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The Alamo (1960 film)
Encyclopedia
The Alamo is a 1960 American historical epic released by United Artists
. The film was directed by John Wayne
, who also starred as Davy Crockett
. The cast also includes Richard Widmark
as Jim Bowie
and Laurence Harvey
as William B. Travis
, with Frankie Avalon
, Chill Wills
, Patrick Wayne
, Linda Cristal
, Joseph Calleia
, Ruben Padilla, Richard Boone
, Ken Curtis
, Hank Worden
, and Denver Pyle
. It was photographed in 70 mm Todd-AO
by William H. Clothier. The subject is the 1836 Battle of the Alamo
.
and the events leading up to it. Sam Houston leads the forces fighting for Texas independence and needs time to build an army. The opposing Mexican forces, led by General Santa Anna, are numerically stronger and also better armed and trained. Nevertheless, the Texans have spirit and morale remains generally high.
Lieutenant Colonel William Travis is tasked with defending the Alamo, a former mission just outside San Antonio. Jim Bowie arrives with reinforcements, and the defenders dig in. Meanwhile, Davy Crockett arrives in San Antonio with a company of men from Tennessee. Crockett meets with Travis, and after Travis informs him of the direness of the situation, Crockett and his men join forces with the Alamo garrison.
Santa Anna's armies arrive and surround the fort. The siege begins. Santa Anna demands surrender; Travis replies with a cannon shot.
In a nighttime raid, the Texans sabotage the Mexicans' biggest cannon. The Texans maintain high hopes as they are told a strong force led by Colonel James Fannin is on its way to break the siege. Crockett, however, sensing an imminent attack, sends one of his younger men, Smitty, to ask Houston for help. Crockett knows this will perhaps save Smitty's life.
The Mexicans attack in a frontal assault on the Alamo. The defenders hold out and kill hundreds of charging Mexican soldiers, further boosting morale, although the Texans' own losses are not insignificant. Morale drops when Travis tells his men that the Fannin's reinforcements have been ambushed and slaughtered by the Mexicans.
Travis chooses to stay with his command and defend the Alamo, but he gives the other defenders the option of leaving. Crockett, Bowie and their men prepare to leave, but a speech of encouragement by Travis convinces them to stay and fight to the end.
On the thirteenth day of the siege, Santa Anna's artillery bombards the Alamo and kills or wounds several Texans. Bowie is seriously wounded in the leg. The entire Mexican army then sweeps forward, attacking on all sides. The defenders kill dozens of charging Mexicans, but the attack is overwhelming. The Mexicans blast a hole in the Alamo wall and soldiers swarm through. Travis tries to rally the men but is shot and killed. Crockett leads the Texans in the final defense of the fort. The Mexicans take heavy losses, but swarm through and overwhelm the Texans. The Texans retreat to their final defensive positions. Crockett is killed in the chaos when he is run through by a lance and then blown up as he ignites the powder magazine. Bowie, in bed with his wound, kills several Mexicans but is bayoneted and dies. As the last Texan is killed, the Mexican soldiers discover the hiding place of the wife and child of Texan defender Captain Dickinson. The battle is over and the Mexicans have won.
Santa Anna observes the carnage and provides safe passage for Mrs. Dickinson and her child. Smitty returns too late, watching from a distance. He takes off his hat in respect and then escorts Mrs. Dickinson away from the battlefield.
The subplot follows the conflict existing among the strong-willed personalities of Travis, Bowie and Crockett. Travis stubbornly defends his decisions as commander of the garrison against the suggestions of the other two - particularly Bowie with whom the most bitter conflict develops. Crockett, well liked by both Bowie and Travis, eventually becomes a mediator between the other two as Bowie constantly threatens to withdraw his men rather than deal with Travis. Despite their conflicts, all three learn to subordinate their differences and in the end bind themselves together in an act of bravery to defend the fort against inevitable defeat.
had decided to make a movie about the 1836 Battle of the Alamo
. He hired James Edward Grant
as scriptwriter, and the two began researching the battle and preparing a draft script. They hired Pat Ford, son of John Ford
, as a research assistant. As the script neared completion, however, Wayne and the president of Republic Pictures
, Herbert Yates
, clashed over the proposed $3 million budget. Wayne left Republic over the feud but was unable to take his script with him. That script was later rewritten and made into the movie The Last Command
.
; UA would contribute $2.5 million to the movie's development and serve as distributor. In exchange, Batjac was to contribute an additional $1.5–2.5 million, and Wayne would star in the movie. Wayne secured the remainder of the financing from wealthy Texans who insisted the movie be shot in Texas
.
, was constructed near Brackettville, Texas
, on the ranch of James T. Shahan. Chatto Rodriquez, the general contractor of the set, built 14 miles (22.5 km) of tarred roads for access to the set from Brackettville. His men sank six wells to provide 12,000 gallons of water each day, and laid miles of sewage and water lines. They also built 5000 acres (2,023.4 ha) of horse corrals.
Rodriquez worked with art designer Alfred Ybarra to create the set. Historians Randy Roberts and James Olson describe it as "the most authentic set in the history of the movies". Over a million and a quarter adobe bricks were formed by hand to create the walls of the former Alamo Mission. The set was an extensive three quarter-scale replica of the mission, and has since been used in 100 other westerns, including other depictions of the battle. It took more than two years to construct.
, a bit part that would have let him focus on his (first major) directing effort, but the money-lenders insisted he play a leading character. He took on the role of Davy Crockett
, handing the part of Houston to Richard Boone
. Wayne cast Academy Award-nominated actors Richard Widmark
as James Bowie and Laurence Harvey
as William Barrett Travis. Harvey was chosen because Wayne admired British stage actors and he wanted "British class". When production became tense, Harvey spoke lines from Shakespeare
in a Texan accent. Other roles went to family and close friends of Wayne, including his son Patrick and daughter Aissa. The future western songwriter
and stuntman Rudy Robbins
had a bit role in the film as one of the Tennessee Volunteers.
Sammy Davis, Jr.
asked Wayne for the part of a slave as he wanted to break out of song and dance. Some producers blocked the move, apparently because Davis was dating white actress May Britt
.
