The Last Command (1955)

In 1834 Texas, Jim Bowie (Sterling Hayden) returns to his home only to find that things have changed. Embittered Texans are plotting rebellion against his old friend General Santa Anna (J. Carrol Naish). Bowie discovers power has gone to Santa Anna's head and made him a despot, so he joins forces with his fellow Texans. Directed by Frank Lloyd (1935's MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY), this seems like a run through of the superior if bloated (3 hours plus) 1960 John Wayne epic, THE ALAMO. In fact, Wayne was attached to this project at one point in the late 1940s. It's a sincere but unimpressive recreation of the events that lead up to the fateful battle of the Alamo. The production values are impressive when you consider this is a Republic film, a studio not known for its big budgets. Too bad they couldn't come up with a stronger screenplay than the patchwork quilt that the movie is. The final battle is decent enough but too much time is wasted on a romantic triangle subplot involving Hayden, Anna Maria Alberghetti and Ben Cooper. Max Steiner did the score and Gordon MacRae sings the title song. With Ernest Borgnine, Richard Carlson, Arthur Hunnicutt, Virginia Grey, Eduard Franz, John Russell and Otto Kruger.