03.12.10 | Irv Slifkin | Staff NotesPrint this Post
I must not have been much older than three when I first saw John Wayne’s The Alamo.
It was impressive to say the least. More than likely, my father took me to see it, since he was the one who always took me to the “guy movies,” films with fighting and war and, well, lots of men. (Mom, on the other hand, got the assignment for Jerry Lewis, Disney and Doris Day movies, while Grandmom was my musicals connection.)
But from the beginning The Alamo was special to me. I am almost positive I saw it at least three times in the theaters, going again after it was reissued after its 1960 original arrival.
No doubt the character of Davy Crockett was a big draw. He was a big deal in my household before The Alamo, portrayed by Fess Parker in installments of Walt Disney’s weekly series “Disneyland.” While the exploits of “The King of the Wild Frontier” and sidekick George Russell (limned by a pre-Jed Clampett Buddy Ebsen) offered stirring adventure for any youngster—whether it be bear wrassling or battling river pirates—it was the sequences set at the Alamo and the Texans’ struggle for freedom that really got to me at an early age. So engaged I was in the myth of Crockett, that I donned a coonskin cap—like scores of other youngsters at the time—to take in Davy tackling the Goliaths in rerun after rerun on the new deluxe size Zenith television set my parents had just purchased.
“Born on a mountaintop in Tennessee, sweetest place in the land of the free…”
When The Alamo was released, however, there was confusion. After all, this Davy Crockett was not Fess Parker. It was a new guy—at least to me—who seemed older than the other Davy Crockett. He spoke differently, in a deliberate style; walked differently, now with a gait; and didn’t remind me much of the Davy I’ve come to know and love. It took a while to accept him as Davy, but what choice did I have? John Wayne replaced the image of Davy Crockett I’d come to know and love, whether I liked it or not.
But with The Alamo, there wasn’t a whole lot not to like for a new but awe-inspired moviegoer like myself. There the new incarnation of Davy Crockett was, several stories high on the big screen, battling Santa Ana’s Mexican forces. Dimitri Tiomkin’s wonderful score rattled the theater along with the gun blasts. And when “Old Betsy,” his trusted rifle, ran out of ammo, Davy took it by the barrel, smacking the bad guys with its handle. Of course, I eventually had one of those, too, courtesy of my grandmother, a gift on my sixth birthday.
But Davy Crockett wasn’t the only character one could root for in The Alamo. Other characters, also introduced earlier in the Disney version, arrived bigger-than-life as well. Among them: Jim Bowie, played by the always steely Richard Widmark, inventor of the Bowie knife, who uses his nifty invention while bed-ridden on an enemy interloper; Laurence Harvey’s dashing Col. William Travis with his wide-brimmed hat; and Chill Wills as “Beekeeper,” Buddy Ebsen’s replacement, as Crockett’s (now whiskey-guzzling) sidekick.
To a youngster, The Alamo went on forever, 202 minutes to be precise, in its original release form. There was an overture and intermission, and the final battle sequence was really long. But it didn’t matter.
As the years went on, I read more and more about the making of The Alamo and the actual battle itself. Not surprisingly, I learned the movie has little to do with the truth and neglects most of the historical back story, despite its lengthy running time. I also discovered that John Wayne put over $1 million of his own money into the film, was forced to sell the finished movie to United Artists, and allowed mentor John Ford to shoot second unit on the production.
There are great stories about how veteran character actor Chill Wills self-promoted his way into getting an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor—against Wayne’s wishes. Wills and his publicist took out trade ads stating “We of The Alamo cast are praying harder than real Texans prayed for their lives at the Alamo for Chill Wills to win the Oscar.” Yet another ad read “Win, lose or draw. You’re still my cousins and I love you all.” Groucho Marx reportedly sent a letter to Wills, stating: “Dear Mr. Wills, I am delighted to be your cousin. But I’m voting for Sal Mineo (who was nominated for Exodus).”
I also learned that the ultra-conservative Wayne intended his version of The Alamo to work as an allegory for U.S./Russian relations at the time, and that the production was a tough one, nearly three months in length, its troubles compounded by Wayne’s insistence on complete control of the project.
Ironically, The Alamo was radically cut for its “roadshow “engagement in neighborhood theaters. The Duke was on location working on another film at the time, and one of his sons assisted in the editing process.