Several days after filming began, Widmark complained he had been miscast and tried to leave. After threats of legal action, he agreed to finish the picture.
showed up uninvited and attempted to exert undue influence on the film. Wayne sent him off to shoot unnecessary second-unit footage in order to maintain his own authority. Virtually nothing of Ford's footage was used, but Ford is often erroneously described as an uncredited co-director.
According to many people involved in the film, Wayne was an intelligent and gifted director, despite a weakness for the long-winded dialog of his favorite screenwriter, James Edward Grant. Roberts and Olson describe his direction as "competent but not outstanding". Widmark complained that Wayne would try to tell him and other actors how to play their parts, which sometimes went against their own interpretation of characters.
, were intimidated by rattlesnakes. Crickets
were everywhere, often ruining shots by jumping on actors' shoulders or chirping loudly.
A bit player, LeJean Ethridge, died in a domestic dispute during filming and Wayne was called to testify at an inquest.
Harvey forgot that a firing cannon has a recoil; during the scene in which, as Travis, he fires in response to a surrender demand, the cannon came down on his foot, breaking it — he didn't scream in pain until after Wayne had called "Cut!". Wayne praised his professionalism.
Filming ended on 15 December. A total of 560,000 feet of film was produced for 566 scenes. Despite the scope of the filming, it lasted only 3 weeks longer than scheduled. By the end of development, the film had been edited to three hours and 13 minutes.
(with song lyrics by Paul Francis Webster), and has been released numerous times. The original soundtrack album has been issued on Columbia Records
, Varèse Sarabande
, and Ryko Records. In 2010, a complete score containing newly recorded versions of Tiomkin's music was issued on Tadlow Music/Prometheus Records
, as conducted by Nic Raine and played by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
. This new release contains previously unreleased material.
In 1960, the world premiere was held at the Woodlawn Theatre in San Antonio, Texas
.
or why the battle took place. Alamo historian Timothy Todish said "there is not a single scene in The Alamo which corresponds to a historically verifiable incident". Historians J. Frank Dobie and Lon Tinkle
demanded their names be removed as historical advisors.
The entire plot is full of inaccuracies.
1. Bowie did not brandish a six barrel musket, nor was he wounded in the leg during the final assault. He fell ill due to his tuberculosis and was barely awake during the final attack.
2. Fannin was not ambushed and slaughtered during the siege of the Alamo. He and his men were murdered on Palm Sunday AFTER the Alamo fell.
3. Bowie and Crockett never made the decision to leave. Bowie was in no condition to travel and Crockett had a reputation to live up to.
John Wayne's Alamo was Hollywood rubbish from start to finish.
, veering close to libertarianism
. They point to a scene in which Wayne, as Crockett, remarks: "Republic. I like the sound of the word. Means that people can live free, talk free, go or come, buy or sell, be drunk or sober, however they choose. Some words give you a feeling. Republic is one of those words that makes me tight in the throat."
The film draws elements from the Cold War
environment in which it was produced. According to Roberts and Olson, "the script evokes parallels between Santa Anna's Mexico and Khruschchev's Soviet Union, as well as Hitler's Germany. All three demanded lines in the sand and resistance to death."
Many of the minor characters, at some point during the film, "speechify" about freedom and/or death, and their sentiments very likely reflected Wayne's own viewpoint.
, which had released it, and it made back its money. The Alamo won the Academy Award for Best Sound (Gordon E. Sawyer, Fred Hynes
) and was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
(Chill Wills), Best Cinematography (Color)
, Best Film Editing
, Best Music (Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture)
, Best Music (Song) (Dimitri Tiomkin
and Paul Francis Webster
for The Green Leaves of Summer) and Best Picture
. Its successful bid for several Oscar nominations over such films as Psycho
and Spartacus
was largely due to intense lobbying by producer John Wayne.
Critical response was mixed, from the New York Herald-Tribune's four-star "A magnificent job...Visually and dramatically, The Alamo is top-flight," to Time Magazine's "flat as Texas." Years later, Leonard Maltin
criticized the script as being "full of historical name-dropping and speechifying," but praised the climactic battle scene.
The film received a score of 54% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The film is thought to have been denied awards because Academy voters were alienated by an overblown publicity campaign, particularly one Variety
ad claiming that the film's cast was praying harder for Chill Wills
to win his award than the defenders of the Alamo prayed for their lives before the battle. The ad, placed by Wills, reportedly angered Wayne, who took out an ad of his own deploring Wills's tastelessness. In response to Wills's ad, claiming that all the voters were his "Alamo Cousins," Groucho Marx
took out a small ad which simply said, "Dear Mr. Wills, I am delighted to be your cousin, but I voted for Sal Mineo
," (Wills's rival nominee for Exodus
).
The film's cost, more than poor attendance, was at the root of its initial presumed failure, and indeed, it has retained popularity with many people. The soundtrack album has been in print continuously for fifty years. References to The Alamo show up in spoofs or homages. Mad Magazine had a spoof. The Alamo is mentioned by Vic Fontaine (James Darren
) in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
episode "Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang". The singer describes it as having great battle scenes and nice sets, but with an excessive running time. An American Werewolf in London
contains extended dialogue about The Alamo. The movie Viva Max!
, shot at the actual Alamo in San Antonio, makes numerous comedic references to the film with the Reynold Brown
film poster painting featured.
Wayne provided a clip of the film for use in How the West Was Won
. Despite being anachronistic (How the West Was Won begins in 1839 and the Alamo fell in 1836), the clip occurs near the beginning of the second half of the film, as Spencer Tracy
narrates the events that led up to the American Civil War
.
release.
The print was taken apart and deteriorated in storage. By 2007 it was unavailable in any useful form. MGM used the shorter general release version for subsequent DVD releases. The only version of the original uncut roadshow release is on digital video. It is the source for broadcasts on Turner Classic Movies
. The best available actual film elements are of the 35mm negatives of the general release version.
A restoration of the deteriorating print found in Toronto, supervised by Robert A. Harris
, is underway.
