The Alamo

“The Alamo” is John Wayne’s film tribute to this famous fight for Texas independence.

John Wayne spent over 14 years scouting locations and trying to get financial support in order to make “The Alamo.” Shot on location in Brackettville, Texas, John Wayne stars, directs and produces this historical film about the 15 men who died fighting for freedom.

The battle lasted for only 13 days, but the story about the Alamo men’s heroism remains a symbol of American courage. Their valiant fight became the inspirational battle phrase “Remember the Alamo.”

John Wayne took great care in making “The Alamo” so that the picture would accurately reflect what really happened in Texas.  Most of the film remains true to the facts and the legend about the battle. Also, Wayne had a replica of the original Alamo built for filming which took over two years to complete.

“The Alamo” won the 1961 Western Heritage Bronze Heritage Award, an honor only given to one film per year.

• “The Alamo” was the first movie that John Wayne ever directed by himself. 

•  John Wayne did not intend to star in “The Alamo.” Instead, he had planned to play a small role so that he could focus on directing and producing the film.  However, one of the financial backers for “The Alamo,” United Artists, would not support the film unless he played a starring role in it.

• John Wayne put most of his personal financial resources at stake in order to make “The Alamo.”  He mortgaged his house, his production company and other holdings in order to finance the film.  In fact, Wayne was quoted saying "Every last damn dime I have in the world I tied up in this thing" in a 1960 Limelight magazine article.

• The movie set used to make “The Alamo” took over two years to create.  The set is an actual reproduction of the real Alamo in San Antonio, Texas.  Now known as “Alamo Village,” you can visit this movie set in Brackettville, Texas.  After being built for “The Alamo”, it has been used for over 200 movie features, documentaries and commercials. Click here to go to a page with information about Alamo Village.

• “The Alamo” won a 1961 Academy Award for Best Sound.

• Nominated for six 1961 Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Chill Wills),  Best Music (Original Song – “The Green Leaves of Summer”), Best Color Cinematography, Best Film Editing and Best Music Scoring

• Won a 1961 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score

• Won the 1961 Western Heritage Awards Bronze Wrangler Award.  This award is only given to one Western movie per year.

• Voted one of the year’s ten best films by the 1960 National Board of Review.