The Alamo

Matinees & Drive-ins 

The Alamo, Saturday afternoon matinee movie with John Wayne in 1960 getting all us young boys revved up and ready for when the govt came calling a few years later for 'Nam. A so called American icon.

At this time of my life I thought John Wayne was a great actor and I loved his movies. Later I would realize that he was an anti-communist conservative Republican. When asked by Republicans to run for political office in 1968 he jokingly responded that Americans would never accept an actor in the White House. He was a John Bircher, a supporter of the Hollywood Black List, the Viet Nam War, the House Un-American Activities, Senator McCarthy, and a host of other right wing causes. He was also a bigot. Recently there have been calls to rename the John Wayne Airport in California.


He also starred and produced The Green Berets as a propaganda effort to support the Viet Nam War in 1968.

But I did like The Alamo and during that early 60's period of going to the Saturday matinees every week I did also like him in
Rio Bravo
The Horse Soldiers
How The West Was Won
Hatari
The Longest Day
Donovon's Reef

Probably his best role was in The Quiet Man in 1952.