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The British are seeking to unite the trans-Appalachian tribes against the Americans as the Revolution proceeds, and Colonel Merivale (Charles Macaulay) persuades Chief Raccuwan (Michael Pate) to form a Shawnee-Huron-Cherokee coalition. Mingo is held by Cherokee Chief Quonab (Paul Fix) to prevent him from warning Daniel.
Back to frontier politics and war in what is Season 3's real opener after last week's Boonesborough shenanigans. Real-life Kentuckian Macaulay (malevolent computer Landru in "Star Trek: The Original Series") and Australian Pate are fitting double-dealing antagonists, and the workmanlike Fix ("The Rifleman") is a solid chieftain. In and out early is Patrick Horgan (neo-Third Reich official Eneg on "ST:TOS") as a British assassin. 1950's supporting actress Angela Clark is a tribeswoman attempting to help Daniel.
Developing plot lines at differing locations compels Dan to puzzle things out, and things get intriguing when at one point Mingo seems to shift loyalties to the tribal coalition, and his ultimate allegiances for the hour seem to be up in the air. The hour is diminished a bit by overuse of Rebecca and Israel, who could have been sidelined with little difficulty.
As with more than a few DB Revolution-centered episodes, the date is left vague; no mention of ongoing action in the East, but Dan mentions contacting the Continental Congress. In keeping with the ongoing pattern of the color episode era, each week the costumers seem determined to make mid-South tribesmen to look progressively more like Great Plains residents.
Redcoat report: about fifteen, uniformed as usual as the blue-on-red Royal American Regiment. (For some reason, in the color episodes the redcoat scenes seem more realistic in nighttime.) Dubious use of a British infantry bugler, however.
The setup is a little slow, but the denouement is worth it, and Season 3 is off to a proper start.
Back to frontier politics and war in what is Season 3's real opener after last week's Boonesborough shenanigans. Real-life Kentuckian Macaulay (malevolent computer Landru in "Star Trek: The Original Series") and Australian Pate are fitting double-dealing antagonists, and the workmanlike Fix ("The Rifleman") is a solid chieftain. In and out early is Patrick Horgan (neo-Third Reich official Eneg on "ST:TOS") as a British assassin. 1950's supporting actress Angela Clark is a tribeswoman attempting to help Daniel.
Developing plot lines at differing locations compels Dan to puzzle things out, and things get intriguing when at one point Mingo seems to shift loyalties to the tribal coalition, and his ultimate allegiances for the hour seem to be up in the air. The hour is diminished a bit by overuse of Rebecca and Israel, who could have been sidelined with little difficulty.
As with more than a few DB Revolution-centered episodes, the date is left vague; no mention of ongoing action in the East, but Dan mentions contacting the Continental Congress. In keeping with the ongoing pattern of the color episode era, each week the costumers seem determined to make mid-South tribesmen to look progressively more like Great Plains residents.
Redcoat report: about fifteen, uniformed as usual as the blue-on-red Royal American Regiment. (For some reason, in the color episodes the redcoat scenes seem more realistic in nighttime.) Dubious use of a British infantry bugler, however.
The setup is a little slow, but the denouement is worth it, and Season 3 is off to a proper start.
Cletus Mott (Slim Pickens) is a long hunter bent on vengeance against a black bear - "Three Toes" - who was wounded by his father prior killing him, and later Cletus' brother. Daniel's concern is the safety of Boonesborough, but Cletus demands first satisfaction to the point of dangerous derangement.
Season 3's debut of "Daniel Boone" starts out setting a pretty low bar which it then struggles to clear. Dominating the episode is guest Slim Pickens, an authentic Westerns icon largely wasted here as a boorish trapper who communicates mainly through shouting. His character is south of one-dimensional, and most viewers will conclude the Appalachian frontier would be a far better place minus the Mott clan; Three Toes is an early crowd favorite. Things are a bit redeemed by the presence of Cletus' hunting dog, a friendly mastiff. The smart canine trots off nonchalantly after finding the body of the second Mott casualty; at least one cast member has his priorities straight.
Likewise, the season starts with a heavy load of Boonesborough baggage. Patricia Blair reverts to nattering early, and seems to demand closeups in order to celebrate her vanquishing of Veronica Cartwright from the set. Israel's caterwauling is on max, and he has picked up a pet deer he inanely leads around on a rope; we may see it more fully grown and still ill-kept a few seasons away
Which takes us to the unfortunate realization that more than a few 1960's viewers might have formulated views on wildlife management based on this hour. Unlikely a bear in 1780's Kentucky would have embarked on a three year hunt for humans and forced an entire settlement to cower in a fort. A minor sideshow of the 1960's was a refinement of national views on wilderness and its predators; before the explosion of outdoor recreation in the 1970's a largely urban public saw bears as either bloodthirsty "Jaws"-like hunters of humans or cuddly pets (see the "Gentle Ben" or "Grizzly Adams" series.) The 1967 killings of two coeds by brain-damaged and naturally wounded grizzlies (spurred on by park management which encouraged zoo-like proximity) in Glacier National Park, Mt. Forced a tabloid-induced reckoning; yes, bruins could be dangerous, but it's incumbent in humans to give them needed space. The "killer bear" trope still breaks into low-budget productions, however.
The Kanab, Utah set is still being used for exteriors. And while I am usually tough on Fess Parker for skipping out on episodes, he should have been given a pass here and delegated things to Robert Logan; he has only motions to go through here. Let's be generous and assume this hour was a writer's leftover contractual obligation to clear away.
