Although season one of Daniel Boone hadn't cracked the Top 30 in the Nielsen ratings, by the end of the 1964-65 season, NBC felt there was enough growing interest in the series to edit down the first three episodes and release it as a feature film (in its original color) during that summer. The film did respectable business, and with the additional Top 40 success of that catchy little ditty ("What a Boone, what a doer, what a dream come-a-truer was he!"), NBC decided to show the second season in color (the network had by this season committed to a full color schedule). It aided immensely with the popularity of the show, and the ratings climbed into the Top 30; it would end up 26th for the year. If that sounds low, remember there were only three networks then, and Daniel Boone was pulling down a massive 21.9 share - which would be considered a blockbuster today.

But just as important as the addition of color to the popularity of the show, were the exceptionally well-written episodes that reflected a more adult approach to the material (just as number one rated Bonanza, along with high-rated The Virginian were doing on the same network). Indicative of this more adult approach was the season opener, My Name is Rawls, co-starring Olympic decathlete and civil rights activist, Rafer Johnson. This episode, which tackled head-on the then-white hot topic of race relations, would hardly seem like the kind of material for a kiddie show - and it's not. Sensitively handled, My Name is Rawls again displays the sensible, pre-P.C. attitude towards controversial material that was a highlight of the first Daniel Boone season. Johnson, a former slave now free, is stealing other trappers' pelts to sell to murderous white thieves, to earn his passage back to Africa. Just the notion that Johnson wants to return to Africa is novel enough for 1965 TV (most episodes would have demanded that he wish to stay here as a free man), but when the producer and writers gave him these words to say, it must have been a jolt to the families watching the show: The white man took my freedom and brought me to this country. I want my freedom back. I want to see my home again. These are my rights. I'm claiming them the only way I can.

But of course, it's never that simple, as Daniel points out. Setting out to track down Johnson for stealing the pelts, Daniel responds to the above by saying: You make it sound sort of logical. The only thing is, by taking something that you say belongs to you, you're taking something that belongs to somebody else. When pressed further by Johnson, Daniel flatly states: You might say I'm dead set against thievery. And throughout the show, an even-handed approach is applied to this central issue of perceived rights versus larger responsibilities -- both personal and societal, with Daniel and Mingo (Daniel's Oxford, England-educated Indian friend played again by the multi-talented Ed Ames), making a case for racial harmony facilitated by an overriding moral code based on individual responsibility. When Daniel asks Johnson to trust him, that he doesn't want to send him back to the slave owners, Daniel says: A man's what he is -- regardless. I don't think race or color has anything to do with it. Johnson replies: White men sold me into slavery; how could I ever be his friend? Daniel, smiling along with Mingo, his Indian friend, responds sensibly: Well, I don't like all Indians for that matter. Depend's on what you're looking for, while Mingo smilingly acknowledges this with a nod. It's this kind of honest, pragmatic, fair approach to difficult, controversial issues that's utterly missing from our current entertainment culture - and which makes Daniel Boone a real revelation. Let's face it: today, if a character uttered the words that Daniel said above, he'd immediately be labeled a racist, and the discussion would be over -- a convenient way to pidgeon-hole someone as "absolutely wrong" without having the responsibility of listening to what they're actually saying. But far from a racist, Daniel goes so far as to protect Johnson over the safety of his own daughter, while securing the funds to send Johnson back to Africa -- if he so chooses.

There's many more instances of this fair-minded sensibility in Daniel Boone: Season 2, perhaps filtering down into the stories because of the influence of its starring actor, Fess Parker. Time and again, in the extras included on this disc set, and the previous season's set, actors who worked with Parker describe the kind, accepting nature of the actor, and the effect this had on the production. I'm sure there are those who would say he's not a terribly expressive actor (he himself might modestly joke that way), but I disagree. Parker, with that honeyed, mellifluous Texas accent and 6 foot 5 stature, is the embodiment of what we like to think a classic American male is - or least what they used to be (God help us if the ideal now is a supercilious Clooney or Pitt). Of course, it's always dangerous to confuse the actor with the role, but it's not hard to realize that as good an actor as Robert DeNiro is, he couldn't touch what Parker does here with Daniel Boone. This is an iconic American role, that requires gentle strength, few words that are nonetheless delivered well and with authority, and an absolute confidence in knowing that what you're doing, is right. Fess Parker is a natural at conveying this kind of American male - a figure in popular culture, I fear, that is gone forever.