The original versions of The Alamo exist only on old VHS tapes and on laserdisc. The discarded parts, totaling close to a half-and-hour, were once thought to be lost. They have been located, but need serious restoration, and rumors abound about bringing The Alamo back to its original form for DVD and Blu-ray, and even a limited theatrical release. It is currently controlled by MGM, a company currently on the sales block (again), so the reported 50-year anniversary reissue scheduled seems purely a pipe dream at this point. (It's worth noting that the film is finally being released on DVD on May 11th--although this will be the edited 162 min. version. For more info, click here).
Still, The Alamo is with us, in whatever form. Quentin Tarantino, a Texas native, used its haunting Oscar-nominated song The Green Leaves of Summer as the theme to Inglourious Basterds. And its memories remain indelible to the kid in the tenth row of the Philadelphia movie theater, wearing a coonskin cap, and sitting next to his dad, awestruck as the spectacle of the Texas battle for independence unfolded before him.
As a native Texan, I've long been disgusted with Hollywood's mistreatment of the Alamo, and John Wayne's dufus production is one of the very worse--pure horse-apples from start to finish, touching on every myth ever told and none of the facts at all. The only entertainment in that too-long film was counting how many times Lawrence Harvey as Travis slipped from his native British accent to a phoney "southern" accent and back again. Wayne and Widmark were way too long in the tooth for their roles. And that star-spangled speech that Wayne dropped into the middle of the film was more appropriate for a political nomination convention.
Guess that's why my favorite Alamo picture so far is Viva, Max! about a modern Mexican general who who crosses the border with a handful of his soldiers and occupies the Alamo to impress his negligent girlfriend. I mean as long as they are making up stories about the Shrine of Texas Liberty, why not a comedy with an interesting twist?
Thanks for the comments, Sam. I agree the film i s alot of hooey, but as a kid, it was a great spectacle, as misguided and fictional as it was. I, too, am a fan of "Viva, Max," and what a great cast! Peter Ustinov,John Astin, jonathan Winters, Kennan Wynn, Kenneth Mars and Pamela Tiffin.
why did I get a movies unlimited catalogue when I ordered a turner classic movie cat.I am interested in movies of Mario Lanza and you have NONE in your cat.Your student prince movie is some british piece of garbage.I am returning a movie I ordered by mistake. If you shake the box
it rattles God only knows the condition of the dvd inside.I am very unhappy!
"Long in the tooth"---Wayne was 51: Crockett was 50--Widmark was 45: Bowie was 42. Harvey & Travis same age. Before you bleat--stop and think. Great movie,faults and all.
I loved the Alamo every minute of it.
Viva Texas
I loved The Alamo. John Wayne and the entire crew did a great job.
Ruth
I think it was an excellent movie...I lived in Katy, Houston and Hempstead,Texas...been to the Alamo many times...made me sad everytime I went in...but proud at the same time...John Wayne...hey what can you say...he was and still is "The Man."
I loved the Alamo. Richard Widmark and John Wayne were great. I feel like the Walt Disney version with Fess Parker and this movie are part of my childhood.
"The Alamo" was a gteat movie, well done. It was really a story of "ethnic cleansing" of Anglo farmers who had LEGALLY settled in the wilds of the open land of Texas. The farmers were citizen soldiers of their day, hoping to buy time for their families to escape an army of thousands. For those unfamiliar with Texas heat, and early hardships, the old saying "Texas is hard on horses and hard on women,"
Loved the long version. I actually have that on DVD in a (probably pirated) DVD with 5.1 DD. I refuse to buy any of the shorter versions. I watched it initially in a drive-in, so you can imagine what great sound I got from those 2-bit speakers one hangs on the window of the car. Sure, it's chock full of inaccuracies, but so is "Gunfight at the OK Corral." Entertainment at its highest with The Duke!
Irv Slifkin doesn't say where he obtained the original running time of 202 minutes for “The Alamo.” The film had its world premiere in San Antonio on October 24, 1960, and opened in New York and Los Angeles on October 26, 1960. The November 18, 1960, issue of “Filmfacts” covered “The Alamo” and listed the running time as 192 minutes.The American Film Institute Catalog lists the original running time as 190 or 192 minutes and IMDB lists the UK running time as 203 minutes.
Mr. Slifkin also gives the impression John Wayne didn't have any involvement is cutting 30 minures from the roadshow engagement. The Filmfacts coverage in a footnote said after the roadshow engagement the film would be cut by approximately 30 minutes. That deletes scenes included a birthday party sequence featurring Wayne's daughter Aissa and Wayne praying over the dead body of the parson.
