There was a real person named David Crockett (1786–1836) who fought with Andrew Jackson (1767–1845) against Creek Native Americans, represented Tennessee in the U.S. Congress, and died at the Alamo. But the real life of the man pales when compared with the legends about him that occupy such a prominent place in the nation's popular culture.

Although there had been some accounts of his exploits in the nineteenth century, mostly in the form of dime novels (see entry under 1900s—Print Culture in volume 1), it took the television (see entry under 1940s—TV and Radio in volume 3) age to make Davy Crockett's name a household word. A new TV show from Disney (see entry under 1920s—Film and Theater in volume 2) called Disneyland broadcast the first episode of a planned Crockett trilogy on December 15, 1954. "Davy Crockett, Indian Fighter" starred Fess Parker (1925–) in the title role. Crockett's friend...