The Searchers, an American Legend

Glenn Frankel tells the story behind “The Searchers.” In 1836 in East Texas, nine-year-old Cynthia Ann Parker was kidnapped by Comanches, raised by the tribe, and eventually became the wife of a warrior. Twenty-four years later she was reclaimed by the U.S. cavalry and Texas Rangers and reunited with her white family. It’s become a foundational American tale and has inspired operas plays, and a novel by Alan LeMay, which was adapted into one of Hollywood's most legendary films, “The Searchers,” directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne. In The Searchers: The Making of an American Legend, Frankel examines how the story has been shaped over time.