The overture
and musical intermission
in the film are usually omitted from TV broadcasts.
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
. The film was directed by John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
, who also starred as Davy Crockett
Davy Crockett
David "Davy" Crockett was a celebrated 19th century American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier and politician. He is commonly referred to in popular culture by the epithet "King of the Wild Frontier". He represented Tennessee in the U.S...
. The cast also includes Richard Widmark
Richard Widmark
Richard Weedt Widmark was an American film, stage and television actor.He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as the villainous Tommy Udo in his debut film, Kiss of Death...
as Jim Bowie
Jim Bowie
James "Jim" Bowie , a 19th-century American pioneer, slave trader, land speculator, and soldier, played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution, culminating in his death at the Battle of the Alamo...
and Laurence Harvey
Laurence Harvey
Laurence Harvey was a Lithuanian-born actor who achieved fame in British and American films.- Early life :Harvey maintained throughout his life that his birth name was Laruschka Mischa Skikne. However, his legal name was Zvi Mosheh Skikne. He was the youngest of three boys born to Ber "Boris" and...
as William B. Travis
William B. Travis
William Barret Travis was a 19th-century American lawyer and soldier. At the age of 26, he was a lieutenant colonel in the Texas Army...
, with Frankie Avalon
Frankie Avalon
Frankie Avalon is an American actor, singer, playwright, and former teen idol.-Career:By the time he was 12, Avalon was on U.S. television playing his trumpet. As a teenager he played with Bobby Rydell in Rocco and the Saints...
, Chill Wills
Chill Wills
Chill Theodore Wills was an American film actor, and a singer in the Avalon Boys Quartet.-Biography:Wills was born in Seagoville, Texas in 1902. He was a performer from early childhood, forming and leading the Avalon Boys singing group in the 1930s...
, Patrick Wayne
Patrick Wayne
Patrick John Morrison, better known by his stage name Patrick Wayne , is an American actor, the second son of movie star John Wayne and his first wife, Josephine Alicia Saenz. He made over 40 films in his career, including nine with his father...
, Linda Cristal
Linda Cristal
Linda Cristal is an Argentine actress. She is currently retired....
, Joseph Calleia
Joseph Calleia
Joseph Calleia was a Maltese born American singer, composer, screenwriter and actor, both on Broadway and in film...
, Ruben Padilla, Richard Boone
Richard Boone
Richard Allen Boone was an American actor who starred in over 50 films and was notable for his roles in Westerns and for starring in the TV series Have Gun – Will Travel.-Early life:...
, Ken Curtis
Ken Curtis
Ken Curtis was an American singer and actor best known for his role as Festus Haggen on the long-running CBS western television series Gunsmoke.-Early years:...
, Hank Worden
Hank Worden
Hank Worden was an American cowboy-turned-character-actor who appeared in many Westerns.-Biography:...
, and Denver Pyle
Denver Pyle
Denver Dell Pyle was an American film and television actor. He is best remembered for playing Uncle Jesse in The Dukes of Hazzard .-Early life:...
. It was photographed in 70 mm Todd-AO
Todd-AO
Todd-AO is a post-production company founded in 1953, providing sound-related services to the motion picture and television industries. The company operates three facilities in the Los Angeles area.-History:...
by William H. Clothier. The subject is the 1836 Battle of the Alamo
Battle of the Alamo
The Battle of the Alamo was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna launched an assault on the Alamo Mission near San Antonio de Béxar . All but two of the Texian defenders were killed...
.
Plot
The film depicts the Battle of the AlamoBattle of the Alamo
The Battle of the Alamo was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna launched an assault on the Alamo Mission near San Antonio de Béxar . All but two of the Texian defenders were killed...
and the events leading up to it. Sam Houston leads the forces fighting for Texas independence and needs time to build an army. The opposing Mexican forces, led by General Santa Anna, are numerically stronger and also better armed and trained. Nevertheless, the Texans have spirit and morale remains generally high.
Lieutenant Colonel William Travis is tasked with defending the Alamo, a former mission just outside San Antonio. Jim Bowie arrives with reinforcements, and the defenders dig in. Meanwhile, Davy Crockett arrives in San Antonio with a company of men from Tennessee. Crockett meets with Travis, and after Travis informs him of the direness of the situation, Crockett and his men join forces with the Alamo garrison.
Santa Anna's armies arrive and surround the fort. The siege begins. Santa Anna demands surrender; Travis replies with a cannon shot.
In a nighttime raid, the Texans sabotage the Mexicans' biggest cannon. The Texans maintain high hopes as they are told a strong force led by Colonel James Fannin is on its way to break the siege. Crockett, however, sensing an imminent attack, sends one of his younger men, Smitty, to ask Houston for help. Crockett knows this will perhaps save Smitty's life.
The Mexicans attack in a frontal assault on the Alamo. The defenders hold out and kill hundreds of charging Mexican soldiers, further boosting morale, although the Texans' own losses are not insignificant. Morale drops when Travis tells his men that the Fannin's reinforcements have been ambushed and slaughtered by the Mexicans.
Travis chooses to stay with his command and defend the Alamo, but he gives the other defenders the option of leaving. Crockett, Bowie and their men prepare to leave, but a speech of encouragement by Travis convinces them to stay and fight to the end.
On the thirteenth day of the siege, Santa Anna's artillery bombards the Alamo and kills or wounds several Texans. Bowie is seriously wounded in the leg. The entire Mexican army then sweeps forward, attacking on all sides. The defenders kill dozens of charging Mexicans, but the attack is overwhelming. The Mexicans blast a hole in the Alamo wall and soldiers swarm through. Travis tries to rally the men but is shot and killed. Crockett leads the Texans in the final defense of the fort. The Mexicans take heavy losses, but swarm through and overwhelm the Texans. The Texans retreat to their final defensive positions. Crockett is killed in the chaos when he is run through by a lance and then blown up as he ignites the powder magazine. Bowie, in bed with his wound, kills several Mexicans but is bayoneted and dies. As the last Texan is killed, the Mexican soldiers discover the hiding place of the wife and child of Texan defender Captain Dickinson. The battle is over and the Mexicans have won.
