DISSERTATION CHAPTER ONE

This study explored how, when a hat is used in media such as film and television, it can be an important communication artifact
- especially when worn  by a mediated hero. This study focused on the use and impact of the hats worn by Disney's Davy Crockett, a television character from the 1950s, and Indiana Jones, a film hero from the 1980s to present day. This study examined the  historic context and decision-making on the part of the producers, directors, writers, costumers, and others involved in the development of the identity of  these characters and their hats. It also examined the effects these productions, their heroic characters, and their hats had on audiences and culture, both at the time they were released and long afterward. This study showed how, in the case of both Crockett and Jones, the hat was an important part of what helped  create the character's legend and led to the immediate and lasting success of  the productions they were in and the marketing and other efforts that were associated with them.