The Alamo (1960 film) had seen some of the rushes from "Timberland" and thought I would be right." After making the film, Wayne told the press "We're not cutting one bit of any scene in which Frankie appears. I believe he is the finest young talent I've seen in a long time." "Mr Wayne said I was natural as far as acting goes," said Avalon. Several days after filming began, Widmark complained he had been miscast and tried to leave. Among other things, it seemed ridiculous that the relatively diminutive (5'9") Widmark would be playing the "larger than life" Bowie, who was a reported
Battle of the Alamo of the church, in the center of Alamo Plaza, stands a cenotaph, designed by Pompeo Coppini, which commemorates the Texians and "Tejanos" who died during the battle. According to Bill Groneman's "Battlefields of Texas", the Alamo has become "the most popular tourist site in Texas". The first English-language histories of the battle were written and published by Texas Ranger and amateur historian John Henry Brown. The next major treatment of the battle was Reuben Potter's "The Fall of the Alamo", published in "The Magazine of American History" in 1878. Potter based his work on interviews with many of the Mexican