Santa Anna observes the carnage and provides safe passage for Mrs. Dickinson and her child. Smitty returns too late, watching from a distance. He takes off his hat in respect and then escorts Mrs. Dickinson away from the battlefield.
The subplot follows the conflict existing among the strong-willed personalities of Travis, Bowie and Crockett. Travis stubbornly defends his decisions as commander of the garrison against the suggestions of the other two - particularly Bowie with whom the most bitter conflict develops. Crockett, well liked by both Bowie and Travis, eventually becomes a mediator between the other two as Bowie constantly threatens to withdraw his men rather than deal with Travis. Despite their conflicts, all three learn to subordinate their differences and in the end bind themselves together in an act of bravery to defend the fort against inevitable defeat.
Background
By 1945 John WayneJohn Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
had decided to make a movie about the 1836 Battle of the Alamo
Battle of the Alamo
The Battle of the Alamo was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna launched an assault on the Alamo Mission near San Antonio de Béxar . All but two of the Texian defenders were killed...
. He hired James Edward Grant
James Edward Grant
James Edward Grant was an American short story writer and screenwriter who contributed to more than fifty films between 1935 and 1971....
as scriptwriter, and the two began researching the battle and preparing a draft script. They hired Pat Ford, son of John Ford
John Ford
John Ford was an American film director. He was famous for both his westerns such as Stagecoach, The Searchers, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and adaptations of such classic 20th-century American novels as The Grapes of Wrath...
, as a research assistant. As the script neared completion, however, Wayne and the president of Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures was an independent film production-distribution corporation with studio facilities, operating from 1934 through 1959, and was best known for specializing in westerns, movie serials and B films emphasizing mystery and action....
, Herbert Yates
Herbert Yates
Herbert John Yates was the founder and president of Republic Pictures, famous for being the home of John Wayne, Gene Autry, and Roy Rogers...
, clashed over the proposed $3 million budget. Wayne left Republic over the feud but was unable to take his script with him. That script was later rewritten and made into the movie The Last Command
The Last Command (1955 film)
The Last Command is a 1955 Trucolor film about Jim Bowie and the fall of the Alamo during the Texas War of Independence. Filmed by Republic Pictures, it was an unusually expensive undertaking for the low-budget studio.-Production:...
.
Production
Wayne and producer Robert Fellows formed their own production company, Batjac. As Wayne developed his vision of what a movie about the Alamo should be, he concluded he did not want to risk seeing that vision changed; he would produce and direct the movie himself, though not act in it. However, he was unable to enlist financial support for the project without the presumptive box-office guarantee his on-screen appearance would provide. In 1956, he signed with United ArtistsUnited Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
; UA would contribute $2.5 million to the movie's development and serve as distributor. In exchange, Batjac was to contribute an additional $1.5–2.5 million, and Wayne would star in the movie. Wayne secured the remainder of the financing from wealthy Texans who insisted the movie be shot in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
Set
The movie set, later known as Alamo VillageAlamo Village
Alamo Village is a movie set and tourist attraction north of Brackettville, Texas, United States. It was the first movie location built in Texas, originally constructed for and best known as the setting for The Alamo , directed by John Wayne and starring Wayne, Richard Widmark, Laurence Harvey and...
, was constructed near Brackettville, Texas
Brackettville, Texas
Brackettville is a city in Kinney County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,876 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Kinney County...
, on the ranch of James T. Shahan. Chatto Rodriquez, the general contractor of the set, built 14 miles (22.5 km) of tarred roads for access to the set from Brackettville. His men sank six wells to provide 12,000 gallons of water each day, and laid miles of sewage and water lines. They also built 5000 acres (2,023.4 ha) of horse corrals.
Rodriquez worked with art designer Alfred Ybarra to create the set. Historians Randy Roberts and James Olson describe it as "the most authentic set in the history of the movies". Over a million and a quarter adobe bricks were formed by hand to create the walls of the former Alamo Mission. The set was an extensive three quarter-scale replica of the mission, and has since been used in 100 other westerns, including other depictions of the battle. It took more than two years to construct.
Casting
Wayne was to have portrayed Sam HoustonSam Houston
Samuel Houston, known as Sam Houston , was a 19th-century American statesman, politician, and soldier. He was born in Timber Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, of Scots-Irish descent. Houston became a key figure in the history of Texas and was elected as the first and third President of...
, a bit part that would have let him focus on his (first major) directing effort, but the money-lenders insisted he play a leading character. He took on the role of Davy Crockett
Davy Crockett
David "Davy" Crockett was a celebrated 19th century American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier and politician. He is commonly referred to in popular culture by the epithet "King of the Wild Frontier". He represented Tennessee in the U.S...
, handing the part of Houston to Richard Boone
Richard Boone
Richard Allen Boone was an American actor who starred in over 50 films and was notable for his roles in Westerns and for starring in the TV series Have Gun – Will Travel.-Early life:...
. Wayne cast Academy Award-nominated actors Richard Widmark
Richard Widmark
Richard Weedt Widmark was an American film, stage and television actor.He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as the villainous Tommy Udo in his debut film, Kiss of Death...
as James Bowie and Laurence Harvey
Laurence Harvey
Laurence Harvey was a Lithuanian-born actor who achieved fame in British and American films.- Early life :Harvey maintained throughout his life that his birth name was Laruschka Mischa Skikne. However, his legal name was Zvi Mosheh Skikne. He was the youngest of three boys born to Ber "Boris" and...
as William Barrett Travis. Harvey was chosen because Wayne admired British stage actors and he wanted "British class". When production became tense, Harvey spoke lines from Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
in a Texan accent. Other roles went to family and close friends of Wayne, including his son Patrick and daughter Aissa. The future western songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and stuntman Rudy Robbins
Rudy Robbins
Rudy Warner Robbins was a Western entertainer known for his singing, songwriting, acting, writing, and his past performance of film and television stunts...
had a bit role in the film as one of the Tennessee Volunteers.
Sammy Davis, Jr.
Sammy Davis, Jr.