55 Days at Peking. I too would like the promised release of this title and Wayne's Circus World from the same company(preferably on Blu Ray). Trouble seems that the first two Samuel Bronston releases on Genius Entertainment DVD, El Cid & Fall of the Roman Empire in great deluxe editions did not sell in USA(soon after release saw them advertised at $7.99 each and I paid Amazon's pre-order price). The Blu Rays were cancelled as a result but I got those from an authentic German release but they did not do the titles first referred to in this post either.Hope this explains.
Don't know about The Alamo on DVD but the laserdisc was the Roadshow version & I got it at the time.
GENTLEMEN,
TRUE, IT IS NOT A FACTUAL ACCOUNT OF HOW THE
ALAMO FELL, BUT, IT IS TRULY A STORY OF MEN'S
DESIRE, TO LIVE OR DIE FOR FREEDOM. IF IT WEREN'T
FOR THEIR SACRIFICES, YOU TEXANS AND MAYBE SOME
MORE OF US WOULD BE SPEAKING ALOT MORE SPANISH
THAN WE ALREADY ARE.
THOSE MEN GAVE THEIR LIVES, FOR WHAT THEY RIGHT
AND NECESSARY TO MAKE THEIR COUNTRY AT THE TIME
A BETTER PLACE.
THE "ALAMO" IS TRULY
"THE MISSON THAT BECAME A FORTRESS. THE FORTRESS
THAT BECAME A SHRINE"
I HOPE, I NEVER HAVE TO BE PUT IN THEIR POSITION,
AS OTHER SOLDIER'S DO EVERY DAY.
ENJOY THE MOVIE FOR WHAT IT WAS, A STORY OF MEN'S
COURAGE.
IT IS MY CHURCH, AND WILL ALWAY'S A SHRINE.
IT'S HOLLYWOOD, MY FRIEND'S THE CORRECT STATEMENT
WAS THERE, YOU JUST HAD TO LOOK DEEPER.
YOUR SERVENT
GEORGE JONES
I, too, am a native Texan. I love the John Wayne picture. I visted Brackettville in 1968 and the set was still standing. Walking around and, at that time, up on the top on one of the buildings. It was very impressive to a young person. I had hoped to visit again. Sadly it is no longer open to the public. It's still open for movies, TV and music video's shoots. Yes, JW's version wasn't accurate but he wasn't making a documentary either. Take a look at the movie Pearl Harbor and see how accurate that was to the facts.
Robert A. Harris, restorer of such movies as "Vertigo", "My Fair Lady", "Spartacus" and "Lawrence of Arabia" [with his late partner James C. Katz], is currently working on a restoration of "The Alamo" for Blu-Ray/DVD release along with a possible theatrical re-release in 2010 in such cities as San Antonio and Dallas Tx. An internet search for Mr. Harris should give you more extensive information on the effort.
A great movie like THE ALAMO deserved both retoration and a big screen release. Dvd is nice but nothing beats the big screen.
John Wayne is one of the worst actors ever to become a star. John Ford told him so (albeit he modified his opinion when he saw Howard Hawks's RED RIVER). It is reported that Wayne criticized Widmark for being too short, and Widmark replied that he could act tall.
Be that as it may, I consider THE LAST COMMAND with Sterling Hayden as Bowie and the venerable Arthur Hunnicut as Crockett to be head and shoulders above Wayne's effort, even if COMMAND was merely an ordinary effort. The pompous posturing of Wayne and his retinue is unbearable to most sophisticated ears, while the subdued tone of the other film is more in line with an honest version of the fabled event.
My family goes back to Texas as early as the 1820's. George Childress, who headed the Committee that drafted the Declaration of Independence whilst Crockett and the others were defending the Alamo is a relative. Let's not forget that the original ALAMO is a movie and when it came out I was 11. I must've seen it at least 10 times at the Hodge theatre in Midland, Tx. Factual? some of it, some of it not, but look what happens when you treat 60 years of history in 202 mintues. You get 40 minutes cut. The movie made such an impression on me that I studied history throughout college and did my dissertation in grad school on.....you guessed it, the Battle of the Alamo. Sure it was John Wayne the actor, but he WAS Davy Crockett and Widmark WAS Jim Bowie. It was awesome, still is and so it Texas History. rw
And besides, as Maxwell Scott, editor of the Shinbone Star, told Ransom Stoddard after Stoddard told him the TRUTH about who REALLY killed Liberty Valance and was he going to print the story; Scott stated "No, sir. This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend."
