Patrick Wayne

Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger Prince Kassim (Damien Thomas) is transformed during his coronation as Caliph of the city and kingdom of Charak (1) into a baboon by his stepmother, the witch Queen Zenobia (Margaret Whiting), who wants the throne for her own son, Rafi (Kurt Christian). The Prince's sister, Princess Farah (Jane Seymour), seeks the help of her betrothed, Sinbad (Patrick Wayne), whilst Rafi, disguised as a merchant, tries to kill Sinbad and his crew (one, Aboo Seer (David Sterne) is poisoned) with the aid of three weapon-wielding ghouls (2) (created as stop-motion models, like most of the non-human cast, by Ray Harryhausen) brought from the depths of the earth by his mother's magic: Sinbad crushingly destroys these using falling logs. A discussion the following morning on Sinbads ship between the Princess, her uncle Balsora (Bruno Barnaby), Sinbad and his crew members Hassan (Nadim Sawalha) and Maroof (Salami Coker) discovers that the only possible saviour of Prince Kassim is the Greek sage Melanthius (Patrick Troughton), who lives on the rock-and-reef-ringed fog-bound island of Cascar (3). Zenobia however, having followed Balsora to confront him, learns of their plans. Sinbad and the Princess set sail for Cascar with the enchanted Prince, who astounds the crew by being able to write and play chess. Zenobia, fearing Melanthius may well be able to cure Kassim, decides to follow on a compact bronze boat with Rafi, rowed by their servant, the Minaton (4) (stand-in Peter Mayhew), a colossal bronze minotaur-automaton made by Rafi and animated by Zenobias magic. Balsora's guard on Zenobia, Zabid (Bernard Kay), is capsized and then skewered by the Minaton during their escape. On Cascar, after a brief encounter with rock-tossing inhabitants, Sinbad persuades Melanthius and his daughter Dione (Taryn Power) of the reality of Prince Kassim's condition, and to help: Melanthius reveals that the only cure will be to journey to the land of the former Arimaspi (5) at Hyperborea, a green valley in the polar regions maintained by the Arimaspi's powers, captured in the pyramidal Shrine of the Four Elements there to which he fortunately has the key, map and sailing directions. Speed is of the essence, as not only must Prince Kassim be crowned before seven moons have passed or renounce the Caliphate, but he will also gradually lose his remaining human abilities. However Kassim is befriended by Dione, who brings him fruit and practices writing with him. Zenobia, having been delayed by her boat being damaged when approaching Cascar, transforms herself by means of a magic potion into a seagull to fly to Sinbads ship, and there resumes her human form in miniature to spy out Melanthius plans. Spotted by Kassim, and caught by Melanthius, she learns of the trip to the lands of the Arimaspi, and is able to memorize the map, but when Melanthius uses some of the magic potion on a wasp (6), which grows to a giant size and attacks him, she is able to reclaim the potion vial, escape in seagull form, and return to her own boat. However there is now insufficient potion to effect the reverse transformation, and she retains a seagull's foot. The giant wasp is killed by Sinbad using a thrown dagger. Approaching the icebound polar regions, Sinbad passes by the ice-tunnel to the Arimaspi valley as being too small for his ship, and instead conducts his team on a journey by foot across the ice-pack (with Kassim in his cage on a sled), interrupted by a fight with a giant walrus, in which one crew member falls through the ice and another is stomped flat, to reach the outer part of the warm lands of Hyperborea, where they all relax. By this time Kassim has reverted almost wholly to animal nature, and only responds to Dione. Here the group encounters a giant Troglodyte, who shows them the way to the valley of the Arimaspi pyramid-shrine, and opens the valleys great gates for them. Meanwhile Zenobia, Rafi and the Minaton with their smaller boat have been able to take the ice-tunnel via a ruined temple directly to the shrine, where Zenobia forces an entrance using magic: however a falling stone block destroys the Minaton. Sinbad's party arrives at the now-failing shrine, where giant icicles crash down, and in a fight the baboon Kassim kills Rafi by rolling him down stairs to break his neck. Melanthius successfully restores Prince Kassim to human form by passing him in a gold cage through the fall of light from the Aurora Borealis, "the gift of the winter Apollo", within the shrine. However Zenobia vaporizes herself and possesses the body of a sabre-toothed tiger (smilodon), the guardian of the shrine, which mauls and kills the