According to Parker himself, when the Walt Disney Company was seeking an actor to play Davy Crockett, James Arness, later cast as Marshal Matt Dillon on CBS's Gunsmoke, was first considered for the title role.
Parker had recently graduated to being a contract weekly actor but listened to his agent and appeared in a Warner Bros. science fiction film about giant ants called Them!,
which required only one day's work.
He had a small scene as a pilot put into an insane asylum after claiming his plane had been downed by giant flying insects.
Arness appeared in a larger role in the same film.

During the screening of this film, Walt Disney looked past Arness and discovered Parker.
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.
Parker was asked 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, Parker was informed that he had been selected over Arness and several others for the role, including Buddy Ebsen, who eventually played Crockett's sidekick, Georgie Russell.

Disney's three-episode version of Crockett depicted his exploits as a frontiersman, congressman, and tragic hero of the Alamo.
The episodes have been called the first television miniseries, though the term had not yet been coined.
Davy Crockett (1954–55) was a tremendous hit and led to a merchandising frenzy for coonskin caps and all things Crockett.

Parker became a contract star for Disney and appeared in The Great Locomotive Chase, Westward Ho, the Wagons!,
Old Yeller, and The Light in the Forest.
He complained that they were all basically the same role.
Disney refused to lend Parker for roles outside that persona, such as Jeffrey Hunter's role opposite John Wayne in The Searchers and Marilyn Monroe's leading man in Bus Stop.

Parker was dissatisfied with Disney's proposal to only use him in a small role in Tonka.
He was put on suspension for refusing the role, and subsequently left Disney.
According to Parker himself, when the Walt Disney Company was seeking an actor to play Davy Crockett, James Arness, later cast as Marshal Matt Dillon on CBS's Gunsmoke, was first considered for the title role. Parker had recently graduated to being a contract weekly actor but listened to his agent and appeared in a Warner Bros. science fiction film about giant ants called Them!, which required only one day's work. He had a small scene as a pilot put into an insane asylum after claiming his plane had been downed by giant flying insects. Arness appeared in a larger role in the same film.
During the screening of this film, Walt Disney looked past Arness and discovered Parker. 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. Parker was asked 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, Parker was informed that he had been selected over Arness and several others for the role, including Buddy Ebsen, who eventually played Crockett's sidekick, Georgie Russell.
Disney's three-episode version of Crockett depicted his exploits as a frontiersman, congressman, and tragic hero of the Alamo. The episodes have been called the first television miniseries, though the term had not yet been coined. Davy Crockett (1954–55) was a tremendous hit and led to a merchandising frenzy for coonskin caps and all things Crockett.
Parker became a contract star for Disney and appeared in The Great Locomotive Chase, Westward Ho, the Wagons!, Old Yeller, and The Light in the Forest. He complained that they were all basically the same role. Disney refused to lend Parker for roles outside that persona, such as Jeffrey Hunter's role opposite John Wayne in The Searchers and Marilyn Monroe's leading man in Bus Stop.
Parker was dissatisfied with Disney's proposal to only use him in a small role in Tonka. He was put on suspension for refusing the role, and subsequently left Disney.
Fess Parker