Man from the Alamo (1953)

Glenn Ford is John Stroud, one of five men inside the Alamo with families in Ox Bow.

When word comes that Santa Anna is harassing whites settlers in that area, the five men get together to draw lots.

The man who draws the black bean must leave the Alamo to try to guide their families to safety.

Stroud winds up being that man. So he leaves the Alamo as Mexican forces are closing in, only to get home and find out Santa Anna has already been there.

His wife and son are dead. So is the father of young Carlos, a Mexican youth helping out on their ranch.

Next stop: The town of Franklin, where Stroud is immediately branded a coward and tossed in jail. The people there have every intention of hanging him.

But he winds up being a cellmate of a man named Dawes (Neville Brand), a member of Wade’s Guerrillas, a band of whites working with the Mexicans.

Sroud also learns that band was responsible for killing his wife and son.

So he escape with Dawes and joins up with Jess Wade (Victor Jory), waiting for a chance to get his revenge.

Wade’s after a wagon train carrying the gold that was supposed to be in the Franklin bank.

Stroud is determined to keep that from happening, and finds himself the one man standing between the wagon train and the guerrillas.

Glenn Ford as John Stroud, letting it known he plans to leave the Alamo in The Man from the Alamo (1953)

Hugh O’Brian as Lt. Lamar, trying to lead a wagon train of Franklin residents to safety in The Man from the Alamo (1953)

Review:

Decent Glenn Ford film, with Julie Adams as Beth Anders, a member of the wagon train who insists on nursing him back to health even though he’s been branded a coward and Marc Cavell as young Carlos, who adopts Stroud as a dad and is constantly trying to convince Beth he’s a good man.

He eventually proves the he’s not a coward at all, of course. The film also includes a surprisingly lean Chill Wills and Victory Jory and Neville Brand in another go as bad guys.

Hugh O’Brian also has a key role in this early Western from Budd Boetticher, who would later deliver some classic low-budget Westerns starring Randolph Scott.

Julie Adams as Beth Anders, the young woman who believes in John Stroud in The Man from the Alamo (1953)

Victor Jory as Jess Wade, leader of a band of renegade whites who attacked Stroud’s ranch in The Man from the Alamo (1953)

Directed by:
Budd Boetticher

Cast:
Glenn Ford … John Stroud
Julie Adams … Beth Anders
Chill Wills … Fed Gage
Victor Jory … Jess Wade
Hugh O’Brian … Lt. Tom Lamar
Jeanne Cooper … Kate Lamar
Marc Cavell … Carlos
John Daheim … Cavish
Neville Brand … Dawes
Myra Marsh … Ma Anders
Edward Norris … Mapes
Guy Williams … Sergeant

Runtime: 79 min.

Chill Wills as John Gage, one of the men who brand John Stroud a coward in The Man from the Alamo (1953)

Marc Cavell as Carlos, telling John Stroud about the death of his wife and child in The Man from the Alamo (1953)

Memorable lines:

Davy Crockett, of a Mexican messenger: “What did he say, Colonel?”
Lt. Col. Travis: “He just said if we don’t walk out of here right now with our hands in the air, we won’t walk out at all.”
Billings: “What are you going to tell him, sir?”
Lt. Col. Travis: “Is this cannon loaded?”

One of Wade’s men: “What about this Stroud? Do you think he’ll work out?”
Jess Wade: “I hope so. I could use him. I’ll tell you one thing, I sure would hate to fight him every day before breakfast.”

Wade’s man: “How ’bout old Davy Crockett? There was a man could charm a possum right out of a tree.”
Another of Wade’s men: “Nah. When a possum saw ol’ Davy Crockett looking at him, he just knew that was the end. Instead of waiting for Davy to shoot him, he’d just climb down and drop dead at Davy’s feet.”

Neville Brand as Dawes, trying to convince John Stroud to join Jess Wade’s gang in The Man from the Alamo (1953)

Howard Negley as Gen. Sam Houston, warning the residents of Franklin of the Mexican Army’s advance in The Man from the Alamo (1953)

Arthur Space (left) as Lt. Col. Travis prepares to deliver a message to the Mexican army; Dennis Weaver (right) as a Tennessean looks on in The Man from the Alamo (1953)

Julie Adams as Beth Anders and Glenn Ford as John Stroud talk about his decision to leave the Alamo in The Man from the Alamo (1953)