Fess Parker. Dead at 85.

[Big_Bill]

Yes,

He portrayed everything that everyone wanted to be !

And what everyone wanted for a true American Hero !

Bill

[RedFeather]

I don't think mine shot the red plastic "bullets", although I do remember those very well. We also screwed around. Nothing like being bore, a box of rolls caps and a claw hammer on a summer's day. Now it would bring the SWAT squad! When a bit older, one of the guys came back from vacation with a little Davey Crockett style cap pistol. It was a fake percussion gun where you put the cap on a flat piece which the hammer struck, causing a bit of smoke to come out of the muzzle. The barrel also had a round vent hole just ahead of the breech. We found that you could stick a lady finger firecracker into it, with the fuse out that hole and then drop down one of those little jaw breakers that came in a light blue box. When tested about six feet against the wall of his house, we were amazed to see it completely pulverized the jaw breaker against the bricks. After one or two more shots, it was retired for fear of it blowing up.

The tap dance joke reminded me of a story my dad told about he and his cousin adding thumbtacks to the keys of a piano to make it sound like a honky-tonk. Resulted in a sound whipping for him from my Grand Dad, but his cousin (owner of the piano) got off scot- free.

[North Pack]

Geez, - that's right, cap pistols, never knew there was a "cap" rifle. - Today some kid pulls out a cap pistol, - he and his parents would have to do 50 hours of "community service" after the "get out" of the police station, and go for mandatory counseling.

[Tdubya]

To that list add - Gary Cooper, Alan Ladd, Glenn Ford, Burt Lancaster, Steve McQueen... I miss those guys

Now we have Keenu Reeves, Tom Cruise, Will Smith, Vin Diesel, etc.

At least Clint Eastwood is hangin' in there. And Arnold is a governator...lol.

[SUPERFITTER]

I still have the buckle gun: http://www.nicholscapguns.com/mattel2.htm   3/4 of the way down the page. I also had a side by side double barrel shotgun w/ plastic shells, I don't recall the manufacturer or brand name. I also had a hand gun that was the size of a Colt 45 w/ a dark blue finish, it was a lot larger than the cap pistols that my friends had.  I wish I knew who manufactured this copy of the colt 45.

[airiscool]

"........Geez, - that's right, cap pistols, never knew there was a "cap" rifle. ..........."

The Mattel "Plainsman" set I had came with a 6 shot Colt .45 revolver  in a real suade leather holster with scabard and plastic knife, and a lever action Winchester. Both fired stick-on caps. It was the "Shootin' Shell" 45  in the first page and a  lever action similar to the one on the third page of SUPPERFITTER's link.

They shot out  plastic "bullets" that fit into spring loaded shell casings. After inserting the plastic bullet, you'd peal off and stick "Greeny Stik - M caps" on the base of each shell. The Colt had a flip open loading gate and the Winchester had a loading port to the magazine, both worked  like the real ones.

After dinner, I'd strap on the holster, load up the Colt and the Winchester then watch shows like Davey Crockett, Gun Smoke, Suger Foot, Branded, Palladin, Bonanza. There were planty of Cowboy shows on back then and every time a bad guy showed up, that TV screen got peppered with plastic bullets almost every night of the week !  

Great times !!!!

Paul.