Davy Crockett was a man born in 1786, and went on to live a full life in both war and politics. He served in the Creek Indian War, then was elected to the Tennessee state legislature, and eventually to the House of Representatives. There, he opposed many of the bills by
Andrew Jackson, particularly the Indian Removal Act, resulting in the end of his political career. As a result he left for
Texas, where he died in the battle of the Alamo in 1836.
That's more or less the Cliff Notes version of his life, and it was embedded in American popular culture. He exploits
became exaggerated beyond what he did, including claims that he killed a bear at age three.
The most famous interpretation of him probably came from a five-part serial on the
Disneyland television program, which created quite the fad when it aired. In fact, the original serial was only in three parts, the success convinced them to make the remaining two parts. The serial was rereleased as two
Compilation Movies,
Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier and
Davy Crockett and the River Pirates. The two movies have been released on DVD, and the serial was released unedited as part of the
Walt Disney Treasures line.
The Disney version proved
insanely popular in the early
1950s USA, with Davy Crockett
merchandise greatly in demand among kids, and is arguably the first modern children's media cultural phenomenon of its type. In terms of crazes it would only succumb to science fiction media derived from the
Space Race.
The Disney version contains the following tropes:
