Fess Elisha Parker Jr. Parker Jr. The name Fess had been given to him in honor of the educator and politician Simeon D. He selected the middle name himself, when he was a teenager about , because it sounded rhythmic and matched his middle initial. He enlisted in the U. Navy [ 6 ] in the latter part of the Second World War , [ 7 ] [ 8 ] hoping to become a pilot.
He was turned down because he was too tall at 6 feet 6 inches 1. He was finally transferred to the United States Marine Corps as a radio operator and shipped out to the South Pacific shortly before the war ended. After an automobile collision, he was stabbed in the neck by the other driver during an argument. One of his roommates there was the future actor L. Parker graduated from UT in with a degree in history.
He had been initiated into the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. Having one year remaining on his GI Bill benefits, he studied drama at the University of Southern California , where he pursued a master's degree in theater history.
Parker became a contract player with Warner Bros. James Arness was first considered for the role of Davy Crockett. Parker had recently graduated to being a contract weekly actor but listened to his agent and appeared in a Warner Bros.
Disney was impressed by Parker's portrayal of a man who was unswerving in his belief in what he saw despite the forces of authority against him. They asked him to drop by the Disney Studio. When he did, he brought his guitar, met Disney, sang a song, and then said goodbye. Several weeks later, Disney informed him that he had been selected over Arness and several others for the role. Disney's three-episode version of Crockett depicted his exploits as a frontiersman, congressman, and tragic hero of the Alamo.
