Abstract

With the stalemate of the Korean War, the United States went through a dispirited time when the citizens tried to make sense of a war they felt had no meaning. With the new threat of the Cold War and Communism, Americans struggled to find security and a way to rebuild their demoralized nation. It was during this 1950s time that Walt Disney decided to produce a movie about a historical figure, Davy Crockett. Using the legends told during Crockett's lifetime, Disney adapted and enhanced these legends. The result was what is famously known as the 1950s Crockett Craze. Disney provided Americans with a hero they could look to--a hero who was able to help strengthen the disheartened nation through his patriotism. With the mass media of television and movies, comics, and the radio, the spread of Crockett's feats was told and retold. The craze lasted for a year and a half before it ended. The craze was valuable in providing children with a way to release their anxieties while demonstrating to adults how one person can make a difference and be patriotic to a country. The Crockett craze was a single moment in history, yet the craze and its aftermath live on in the citizen's need for a hero.

Degree

College and Department

Humanities; English

Rights

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