The Alamo

John Wayne

James Edward Grant

John Wayne

John Wayne
Richard Widmark
Laurence Harvey

William H. Clothier

Stuart Gilmore

Dimitri Tiomkin

The Alamo Company
Batjac Productions

United Artists

  • October 24, 1960 (1960-10-24)

United States

English

$12 million[1]

$20 million (US/Canada)[2]

as Col. Davy Crockett, a larger-than-life legend from Tennessee who arrives at the Alamo bringing a band of fellow adventurers to the fight.

John Wayne

as Col. 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.

Richard Widmark

as Col. William Barrett Travis, who shares command of the Alamo garrison with Bowie, but has ultimate authority over the regular soldiers.

Laurence Harvey

as General Sam Houston, 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.

Richard Boone

as Smitty, the youngest of the Alamo defenders, and one of Crockett's Tennesseans.

Frankie Avalon

as Capt. James Butler Bonham, a Texan officer sent out with an appeal for help.

Patrick Wayne

as Graciela Carmela María 'Flaca' de López y Vejar, a young woman whom Crockett saves from forced marriage.

Linda Cristal

as Mrs. Sue Dickinson, wife of Captain Almaron Dickinson and cousin of Col. William Travis, who refuses to leave the fort with her young daughter.

Joan O'Brien

as Beekeeper, one of Crockett's colorful Tennesseans.

Chill Wills

as Juan Seguín, a San Antonio political figure who leads Mexican volunteers to help defend the Alamo.

Joseph Calleia

as Capt. Almaron Dickinson, Travis's aide-de-camp.

Ken Curtis

as Lt. Reyes, an officer of Santa Anna's army, sent to demand the surrender of the fort.

Carlos Arruza

as Jethro, Jim Bowie's loyal slave.

Jester Hairston

as Blind Nell Robertson, the wife of Alamo defender Jocko Robertson.

Veda Ann Borg

as Jocko Robertson, Nell's husband, and a Tennessean, though not one of Crockett's men but Bowie's.

John Dierkes

as Thimblerig (the Gambler), one of Crockett's Tennessee volunteers.

Denver Pyle

Aissa Wayne as Lisa Dickinson, the daughter of Almaron and Sue Dickinson.

as Parson, one of Crockett's Tennessee volunteers.

Hank Worden

as Dr. Sutherland, the garrison physician.

Bill Henry

as Col. Neill, an officer in the Texas army, and an adviser to Sam Houston.

Bill Daniel

as Emil Sande, a corrupt San Antonio businessman who attempts to force Flaca into marriage.

Wesley Lau

as a Tennessean, one of Crockett's volunteers.

Chuck Roberson

as Lt. "Irish" Finn, one of Bowie's volunteers.

Guinn Williams

as Mrs. Dennison, one of the women evacuated from the Alamo before the battle.

Olive Carey

as Sgt. Lightfoot.

Jack Pennick

as Bowie's man (uncredited)

Big John Hamilton

Ruben Padilla as , the dictatorial president of Mexico and leader of the army intent on putting down the Texas revolution.

Generalissimo Antonio Miguel López de Santa Anna

as Cantina Girl (uncredited)

Rosita Fernández

Finis Dean Smith

Production[edit]

Background[edit]

By 1945, John Wayne had decided to make a movie about the 1836 Battle of the Alamo.[3] He hired James Edward Grant as scriptwriter, and the two began researching the battle and preparing a draft script. They hired John Ford's son Patrick (who wrote a screenplay about the battle in 1948)[4] as a research assistant. As the script neared completion, however, Wayne and Herbert Yates, the president of Republic Pictures, clashed over the proposed $3 million budget.[5] Wayne left Republic over the feud but was unable to take his script with him. That script later was rewritten and made into the movie The Last Command with Jim Bowie the character of focus.[6]


Wayne and producer Robert Fellows formed Batjac, their own production company.[6] 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 Artists; 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 to $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.[7] After the movie was finished, Wayne admitted he invested $1.5 million of his own money in the film (taking out second mortgages on his houses and using his vehicles as collateral to obtain loans)[4] and believed it was a good investment.[8]