Early on in the filming of Wayne's Alamo, Richard Widmark wanted to withdraw from the film claiming he was miscast as Bowie. Only the threat of a lawsuit kept him on the film site and probably accounts for his walking through that part--it was nowhere near the type of performance that he was capable. Wayne originally was going to direct but not appear in the film, but took on the Crockett role to get financing. Whatever their relative ages to the characters they played, both Wayne and Widmark looked much older and way out of shape.
Actually, Crockett was 49, 5 months short of his 50th birthday when he died at the Alamo. Bowie was 39, a month short of his 40th birthday. Richard Widmark turned 46 in 1960 when The Alamo was released, 7 years older than the character he portrayed. Wayne was 53 that year, 4 years older than the real Crockett. They needed a better makeup man on the set because both look old and tired, and Wayne has several pounds on the real Crockett.
I, too, fell under the spell of JW's The Alamo in 1960, when I was thirteen. It spurred a long-standing fascination with the event which finally led me, unhappily, to conclude that the only thing the film accurately portrays is the names of the people and that the location of San Antonio. It sports one of the most embarrassingly cloying scripts ever penned for a film and some of the most classic mis-casting one could ever hope not to see. (Widmark was right, by the way.) At the risk of poking a big stick into the beehive, I would like to point out that the men who died at the Alamo were not defending their country, as Texas was soveriegn Mexican territory and the "Texicans" were land grabbers fomenting rebellion against the established government. Anyone interested in exploring this beyond "the legend" level would do well to get a copy of Jeff Long's Duel of Eagles. It will shatter all of those Walt Disney, flag-waving sentiments we, of that generation, so coon-skinedly and unquestioningly joyed in.
Post Script: Those boys who got locked into that death trap for 13 days had no intention of dying there. Santa Ana arrived well before they expected him and they took refuge in the old mission out of necessity. If they hadn't believed that Fanin was on his way from Goliad and Houston was marching east from Washington-on-the-Brazos they never would have herded themselves into that sty. Most of them did not reckon on the need to fight, at all. If you saw the Dennis Quaid/Billy Bob Thornton remake (which provides some welcome historical accuracy), they correctly portray Crockett as being taken aback when he finds out the fighting isn't over by the time he gets there. Travis was a bounder who, one sunny day, hopped his horse and headed west, leaving his wife and children abandoned in Alabama, never looking back. (The remake shows him going through some noble "I accept responsibility for my kids" nonsense. That's total hokum. That film, like the JW effort, portrays Santa Ana as an old man. Actually, he was quite young and virile at the time. The Raul Julia performance in the James Arness/Brian Keith production "13 Days" is much more to the historical truth. Bowie was a land-grabbing con-man who was ripe for any scam to turn a fast buck. All told, Santa Ana's comment at the conclusion of the battle, "It was a small affair" is much to the point. The historical event of the campaign was Houston's brassy strategy of planned retreat and his remarkably ballsy tactics at San Jacinto. That's what won Texas independence (which was abandoned for Confederate inclusion a short set of years later). The slaughter at the Alamo was a product of cumulative miscalculations of epic proportions, hardly rivaled for incompetence in military history.
The people posting here as Richard W Hilger and Sam Fletcher reuse the same old leftist revisionism I've heard my entire life; John Wayne is bad, Davy Crockett is bad, the movie's bad, blah blah blah. Their snarky comments are personal prejudices presented as fact, when in reality they're just another set of opinions. Left-wing, Wayne-hating, opinions at that. Their anti-Alamo diatribes remind me of the punch line to an old joke about trial attorneys trying to convince St. Peter they should get into heaven, and what I say to them here and now: "Give 'em back their six bits and send 'em to hell." Fletcher and Hilger, go post somewhere else. Obama.com for instance where your prejudices are at home.
Man From The Alamo(1953)wasnt bad.
