Davy Crockett

I just finished "The Gates Of The Alamo," by Stephen Harrigan. I read it when it first came out, and this was the second time. I made a mistake by reading it after The Shaara's Mexican War/Civil War books. I should've read about the Alamo first, to keep the historical storyline straight.
Oh well.
It was a bit different than I remember. The character of Edward McGowan was much more a reclusive person than I had thought. I really identified with this man who had basically closed himself off from society while he pursued his own interests. I wish I had been able to find my joy that way. I think I would be really happy living away from all the mooks and fools that daily plague me, only coming out to share some ribs, rum and cigars with Flint.
Ah, that would be the life.


So after reading about the Alamo, I had to download some movies about Davy Crockett, starting with Walt Disney's version. Not bad, if a little truncated. Three one hour episodes were cut down to a ninety minute film. They got most of the highlights of his life, and the final battle was okay.
A little bloodier than I would've expected from a Disney product, but that was okay, too.
Next up was John Wayne's version of the event. There was a lot of speechifying liberally sprinkled about, as Wayne took the opportunity to wedge in his own views about liberty, America, sacrifice, etc.
The climactic battle is suitably epic. The set was built in Texas, away from the city, and you can see all the money that Wayne lavished on the production up on the screen.


The next film is the 2004 remake, with Billy Bob Thornton playing Crockett. I saw this when it first came out. Thornton did a good job, I thought. I remember the scene where he's been captured (rather than being killed in the battle), and Santa Anna has ordered his immediate execution.
He looks up with a sideways grin and says, 'I'm warning you, I'm a screamer."
I think they kill him off-screen.

I went to see the Alamo in 2002 while I was visiting my brother. They say it's the most popular tourist destination in Texas. I also went to Dealey Plaza, and that was pretty popular, too. But the Alamo is very much a shrine. They make sure you take your hat off and everything.
It's very clean and well-maintained, a far cry from what it must've looked like after the battle. Some historians talk about the savagery that took place. Santa Anna had warned the defenders there would be no quarter, and the Mexican troops used their bayonets to slaughter them all. They even killed a young boy in their frenzy, though they did spare a woman and her child, as well as Travis's slave.
I wonder if the Mexicans thought about opening up a tourist shop there? But of course, they didn't keep it very long, did they?