Factual error: Approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes into the "restored" full-length video version, there's a birthday party for little Lisa Dickinson, and the Alamo defenders sing "Happy Birthday" to her. The Alamo battle happened in 1836. According to David Ewen's "All the Years of American Popular Music," the song "Happy Birthday to You" was composed and copyrighted by sisters Patty and Mildred J. Hill, first as "Good Morning to All," in 1893.
The Alamo (1960)
Directed by: John Wayne
Starring: John Wayne, Richard Widmark, Laurence Harvey, Frankie Avalon
Factual error: After the first attack, Travis asked Dickerson to report the killed. Dickerson says "13 Killed." In fact no defender of the Alamo was killed until the last battle on March 6.
Continuity mistake: In an early scene Travis and Dickenson are in Travis's office. Travis goes to the mantel, gets a cigar and pours himself a glass of sherry. In a later scene, when Travis meets Crockett in the cantina he refuses a drink from Crockett claiming he doesn't drink, ever.
Trivia: In 2010, on the 50th anniversary of the release of the film a reunion was held at The Alamo Village. Of the main actors only 6 of them were still alive. 69 year old Frankie Avalon was there and five defectors were there with Mrs John Wayne. Richard Widmark (Jim Bowie) had died in 2008.
Trivia: Lisa Dickerson is played by John Wayne's real life youngest daughter Aissa, who was 3 in 1959. When she had to say hello or goodbye to Davy Crockett, she kept saying "Hello Daddy" or "Goodbye Daddy." Her lines had to be dubbed in later.
Trivia: The final battle took four days to film in December of 1959. It cost was 2 million dollars.
Smitty: So many times every day you stop and give thanks, but mostly I don't catch on what you're thanking the Lord for. I mean, there's nothing special.
Parson: I give thanks for the time and for the place.
Smitty: The time and the place, Parson?
Parson: The time to live and the place to die. That's all any man gets. No more, no less.
Jim Bowie: I'd hate to say anything good about that long-winded jackanapes, but he does know the short way to start a war.
Davy Crockett: Republic. I like the sound of the word. It means people can live free, talk free, go or come, buy or sell, be drunk or sober, however they choose. Some words give you a feeling. Republic is one of those words that makes me tight in the throat - the same tightness a man gets when his baby takes his first step or his first baby shaves and makes his first sound as a man. Some words can give you a feeling that makes your heart warm. Republic is one of those words.
Question: In the John Wayne film, Frankie Avalon is riding into Sam Houston's camp and is stopped by two sentries. The one questioning him appears to bear a striking resemblance to Robert Mitchum. Is this him?
Question: What did Crockett say his men should change their seedlings for?
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Answer: No, that's not him. Robert Mitchum has no part in this movie.
Mortug