Darby Hinton played Israel, the son of Daniel Boone
I'm so excited to talk to you! When I told my husband I'd be interviewing you, we both started singing that Daniel Boone
Did you remember all the words?
Well, maybe not all of them!
You know, when we all got together in honor of the DVD release, we couldn't get it straight between us.
That makes me feel better! How did you originally get the part?
I got it on kind of a fluke. I thought I was going on an interview for "The Sound of Music. At that time the youngest one was supposed to be a boy so I was dressed in lederhosen. My mother was driving me to the audition and she was always late to everything. She dropped me off to find a parking spot and I went into the building and got into the first line of kids I saw. I went in and met with the producer and everybody and came out of the interview. My mom said, "You were supposed to be upstairs!" and I said, "But whatever that is, I just got it." I started out as Nathan Boone for the pilot with an older brother, but by the time the show began it was just one son named Israel, and that was me.
I always wanted to be Veronica Cartwright.
It was fun to reconnect with her.
And with Fess Parker, too, I imagine.
I stayed close to Fess Parker. We had a great couple of hours, shooting a documentary on the real Daniel Boone, in the places he really was. It was so much fun to sit down and talk with him, talking about america's first legend with a current legend. It was a magical moment. And Ed Ames' voice is still so magical.
Did you have a favorite episode?
A lot of them! I always loved animals, so it was always fun to work with the animals for the show. My mom was an only child with strict German parents so she wanted us to have the pets she did not have. I had my own raccoon, foxes, and snakes, even a wild boar! There was the episode where Israel fell in love and had his first screen kiss. The first time we shot it they said Israel shouldn't kiss that well so we had to reshoot. A little frontier boy wasn't supposed to be that well-versed.
Did you know the other television child stars of that era?
I was one of four kids from TV that Art Linkletter brought to Washington, DC for a show called "A Kid's Eye View of Washington." We had tours of everything, the Smithsonian, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, where I got to shred a million dollars worth of bills. We got to meet Nixon and see the Hope Diamond. Maureen McCormick from "The Brady Bunch" was one of the other kids, but I didn't rate a mention in her new book!
What television shows did you like when you were a kid?
"To Catch a Thief" -- there was nobody cooler, nobody more suave with the ladies than Al Mundy. I once crept onto the set and saw Robert Wagner tied up with his arms around the beautiful girl. He looked over at me and said, "Hey kid, do they treat you this good on your set?" It meant the world that he knew who I was. I also loved "The Wild Wild West."
What were some of the lessons you learned from the other actors?
One of the reasons my mother wanted me to act was that my father died when I was a year old and she wanted to keep men in my life. Fess Parker and Daniel Boone were both good role models.
The actors I worked with were always professional and considerate. I once produced small low-budget movie that had Tony Curtis in it and he was such a pro, always half an hour early, knew everybody's name. Young actors today think they're doing you favor.
We had so many wonderful guest stars and I would watch them. I would ask myself "How does Fess do it?" I wouldn't have admitted it at the time but my mom helped, too. Kids -- you don't have to teach them so much, a kid on a playground is already acting. He picks up a stick and it's a WWII battle. I believe in "as if" acting, not trying to imitate or display. Try to loosen up and keep as natural as possible and have fun. Gone are the days when you can get away with stealing the child actor's dog to get him to cry. But I hear war stories from the old days!
Some child actors regret it later. Are you glad you did it?
I loved it, I had fun, it opened the world to me. I also got picked on at school, and had my nose broken. Anyone can look back and say, "This was good that was bad;" I look back and say "Doors opened, I had a good time."
Why is the Daniel Boone show so enduringly popular?
You can sit down with the whole family and enjoy it. More often there are shows the kids like and shows I like that are not appropriate for them. But this is a show for everybody. It makes it clear that for Daniel Boone it was always family first. Daniel always came home to check on Becky and give her a kiss and check on the kids no matter what else was going on.
And the real Daniel Boone was the first living legend, famous all over Europe and America before he passed away. He was more complicated and unique even than portrayed. He never wore a coonskin cap. He was known as the Indian killer but only killed one. He was a judge and he was the most in debt in America and sued the most, too. He opened up the frontier that he loved but hunted all the animals down. Lived on the true frontier, Indians, whites, Spanish, French, blended in with all of them. He died penniless. Gave a big parcel of land to a girl who survived an Indian raid but fought with her family over the boundaries. I love to learn more about him, never get tired of it.
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One of my favorite shows of all time along with the Andy Griffith show. Daniel Boone shows us the importance of family and honor I wish there were more shows on today like them I never miss a rerun of either.
love my TIVO
Daniel Boone was one of my favorites growing up, and is still one today. They don't make shows like that anymore.
You are so right! That's why I am really glad this is now available on DVD. I hope a lot of families watch it together.
Daniel Boone was and still is one my favorite shows. I have six years on DVD.
Thanks, Rick! It was a classic and I loved speaking with Darby.
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