It took 15 years for John Wayne to achieve his goal of finishing The Alamo, a critically acclaimed Western where “the Duke” played a real-life hero. As one of the most well-known events ᴀssociated with the American Wild West, the Battle of the Alamo has naturally been the subject of several big-screen Westerns. And given John Wayne’s status as the face of the genre, it’s no surprise that he had a leading role in one of the Battle of the Alamo’s numerous movie adaptations.
Historical figures, such as Billy the Kid and Jesse James, are at the center of so many famous Westerns, many of which are counted among the best Westerns of all time. But though real-life figures appear regularly in films set in the genre, this trend was never ᴀssociated with John Wayne’s acting career. The large majority of John Wayne’s performances saw him portray fictional gunslingers, like Rooster Cogburn in True Grit and The Ringo Kid in Stagecoach. Some were created for his films, while others stemmed from popular Western novels. The Alamo, though, was an entirely different case.
John Wayne Played Davy Crockett In The Alamo
John Wayne’s Davy Crockett Helps Sam Houston Defend The Alamo
Across all his years in the film industry, John Wayne only directed two of his own movies, The Green Berets and The Alamo. The latter, released in 1960, was the first to put the Western legend in the director’s chair. In The Alamo, Wayne took on the role of Davy Crockett, an iconic hero ᴀssociated with the American Frontier in the 1800s. Davy Crockett was renowned for a mulтιтude of exploits, some being subject to exaggeration in pop culture and folk tales. In addition to his own adventures, he was also a participant in the Battle of the Alamo. Wayne’s movie shines the spotlight on Crockett’s contribution to the conflict.
The Alamo also features John Wayne’s son, Patrick Wayne, in the role of military officer James Butler Bonham, another real-life figure connected to the Battle of the Alamo.
The movie follows Davy Crockett as he and his group of volunteer fighters from Tennessee work to ᴀssist Sam Houston’s troops in his doomed efforts to repel the Mexican army at the Alamo. Davy Crockett’s presence there allows him to cross paths with a handful of other historical figures tied to the event, including Richard Widmark’s Jim Bowie and Laurence Harvey’s Willaim Travis. Like other adaptations of the Battle of the Alamo, Wayne’s movie revolves around the main characters coming to terms with the reality that they won’t survive the unrelenting onslaught from Santa Anna’s forces.
It Took 15 Years For John Wayne To Make The Alamo
John Wayne’s First Attempt At An Alamo Was Produced Without Him
For John Wayne, a great deal of time and patience went into the making of The Alamo, and not simply because he was both the director and its star. Rather, The Alamo was a project that Wayne spent 15 years trying to get off the ground. It all began in 1945, when Wayne conceived a plan to make a movie about the Battle of the Alamo. James Edward Grant, who wrote and directed Wayne’s The Angel and the Badman in 1947, worked with the actor to develop a story. Unfortunately, disagreements over the budget – Wayne wanted it to be $3 million – disrupted his plans.
His frustration regarding the issue was so great that it resulted in him parting ways with Republic, the studio that had produced many of John Wayne’s best Westerns. But Republic still owned the rights to the script and produced the film without Wayne under the тιтle, The Last Command. Wayne had lost his script, but the actor didn’t give up, with his interest in a Battle of the Alamo film reigniting after the release of The Quiet Man in 1952. He formed his own production company, Batjac, opening the door for his ideas to be brought to life.
The Alamo officially went into development in 1956, but the initial concept differed greatly from the finished product. At the time, Wayne was of the mind that he would either play a bit role or no character at all, allowing him to focus on his producing and directing duties. But to get funding from the film with United Artists, Wayne had to agree to headline The Alamo. At first, his character was to be Sam Houston, the leader of the American forces. But Wayne ultimately changed his mind on this well, choosing Richard Boone to take over as Sam Houston and for him to play Davy Crockett.
John Wayne’s Alamo Plan Didn’t Pay Off, Despite Multiple Oscar Nominations
It Performed Poorly At The Box Office And Wasn’t Well-Received By Critics
In spite of the time John Wayne invested in The Alamo, the project didn’t bring about the success he had hoped. That’s partially due to the cost of making it; with a lofty budget of $12 million, it was unable to make a profit at the box office. As for its reception, The Alamo received a combination of good and bad reviews from media outlets. That’s in line with its current Rotten Tomatoes rating, which is an unimpressive 52%.
Even so, The Alamo was far from an abject failure. Though its reviews may suggest otherwise, it actually managed to scoop up seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. It didn’t win for any of them, but they demonstrate the merits of the film regardless.
Why The Alamo Was So Important To John Wayne
The Alamo Was A Pᴀssion Project For John Wayne He Was Determined To Make
Given the length of time and the effort that went into the movie, it’s highly likely that John Wayne’s version of the story never would have happened had it not been a pᴀssion project for the actor. Looking at what’s known about John Wayne and his views, it’s not surprising that a story about the Battle of the Alamo would be so important to the actor. Because of all the Americans who died during their defense of the Alamo, sacrifice is naturally a crucial element to any adaption of the event. This, combined with the fact that these men died fighting for a losing cause in the name of their country makes it easy for an Alamo film to carry a strong patriotic theme.
John Wayne was very outspoken about his patriotism and his interest in making Westerns that promoted the American spirit. He thought this theme was integral to Westerns, as evidenced by his harshly written letter to Clint Eastwood about his dark films and his criticism of Gary Cooper’s High Noon. The Alamo, on the other hand, was a perfect reflection of how Wayne viewed this period of American history and the people who lived through it.
