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Post by Phil Riordan on Jul 18, 2013 17:44:27 GMT -5
A while back, I came across the attached (I hope) article from the Dallas Morning News. It's dated Friday, May 8, 1959.
It reads:
"THE ALAMO: Hollywood reports say that John Wayne has hired John Ford to direct Wayne in his scenes for 'The Alamo,' the film which Wayne's Batjac company has scheduled for shooting in Texas next Sept. 7. The movie's $6,000,000 budget makes it the biggest on the planning boards."
It makes me wonder if Wayne's financial backing agreement with United Artists didn't include the condition that John Ford would be on hand for consultation. Is it possible that no one was really surprised when Ford showed up on the "Alamo" set, as we have always been led to believe?
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Post by loucapitano on Jul 18, 2013 19:54:25 GMT -5
I can't believe all that Ford shot were Mexican river crossing scenes. Though some were pretty good. I suppose one would have to see the daily rushes for the name of that shot's director. I don't know enough about filmmaking to hazard a guess. But some of you guys are wll trained in the medium. What do you say?
Don't print the legend. Find out the truth.
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Post by Allen Wiener on Jul 19, 2013 8:50:56 GMT -5
Hard to tell. The whole thing looks so much like a Ford film anyway.
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Post by Allen Wiener on Jul 22, 2013 0:11:07 GMT -5
In 1959, newspapers reported that Wayne wanted Frank Sinatra to play Travis. I wonder if anyone actually believed that. Widmark later said that Wayne wanted him to play Travis, but Widmark was only interested in the Bowie role.
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Post by mjbrathwaite on Jul 23, 2013 17:34:16 GMT -5
I can visualize Frank Sinatra as the Travis in the 2004 film, but not in John Wayne's. No doubt Richard Widmark could have handled the role, but I suspect the talk about honour in the director's cut was more suited to Laurence Harvey than him.
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Post by loucapitano on Jul 23, 2013 18:17:57 GMT -5
One of the scenes in the "making of the Alamo" extra material has the character "It Do" claim that his death scene was shot by Ford, who directed him to scowl at the soldier pointing the bayonette at him. I like to think that claim is true and some of Ford's scenes did enter the final cut. May this book Paul mentioned will answer some of the mysteries.
Except for switching his accent from Southern to British, I think Harvey was a perfect Travis, as we wish he could be. Not real, but perfectly dramatic.
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Post by Allen Wiener on Jul 23, 2013 18:23:30 GMT -5
All of the characters were outsized and clung to the popular images of the men being portrayed, not what they were actually like. It's kind of a John Ford style cut at telling the Alamo story the way Ford actually did adapt the Custer character in "Fort Apache." Both are cases of "printing the legend," not the fact.
The 2004 "The Alamo" was a more sober attempt to show the story and the characters more accurately. The images of Crockett, Bowie and Travis in that film stand in sharp contrast to those in Wayne's movie.
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Post by VictoriaR85 on Jul 24, 2013 2:47:07 GMT -5
One of the scenes in the "making of the Alamo" extra material has the character "It Do" claim that his death scene was shot by Ford, who directed him to scowl at the soldier pointing the bayonette at him. I like to think that claim is true and some of Ford's scenes did enter the final cut. May this book Paul mentioned will answer some of the mysteries. Except for switching his accent from Southern to British, I think Harvey was a perfect Travis, as we wish he could be. Not real, but perfectly dramatic. I remember seeing that in the special features for that film. At this point it is likely that we will never know just how involved Ford truly was, but I think there are glimpses in the film that are very reminiscent of his style. |
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Post by Paul Sylvain on Jul 28, 2013 19:55:19 GMT -5
The 2004 "The Alamo" was a more sober attempt to show the story and the characters more accurately. The images of Crockett, Bowie and Travis in that film stand in sharp contrast to those in Wayne's movie. I found the characters in the 2004 film more believable than those in the Wayneamo. Certainly Billy Bob Thornton's portrayal of David Crockett stands out in my mind. Paul |
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Post by michael on Sept 20, 2014 15:24:24 GMT -5
There's a new book on the making of the film that's due out either at the end of this year or early 2014. The author has interviewed everybody and anybody he could find who was associated with the filming, even the folks who owned the property where the "Flaca's Tree" scenes were shot. He devotes several chapters to Ford's involvement in the production. Any updated news on the Alamo (60) book that Paul mentioned? When we can begin looking for it? |
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Post by michael on Sept 20, 2014 15:28:53 GMT -5
PS, I'm not really a new member. I logged in when I first joined as "Cougar". However, it had been quite a while since I stopped by and I had to re-register. I'm glad to be back!!
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Post by Rich Curilla on Oct 7, 2014 19:34:19 GMT -5
At this point it is likely that we will never know just how involved Ford truly was, but I think there are glimpses in the film that are very reminiscent of his style. John makes a good case -- next door to absolute proof -- for Ford's mega-involvement in The Alamo. More than one person said he directed them. Others include Frankie Avalon, Linda Cristal, Richard Widmark, Laurence Harvey and Richard Boone. Sort of refutes the statement made by Michael Wayne in the Brian Huberman documentary where he said, "My dad told me to make sure Ford never talked to any of the principles." Ford himself went down on record as saying (to Peter Bogdanovich) that he shot some second unit scenes "but they were all cut out." Countless production stills show Ford sitting in his chair on set with the principles, a megaphone in his hand, and everybody listening to him -- including Wayne. My personal theory (not proven by John's book -- yet) is that all the key people agreed to a cover story that Ford was just visiting for two weeks and they got rid of him. There was a genuine fear that, if the press for a minute thought Ford directed anything, they would assume he did it all and Duke just said, "Yes sir." In truth, no matter how many principle scenes Ford was there for or may have had a hand in directing, there was absolutely no question who the director was -- John Wayne. Ford himself would have supported that in every way, IMO. |
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Post by Rich Curilla on Oct 7, 2014 19:37:18 GMT -5
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