Making History: The Alamo

[billchemerka]

The production company contracted by The History Channel is making several episodes that concern a team of folks who visit several historic sites and ask, "what happened here?" to various individuals who have a connection with the event. The team compares and contrasts the myths with recent interpretations to help get a better understanding of what "went down." When I was initially contacted by the production company I immediately thought that Mark Lemon's book, model and illustrations would be of great help. The producer spoke to Mark during the March 6 weekend and subsequently flew to Georgia to film his model. The production company hopes to integrate live action, interviews, Mark's model and modern images to create a program that is illuminating, entertaining and educational. A difficult task, to be sure.

Now then, I was given to opportunity to make suggestions during pre-production. I immediately reiterated a long-standing wish of mine: to have the ability to hover over the entire Alamo in 1836. And to see such battle developments as the the role of Morales men (a recent topic of discussion on this site), the breakout, the scarcity of defenders on walls, etc. And they filmed it all. And then some.

[Herb]

Thanks for the updates, Bill, I trust you'll keep us informed when it get's close to being televised.

billchemerka said:

Now then, I was given to opportunity to make suggestions during pre-production. I immediately reiterated a long-standing wish of mine: to have the ability to hover over the entire Alamo in 1836. And to see such battle developments as the the role of Morales men (a recent topic of discussion on this site), the breakout, the scarcity of defenders on walls, etc. And they filmed it all. And then some.

In some ways, it must be a nightmare to write a book or make a film of the battle, the way new information seems to have exploded into view the last few years (and of course all the various interpetations about what does it really mean!).

It's a shame, what's happening with the 2004 set, despite it's flaws it was really something. But, given the way it was constructed it would have required a permanent garrison of it's own just to maintain it.

[billchemerka]

Hopefully, this forthcoming History Channel show will take a step beyond what has been shown before in documentaries and filmed efforts. I was given some unique authority and tried to do a number of things that would make the Alamo story more understood by the general audience and appreciated more by those who have a keener interest. I was even going to have a scene in which some of Morales' men at the SW corner removed their scabbards from their fixed bayonets! But we didn't shoot a closeup that would warrant that.

Alas, the 2004 Alamo set was not meant to last like John Wayne's set. One crew member noted that it would take tens of thousands of dollars just to make the Dripping Springs set safe.

The hidden passageway below the North Wall was particularly hazardous. The walkway runs the entire length of the North Wall and features interior work rooms than were built under the main gun platform (Fortin de Teran). The debris on the floor of the passageway is from the deteriorating North Wall gun platform and adjacent "standing areas" above. Although the passageway was originally strung with electrical lines and light bulbs, the illumination you see in the photograph is from the sun peeking in through the large holes in the structure above.

[Paul Sylvain]

I guess I'm one who had hoped that some effort would have been made to preserve this site for future film use and for visits by folks like me, who wanted to get a better, maybe more accurate look (than Bracketville) of what The Alamo compound must have looked like. By the looks of the site in these pix, this set will be gone before I get back up that way for a visit.

The History Channel project sounds fascinating. I'm looking forward to seeing how this is pulled off for the small screen.

[tmdreb]

What I remember from my 2005 visit was noticing that to preserve the set would have involved nearly completely rebuilding it. It just wasn't built to last.