Samuel George "Sammy" Davis Jr. was an American entertainer and was also known for his impersonations of actors and other celebrities....
asked Wayne for the part of a slave as he wanted to break out of song and dance. Some producers blocked the move, apparently because Davis was dating white actress May Britt
May Britt
May Britt is a Swedish actress who had a brief career in the 1950s in Italy and later in the United States. She retired from the screen after she married Sammy Davis, Jr. in 1960.-Career:...
.
Several days after filming began, Widmark complained he had been miscast and tried to leave. After threats of legal action, he agreed to finish the picture.
Direction
Wayne's mentor John FordJohn Ford
John Ford was an American film director. He was famous for both his westerns such as Stagecoach, The Searchers, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and adaptations of such classic 20th-century American novels as The Grapes of Wrath...
showed up uninvited and attempted to exert undue influence on the film. Wayne sent him off to shoot unnecessary second-unit footage in order to maintain his own authority. Virtually nothing of Ford's footage was used, but Ford is often erroneously described as an uncredited co-director.
According to many people involved in the film, Wayne was an intelligent and gifted director, despite a weakness for the long-winded dialog of his favorite screenwriter, James Edward Grant. Roberts and Olson describe his direction as "competent but not outstanding". Widmark complained that Wayne would try to tell him and other actors how to play their parts, which sometimes went against their own interpretation of characters.
Filming
Filming began on 9 September 1959. Some actors, notably Frankie AvalonFrankie Avalon
Frankie Avalon is an American actor, singer, playwright, and former teen idol.-Career:By the time he was 12, Avalon was on U.S. television playing his trumpet. As a teenager he played with Bobby Rydell in Rocco and the Saints...
, were intimidated by rattlesnakes. Crickets
Cricket (insect)
Crickets, family Gryllidae , are insects somewhat related to grasshoppers, and more closely related to katydids or bush crickets . They have somewhat flattened bodies and long antennae. There are about 900 species of crickets...
were everywhere, often ruining shots by jumping on actors' shoulders or chirping loudly.
A bit player, LeJean Ethridge, died in a domestic dispute during filming and Wayne was called to testify at an inquest.
Harvey forgot that a firing cannon has a recoil; during the scene in which, as Travis, he fires in response to a surrender demand, the cannon came down on his foot, breaking it — he didn't scream in pain until after Wayne had called "Cut!". Wayne praised his professionalism.
Filming ended on 15 December. A total of 560,000 feet of film was produced for 566 scenes. Despite the scope of the filming, it lasted only 3 weeks longer than scheduled. By the end of development, the film had been edited to three hours and 13 minutes.
Music
The score (featuring the song "The Green Leaves of Summer") was composed by Dimitri TiomkinDimitri Tiomkin
Dimitri Zinovievich Tiomkin was a Russian-born Hollywood film score composer and conductor. He is considered "one of the giants of Hollywood movie music." Musically trained in Russia, he is best known for his westerns, "where his expansive, muscular style had its greatest impact." Tiomkin...
(with song lyrics by Paul Francis Webster), and has been released numerous times. The original soundtrack album has been issued on Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, Varèse Sarabande
Varèse Sarabande
Varèse Sarabande is an American record label, distributed by Universal Music Group, which specializes in film scores and original cast recordings. It aims to reissue rare or unavailable albums as well as newer releases by artists no longer under a contract...
, and Ryko Records. In 2010, a complete score containing newly recorded versions of Tiomkin's music was issued on Tadlow Music/Prometheus Records
Prometheus Records
Prometheus Records is a Belgium-based soundtrack label, established in 1980 by Luc Van de Ven, which originally began as a film music magazine known as Soundtrack. The magazine ceased production in 2004, but the label still continues to issue film score CDs with the assistance of Ford A...
, as conducted by Nic Raine and played by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra is a professional, philharmonic symphony orchestra, over 61 years old, predominantly it is composed of Czech and Slovak classical and jazz musicians...
. This new release contains previously unreleased material.
Release
Wayne hired publicist Russell Birdwell to coordinate the media campaign. Birdwell convinced seven states to declare an Alamo Day and sent information to elementary schools around the United States to assist in teaching about the Alamo.In 1960, the world premiere was held at the Woodlawn Theatre in San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
.
Historical accuracy
The film does little to explain the causes of the Texas RevolutionTexas Revolution
The Texas Revolution or Texas War of Independence was an armed conflict between Mexico and settlers in the Texas portion of the Mexican state Coahuila y Tejas. The war lasted from October 2, 1835 to April 21, 1836...
or why the battle took place. Alamo historian Timothy Todish said "there is not a single scene in The Alamo which corresponds to a historically verifiable incident". Historians J. Frank Dobie and Lon Tinkle
Lon Tinkle
Julien Lon Tinkle was a historian, author, book critic, and professor who specialized in the history of Texas. Tinkle spent most of his life in Dallas, Texas , where he graduated from and later taught at Southern Methodist University. In 1942 he became a book editor and critic for the Dallas...
demanded their names be removed as historical advisors.
The entire plot is full of inaccuracies.
1. Bowie did not brandish a six barrel musket, nor was he wounded in the leg during the final assault. He fell ill due to his tuberculosis and was barely awake during the final attack.
2. Fannin was not ambushed and slaughtered during the siege of the Alamo. He and his men were murdered on Palm Sunday AFTER the Alamo fell.
3. Bowie and Crockett never made the decision to leave. Bowie was in no condition to travel and Crockett had a reputation to live up to.
John Wayne's Alamo was Hollywood rubbish from start to finish.
Politics
Wayne's daughter Aissa wrote, "I think making The Alamo became my father's own form of combat. More than an obsession, it was the most intensely personal project in his career." Many of Wayne's associates agreed that the film was a political platform for Wayne. Many of the statements that his character made were Wayne's own views. Roberts and Olson point to an overwhelming theme of republicanismRepublicanism
Republicanism is the ideology of governing a nation as a republic, where the head of state is appointed by means other than heredity, often elections. The exact meaning of republicanism varies depending on the cultural and historical context...
