The Alamo (1960)

1189.jpgDes fans font la queue devant le premier ministre royal de The Alamo (1960) à Londres, en Angleterre .

Fans line up outside the royal premier of The Alamo (1960) in London, England.

When John Wayne filmed his classic “Alamo” in 1960 at Brackettville with a cast of nearly 1,000, many from San Antonio made the 128-mile trip to be an extra in the epic. When it came time for the movie premiere in San Antonio, it was promoted like any major Hollywood movie. Many people at that time thought it would automatically be premiered in downtown San Antonio, at the then-finest Majestic Theater. It seats over 2,300 and would have been the obvious choice. Houston Street could have handled the searchlights that lit up the skies and the crowds and hoopla that go with premieres. Instead the movie was premiered at a smaller, neighborhood theater, the Woodlawn, which seats about 1,250. There must be a story behind this obvious mishandle, and I hope you can shed some light.

─ Larry Gee

The Woodlawn Theater, at 1920 Fredericksburg Road, isn’t exactly across the alley from the Alamo but had other qualities that made it the right place for the premiere.
Small but special, it was an Art Deco movie palace designed by John Eberson, architect of the Majestic as well as many other atmospheric theaters. The Woodlawn was hailed as the “newest and most lavish of neighborhood theaters” when it opened Aug. 17, 1945. Operated by the Interstate Theater Circuit, as was the Majestic, the Woodlawn boasted 1,400 seats and free parking — “a full block of paved, floodlighted parking lot in which attendants will be on duty at all times,” says the San Antonio Express, Aug. 13, 1945. The “deluxe suburban theater (had) the finest furnishings available as well as the most expert construction,” and its dedication, hosted by Interstate executives and San Antonio Mayor Gus Mauermann, was broadcast over local radio.
At the same time, Wayne’s $12-million “Alamo” — one of the most expensive films ever made at that time — had some special requirements. More than three hours long, it couldn’t be combined with another title into a double bill and would require premium pricing, since it couldn’t be shown at the frequency of a standard, 90-minute picture. Theaters that booked “The Alamo” had to commit to showing a single film for the duration of the run.
Most important was the process in which the film was shot — Todd-AO, a phrase used in advertising and advance publicity as if it were part of the movie’s title, “The Alamo in Todd-AO.” Printed on 70mm film stock, the process allowed for improved sound quality, probably was important to Wayne because of the soundtrack, which featured realistic battle sounds as well as “Alamo Suite,” an original composition by Dmitri Tiomkin. Shot through wide-angle lenses, Todd-AO films also were intended to be shown on curved screens. Typically, they were booked as “road shows” that opened in exclusive arrangements with single theaters in large cities for limited showings over unusually long bookings.
Tiomkin’s musical score was performed Oct. 22, 1960, by the San Antonio Symphony, conducted by the composer in Municipal Auditorium, one of the many events of the four-day premiere festivities — breakfasts, brunches, luncheons, dinners, receptions, dances, concerts and a trail ride, all leading up to the showing of the movie. The Alamo Premiere Committee of the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce announced that most of the $45,000 cost of the promotional events would be paid for from sales of 600 gold-plated premiere movie tickets at $50 each.
That premiere audience was exclusive, with additional complimentary tickets given to movie stars and United Artists executives, politicians, national media, local society folk and “the cream of Texas wealth.” When they arrived at the premiere, the Woodlawn was “a glittering spectacle (as) searchlights splashed the redecorated marquee,” says the San Antonio Light, Oct. 25, 1960. Inside, the theater sported a “new ‘gold’ look which cost thousands, including a new screen equipped to handle the Todd-AO film process.”
When asked why the Woodlawn was chosen, actor/producer Wayne said it was “the only theater that agreed to renovate itself with the necessary equipment to show the film,” as John Farkis reports in “Not Thinkin' ... Just Rememberin': The Making of John Wayne's ‘The Alamo.’” Although the Broadway Theater also had Todd-AO and 70-mm equipment, that upscale neighborhood theater already was showing the widescreen epic “Ben-Hur.” Another technical detail had to do with projection: The Todd-AO angle had to be 9 degrees, “and the Woodlawn booth was already throwing its film from a seven-degree angle.” So the theater made further modifications at a cost of $50,000.
The Majestic, with 3,700 seats at the time, the Texas Theater (2,732 seats) and the Aztec Theater (2,500) “were not picked for the premiere because they can’t afford to devote themselves to one long-run movie for the next six to 12 months,” according to columnist Paul Thompson in the Express, Aug. 27, 1960.
Most San Antonians couldn’t get into the premiere, but were invited to buy tickets by mail, offered for showings from the first night through Dec. 31 — only at the Woodlawn, until the following year, when a shorter version of the film was shown elsewhere, including drive-in theaters.

Attachments

• [/i] View media item" href="https://www.hometheaterforum.com/community/attachments/1200x0-jpg.141703/" target="_blank" data-fancybox="lb-post-5128545" data-caption="