The Swamp Fox

You know when I talked about Leslie Nielsen yesterday, I mentioned what I thought was his best role, which, in my opinion, was a star ship captain in the movie, Forbidden Planet. Most people these days, I'm sure remember him for his comedies, like the movie, Airplane and the Naked Gun movies, of which there were three, I believe. There were some TV shows that also featured Nielsen in his Naked Gun role, but they didn't take, so there weren't too many.

And speaking of TV shows, I forgot to mention the role he played that has something to do with me. Well, not me, personally, but with my online handle, Swampfox. I mentioned before on this blog, that Nielsen was the actor who played Francis Marion, the original Swampfox, in a Disney TV show called The Swamp Fox. How negligent of me, considering it was this TV show that introduced me to the real life swampfox character, and the nickname.



So here is Nielson as Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox, back in 1959.

Here is a quote from the show, as Nielsen explained how he, as Marion, got the nickname.

"My name is Francis Marion. I fought the British Redcoats in 76. Hiding in the Carolina swamps by day, surprising them with swift strikes at night. They called me a tricky swamp fox. So, a Swamp Fox I became..."


Here's Nielsen as the action hero on a horse...



...with an old fashioned pistol...



...and wearing a feathered hat.

OK. That's all.