DATE-LINE 1955...Disney's TV-Mini-Series, "Davy Crockett...King of the Wild Frontier" Opens a "Gold-Mine" that Keeps Funneling Endless Amounts of Money to "The House of Mouse".

This Fictional Press Lease is Factually Based on...

TV-Ratings, Merchandising Financial Reports, and the Hordes of Baby-Boomers Spotted Wearing "Coon-Skin" Hats and Collecting Bubble-Gum Cards.

The "Ballad of Davy Crockett" got Constant Radio Play and Sold 10 Million Copies in 1 Year.

The Aforementioned Kids were also Carrying, Mom's P&J with Optional Apple Inside Colorfully Painted Tin (not the cheesy plastic with stuck-on stickers that began to peel immediately) Lunch Boxes Across the USA.

David "Davy" Crockett was "Born On a Mountain-Top in Tennessee...The Greenest State in the Land of the Free".

But Davy Crockett Became an "American" Hero as He Helped Fight the Tyrant Santa Anna but Perished along with 180 other "Rebels" at "The Alamo" .

The Mexican Army Out-Numbered the "Ruffians" 30-1.

Scruffians such as Jim Bowie,(Sterling Hayden) a Rugged, 6'6" Knife Carrier.

In this Film even Davy Crockett (Arthur Hunnicut) has a Full-Beard.

A Movie about the Siege with Known "Bigger than Life" Names Like Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie was a No-Brainer.

But Republic Studio Politics Stopped Super-Star John Wayne (who insisted on a big-budget, starring, and directing). They Told Wayne to Stand-Down.

He Quit the Studio, but did Not Quit on His Idea. Raising Enormous Amounts of Money on His Own.

He Filmed His Vision...an Over-Long, Bloated, Bloviating Movie "The Alamo'' (1960).

His "Vision" of the Story, while 5 Years Late, was Anything But a Dollar Short. It Dwarfed Disney and Republic Studios with Everything that Money Could Buy.

John Wayne had Everything that He Desired. Except Humility Imagination and Directorial Talent. The Movie Flopped and Fizzled.

Wayne Did Not Better a TV-Show or Lowly Republic Studios that Showed the Ego-Maniacal "Duke" the Door.

Overall, "The Last Command" (1955) is a Watchable, Mythological Gaze at "Jim Bowie".

Climaxing at "The Alamo" with a Short, but Impressively Produced Last Days of the Last Command that Became a Fight for Independence.

It's Not Surprising that Everyone in America does..,.'Remember The Alamo"

Forget any adherence to historical facts, directed by Frank Lloyd and with a Warren Duff screenplay, The Last Command is a slow moving piece that uses Jim Bowie as its focal point. Starring Sterling Hayden (Bowie), Richard Carlson (William Travers), Arthur Hunnicutt (Davy Crockett), Ernest Borgnine (Mike Radin), J. Carrol Naish (Santa Ana), and Anna Maria Alberghetti (Consuela), the piece was a project long courted by John Wayne. However, Republic refused to sanction the type of budget the Duke wanted for his vision. So after offering him a nominal fee for a part, he refused and Republic promptly went on to make the film anyway. The final result is an interesting film that finally pays off for those having the patience and tolerance for patriotic flag waving.

The story follows the battle of the Alamo in San Antonio in 1836, where brave Texans gave their life to become free of the Mexican rule, by defending the former mission station against overwhelming odds as the Mexican army of Santa Ana closed in for victory. The final battle is very well staged by Lloyd, and the acting, though not making the earth move, is very competent, particularly Hayden who does a nice line in tortured ruggedness. Max Steiner provides a zippy score and the low budget use of Trucolor doesn't affect the work of cinematographer Jack Marta. Safe and enjoyable as a story telling piece, if ultimately far from being a rousing spectacle fit for that particular part in history. 6/10