The Alamo defeners from the 1960 film, including (front row, from left) John Wayne as Davy Crockett, Richard Widmark as Jim Bowie and Laurence Harvey as William Travis. EXPRESS-NEWS FILE PHOTO
Posted on 10/24/2010 1:45:25 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
"In San Antonio, the Alamo is venerated as a sacred shrine. But it does not belong to Texas alone," Wayne told newspaper reporters. "It belongs to people everywhere who value the priceless treasure that has always been bought with blood — human freedom."
Pilar Wayne says that was no act.
"I feel that he wanted to show what America stood for and the courage and the love of the country," she said. "To him, it was a very important message that he wanted to put out there. Mainly, it was his love of America."
"The Alamo," which was the most expensive film ever made in the continental United States at the time, opened in theaters the same year as "Psycho," "The Apartment," "Spartacus," "The Virgin Spring" and "La Dolce Vita."
For Wayne, the movie had been an obsession, a 14-year quest.
"I've got everything I own in it. I borrowed from banks and friends," Wayne said. "But I'm not worried. This is a darn good picture. It's real American history, the kind of movie we need today more than ever."
(Excerpt) Read more at mysanantonio.com ...
One of my faves
Davy Crockett: “…….It was like I was empty. Well, I’m not empty anymore. That’s what’s important, to feel useful in this old world, to hit a lick against what’s wrong for what’s right even though you get walloped for saying that word. Now I may sound like a Bible beater yelling up a revival at a river crossing camp meeting, but that don’t change the truth none. There’s right and there’s wrong. You got to do one or the other. You do the one and you’re living. You do the other and you may be walking around, but you’re dead as a beaver hat.”
I have a copy of the unreleased to theaters director’s cut on laser disc....it includes additional scenes and stuff....warts and all, a great patriotic film and a pleasure to watch...
Imagine seeing your enemy, but not have any weapon that could reach them, as they build up and up and up....
I always felt sorry for Laurence Harvey. He had a messed up life and died young. So did his daughter.
I used to love going down to Alamo Village in Bracketteville in the 70s. Sometimes it seemed more ‘real’ than the ‘real’ Alamo in San Antonio.
I’ll forever remember Laurence Harvey for his role in the Manchurian Candidate. He was perfect in that role.
Dudette!! Love, LOVE “The Alamo”, especially John Waynes lines on living in a REPUBLIC.
Is that a Crockett quote, or a Wayne quote?
(I’d like to use it, but only if it came from Crockett.)
Do this movie being 50 mean what I think it means?
Yes, Remember the Alamo
But more important, Remember San Jacinto
Battle of San Jacinto, April 21, 1836
18 minutes that created a nation (Texas) and an example for freedom lovers.
It do!
John Wayne rode my Step-mom’s horse for the filming.
Her family supplied the horses and cattle for the filming quite a movie.
Too bad Happy Shahans Alamo Village is closed now.
I saw a show (history channel?) in which the company created scenes from history. One was the attack on the Alamo. They used John Wayne’s Alamo in it and discovered that it is about 3/5s the size of the real Alamo, thus giving the 184 actors less area to defend. That really emphasized how much of a heroic stand they made and that they had no chance of repelling the final assault.
D*mn! I love going out there. When did it close?
AHHH...someone else remembers! Every April I “The Yellow Rose of Texas” is a daily hymn around my house.
Amazingly - well maybe not so much these days - one of the cable channels was running the (Dennis Quaid?) remake back to back.
Thank you for mentioning that.
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