Davy Crockett: Rainbow in the Thunder (1988)

Tim Dunigan plays Davy Crockett, whose Tennessee volunteers join regulars under Gen. Andrew Jackson in a campaign against the Creek Indians.

When Gen. Jackson decides to appoint a commander of the volunteers, only rambunctious George Russell (Gary Grubbs) objects to Davy becoming sergeant.

No vote should be unanimous he argues. But the bickering between the two quickly turns into respect and friendship, especially after they have to rescue a pretty redhead (Cheryl Arutt as Ory) caught bathing when three Creek Indians show up.

At for the campaign against the Creek, Gen. Jackson scores a victory when he surrounds a camp and attacks. But the victory soon turns into a massacre.

That breaks the spirit of one of Davy’s men, young Lute Newhouser, who watches Indian women and children being killed and can’t help but think of his younger sister.

He decides to capture Ory, then turn her over to the Indians as a bargaining chip that, he believe, will lead to an end of the fighting.

Instead, Lute, Ory and Davy, determined to rescue the lovely lass again, wind up in a cabin surrounded by Creek Indians.

Only the cleverest of ploys will get them out of this jam.

Review:

A Disney pilot for the New Adventures of Dave Crockett, this is better than one would expect, with a little healthy dose of humor thrown into the action for good measure.

This film came 30-some years after Disney’s film, “Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier” launched a Davy Crockett craze among youngsters in the U.S. and made all young boys want a coonskin cap.

Fess Parker played the title role in the original and seven Disney specials altogether. Johnny Cash plays the elder Davy here, remembering his adventures as a younger man.

But it’s up to young Davy, played by Dunigan, and young Ory, played by Arutt, to carry the story, and they do that very well.

Four more hour-long Davy Crockett adventures would follow, with Dunigan and Grubbs starring in all of them. They included 1988’s “A Natural Man,” and 1989’s “Warrior’s Farewell,” “A Letter to Polly” and “Guardian Spirit.”

Directed by:
David Hemmings

Cast:
Tim Dunigan … Davy Crockett
Cheryl Arutt … Ory
Gary Grubbs …. George Russell
Matt Salinger … Gen. Andrew Jackson
Richard Tyson … Lute Newhouser
Johnny Cash … Elder Davy Crockett
Samantha Eggar … Older Ory
David Hemmings … President Jackson
Brenda Crichlow … Mary
Jill Gamley … Mrs. Palmer
Jeff Irvine … Lieutenant
Blu Mankuma … Butler
Freda Perry … Jess

Runtime: 96 min.

Memorable lines:

Gen. Andrew Jackson: “Crockett, have your men fall in behind. And see that they watch their step.”
Davy Crockett: “As long as we’re walkin’ behind those horses, general, you can pretty much count on that.”

Davy Crockett, to a volunteer eager for battle with the Indians because of what he’s heard from his grandfather: “Old man’s memories have a lot of honey on them, Lute.”

Davy Crockett, explaining geography to Ory: “We don’t have swamps in Tennessee. Whenever we find one, we just change the border and let Georgia have the dang thing.”

Gen. Jackson: “I thought for a time there you and Crockett were enemies.”
George Russell: “We’re fighting friends. There’s a world of difference.”

Older Ory: “Men like you need to know the thunder and the lightning. The more you know it, the harder it is to stay away. And women like me, well we just come out with the rainbows. Just in time to see you move off to the next storm, the next batch of thunder.”