Walt Disney Treasures - Elfego Baca and The Swamp Fox - Legendary Heroes
AfterDavy Crockettscored a huge hit on TV and in theaters, Walt Disney looked for stories about other American heroes forDisneyland; among the ones he chose were Elfego Baca and Marion Francis, the Swamp Fox. Of the two,Elfego Baca, which ran for 10 installments from October 1958 through March 1960, is the more entertaining. Robert Loggia cuts a properly dashing figure as Baca, the New Mexico gunman who became a lawyer. In both capacities, he fought for justice and the spirit of the law, rather than its letter: If he found a law unjust--or inconvenient--he bent or ignored it to achieve his always honorable ends. Baca also stood out as a rare example of a Latino hero at time when Hispanics were rarely seen on American TV.Elfego Bacaproved popular enough to be recut and released theatrically outside the United States.During the Revolutionary War, Colonel Francis Marion led a string  of unconventional campaigns against the British in the Carolinas. His  skill at staging raids, then vanishing into the trackless marshes  earned him the title "The Swamp Fox." As Marion, Leslie Nielsen lacks  Loggia's panache. He's also required to make rather heavy-handed  speeches about the rightness of the American cause and its inevitable  victory that bring the story to screeching halt. And he always seems to  pick the most obtuse members of the British army as targets. AlthoughThe Swamp Foxran for six installments, from October 1959  through January 1961, it was eclipsed by more exciting Disney  Americana, notablyTexas John Slaughter(1958-1961). (Unrated,  suitable for ages 8 and older: violence, alcohol and tobacco use)--Charles Solomon