The Alamo (1960 film) of the former Alamo Mission. The set was an extensive three quarter-scale replica of the mission, and has since been used in 100 other westerns, including other depictions of the battle. It took more than two years to construct. Wayne was to have portrayed Sam Houston, a bit part that would have let him focus on his first major directing effort, but investors insisted he play a leading character. He took on the role of Davy Crockett, handing the part of Houston to Richard Boone. Wayne cast Richard Widmark as Jim Bowie and Laurence Harvey as William Barrett Travis. Harvey
Battle of the Alamo survivors of the battle. The first full-length, non-fiction book covering the battle, John Myers Myers' "The Alamo", was published in 1948. In the decades since, the battle has featured prominently in many non-fiction works. According to Todish "et al.", "there can be little doubt that most Americans have probably formed many of their opinions on what occurred at the Alamo not from books, but from the various movies made about the battle." The first film version of the battle appeared in 1911, when Gaston Méliès directed "The Immortal Alamo". The battle became more widely known after it was featured in