Troglodyte and Maroof before it is slain by Sinbad, firstly transfixing it with a gaff-spear originally used by the Minaton, and then using a scimitar for the coup de grace. The party escapes the collapsing shrine, which, with the whole of Hyperborea, now becomes covered in snow, and returns to Charak, where Kassim is duly installed as Caliph: he becomes enamoured of Dione, and gives his blessing to Sinbad and Princess Farah. The appearance of Zenobia's eyes at the end may mean all is not yet over Notes (1) This spelling is used on the original storyboard reproduced p185 in 'The Art of Ray Harryhausen', by Ray Harryhausen and Tony Dalton, 2006, Billboard Books, New York (2) Ibid. In the storyboard these are called 'nightmare figures' and 'zomboids' (and numbered as four, and illustrated as five, even though three eventually appear): Ray Harryhausen however refers to them consistently as 'ghouls' thereafter (3) Spelling uncertain: however, historically, 'Cascar' is the name given by Marco Polo to Kashgar, a city on the Silk Road (4) This spelling is that used by Ray Harryhausen: the original model is illustrated also p185 in 'The Art of Ray Harryhausen' (5) Historically, the Arimaspi were a legendary people of northern Scythia. The tales of their struggles with the gold-guarding griffins in the Hyperborean lands near the cave of Boreas, the North Wind, originate in a lost work by Aristeas. (6) That the insect is a wasp is confirmed by the survival of the original model: 'The Art of Ray Harryhausen' p 208

Colonel Kirby has been given operational command of the US Green Beret forces in Vietnam is about to be shipped. At Fort Bragg, newspaper reporter George Beckworth (portrayed by David Janssen) attends a Special Forces briefing on America's role in the Vietnam War. Held at the Gabriel Demonstration Area, honoring SGT Jimmy Gabriel, the first Special Forces soldier killed in Vietnam, the briefing encompasses a demonstration and comprehensive explanation of the rationale behind the U.S. military's involvement in the conflict. The Green Berets say that military involvement is decided by the political leadership. Though, it is hard for humans to stand by when innocent civilians are massacred in a political and ideological war. Sgt. Doc McGee says that the South Vietnamese are fighting even though their entire political leadership has been decimated, along with their families. Meanwhile, Green Beret tour guides at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, showcase Soviet and Chinese-manufactured weapons provided to soldiers and guerrillas fighting for the communist North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and Viet Cong (VC) to civilian visitors at the U.S. Infantry School. The Green Berets are a well-trained, professional fighting unit. Each member of the unit knows their role in the case of battle. Each soldier can speak multiple languages and knows that they are a backup to specific people in the unit. Skeptical civilians and journalists are informed that the United States is combating multinational Communism in Vietnam, citing evidence such as weapons and equipment seized from North Vietnamese soldiers and Viet Cong guerrillas, sourced from the Soviet Union, Communist Czechoslovakia, and Communist China. Sgt Muldoon says that the US military is fighting back against the communist domination of the world. Despite this explanation, Beckworth maintains doubts regarding the merits of U.S. intervention in Vietnam's internal conflict. When questioned by Green Beret Colonel Mike Kirby (John Wayne) about his firsthand experience in Southeast Asia, Beckworth admits he has none, leading to a dismissive response regarding his perspective. Recognizing his lack of knowledge, Beckworth resolves to travel to Vietnam to report firsthand on the situation. Colonel Kirby is posted to South Vietnam with two handpicked A-Teams of Special Forces troopers. One A-Team is to replace a team at a base-camp (led by Colonel Morgan (Bruce Cabot)) working with South Vietnamese (led by Colonel Cai) and Montagnard soldiers whilst the other A-Team is to form a counter guerrilla Mike force. The A teams are deployed along the Laos and Cambodian borders, each their own camp. While selecting his teams, Kirby intercepts a Sgt Petersen (Jim Hutton) from another unit who is scrounging supplies from Kirby's supply depot. Realizing Petersen's skills, Kirby promotes him and brings him onto his SF team. Sgt. Provo (Luke Askew) is a heavy weapons specialist and volunteers for the teams as he wants to be in the middle of the action. The A team is airlifted to their designated base camp from HQ. Kirby's A team relieves Capt. Coleman (Jason Evers) and his men, who