Season 3's debut of "Daniel Boone" starts out setting a pretty low bar which it then struggles to clear. Dominating the episode is guest Slim Pickens, an authentic Westerns icon largely wasted here as a boorish trapper who communicates mainly through shouting. His character is south of one-dimensional, and most viewers will conclude the Appalachian frontier would be a far better place minus the Mott clan; Three Toes is an early crowd favorite. Things are a bit redeemed by the presence of Cletus' hunting dog, a friendly mastiff. The smart canine trots off nonchalantly after finding the body of the second Mott casualty; at least one cast member has his priorities straight.
Likewise, the season starts with a heavy load of Boonesborough baggage. Patricia Blair reverts to nattering early, and seems to demand closeups in order to celebrate her vanquishing of Veronica Cartwright from the set. Israel's caterwauling is on max, and he has picked up a pet deer he inanely leads around on a rope; we may see it more fully grown and still ill-kept a few seasons away
Which takes us to the unfortunate realization that more than a few 1960's viewers might have formulated views on wildlife management based on this hour. Unlikely a bear in 1780's Kentucky would have embarked on a three year hunt for humans and forced an entire settlement to cower in a fort. A minor sideshow of the 1960's was a refinement of national views on wilderness and its predators; before the explosion of outdoor recreation in the 1970's a largely urban public saw bears as either bloodthirsty "Jaws"-like hunters of humans or cuddly pets (see the "Gentle Ben" or "Grizzly Adams" series.) The 1967 killings of two coeds by brain-damaged and naturally wounded grizzlies (spurred on by park management which encouraged zoo-like proximity) in Glacier National Park, Mt. Forced a tabloid-induced reckoning; yes, bruins could be dangerous, but it's incumbent in humans to give them needed space. The "killer bear" trope still breaks into low-budget productions, however.
The Kanab, Utah set is still being used for exteriors. And while I am usually tough on Fess Parker for skipping out on episodes, he should have been given a pass here and delegated things to Robert Logan; he has only motions to go through here. Let's be generous and assume this hour was a writer's leftover contractual obligation to clear away.
In Part 2 of "Daniel Boone's" Season 2 finale, Dan struggles to deliver winter supplies to the nascent Boonesborough, while contending with rival Armando Silvestre for Rebecca's affections.
The conclusion gets right to business with a circle-the-wagons siege as dishonest trader Cash Doyle (Canadian TV and movie journeyman Roy Jensen) attempts to cheat Dan out of purchased supplies. Unfortunately Rebecca is not allowed to use the reboot for character development; she is just the damsel in distress to be moved from point A to point B. Silvestre's more malevolent Bret Maverick character might have been a worthwhile recurring character, but he is strictly a one-shot. And although not intended as such, some comic relief is provided by the teamsters who seem to consider switching sides every five minutes. Mingo again suffers a major leg injury, just as he did a few weeks previous. Rough frontier living.
What is likely the San Bernadino, Calif. Shooting location has plenty of open space for extensive wagon train photography, but bears little resemblance to thickly forested 1770's Kentucky. As mentioned before, the storyline attempts to show a rivalry between Patriot Boonesborough and Loyalist Fort 96, S. C., but in reality they were too far from each other to provide such.
In the finest tradition of the John Ford TV offshoot "Wagon Train," the action centers strictly on Dan attempting to ramrod his freight and Rebecca to Boonesborough while contending with personality conflict and betrayal. This two-parter should always be considered a class apart from the remainder of the series. Attempting in continuity to swap it out for Episode 1.1 during the black and white season or even 2.1 at the beginning of the color years causes instant problems with the seemingly overnight appearance of the Boone kids. Again, the arguments are strong as to whether the series should have featured historically correct Boone kids as young adults or started with a clean slate with Dan and Rebecca as young marrieds.
The denouement is more akin to what we would see in a regular weekly episode, but "The High Cumberland" was a novel if incongruous way to finish up Season 2.
The conclusion gets right to business with a circle-the-wagons siege as dishonest trader Cash Doyle (Canadian TV and movie journeyman Roy Jensen) attempts to cheat Dan out of purchased supplies. Unfortunately Rebecca is not allowed to use the reboot for character development; she is just the damsel in distress to be moved from point A to point B. Silvestre's more malevolent Bret Maverick character might have been a worthwhile recurring character, but he is strictly a one-shot. And although not intended as such, some comic relief is provided by the teamsters who seem to consider switching sides every five minutes. Mingo again suffers a major leg injury, just as he did a few weeks previous. Rough frontier living.
What is likely the San Bernadino, Calif. Shooting location has plenty of open space for extensive wagon train photography, but bears little resemblance to thickly forested 1770's Kentucky. As mentioned before, the storyline attempts to show a rivalry between Patriot Boonesborough and Loyalist Fort 96, S. C., but in reality they were too far from each other to provide such.
In the finest tradition of the John Ford TV offshoot "Wagon Train," the action centers strictly on Dan attempting to ramrod his freight and Rebecca to Boonesborough while contending with personality conflict and betrayal. This two-parter should always be considered a class apart from the remainder of the series. Attempting in continuity to swap it out for Episode 1.1 during the black and white season or even 2.1 at the beginning of the color years causes instant problems with the seemingly overnight appearance of the Boone kids. Again, the arguments are strong as to whether the series should have featured historically correct Boone kids as young adults or started with a clean slate with Dan and Rebecca as young marrieds.
The denouement is more akin to what we would see in a regular weekly episode, but "The High Cumberland" was a novel if incongruous way to finish up Season 2.