Glenn Ford,Julie Adams,Chill Willis,Hugh OBrian,Victor Jory,Neville Brand,Dennis Weaver,etc
A little note for Jake McCandless: Nothing I have posted here is untrue. As for suspected left wing leanings, I have voted in every election since '68 and have never voted for a Democrat, in any capacity, nor ever will. I have been an ardent conservative since I fervently supported Goldwater in '64. Regardless of my political leanings, I challenge you to refute my posting as lacking in veracity. By the way, has it never bothered you that while Jimmy Stewart, Clark Gable, John Garfield, Robert Taylor and host of other Hollywood notables were engaged in the war effort, your patriotic hero Marion Morrison (aka John Wayne) was sitting on his big butt in California making movies?
Post Script: By his own diary admission, Travis was plagued by venereal disease. In it, he brags about "fucking the 56th woman in my life" ('chingaba una mujer que es cinquenta y seis emi vida'). He also got engaged (while legally still married to his wife Rosanna in Alabama), to a 'Rebecca Cummings' and his gift to her was a mortal dose of V.D. (The medical records are not clear as to it being gonorrhea or syphilis).When he ditched his family in Alabama his wife was left five monthes pregnant and had a two year old on her hands.
Bowie, and his brother Resin, were ubiquitously known as con-men, involved in long-term and egregious land fraud schemes. Jim was convicted, by of land felony by U.S.law, which is why he fled west to Texas, to continue his wayward destiny. Though not substantiated by recorded testimony, many personal sources note his death as being from syphilis, so far advanced that by the time the Mexican army invaded the Alamo and skewred him on their bayonets, he was unable to even lift a hand is his own defense...(so much for the 'brace of pistols' legend).
The "battle' at the Alamo took place before sunrise, completely in the dark, and lasted no more than 45 minutes. Travis was one of the first men killed by a bullet to the forehead. The sun was just illuminating the horizon as the last 'Texican' surrendered. Yes, surrendered... as how a (very anti-Santa Anna) Mexican general recored it. Crockett was one of the surrenderees. Santa Anna insisted they be put to death, as he had vowed before the conflict. (The Billy Bob Thornton demand that Santa Anna surrender to him, as the sole survivor of the anglos, is completely without provenance.)
Reflecting on the disparaging remarks regarding my political affiliations: being a conservative does not require one to be oblivious or ignorant of historical truth in favor of invented legend. Let's treasure that fact as precious, because it is our only hope that the lies and insidious prevarication of the Obama "regime" will, eventually, fail the test of time. So, please, Jake M. refute the truth of my postings. (I am eager to engage you, or any of your ilk, in the arena of fact.) Marion Morrison's movie is a travesty on all of our cognitive, nationalistic and patriotic intelligence). ((What an engaging [albeit myth- busting] film the true story would make))!
Good John Wayne Western,its a shame John Wayne put up most of his money and lost it all.
[...] 7, 1970: John Wayne (Article) receives his first and only Academy Award for his role as feisty gunfighter Rooster [...]
Don't forget two of John Wayne's classics, "Jet Pilot" and "The Conqueror."
Wayne had been nominated for his role in "Sands of Iwo Jima."
I loved this movie but feel it was far too long & surely we could do without Wayne's "Speechifying' An edited version would be very welcome on DVD.
Finally... someone who tells the correct story regarding The Alamo! Mr. Hilger is accurate in his comments about the actual battle and the histories of the principal characters before losing their lives at the Alamo.
Most of the Alamo men were, in my opinion, the first "illegal aliens" in Texas... since this was Mexico's sovereign land and all they were fighting for was "free land" being offered if they joined the military.
The main reason for raising a military was to fight for the continuation of slavery... because Mexico had passed an anti-slavery law.
My ancestors have lived in this part of the US for hundreds of years, even before Europeans started coming to the country.
I am a proud native Texan... but, please, tell and admit the truth regarding the Battle of the Alamo.
Jake McCandless??? Like the John Wayne character in Big Jake, another lame film by the aging actor playing a too-young part? As did Richard Boone and Wayne's old buddy Bruce Cabot in that movie. Well, it must be handy to equate anyone who's not a Wayne worshipper as a leftist and an Obama supporter.
Unfortunately for your theory, I have one thing both John Wayne and Obama lack, an honorable discharge from the US regular army fir 3 years volunteer service from Oct. 13, 1961, through Oct. 7, 1964. Can you match it?