return back to HQ. Arriving In South Vietnam, they meet Beckworth whom Kirby allows to join them at the base-camp (camp A-107, situated in the heart of VC country) where he witnesses the humanitarian aspect (irrigation ditches, bandages, candy for children) of the Special Forces mission. Still, he remains skeptical of the U.S.'s need to be there. The camp is circular, and surrounded by a 150 feet circular kill zone, which leads into the dense forest. Kirby orders for the kill zone to be extended by another 300 feet using a detachment of the Seabees. The camp is also surrounded by Punji sticks, used to impale an incoming enemy army. Other defenses include barbed wire fence and Claymore mines. Petersen is designated to find corrugated tin to complete the task of finishing the camp. He is also ordered to procure .50 caliber machine guns for the camp. The enemy forces mounts a mortar attack (which have been very regular recently), which is very accurate and takes out the main buildings of the camp. Coleman is killed in the attack, just a day before he was going to return home. The accuracy of the shooting that the VC have eyes inside the camp. Kirby outfits the helicopters with ammunition and scouts the nearby jungles for VC or NVA soldiers. He attacks their positions with rockets to push them back. The Seabees arrive finally and bring in heavy equipment to move the jungle back 300 feet from the base, giving Kirby an expanded killing zone. Petersen arranges the .50 caliber guns, which are mounted on an elevated position inside the base, giving a wide killing arc. Sergeant Muldoon notices a South Vietnamese soldier acting suspiciously (taking measurements and observing everything very carefully) and knocks him out, allowing Captain Nghiem (George Takei) to interrogate him. Nghiem is convinced that the soldier is a spy when he finds the Zippo lighter of a dead US soldier in his possession. After Beckworth sees Nghiem torture a confession from the soldier, he confronts Kirby, who justifies the act by telling Beckworth that their enemies are ruthless killers who deserve no legal protections of any sort in this new kind of war. A few days later, while accompanying Kirby and his team on a patrol in the nearby mountains, Beckworth finds that the family of a village chief he had befriended earlier have been tortured and executed by the Viet Cong for cooperating with the Americans. The injured daughter of the chief had been treated by Doc McGee and Beckworth had made friends with her by giving her his necklace. The girl was sexually assaulted by VC soldiers before being dumped in the jungle. During this period, Petersen befriends a young native boy named Hamchuck (Craig Jue), a war orphan who has no family other than his dog and the soldiers at the base-camp. The camp soldiers can sense an enemy buildup of forces around 15 Kms from the base. They know that an attack is coming and Kirby requests air support to be on standby. Beckworth changes his mind after a ferocious North Vietnamese Army attack upon the SF camp. The camp is ready, and the armed choppers attack the advancing enemy from the air, while the ground forces attack from their well concealed positions. Eventually, enemy sappers breach the perimeter by blowing openings in the barbed wire fences around the camp, and the Green Berets and South Vietnamese are forced to fall back to the inner perimeter. Nghiem sets off hidden explosives which kill the spies, but soon dies afterwards after being hit by a mortar. As the battle rages, the dog is killed, and the boy tearfully buries his faithful companion. Symbolically, the boy uses the stick he had used to dig the dog's grave as the tombstone. As the soldiers rush to their defensive positions, the stick is knocked away, leaving an unmarked grave. Due to the intense attack, Kirby orders a retreat from the camp, and U.S. helicopters arrive to evacuate the refugees. Petersen puts Ham Chuck on one and promises to return for him in Da Nang. With the base in enemy hands (and the VC flag flying over the camp), Kirby requests an airstrike by an AC-47 gunship, call-sign Puff the Magic Dragon, which annihilates the Viet Cong guerrillas and North Vietnamese Army regulars within Camp A-107. With the enemy having taken major casualties, Kirby and his team re-occupy the destroyed camp. Kirby orders his men to get some sleep as they need to start rebuilding the base all over again. Beckworth admits he probably will be fired from the newspaper for filing a story supporting the American war. Sgt. Provo had noticed that all war heroes had buildings named after them in Vietnam. But he was worried that nothing rhymes with his name. After he is mortally wounded in