Here are the 29 color episodes included in Daniel Boone: Season 2:

DISC ONE:

My Name is Rawls
Daniel strikes out alone to find and capture Rawls (Rafer Johnson), a powerful runaway slave, who steals fur pelts by night to earn his passage back to Africa. The renegades who've hired Rawls to steal also want him back so they can turn him in and collect the bounty. They kidnap Jemima Boone (Veronica Cartwright) to force Daniel to make a trade.

The Old Man and The Cave
Little Israel Boone (Darby Hinton) rescues an aged half-starved Indian, Nitashanta (Cyril Delevanti), from death in a dark cave, only to discover that he has violated a centuries-old burial custom.

The Trek
Boone develops a mutual respect for and bonds with a notorious renegade, John Benton (Aldo Ray), as they fight untold odds together on the lengthy trek to Benton's hanging.

The Mound Builders
Daniel and Mingo find themselves party to a mysterious figure (Henry Silva) from the long-dead Aztec nation on a journey to the Shawnee's forbidden Valley of the Death.

DISC TWO:

The Tortoise and the Hare
Boonesborough's chances to win the annual Spring Foot-Race with the Indians hangs in the balance when Boone, the fort's best runner, sprains his ankle prior to the hotly contested race. Robert Logan as Jericho Jones becomes a regular cast member in this episode.

Empire of the Lost
Enemy Chickasaws help Boone save Kentucky and its settlers from the greed of a fanatic British officer (Edward Mulhare) who means to seize the rich country for himself and sell its dwellers into bondage.

The Peace Tree
Israel Boone, Cherokee chief Menewa's son Monlutha (Larry Domasin), and Dougal (Peter Oliphant), son of Scottish settler Roderick MacIntosh, work together to help prevent war between the settlers and Indians by preparing "peace medicine."

The Thanksgiving Story
Boone's eccentric father-in-law, Tim Brian (John McIntire) helps Israel catch a turkey and then leads the warring Choctaws into a peaceful trap where all can celebrate Thanksgiving peacefully together.

DISC THREE:

The Aaron Burr Story
Eager and impressionable, Jericho Jones (Robert Logan) volunteers to guide ex-Vice President Aaron Burr (Leif Erickson) on an "Important Mission," unaware he is aiding a military conspiracy -- Burr's attempting to set up an army to take over the western states.

The First Beau
Jemima Boone (Veronica Cartwright) experiences the sweet pangs of first love with a dashing young outlaw, David Ellis (Fabian Forte), who ends up going straight because of his feelings for her. Jed Tolson: Sam Jaffe.

Cry of Gold
In a plot to take over most of Boonesborough's land, owners of the Salem Land Development Company hire two rogues, Tom Cromwell (Maxwell Reed), a champion English pugilist, and Blake (William O'Connell), skilled at knife-throwing, to murder Boone. Over time, Cromwell becomes Boone's ally, eventually saving his life.

The Christmas Story
The birth of an Indian child poses a threat to the peace of Boonesborough as Daniel's kindness in giving shelter to the new mother is misinterpreted.

DISC FOUR:

A Rope for Mingo
Boone's efforts to save Mingo from a mob, intent upon hanging him for killing a white trader's family, nearly fail until he can find the real culprit. Zach Morgan: George Kennedy.

The Perilous Journey
Daniel Boone acts as a messenger for the President of the United States, carrying a dispatch confirming the Louisiana Purchase, despite opposition by British agents.

The Tamarack Massacre Affair
Boone and Mingo undermine a British plot to instigate war between the settlers and the Five Nations of Indians. Captain Robert Ives: Robert Lansing; Madeline Lorne: Dina Merrill.

Gabriel
Boone and Mingo sabotage a hostile Spanish search for a French Daniel Boone look-alike. Gabriel Lajuene: Vincent Beck; Francisco: Carlos Romero; Esteban De Vaca: Cesar Romero.

DISC FIVE:

The Deserter
Bounty hunters Harman (Slim Pickens), Moody (Henry Brandon), Varney (Bob Terhune), and Cutler (Ruby Robbins) who are seeking two Army deserters capture young Shawnee Reuben Stone (Dick Sargent) and, by mistake, Daniel Boone.

Crisis by Fire
A smallpox epidemic threatens Boonesborough, and an ambitious ex-officer in the Continental Army, Colonel Roger Barr (George Sanders), sees a way to use the scourge to gain power.