, veering close to libertarianism
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
. They point to a scene in which Wayne, as Crockett, remarks: "Republic. I like the sound of the word. Means that people can live free, talk free, go or come, buy or sell, be drunk or sober, however they choose. Some words give you a feeling. Republic is one of those words that makes me tight in the throat."
The film draws elements from the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
environment in which it was produced. According to Roberts and Olson, "the script evokes parallels between Santa Anna's Mexico and Khruschchev's Soviet Union, as well as Hitler's Germany. All three demanded lines in the sand and resistance to death."
Many of the minor characters, at some point during the film, "speechify" about freedom and/or death, and their sentiments very likely reflected Wayne's own viewpoint.
Response
Though the film had a large box office take, its cost kept it from being a success and Wayne lost his personal investment. He sold his rights to United ArtistsUnited Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
, which had released it, and it made back its money. The Alamo won the Academy Award for Best Sound (Gordon E. Sawyer, Fred Hynes
Fred Hynes
Fred Hynes was an American sound engineer. He won five Academy Awards in the category Sound Recording and was nominated for two more in the same category.-Selected filmography:...
) and was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
(Chill Wills), Best Cinematography (Color)
Academy Award for Best Cinematography
The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is an Academy Award awarded each year to a cinematographer for work in one particular motion picture.-History:...
, Best Film Editing
Academy Award for Film Editing
The Academy Award for Film Editing is one of the annual awards of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Nominations for this award are closely correlated with the Academy Award for Best Picture. Since 1981, every film selected as Best Picture has also been nominated for the Film Editing...
, Best Music (Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture)
Academy Award for Original Music Score
The Academy Award for Original Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer.-Superlatives:...
, Best Music (Song) (Dimitri Tiomkin
Dimitri Tiomkin
Dimitri Zinovievich Tiomkin was a Russian-born Hollywood film score composer and conductor. He is considered "one of the giants of Hollywood movie music." Musically trained in Russia, he is best known for his westerns, "where his expansive, muscular style had its greatest impact." Tiomkin...
and Paul Francis Webster
Paul Francis Webster
Paul Francis Webster was an American lyricist who won three Academy Awards for Best Song and was nominated sixteen times for the award.-Biography:...
for The Green Leaves of Summer) and Best Picture
Academy Award for Best Picture
The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to artists working in the motion picture industry. The Best Picture category is the only category in which every member of the Academy is eligible not only...
. Its successful bid for several Oscar nominations over such films as Psycho
Psycho (1960 film)
Psycho is a 1960 American suspense/psychological horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins. The film is based on the screenplay by Joseph Stefano, who adapted it from the 1959 novel of the same name by Robert Bloch...
and Spartacus
Spartacus (film)
Spartacus is a 1960 American epic historical drama film directed by Stanley Kubrick and based on the novel of the same name by Howard Fast...
was largely due to intense lobbying by producer John Wayne.
Critical response was mixed, from the New York Herald-Tribune's four-star "A magnificent job...Visually and dramatically, The Alamo is top-flight," to Time Magazine's "flat as Texas." Years later, Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin is an American film and animated film critic and historian, author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives.-Personal life:...
criticized the script as being "full of historical name-dropping and speechifying," but praised the climactic battle scene.
The film received a score of 54% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The film is thought to have been denied awards because Academy voters were alienated by an overblown publicity campaign, particularly one Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
ad claiming that the film's cast was praying harder for Chill Wills
Chill Wills
Chill Theodore Wills was an American film actor, and a singer in the Avalon Boys Quartet.-Biography:Wills was born in Seagoville, Texas in 1902. He was a performer from early childhood, forming and leading the Avalon Boys singing group in the 1930s...
to win his award than the defenders of the Alamo prayed for their lives before the battle. The ad, placed by Wills, reportedly angered Wayne, who took out an ad of his own deploring Wills's tastelessness. In response to Wills's ad, claiming that all the voters were his "Alamo Cousins," Groucho Marx
Groucho Marx
Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx was an American comedian and film star famed as a master of wit. His rapid-fire delivery of innuendo-laden patter earned him many admirers. He made 13 feature films with his siblings the Marx Brothers, of whom he was the third-born...
took out a small ad which simply said, "Dear Mr. Wills, I am delighted to be your cousin, but I voted for Sal Mineo
Sal Mineo
Salvatore "Sal" Mineo, Jr. , was an American film and theatre actor, best known for his performance as John "Plato" Crawford opposite James Dean in the film Rebel Without a Cause...
," (Wills's rival nominee for Exodus
Exodus (film)
Exodus is a 1960 epic war film made by Alpha and Carlyle Productions and distributed by United Artists. Produced and directed by Otto Preminger, the film was based on the 1958 novel Exodus, by Leon Uris. The screenplay was written by Dalton Trumbo, which represented the breaking of the Hollywood...
).
The film's cost, more than poor attendance, was at the root of its initial presumed failure, and indeed, it has retained popularity with many people. The soundtrack album has been in print continuously for fifty years. References to The Alamo show up in spoofs or homages. Mad Magazine had a spoof. The Alamo is mentioned by Vic Fontaine (James Darren
James Darren
James William Ercolani , known by his stage name James Darren, is an American television and film actor, television director, and singer.-Career:...
) in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
episode "Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang". The singer describes it as having great battle scenes and nice sets, but with an excessive running time. An American Werewolf in London
An American Werewolf in London
An American Werewolf in London is a 1981 British-American horror film, written and directed by John Landis. It stars David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, and Griffin Dunne....
contains extended dialogue about The Alamo. The movie Viva Max!
Viva Max!
Viva Max! is a 1969 comedy film starring Peter Ustinov, Jonathan Winters and John Astin, directed by Jerry Paris. The film was written by Elliott Baker and based on a 1966 novel by Jim Lehrer.-Plot:...
, shot at the actual Alamo in San Antonio, makes numerous comedic references to the film with the Reynold Brown
Reynold Brown
Reynold Brown was a prolific American realist artist who drew many Hollywood film posters....
film poster painting featured.
Wayne provided a clip of the film for use in How the West Was Won
How the West Was Won (film)
How the West Was Won is a 1962 American epic Western film. The picture was one of the last "old-fashioned" epic films made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to enjoy great success. It follows four generations of a family as they move ever westward, from western New York state to the Pacific Ocean...