the VC attack, before dying, he reveals the name of the building dedicated to him, "Provo's Privy". Back at headquarters, Kirby meets with his superior, Colonel Morgan, and his South Vietnamese counterpart, Colonel Cai (Jack Soo). They tell him about a top-secret mission to capture North Vietnamese General Pha Son Ti, allowing them to end the war on South Vietnamese terms, as well as disrupting enemy leadership. Colonel Cai uses his sister-in-law Lin (Irene Tsu), a fashion model, as a honey trap to lure General Ti to a former French colonial mansion in a well-guarded valley in North Vietnam. Col. Mike Kirby leads a team of Green Berets, Montagnards (an umbrella term for the various indigenous peoples of the Central Highlands of Vietnam), and ARVN soldiers on a top-secret kidnap mission to capture General Ti, who lives, eats, and drinks very well, in a guarded mansion, while the common people go hungry, cold, and naked. Among those Cai selects (and accompanies) are Kirby, Muldoon (Aldo Ray), and Petersen. Muldoon, Doc McGee (Raymond St. Jacques), and two of Cai's men stay behind at a bridge over a river to set explosives to blow it up to stop pursuit by the enemy forces, while Kirby and the rest of the team head towards the plantation. After eliminating the plantation's guards, the group subdue Ti with Lin's help, and put him in the trunk of his car. Kirby, Cai, Petersen, Watson (Eddy Donno), and Lin drive away, but the rest of the team is killed by the guards while attempting to escape. At dawn, the survivors cross the bridge; it is destroyed, but McGee is seriously wounded as he and Muldoon escape, while the others airlift Ti out of the area by a Skyhook device. While Kirby and the team advance through the jungle to their extraction point, Petersen is killed by a booby-trap, and the others are forced to leave his body behind. Beckworth watches as Hamchuck awaits the return of the helicopters carrying the survivors of the raid. He realizes the toll of the war as Hamchuck runs crying from helicopter to helicopter, searching for Petersen. Kirby walks over to the boy and tells him the sad news. Hamchuck asks plaintively, "what will happen to me now?" Kirby places Petersen's green beret on him and says, "You let me worry about that, Green Beret. You're what this thing's all about." The two walk holding hands along the beach into the sunset.

In 1864, widower Charlie Anderson is a prosperous Virginia farmer. Together with his six sons (Jacob, James, Nathan, John, Henry and Boy), Charlie runs his farm without the help of slaves. Because of this, he ignores the Civil War raging around them and discourages his sons from enlisting. Other family members are his only daughter, Jennie, and James's pregnant wife Ann. Charlie's wife Martha died sixteen years earlier at the birth of their youngest son, known as Boy. Charlie regularly visits Martha's grave and talks to her. It was her last request that the family attend church each Sunday. They are usually late and create a disturbance while looking for seats. The family is visited by a group of men who have come to requisition supplies and horses for the Confederate Army. Charlie refuses to let them have anything and explains his stance on the war: why should he fight or allow his sons to fight for a cause that does not concern them. He is reminded that by law the men can take whatever they want. A fist fight ensues, which Jennie eventually stops by shooting the derringer out of one of the men's hand with a rifle. She orders them off the property and they leave. A regiment of soldiers stop at the farm and the captain attempts to conscript the Anderson sons. Charlie refuses to let them go, as usual. A skirmish occurs shortly afterward and the Confederate soldiers are killed. Charlie sends two of his sons to the Confederate camp to report the skirmish so the bodies can be collected. Jennie is being courted by Sam, a young Confederate officer. He asks for and receives permission to marry her. Charlie gives him some sage advice about marriage. Jennie wears her mother's wedding gown. Just as the ceremony ends, a soldier who had ridden up earlier and entered the church tells Sam he is wanted back at camp. Jennie is left alone at the altar, wondering if she will ever see her bridegroom again. Ann goes into labor after the wedding and gives birth to a daughter. Charlie is delighted to have a granddaughter. She is eventually named Martha, after her grandmother. While exploring with his African American friend, Gabriel, Boy is taken prisoner by Yankee soldiers because he is wearing a Confederate cap he had found floating in the river while fishing earlier. They don't believe he is not a soldier because he's