Sterling Hayden is Jim Bowie in this version of the story of the Alamo. He arrives in Texas and immediately sympathizes with those growing anxious under Santa Anna’s rule. He even helps free a hot-headed lawyer named William Travis (Richard Carlson) from jail.
But he urges caution when talk of war with Mexico crops up. And that puts him under suspicion. Because not only is he familiar with many of the Mexican commanders — Santa Anna included — he’s also a Mexican landowner and the husband of a Mexican bride.
When he returns to Mexico to gauge the situation and reunite with his family, he learns he has no more family. His wife and children have died of the fever. The months that follow find him forming his own small band of men, men determined to uphold the rights of Texans, even if that means battle.
Eventually, Col. Bowie finds himself in command in the town of San Antone. Rather than abandon it to the Mexicans, he decides to try to stop — or at least slow — Santa Anna’s army there, making a run-down mission as his base. He only has about 140 men, but reinforcements are on the way courtesy of Davy Crockett (Arthur Honnicutt). And rumors say he has 1,000 men under his command.
Review:
A version of the Alamo that plays fast and loose with the facts. For instance, Bowie is supposedly a good friend of Santa Ana, travels out to meet with him before the battle and is offered a chance to ride off on his own.
And we have a love story as a subplot. Young Conseulo de Quesada (Anna Marie Alberghetti) falls for the much older Bowie, though she already has the affection of Jeb Lacey (Ben Cooper), a young man under Bowie’s command.
In the end, Sterling Hayden, with another of his wooden performances, is nowhere near up to the task of carrying he film. But the closing battle sequences are very well done and help make up for that.
And if you recognize similarities between this film and John Wayne’s “The Alamo” from five years later, there’s good reason. Wayne tried for years to get Republic to film the story of the Alamo. When Republic finally decided to film the picture, the studio couldn’t come to terms with Wayne. They proceeded anyway, and some of the scenes in the two films are nearly identical — like Travis drawing a line in the sand and offering his men the opportunity to surrender.
Directed by:
Frank Lloyd
Cast:
Sterling Hayden … Jim Bowie
Anna Maria Alberghetti … Consuelo de Quesada
Richard Carlson … William Travis
Arthur Hunnicutt … Davy Crockett
Ernest Borgnine … Mike Radin
J. Carrol Naish … Gen. Santa Ana
Virginia Grey … Mrs. Dickinson
John Russell … Lt. Dickinson
Ben Cooper … Jeb Lacey
Jim Davis … Ben Evans
Otto Kruger … Stephen Austin
Russell Simpson … The Parson
Roy Roberts … Dr. Summerfield
Slim Pickens … Abe
Runtime: 110 min.
Title song: “Jim Bowie” by Gordon Macrae
Memorable lines:
Davy Crockett, upon arriving at the Alamo: “In Washington, they told me to either go to hell or Texas. So, naturally, not wanting to be took for a coward, I choose Texas.”
Davy, as the Mexican troops mass for attack: “They’ve not only got us outnumbered, but outdressed. And that’s for certain.”
Consuelo de Quesada: “May I ask, why did you allow yourself and my uncle to be insulted? I thought no one talked so to Senor Bowie.”
Bowie: “I should have killed him?”
Consuelo: “Yes.”
Bowie: “Consuelo, remember this. An insult is something that happens when men become aroused, and one of them can’t stop. He boils over, and the words come spilling out. So you kill him. And you walk outside. For a few minutes, maybe you feel good. Then you look up at the stars, out across at the horizon, at the dawn coming up. And suddenly you realize that it’s a big world and nothing has changed, ‘cept somewhere there’s a woman without a man and maybe children without a father. All because of a few hot words.”
Bowie: “I just left Gen. Houston. He hasn’t any army. Yet. It appeared to both of us that an army that isn’t is about to engage an army that is.”
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