The life and death of Collins inspired the musical "Floyd Collins" by Adam Guettel and Tina Landau, as well as one film documentary, several books, a museum and many short songs. "Ace in the Hole" (alternative title, "The Big Carnival") is a 1951 film by Billy Wilder based on the media circus surrounding the attempted rescue of a man stuck in a cave. The film depicts a fictional incident, but Collins is mentioned by name in the dialogue. He is mentioned in two novels by Kentucky writers Robert Penn Warren and James Still: "The Cave" and "River of Earth".