Seminole Territory
The Seminoles are about to go to war at the instigation of a magician, Fletcher Cameron (Channing Pollock) who has convinced them he's a god, when Daniel Boone interferes. Ronda Cameron: Diane Ladd; Oontah: Leonard Nimoy.

The Gun
In Pennsylvania, Boone gets a new gun made and outwits two scoundrels who try to force him to guide them through Indian country.

DISC SIX:

The Prisoners
Escaped Army prisoners hold Boone's children hostage to force him to aid them in revenge on their former commander, but instead he organizes their capture.

The Fifth Man
Daniel Boone and four companions try to blow up a key bridge on the route to Fort Wayne to prevent the British from capturing the fort.

The Gun Barrel Highway
The Shawnees go on the warpath when construction engineers violate an agreement with the tribe and build a highway through Indian hunting grounds.

The Search
On his way to sell furs in New Orleans, Daniel Boone is ambushed and robbed. While tracking his assailant, he becomes involved in a search for pirate gold. Sebastian Drake: Michael Ansara.

DISC SEVEN:

Fifty Rifles
A former British officer, William Blunt (Henry Wilcoxon), who was once a good friend of Boone, seeks to trade 50 stolen rifles to the Shawnee in exchange for a large tract of land.

The Trap
Daniel Boone trails a band of renegades who have robbed his house, terrorized his family, taken Israel hostage and left Mingo helpless in a bear trap.

The Accused
After Boone, arrested for the murder of a fur trader, is helped by Mingo to escape, the two uncover a devious plot to conceal yet another killing.

Cibola
An old treasure hunter, Matty Brenner (Royal Dano), looking for Cibola, one of the seven famed cities of gold, lures Daniel Boone to near death in a community of desperate exiles. Sergeant Goya: Alejandro Rey.

DISC EIGHT:

The High Cumberland
In this two-part episode, Daniel Boone, gambler Jim Santee (Armando Silvestre) and Mingo confiscate supplies bound for Boonesborough when a dishonest storekeeper attempts to refuse delivery. The story also reveals how Daniel and Rebecca met.

The DVD:

The Video:
Daniel Boone: Season 2 looks particularly rich and colorful in its digitally restored and remastered image. As much as I enjoyed the monochromatic, nostalgic look of Daniel Boone: Season 1, the color is a welcome addition here.

The Audio:
The sound mix on Daniel Boone: Season 1, as with the first season, is available in a strong Stereo 5.1 Surround mix, as well as an English and Spanish Stereo mix.

The Extras:
The extras available on Daniel Boone: Season 2 are arranged exactly the same as in Daniel Boone: Season 1. First offered is Actors' Comments, with three subjects covered: The Stunts, that features Ed Ames telling some really scary stories about appearing on The Mike Douglas Show, brandishing his bullwhip, and an incident on set, with a runaway boulder. Unfortunately, just as the story gets going, it's cut off; The Costumes, which features Fess and Ed starting to talk again about interesting aspects of the production, only to be cut off again arbitrarily; and Working on the Set, which features Ed Ames, discussing how genial the set was for Daniel Boone. Next comes Interviews, featuring short, individual segments on What it was like working with Fess Parker; What it was like working with Ed Ames; and What was it like working with Darby Hinton. Then, there is a text-based extra that gives the Air Dates for all of the episodes from this season. Finally, there's a Photo Gallery, with shots of the cast and crew on location. Unfortunately, there are some mistakes in the crediting, including tagging another actor as Cesar Romero. That's fairly sloppy on the DVD producers' part. As with Daniel Boone: Season 1, the extras are worthwhile, but extremely choppy in their presentation, with much material just arbitrarily cut off for no reason, right when the stories start to get good.

Final Thoughts:
Daniel Boone: Season 2 has all the hallmarks of quality 1960s family TV: strong characters, exciting plots, plentiful action, and valuable messages worthy of discussion after viewing. With a fantastic roster of supporting players this season, including Edward Mulhare, Henry Silva, Rafer Johnson, Aldo Ray (hamming it up mightily), Leif Erickson, George Kenney, Fabian, Sam Jaffe, Jay Silverheels, Henry Wilcoxon, Robert Lansing, Dina Merrill, Cesar Romero, Diane Ladd, Leonard Nimoy, Slim Pickens, Dick Sargent, Michael Ansara, George Sanders (delightfully snotty), and Alejandro Rey, Daniel Boone: Season 2 continues the high standards set by Daniel Boone:Season 1, surpassing it with a sensitive, adult approach to its challenging themes. Highly recommended.