. Despite being anachronistic (How the West Was Won begins in 1839 and the Alamo fell in 1836), the clip occurs near the beginning of the second half of the film, as Spencer Tracy
Spencer Tracy
Spencer Bonaventure Tracy was an American theatrical and film actor, who appeared in 75 films from 1930 to 1967. Tracy was one of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, ranking among the top ten box office draws for almost every year from 1938 to 1951...
narrates the events that led up to the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Different versions
The Alamo premiered at its 70mm roadshow length of 202 minutes, including overture, intermission, and exit music, but was severely cut for wide release. UA re-edited it to 167 minutes. The 202-minute version was believed lost until a Canadian fan, Bob Bryden, realized he had seen the full version in the 1970s. He and Alamo collector Ashley Ward discovered the last surviving print of the 70mm premiere version in Toronto. It was pristine. MGM (UA's sister studio) used this print to make a digital video transfer of the roadshow version for VHS and LaserDiscLaserdisc
LaserDisc was a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially licensed, sold, and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in North America in 1978, the technology was previously referred to interally as Optical Videodisc System, Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Optical...
release.
The print was taken apart and deteriorated in storage. By 2007 it was unavailable in any useful form. MGM used the shorter general release version for subsequent DVD releases. The only version of the original uncut roadshow release is on digital video. It is the source for broadcasts on Turner Classic Movies
Turner Classic Movies
Turner Classic Movies is a movie-oriented cable television channel, owned by the Turner Broadcasting System subsidiary of Time Warner, featuring commercial-free classic movies, mostly from the Turner Entertainment and MGM, United Artists, RKO and Warner Bros. film libraries...
. The best available actual film elements are of the 35mm negatives of the general release version.
A restoration of the deteriorating print found in Toronto, supervised by Robert A. Harris
Robert A. Harris
Robert A. Harris is a film historian and preservationist who specializes in restoring the large-format widescreen films of the 1950s. He has restored and reconstructed a number of classic films including Lawrence of Arabia , Spartacus , My Fair Lady , Vertigo Rear Window , as well as The...
, is underway.
The overture
Overture
Overture in music is the term originally applied to the instrumental introduction to an opera...
and musical intermission
Intermission
An intermission or interval is a recess between parts of a performance or production, such as for a theatrical play, opera, concert, or film screening....
in the film are usually omitted from TV broadcasts.
Cast
- John WayneJohn WayneMarion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
as Col. Davy CrockettDavy CrockettDavid "Davy" Crockett was a celebrated 19th century American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier and politician. He is commonly referred to in popular culture by the epithet "King of the Wild Frontier". He represented Tennessee in the U.S...
, a larger-than-life legend from Tennessee who arrives at the Alamo bringing a band of fellow adventurers to the fight. - Richard WidmarkRichard WidmarkRichard Weedt Widmark was an American film, stage and television actor.He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as the villainous Tommy Udo in his debut film, Kiss of Death...
as Jim Bowie, a legendary figure like Crockett, who shares command of the Alamo with William Travis, but bears ultimate authority only over his volunteer group. - Laurence HarveyLaurence HarveyLaurence Harvey was a Lithuanian-born actor who achieved fame in British and American films.- Early life :Harvey maintained throughout his life that his birth name was Laruschka Mischa Skikne. However, his legal name was Zvi Mosheh Skikne. He was the youngest of three boys born to Ber "Boris" and...
as Col. William TravisWilliam B. TravisWilliam Barret Travis was a 19th-century American lawyer and soldier. At the age of 26, he was a lieutenant colonel in the Texas Army...
, who shares command of the Alamo garrison with Bowie, but has ultimate authority over the regular soldiers. - Frankie AvalonFrankie AvalonFrankie Avalon is an American actor, singer, playwright, and former teen idol.-Career:By the time he was 12, Avalon was on U.S. television playing his trumpet. As a teenager he played with Bobby Rydell in Rocco and the Saints...
as Smitty, the youngest of the Alamo defenders, and one of Crockett's Tennesseans. - Patrick WaynePatrick WaynePatrick John Morrison, better known by his stage name Patrick Wayne , is an American actor, the second son of movie star John Wayne and his first wife, Josephine Alicia Saenz. He made over 40 films in his career, including nine with his father...
as Capt. James Butler Bonham, a Texan officer sent out with an appeal for help. - Linda CristalLinda CristalLinda Cristal is an Argentine actress. She is currently retired....
as Graciela Carmela Maria 'Flaca' de Lopez y Vejar, a young woman whom Crockett saves from forced marriage. - Joan O'BrienJoan O'BrienJoan O'Brien is an American actress and singer. She made a name for herself acting in television shows in the 1950's and 1960's, and as a film co-star with Cary Grant, Elvis Presley, John Wayne and Jerry Lewis....
as Mrs. Sue Dickinson, wife of Captain Almeron Dickinson and cousin of Col. William Travis, who refuses to leave the fort with her young daughter. - Chill WillsChill WillsChill Theodore Wills was an American film actor, and a singer in the Avalon Boys Quartet.-Biography:Wills was born in Seagoville, Texas in 1902. He was a performer from early childhood, forming and leading the Avalon Boys singing group in the 1930s...
as Beekeeper, one of Crockett's colorful Tennesseans. - Joseph CalleiaJoseph CalleiaJoseph Calleia was a Maltese born American singer, composer, screenwriter and actor, both on Broadway and in film...
as Juan SeguinJuan SeguínJuan Nepomuceno Seguín was a 19th-century Texas Senator, Mayor, Judge, and Justice of the Peace and a prominent participant in the Texas Revolution.-Early life and family:...
