boblipton George O'Brien swaps his usual cowboy gear for a coonskin cap to play Daniel Boone. It's an "eastern western", as he leads a wagon train over the Appalachian Mountains to found a settlement in Kentucky. In the course of the movie, he must court Heather Angel, deal with vengeful and effete Ralph Forbes, escape from Indians who want to burn him alive, under the command of renegade John Carradine, and an attack of the settlement.It's a well done B under the direction of David Howard, with some lovely compositions by cinematographer Frank Good. In story terms, it hearkens back to LAST OF THE MOHICANS, with a faithful, if brutal Indian companion, played by George Regas. Modern viewers may be upset by scene-stealing Clarence Muse, playing a slave; he does so with enormous dignity. For fans of Mr. O'Brien, it will be a delight.

kevin olzak 1936's "Daniel Boone" benefits from the casting of George O'Brien in the title role, still a few years away from retirement. An accurate portrait of the rigors of life on the Kentucky frontier, complicated by omnipresent evildoer Simon Girty (John Carradine), leading a band of renegade Indians that indulge in murder and rape. Also conducting villainy from a safe distance is prissy British aristocrat Stephen Marlowe (Ralph Forbes), supported by the Virginia legislature in confiscating the land built up by Boone's people. Love interest is provided by Heather Angel, solid support from George Regas and Clarence Muse. Later appearing as a murderer on the 60s teleseries DANIEL BOONE ("The Witness"), Carradine, on loan from Fox, excels in one of his flashier villain roles; too bad the picture sags a bit when he's off screen too long (he appropriately wears a skunk-skin cap, as opposed to Boone's traditional coonskin).

bkoganbing Daniel Boone had a long and fascinating life and he's still the prototype for those classic American frontier characters. He set a standard which people in later generations like Davy Crockett, Kit Carson, and Buffalo Bill were measured by. His life would warrant a mini-series. Any resemblance to that life and the film Daniel Boone which was RKO films big budget item for 1936 is purely coincidental. They don't even get the name of his wife in the character Heather Angel plays right.I will say that George O'Brien does make an impressive looking Daniel Boone and it's definitely in the tradition of a hero for the kiddie trade. This colonial era film plays like a western, but even the great Cecil B. DeMille made some of the same mistakes with his big budget epic Unconquered that starred Gary Cooper and Paulette Goddard and was set in the same era.Another and more infamous colonial frontier character makes an appearance in Daniel Boone. John Carradine plays a lean and mean Simon Girty and his performance here might have led John Ford to cast him in a similar role in Drums Along The Mohawk.Girty may have been one of the first diagnosed cases of Stockholm syndrome. As a kid he was captured by the Indians and adapted so well to their lifestyle that he sympathized with them and their cause the rest of his life. He sided with the Tories during the American Revolution so he's come down to us as a renegade and traitor.But as far as I know he and Daniel Boone never even met, let alone become antagonists. Simon Girty lived almost as long as Daniel Boone. Girty died in 1818 at his farm in Ontario, Canada where he's not exactly a hero, but doesn't have the bad reputation he has on this side of the Great Lakes. Boone of course died in 1820 and the action here takes place in the 1770s.The film might have been better had one of the bigger studios done it. Daniel Boone was a project for MGM or Warner Brothers not RKO Pictures.

Michael_Elliott Daniel Boone (1936) ** (out of 4) RKO film about Daniel Boone (George O'Brien) leading settlers from North Carolina to Kentucky while fighting a crazed white man (John Carradine) who's in good with deadly Indians. This adventure story is okay but it's certainly hampered by its low budget, which makes for a pretty dry story. When the action does kick in its way too late to save the film. O'Brien is good but Carradine steals the show even though he's chewing his way through each scene.This movie is available through countless public domain labels.