant colonel in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. After the British laid siege to Charleston in 1780, Marion organized a militia that conducted guerrilla-like raids on larger British forces. Marion's ability to evade capture was party due to his knowledge of the South Carolina swamps. That earned him the nickname of The Swamp Fox.

Leslie Nielsen starred as Francis Marion in eight episodes of The Swamp Fox, which aired as part of Walt Disney Presents between 1959 and 1961. In "The Birth of the Swamp Fox," Marion escorts the South Carolina governor and his family to safety after the British invade Charleston. When Marion returns to his home, he learns that a bounty has been placed on his head. He seeks refuge on Snow Island, where he periodically summons other American loyalists to conduct raids on the British Army to free prisoners, steal supplies, etc. 

Joy Page as Mary.

The key members of the Swamp Fox's unit are: his right-hand man, Major Peter Horry (Myron Healey), his brother Gabriel Marion (Dick Foran), Sergeant Jasper (Richard Erdman), and occasionally Oscar (Smoki Whitfield) and young Gabe (Tim Considine). Marion--or Fran as friends call him--is engaged to Mary Videau (Joy Page), whose parents as Tory sympathizers. Mary uses her access to British Army officers to spy for Fran and pass along tactical information.

There's a whole lot of fighting in The Swamp Fox, though there's also time to sit around the campfire and sing songs such as this one:

Swamp Fox, Swamp Fox, tail on his hat 

Nobody knows where the Swamp Fox is at 

Swamp Fox, Swamp Fox, hiding in the glen 

He runs away to fight again

There's no doubt that Walt Disney was hoping that The Swamp Fox would enjoy popularity on the scale of Fess Parker's Davy Crockett. It's colorful, has a somewhat catchy tune, and Leslie Nielsen wears a three-cornered hat with a fox tail. However, The Swamp Fox never captures the Crockett magic. Part of the problem lies with Leslie Nielsen's performance in the title role. He's competent and makes a believable hero, but he lacks the easygoing charm and sincerity that made Fess Parker a TV star. He also lacks a sidekick as entertaining as Buddy Ebsen.

To its credit, The Swamp Fox features a strong heroine with Mary Videau. She may not have a lot of scenes, but her courage speaks for itself (hey, spies were hanged!). It also provides Smoki Whitfield with the opportunity to sing a few songs.

Incidentally, the character of Benjamin Martin, played by Mel Gibson in the 2000 movie The Patriot, was partially based on Francis Marion. Too bad Mel didn't wear a fox tail in his hat--I thought that was a stylish look.

Walt Disney's Adventures of Spin and Marty

Marty arrives at the Triple R.

Although later Mickey Mouse Club serials may be better remembered today, the most popular one--by far--during its original broadcast was The Adventures of Spin and Marty (1955). No, it wasn't based on a famous children's book series like The Mystery of the Applegate Treasure nor did it feature a future Disney superstar like Annette. Yet, it gripped the attention of young TV viewers across the nation and spawned two sequels, a comic book series, and a 45 RPM record.

The 25-episode serial opens with the arrival of Martin Markham at the Triple R Ranch, a working ranch which doubles as a youth camp in the summer. Martin is quickly nicknamed Marty, but he doesn't fit in with the other boys. Having lost both parents, he lives with an overprotective, wealthy grandmother. In fact, she insists that Perkins, the family manservant, stay with Marty for the duration of his stay at the Triple R.

Tim Considine as Spin.

Marty (David Stollery) expresses his displeasure in being shuttled off to the "dirty old farm." He avoids the other lads and lies about being an experienced polo rider--when in fact he's scared of horses. Marty's attitude doesn't sit well with Spin Evans (Tim Considine), a popular boy who worked two jobs to save enough money for a second summer at the Triple R. The two boys eventually clash and it's their fight that initiates a change in Marty's views and in how the other boys view him.

I was surprised with how quickly Spin and Marty became additive viewing in my household. The episodes, each running about 12 minutes, sped by--meaning that we typically watched two (or occasionally three) per day. It's a show about transformation and the episodes skillfully portray how Marty progresses from a defiant outsider to a young man who has found a "home" at the Triple R. 

David Stollery and Tim Considine give incredibly natural performances as the two leads. It's easy to see why so many young viewers related to their characters. It's an impressive feat for Considine because the script is skewed toward getting folks to root for Marty. Spin could have easily become the de facto "villain," but Considine and the writers avoid that pitfall. At the same time, though, I love the fact that Spin and Marty stop short of becoming best pals at the end. They gradually develop a mutual respect and come to understand one another in a way that the other boys don't. It's the beginnings of what could be a great friendship.

Harry Carey, Jr.

Among the adult cast, the standout is Harry Carey, Jr. as a sympathetic ranch hand who works hard to gain Marty's trust. A veteran character actor, Carey, Jr. was a John Ford favorite and appeared in many of the director's famous Western.