, a San Antonio political figure who leads Mexican volunteers to help defend the Alamo. - Ken CurtisKen CurtisKen Curtis was an American singer and actor best known for his role as Festus Haggen on the long-running CBS western television series Gunsmoke.-Early years:...
as Capt. Almeron Dickinson, Travis's aide-de-camp. - Carlos ArruzaCarlos ArruzaCarlos Arruza , born Carlos Ruiz Camino, was one of the most prominent bullfighters of the 20th century. He was known as "El Ciclón" ....
as Lt. Reyes, an officer of Santa Anna's army, sent to demand the surrender of the fort. - Jester HairstonJester HairstonJester Joseph Hairston was an American composer, songwriter, arranger, choral conductor, and actor. His notable compositions include "Amen," a gospel-tinged theme from the film Lilies of the Field and a 1963 hit for The Impressions, and the Christmas song "Mary's Boy Child".-Early life:Hairston...
as Jethro, Jim Bowie's loyal slave. - Veda Ann BorgVeda Ann BorgVeda Ann Borg was an American film actress.Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Borg was the daughter of Gottfried Borg, a Swedish immigrant and Minna Noble. She became a model in 1936 before winning a contract at Paramount Pictures. A car crash in 1939 necessitated drastic reconstruction of her face by...
as Blind Nell Robertson, the wife of Alamo defender Jocko Robertson. - John DierkesJohn DierkesJohn Dierkes was an American character actor present in several classic films.-Life and career:Dierkes was born on February 10, 1905 in Cincinnati, Ohio. He attended Brown University and subsequently went to work as an economist for the United States Department of State. In 1941 he joined the Red...
as Jocko Robertson, Nell's husband, and a Tennessean, though not one of Crockett's band. - Denver PyleDenver PyleDenver Dell Pyle was an American film and television actor. He is best remembered for playing Uncle Jesse in The Dukes of Hazzard .-Early life:...
as Thimblerig (the Gambler), one of Crockett's Tennessee volunteers. - Aissa Wayne as Lisa Dickinson, the daughter of Almeron and Sue Dickinson.
- Hank WordenHank WordenHank Worden was an American cowboy-turned-character-actor who appeared in many Westerns.-Biography:...
as Parson, one of Crockett's Tennessee volunteers. - William HenryWilliam Henry (actor)William Albert Henry was an American actor working in Hollywood movies. He started as a child actor, then was a hero in B-movies , and ended his career as a character actor. He also appeared in various roles on episodes of many TV series. He was a member of the John Ford Stock Company and...
as Dr. Sutherland, the garrison physician. (billed as Bill Henry) - Bill DanielBill DanielWilliam Partlow Daniel , was a Governor of Guam and Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives...
as Col. Neill, an officer in the Texas army, and an adviser to Sam Houston. - Wesley LauWesley LauWesley Lau was an American film and television actor.-Early life:Wesley Lau was born and raised in Sheboygan, Wisconsin...
as Emil Sande, a corrupt San Antonio businessman who attempts to force Flaca into marriage. - Chuck RobersonChuck RobersonCharles Hugh "Chuck" Roberson was an American cowboy, actor, and stuntman. He was nicknamed "Bad Chuck" by director John Ford, for whom he worked many times, to distinguish him from "Good Chuck," stuntman Chuck Hayward. Roberson was reportedly the rowdier of the two, thus the nicknames.Roberson...
as a Tennessean, one of Crockett's volunteers. - Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams as Lt. 'Irish' Finn, one of Bowie's volunteers. (billed as Guinn Williams)
- Olive CareyOlive CareyOlive Carey was an American film and television actress.Born as Olive Fuller Golden in New York City, she appeared in more than fifty films, mostly westerns, including Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, often playing tough tom-boy parts. In 1920, she wed actor Harry Carey, Sr., with whom she remained...
as Mrs. Dennison, one of the women evacuated from the Alamo prior to the battle. - Ruben Padilla as Generalissimo Antonio Miguel Lopez de Santa AnnaAntonio López de Santa AnnaAntonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón , often known as Santa Anna or López de Santa Anna, known as "the Napoleon of the West," was a Mexican political leader, general, and president who greatly influenced early Mexican and Spanish politics and government...
, the dictatorial president of Mexico and leader of the army intent on putting down the Texas revolution. - Richard BooneRichard BooneRichard Allen Boone was an American actor who starred in over 50 films and was notable for his roles in Westerns and for starring in the TV series Have Gun – Will Travel.-Early life:...
as General Sam HoustonSam HoustonSamuel Houston, known as Sam Houston , was a 19th-century American statesman, politician, and soldier. He was born in Timber Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, of Scots-Irish descent. Houston became a key figure in the history of Texas and was elected as the first and third President of...
, leader of the Texas army, who hopes the stand at the Alamo will gain him time to gather troops to repel Santa Anna's forces.
See also
- List of American films of 1960
- The Alamo: other uses
- The Alamo (2004 film)The Alamo (2004 film)The Alamo is a 2004 American war film about the Battle of the Alamo during the Texas Revolution. The film was directed by Texan John Lee Hancock, produced by Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, and Mark Johnson, and distributed by Touchstone Pictures....
Additional reading
- Clark, Donald, & Christopher P. Andersen. John Wayne's The Alamo: The Making of the Epic Film (New York: Carol Publishing Group, 1995) ISBN 0-8065-1625-9
- Farnsworth, Rodney. "John Wayne's Epic of Contradictions: The Aesthetic and Rhetoric of Way and Diversity in The Alamo" Film QuarterlyFilm QuarterlyFilm Quarterly is a film journal published by University of California Press, in Berkeley, California, United States. It was first published in 1945 as Hollywood Quarterly, was renamed The Quarterly of Film Radio and Television in 1951, and received its current title in 1958...
, Vol. 52, No. 2 (Winter 1998-1999), p. 24 - 34 - http://www.in70mm.com/news/2002/alamo/index.htm "Dust to Dust" by Robert Wilonsky. Dallas ObserverDallas ObserverThe Dallas Observer is a free alternative weekly newspaper distributed around the Dallas, Texas . At its inception, it was conceived as a weekly local arts and cinema review publication, with the credo "Advocate for Excellence in the Arts" on the cover. For a time during the early years, the paper...
, August 9, 2001
External links
- Alamo Sentry: The Popular Culture of The Alamo
- "On the Set of The Alamo": Behind-the-scenes footage from the production of the film in Brackettville. From the Texas Archive of the Moving Image.