Actually I think Wayne deserved an Oscar for his role as Sgt. Stryker in Sands of Iwo Jima; took some great acting for a guy who took a draft deferment for a married man with children to play a Marine hero of World War II, appearing on screen with the three surviving Medal of Honor holders who participated in the flag-rasing on Iwo Jima. Especially when older and bigger stars like James Stewart, Clark Gable, and Glenn Miller volunteered for military service. And prettier stars, like Tyrone Power who like Stewart took civilian lessons to learn to fly before enlisting in the Marines and flying unarmed transports in the Pacific. Even Sabu the Elephant Boy became a naturalized US citizen in WWII and flew combat missions as a belly gunner in B-17s while John Wayne was fighting his movie "war"--and becoming a star--on the backlots of Hollywood.
My dad could have qualified for a deferment as married with children--me--plus employment in a vital industry, oil exploration and production. But instead he enlisted in the Air Corps and flew missions as a gunner on B-24s in the Pacific. Which makes my ol' man a hell of a lot braver than John Wayne.
By the way, I never knocked the real Davy Crocket who came to Texas like many others hoping to get rich in land speculation. I even like Jim Bowie, although he and his brother Ruben used to buy slaves from pirate Jean Lafitte in Galveston and run them illegally across the border into Louisiana when importation of slaves into the US had been illegal for years. Those are the simple facts of history, but that doesn't detract from the real bravery of the men who died at the Alamo (including those who were executed after surrendering) without Wayne and others hoaking it up to make a "better" movie. None of the men who died in that mission ever knew they were fighting for independence because they did not know independence had been declared. But they died fighting for the principle of self-government, even if only as a state of Mexico, which was the original goal.
As a native Texan, I will never, ever belive that David Crocket surrendered. Just because somebody stood up and claimed he was Crocket, possibly in hopes of being spared, does not, in my humble opinion, mean it was the real man. Just how many Mexicans knew him by sight. There were no photograghs back then, only paintings and drawings. Possibly a few thought one might convince them he was Davy and a few of his men and let them go, but it didn't work.
All I know is that have used the Alamo to entertain patients in the hyperbaric chambers have worked in and never had a patient disappointed. Have seen it probably 1000 times and have rooted for the Texans every time.
Historical films do not have to be accurate to get you interested in the topic. As a matter of fact most historical films reflect the politics of the time they were made. Most of the texians at the Alamo were invited to Texas as settlers by a previous Mexican administration. There were also a large number of tejanos among the garrison. The parts of the Alamo that were cut show more glimpses of the Tejanos and also Africans these may have been cut to satisfy the mostly white audiences of the 60's.
Texas became part of the United States in 1845. That's when they gave up their independence. They joined the Confederacy in 1861 and lost their independence for good in 1865:)
I agree with John Stanaway, The Last Command was the best, no frills version of this story, with Sterling Hayden, Richard Carlson, Ernest Borgnine,and the great Arthur Hunnicutt as Crockett. Wayne had the best of intentions, but the result was an overblown, sentimental bore, trying too hard to be something deep and meaningfull .
As an Obama supporter and an avowed "leftist", I agree The Alamo as envisioned by Waynes production took many liberties with the facts. That said, the film is still entertaining to watch, even if the facts are skewered in flag-waving braggadocio commensurate with most conservatives need to see their nation as perfect, with the exception of we "leftists" who also reside in it.
I remember seeing john wayne die in the alamo not by a spear but by a ram rod used for cannons. I remember this when I was young. has anyone seen the same verison or am I just dreaming
im in 7 grade thats wrong
john wayne was killed by a long riffle because, the person ran out of amunishion so they used their guns to kill the people.
im researching george c. childress and i need a little help anyone have any info or ideas where to look??????????
what I remember abt my ancster JW was the president of the time felt for the morel of the country was for him to stay home and make movies like a bond drive tour he great
[...] 1961 - Remember the Alamo? Most Americans do. Remember the epic--if overblown--historical saga The Alamo, starring and directed by John Wayne? The Academy voters sure did, because they gave it seven nominations, including a somewhat controversial Best Picture nod that meant bypassing--among other films--Inherit the Wind, Psycho and Spartacus. The Duke would go on to mount a Texas-size publicity campaign for his paean to frontier heroism, only to eke out a single Best Sound award. His efforts, however, inspired one of the film's co-stars, veteran character actor Chill Wills, to push his own Best Supporting Actor nomination with a series of ads listing every Academy member by name and telling them, "Win, lose or draw, you're all my cousins and I love you all." This prompted a follow-up ad from Groucho Marx which simply stated, "Dear Mr. Chill Wills, I am delighted to be your cousin, but I voted for Sal Mineo." (Read more about The Alamo here.) [...]