As for Considine and Stollery, their careers took different paths. Considine had lead roles in other Disney serials, spent five years as the eldest son on My Three Sons, and even wrote teleplays for other TV shows. Except for an appearance in a Spin and Marty revival in 2000, Stollery retired from show business in 1960. He became an automobile designer and is responsible for one of the Toyota Celica models. On The Adventures of Spin and Marty DVD, he and Considine revisit the real life ranch (located 90 minutes from the Disney studio) where they filmed Spin and Marty in their youth.

J. Pat O'Malley as Perkins.

Following the success of The Adventures of Spin and Marty, Stollery and Considine reprised their roles in two sequels. In The Further Adventures of Spin and Marty, they vie for the affection of Annette Funicello and get involved in a swimming competition. In The New Adventures of Spin and Marty, they join Annette, Kevin Corcoran, and others to put on a show in the old barn. Sadly, only the first serial is on DVD.

If you've never seen a Mickey Mouse Club serial, then you're in luck. The Adventures of Spin and Marty is currently available on YouTube and it's a great one to start with. By the end, you may find yourself building a campfire in your backyard and singing: "Yippee ya, yippee yi, yippee yo."

The Hardy Boys, Disney, and Pieces of Eight

Tommy Kirk and Tim Considine.

I was probably too old to fully appreciate The Mickey Mouse Club by the time it was syndicated in my home town. Honestly, I don't think the Mouseketeers' musical numbers would have appealed to me at any age. And, in regard to the cartoons, I'm a Warner Bros. kind of guy. The serials, though, were another matter. Even the girl-centric Annette held my interest...because I'm an Annette Funicello fan. And then there were the Hardy Boys, which brings us to today's review.

Edward Stratemeyer created teenage amateur detectives Joe and Frank Hardy in 1927. The boys lived in the small coastal town of Bayport with their parents. Their interest in solving mysteries was apparently inherited from their father, Fenton, who worked as a detective.

For the initial books, Stratemeyer and his daughters Edith and Harriet wrote the plot outlines. The juvenile novels would then be completed by ghostwriters, who all used the name Franklin W. Dixon. Grosset & Dunlap published a total of 58 Hardy Boys mysteries between 1927 and 1979. These are considered the original novels, though the characters continued to appear in dozen of books after that (which featured changes in format, style, and settings).

Frank, father Fenton, and Joe.

The Hardy Boys mysteries were still immensely popular in 1956 when Walt Disney produced The Mystery of the Applegate Treasure, a 19-episode serial for The Mickey Mouse Club. It was loosely based on the first Hardy Boys book, The Tower Treasure (1929). Each installment of the serial was about 12 minutes long. For this adaptation, Frank and Joe were made younger and their mother was replaced by Aunt Gertrude. Their father worked in "the city," which accounted for his absence during most of the episodes.

The Mystery of the Applegate Treasure opens with Iola, Joe's "girlfriend", spilling her purse after bumping into a new boy in town named Perry. That same day, someone steals Iola's purse. Joe recovers it and nothing appears to be missing. Perry turns out to be on parole (of sorts) from a reform school and is working for Old Man Applegate. He also lives in a shack on Applegate's estate.

Sarah Selby as Aunt Gertrude.

When some tools go missing, a plumber, who is doing work for Applegate, suggests that Perry is a thief. That night, Joe and Frank search Perry's room and find the missing tools. The police arrest Perry--but not before he asks for Joe's help and gives him a gold doubloon found on Applegate's estate. Later, Mr. Applegate recounts to Joe and Frank the story of how his "treasure" was stolen ten years earlier. Could someone be searching for the missing treasure...and trying to frame Perry? Or is the treasure just a figment of an elderly gentleman's imagination?

The central premise of The Mystery of the Applegate Treasure is a promising one--hey, what kid wouldn't want to find a box of gold doubloons and pieces of eight? And the solution to the mystery, when it's finally revealed, turns out to be worthy of Agatha Christie. However, at three-and-half hours in total length, the serial is awfully leisurely at times. There are a few episodes in which nothing much seems to happen.

Still, the cast is energetic and enthusiastic, with Tommy Kirk and Tim Considine leading the way as Joe and Frank Hardy. Kirk would become one of Disney's most reliable stars after appearing in Old Yeller the following year. Considine was already a teen star, having appeared as Spin in the Spin and Marty serials on The Mickey Mouse Club. The original Spin and Marty serial was so successful that it spawned two sequels. Considine went on, of course, to play Mike Douglas on My Three Sons from 1960-65.

Carole Ann Campbell.

My favorite cast member, though, was Carole Ann Campbell, who played Iola. The incredibility sweet Campbell had only seven acting credits during her career. She played Lillian Roth as a child in the movie biography I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955) with Susan Hayward. Campbell recorded some songs on Kangaroo Records, but never pursued an acting career after a couple of TV guest star stints in the 1960s.

The Mystery of the Applegate Treasure was successful enough to warrant a sequel, The Mystery of the Ghost Farm. It reunited Kirk, Considine, and Campbell, but was shorter (14 episodes) and not as popular as the first Hardy Boys serial. It has never been released on DVD.

By the way, the opening credits to The Mystery of the Applegate Treasure feature an awesome pirate song warbled by Thurl Ravenscroft (the one-time voice of Tony the Tiger). The film footage was borrowed from Disney's own Treasure Island (1950).