Daniel Boone (TV Series) The Aaron Burr Story (1965) User Reviews

Poor episode

[gordonl56 · 6/10 · 29 May 2014]

DANIEL BOONE – The Aaron Burr Story -1965

This is the 36th episode of the long running 1964-70 series about the life of American frontiersman and explorer, Daniel Boone. The lead is played by Fess Parker. Also in the mix are, Ed Ames, Patricia Blair, Veronica Cartwright and Darby Hinton. This episode is from season two, which was the first season to be filmed in colour.

This is a really strange episode that really diverges from the series time-line. Ex- Vice President Aaron Burr, Leif Erickson, turns up at Fort Boonesborough. He is looking for a guide to take him into the interior to the Cumberland River. He offers Parker 200 dollars in gold to guide him. Boone, (Fess Parker) can't shake the feeling that there is something weird going on and declines the offer.

Fort resident, Robert Logan bites at the offer and accepts the cash. Erickson, Logan and Erickson's companion, Michael St. Clair set off the next day. A day later a rider from the government in Salem Virginia hits the fort. He has news that the government has issued a warrant for the arrest of Burr (Leif Erickson) for treason. Parker and Cherokee scout Mingo (Ed Ames) set out to get Logan out of harm's way.

It seems Erickson has a size-able army waiting for him on the Cumberland. He intends to carve out a country of his own with himself as leader. Ames and Parker run into a party of Creek Indians that had been involved in a skirmish with Erickson and party. Parker has them take a message to the Army commander at Fort Pitt telling them where Erickson and his men are.

Parker and Ames catch up with Logan and Erickson and there is less than friendly dispute about who is under arrest. A group of just arrived Erickson's men jump Parker and Ames and the dispute is ended with Parker and Ames as the prisoners.

The situation changes again as a party of mounted U.S. troops put in an appearance. The fight is on with Erickson's mob on the short end of the dispute. Burr,(Leif Erickson) is captured and taken in to face the charges.

Not exactly sure why the series producers would jump the story line close to 20 years into the future for this episode. It does not really work and is one of the weaker episodes. (color)

Series Chronology and Inaccuracies

[joefort0154 · 6/10 · 17 April 2017]

The series followed no chronology. Episodes skipped from the colonial era, to the revolutionary era, to the early U.S. period. It was meant to be an anthology of events--real and fictitious--in Boone's life.

Truth be told, the historical inaccuracies are many, bordering on fiction. Daniel and Rebecca--a dark-haired woman, not a redhead--had ten children, one of whom, according to family lore, wasn't even Daniel's. The Boonesborough part of his life did not span the periods in the series; they moved around a lot. In addition, Boone would be off fighting wars and trapping, sometimes leaving Rebecca for years at a time. There was at least one period during which he was presumed dead by his family.

The description of the duel is a Hollywood fiction: there was no standing back-to-back, pacing, and firing. The seconds did the pacing, the duelers stood in their respective marked positions, face-to-face, and, at a signal, fired at will. Hamilton did not fall dead on the spot; he was paralyzed and lingered until the following afternoon.

The Timing is Bad

[mitchrmp · 6/10 · 1 March 2011]

I got the impression that the show started in pre-Revolutionary days. Why is it, then, that in this episode it's well into the 1800's? Then in the episode following this, they are back to England ruling the colonies and states...It's way off!!!

The story line was okay, but I was a bit turned off by the fact that it was set much later than it should have been. Of course, maybe that's why the kids didn't appear - though Rebekah Boone looked as young and as pretty as ever!

I never knew this stuff about Aaron Burr! They did a very interesting job and telling what happened. I had to go to Wikipedia just to check it out...