This
is an interesting Western drama from director Budd Boetticher, who a
few years later would direct a string of Randolph Scott Westerns that
are considered minor classics of the genre.
In
and of itself, THE MAN FROM THE ALAMO is also a noteworthy oater. Its
execution perhaps does not match its ambitions, but it nevertheless
is solid entertainment with some different twists.
Glenn
Ford (always easy to watch) plays protagonist John Stroud, who, as
the title suggests, is a man who fled the battle of the Alamo before
it fell under the superior forces of Santa Ana. His reasons for
leaving, however, have nothing to do with cowardice. In fact, in an
early scene where the Mexican army's bombardment of the mission fort
results in its flag pole being blown off the wall, Stroud risks
danger from further blasts by climbing up and re-posting the flag
while the bombardment continues. Shortly after this, however, we
learn that Stroud is one of about a half dozen volunteer defenders
who have property and families not far to the north. Since word is
out that Santa Ana is issuing land grants to Texcians who will fight
on his side and harass settlers as his army is otherwise occupied,
Stroud and his neighbors are worried for the safety of their families
while they are away in battle. When a rider makes it through the
enemy lines with word that no reinforcements are coming to aid the
embattled garrison, he also mentions that raids are taking place up
north by a band of Mexican sympathizers who are burning homes and
re-claiming land for themselves. Based on this, Stroud and the others
hold a secret meeting to try and decide how to fight Santa Ana and
keep their families safe at the same time. “One man more or less
here ain't gonna make that much difference,” one of them says. “But
one man up there might be enough to round up our wives and kids and
get them to safety.” They then agree to draw lots to see who will
be the one man to try and make it out … Stroud draws the black
bean.
When
Travis assembles the garrison and gives permission for any man to
leave who doesn't want to stay and fight to the death, Stroud takes a
horse and rides out with no clear explanation for why he is making
the choice. The rider who brought in word that no reinforcements are
on the way is also sent back out by Travis, but not before he sees
Stroud leave and is left to think him a coward.
Weeks
later, Stroud arrives back home only to find he is too late. His home
and those of his friends have all been raided and burned to the
ground, his own wife and child murdered. He learns from the lone
survivor, the young son of a faithful servant who also killed, that
this was the work of a Mexicn sympathizer and gang leader named Jess
Wade.
Stroud
takes the boy to the nearby town of Franklin where he seeks to leave
the orphan with someone who will care for him while Stroud returns to
the war. In town, he learns that the Alamo has fallen and he ends up
branded a coward and the “man who left the Alamo”. Things go from
bad to worse when Stroud is taken into protective custody to save him
from a lynch mob. When a Texican army patrol shows up to evacuate the
town ahead of the advancing Mexican army, a wagon train is formed and
Stroud, still a prisoner, is taken along. Unknown to any of them, the
Jess Wade gang takes out after them in order to get the bank money
that is traveling on the train. After they've started out, the army
patrol is suddenly called away to go fight with Sam Houston in the
battle of San Jacinto, leaving the train of mostly women and children
to fend for themselves. Stroud steps forward at this point, showing
his true bravery and cunning, and leads this unlikely force in a
successful fight against the attacking gang. In the process, the
truth is finally revealed and accepted of why he left the Alamo. He
even ends up with a new sweetheart before he rides off to also join
Sam Houston in winning Texas independence.
Like
I said, interesting and with some different twists. Also with a
sizable dollop of hokiness (like why didn't Stroud or any of his
buddies reveal, right from the get-go, his reason for riding away from
the Alamo in the first place).
Also
noteworthy and curious: In the opening scenes at the Alamo, everybody
was firing flintlock rifles and pistols (as it should be). After
Stroud got away and showed up in Franklin, he was packing a revolver
holstered on his hip—as were the sheriff and other men in town. And
the Wade gang members were also packin' revolvers. But then, when the
ladies of the wagon train were armed by Stroud to fight off the gang,
they were issued flintlocks again. This is a pretty glaring
inaccuracy for the time period.
Also
of note (to me anyway) is the presence here of actor Chill Wills in a
significant role. Seven years later, in John Wayne's big budget
version of THE ALAMO, Wills would play another significant role and
even get a Best Supporting Actor nomination for it (which he lost,
and deserved to—largely due to his overzealous lobbying for the
vote). Truth to tell, in THE MAN FROM THE ALAMO he played a better,
stronger part.
Hugh
O'Brien, Neville Brand, and Julia Adams also turn in good
performances. And Victor Jory, as gangleader Jess Wade, is
convincingly menacing, but to me he seems oddly out of place in a
Western.
Still,
quibbles aside, this is a pretty entertaining flick. Well worth 80
minutes of your time if you catch it on the tube or spot it in a DVD
bargain bin.
