Millions of Americans gathered around their 12 inch screen, black and white television sets on December 15, 1954. They were tuned to the local ABC outlet, impatiently awaiting the airing of Walt Disney's newest creation, "Davy Crockett: Indian Fighter" starring Fess Parker. The show was intended to be the first installment of a three part mini-series known as "Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier," a re-telling of the story of America's iconic hero.
The show was a monster hit. Every boy in America became Davy Crockett. The little "Davys", however, needed some help living in this new frontier. They had to have a Crockett kit - at a minimum, a coon skin cap and a toy musket. A pair of genuine Davy Crockett moccasins and a fringed leather hunting shirt, with a pair of frontier pants, would help complete the look. American business obliged by pouring some three thousand "Crockett" products into the American marketplace. Some of the products were Crockett essentials. But many, such as soaps, bed sheets, balloons, bubble gum and Crockett hotdogs for 45 cents a pound were not. Even the Army got in on the action by naming a new class of missiles "Davy Crockett."
"The Ballad of Davy Crockett" super charged the frenzy. Every kid had to have a copy. The twenty verse song was sung over and over. It landed on the pop charts. Today every white haired baby boomer can probably still sing the unforgettable refrain: "Davy, Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier."
The Crockett phenomena continued to grow to a fevered pitch. Sales of $100 million of Davy paraphernalia with estimates of $300 million during the Christmas rush stunned the country. We were in the midst of our first craze. Like all fads, the Davy Crockett craze one day just simply disappeared.
How did this happen? What caused the country to leap into such a frenzy about a legendary figure who had died in 1836? The craze sprung from the genius of Walt Disney. He resurrected the legend of Davy Crockett and added a little of the Disney magic to help him sell tickets to his new theme park at DisneyLand. Not even Walt Disney could have foreseen the crazy response from the American public.
Scholars argue that Americans at this time needed an antidote to counter its wounded psyche following the end of the Korean War. We lost 36,000 G.I.s, in an unsatisfying stalemate a little more than a year before. It was seen as the first war that America had not won. Americans were worried about the growing confrontation with a nuclear-armed Soviet Union.
Crockett fit the bill. He was a rugged individualist, a patriot who could question his government when he thought he needed to, and a strong warrior who treated his former enemies humanely. Comedian Red Skelton said that Crockett made it popular to be an American again.
Today it is nearly impossible to separate the man from the legend. Crockett mixed facts with exaggerations, puffery and folklore to create a unique persona. His talent as a teller of tall tales made him a national celebrity.
What about this scene from Disney? Is it truth or legend?
Crockett caused quite a stir in the halls of the Capitol on the day he assumed the office of U.S. congressman from Tennessee. Dressed in his trademark buckskins and moccasins, The Frontiersman grabbed hold of the speaker's podium whereupon he spun out this whopper of an introduction:
"I'm that same David Crockett, fresh from the backwoods, half-horse, half-alligator, a little touched with the snapping turtle; can wade the Mississippi, leap the Ohio, ride upon a streak of lightning...can whip my weight in wildcats-and if any gentleman pleases, for a ten dollar bill, he may throw a panther, hug a bear too close for comfort, and eat any man opposed to Jackson."
Crockett historians believe that the scene and most of the quotes were added to Crockett's portfolio after his death.
Crockett would have loved the show, the hooplaw and the rigamarole of the 1950's Crockett Craze. Will there be another Crockett revival? Or have we outgrown the legend? Here's one gray haired baby boomer who can't wait for the next installment.
