The fanfare notes strike. Chills ripple down our spines. In seconds "Indiana Jones" has us right where he wants us, long before diehard fans get the dirt on his next great archaeological adventure.

So why, even before the opening credits roll on "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," does Dr. Jones fill us with such wonder?

"He's John Wayne meets Roy Rogers meets Errol Flynn. He embodies the heroic figure in pop culture," says Dwight Blocker Bowers, curator of the entertainment history collection at Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.

First introduced in the 1981 film "Raiders of the Lost Ark," the characters iconic appeal was honoured by the Smithsonian in 1989. With Harrison Ford on hand to deliver a speech, Indy's trademark fedora and brown leather jacket were enshrined in the renowned institution.

"We took these items into the collection because they have a lot to do with the nature of the action hero," says Bowers. "They define 'Indiana Jones' and what that character stands for to the public. It's his costume of indomitability."

Fans who flock to the museum feel the same way. "People stand before that hat and jacket with curious reverence," says Bowers. "But it doesn't matter if it's a flag or a fedora. These movie items fill in a part of the American dream for people."

Timeless hero: 'Indiana Jones' embodies American spirit of adventure

Adventure quests are nothing new. Greek mythology was full of them long before George Lucas and Steven Spielberg sent Indy off cracking his whip and taking down bad guys. But this archeologist's wild, improvised quests and symbolic gear say volumes about the adventurous spirit ingrained in the American psyche.

"The superhero plays a large part in American culture," says Bowers. "That, along with the eagerness to go forth, has a lot to do with triumphing against the odds and being an underdog. It is part and parcel of American culture whether it is Horatio Alger, 'Superman' or 'Indiana Jones.'"

These lofty comparisons exceed what Spielberg had in mind. As Spielberg once said, "I made it as a B-movie... I didn't see the film as anything more than a better made version of the Republic serials."

Saturday matinee flicks like the Republic serials entertained generations before TV. Their spirit lives on the "Indiana Jones" franchise.

"'Indiana Jones' is a modern man on a mission. He's also very uncomplicated in terms of getting what he wants," says Bowers. "He may not always know how to win the prize. But he has a dream and goes for it. That's the American way."