Plot
John Wayne's directorial debut The Alamo is set in 1836: Wayne plays Col. Davy Crockett, who, together with Colonels Jim Bowie (Richard Widmark) and William Travis (Laurence Harvey) and 184 hardy Americans and Texicans, defends the Alamo mission against the troops of Mexican general Santa Ana. There's a lot of macho byplay before the actual attack, including the famous "letter" scene in which Wayne craftily rouses the patriotic ire of his subordinates. Also appearing are Richard Boone as Sam Houston, and Chill Wills (whose somewhat tasteless Oscar campaign has since become legendary in the annals of shameless self-promotion) as Beekeeper. Wayne's production crew was compelled to reconstruct the Alamo in Bracketville, Texas, about a hundred miles from the actual site. Dimitri Tiomkin's score, including The Green Leaves of Summer, received generous airplay on the Top-40 radio outlets of America. Rumors persist that Wayne's old pal John Ford directed most of The Alamo; cut to 161 minutes for its general release, the film was restored to its original, 192-minute length in 1992. ~ Hal Erickson, RoviReview
Since John Wayne was unable to persuade friend John Ford to direct the star's long-cherished project on the historic event, he decided to get behind the camera himself, with better results than might have been expected. Although overlong, especially in its current three-hour-plus running time, and, at times, clumsy in staging, composition, and pacing, the film remains an entertaining experience. This is especially true of the excellent battle scenes, at least some of which were directed by Ford with the second unit. There are also bright moments early on, as the three principals, Davy Crockett (Wayne), Jim Bowie (Richard Widmark), and Col. William Travis (Laurence Harvey), vie for leadership of the beleaguered force. There's also an oversupply of the kind of tiresome horseplay Wayne thought of as comedy. The cast, which includes many Western veterans such as Chill Wills and Ken Curtis, is solid. Cowboy icon Richard Boone, in particular, excels as tough Governor Sam Houston. On the other hand, Patrick Wayne and Frankie Avalon look as though they've just wandered in from a beach movie. ~ Michael Costello, RoviCast
- John Wayne - Col. David Crockett
- Richard Widmark - Col. James Bowie
- Laurence Harvey - Col. William Barrett Travis
- Frankie Avalon - Smitty
- Richard Boone - Gen. Sam Houston
- Patrick Wayne - Capt. James Butler Bonham
Credit
Alfred Ybarra - Art Director, James Edward Grant - Associate Producer, Ann Peck - Costume Designer, Frank Beetson, Jr. - Costume Designer, Robert E. Relyea - First Assistant Director, Robert Saunders - First Assistant Director, John Wayne - Director, Stuart Gilmore - Editor, Dimitri Tiomkin - Composer (Music Score), Paul Francis Webster - Composer (Music Score), Paul Francis Webster - Songwriter, William H. Clothier - Cinematographer, Nate H. Edwards - Production Manager, John Wayne - Producer, Victor A. Gangelin - Set Designer, Lee Zavitz - Special Effects, Jack Solomon - Sound/Sound Designer, Fred Hynes - Sound/Sound Designer, C. Frank Beetson, Jr. - Technical Advisor, Jack Pennick - Technical Advisor, James Edward Grant - Screenwriter| The Airborne Toxic Event: All I Ever Wanted - Live from the Walt Disney Concert (2010 Film), The Air up There (1993 Film) | |
| The Alamo (2004 Film), The Alamo (2009 Film) |
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