carrying a rifle and has the Confederate cap. Gabriel runs back to tell Charlie, who says that now the war concerns them. Gabriel was told by a black Yankee soldier that he is free and can go wherever he wants. That night Charlie and his sons, all but James who will stay with Ann, pack up and ride out to visit prison camps in search of Boy. Jennie insists on going with them. They search a local Yankee camp and get directed to a train depot where they are refused permission to search for Boy. They later hijack the prison train but there is no sign of Boy. However, Jennie is reunited with Sam, who was on board the train. Charlie tells the prisoners they are free. They ask Sam, as the only officer, what they should do. He tells them to go home as the war is lost. That night the family makes camp in a deserted house. Charlie fixes up the bedroom so Jennie and Sam can have their wedding night. The next day they discuss what to do now. Their food supplies are almost gone and the horses need rest. Charlie admits that they are unlikely to find Boy. They start for home and Jacob is shot and killed by a young soldier who is startled awake while on guard duty. Charlie beats the boy and nearly kills him before he realizes that he is the same age as his missing son. Boy has been in a prison camp but escapes while being loaded on a paddle wheeler with other prisoner. They travel south but are caught up in a battle. Boy's leg is injured and he can't move. To his surprise, Gabriel, now wearing a Yankee uniform, picks him up and carries him to safety. Meanwhile, the Anderson farm was invaded by three Confederate army drifters. They kill James and Ann but do not harm the baby. Dr. Witherspoon, the family physician and a personal friend, discovers the bodies two days later. Having no idea where the rest of the family is, he arranges a nurse for the baby and has James and Ann buried near Martha. The Andersons arrive home and are devastated at the news. Jacob is buried with his brother and sister-in-law and mother in the family graveyard. It is hard for Charlie to sit down to a table with so many empty chairs. He chokes up and goes to the graveyard, where he once again talks to Martha. He tells her she will like Ann. When the church bells start to ring, Charlie realizes it is Sunday. He orders his surprised family to get ready for church. As usual they are late and the baby is fussy. Then the door opens again and Boy limps in, leaning on a crutch. The congregation begins singing the Doxology as Charlie embraces his son.

Wealthy rancher G. W. McLintock uses his power and influence in the territory to keep the peace between farmers, ranchers, land-grabbers, Indians and corrupt government officials. George Washington McLintock, "GW" to friends and foes alike, is a cattle baron and the richest man in the territory. He anxiously awaits the return of his daughter Becky who has been away at school for the last two years. He's also surprised to see that his wife Katherine has also returned. She had left him some years before without really explaining what he had done, but she does make the point of saying that she's returned to take their daughter back to the State Capitol with her. GW is highly respected by everyone around him, including the farmers who are pouring into the territories with free grants of land and the Indians who are under threat of being relocated to another reservation. Between his wife, his headstrong daughter, the crooked land agent and the thieving government Indian agent, GW tries to keep the peace and do what is best for everyone. —garykmcd On pins and needles all day, waiting for the return of his daughter from college, the influential and self-made cattle king, mining, and timber baron, George Washington McLintock, has one more visitor: his estranged and obstinate wife, Katherine. With his empire carved out of a wilderness, the sudden arrival of settlers creates extra tension among the ranchers, and to further complicate matters, the territorial governor, Cuthbert H. Humphrey, bullies the local Comanche Indians, forcing them to abandon their land. For a small and dusty town near Mesa Verde, this is a bit more excitement than one could handle. Now, the Fourth of July celebration is just around the corner. Will G.W. reconcile with Katherine? —Nick Riganas

In February 1836, Texas is part of Mexico, and most of the English and Spanish speaking settlers of that region are discontent with the tyrannical rule of Gen. Santa Anna. General Sam Houston (Richard Boone) arrives in a small town with several men where he hastens to assemble a Texan army. At the same time, Santa Anna is heading north with several thousand soldiers to defeat the rebellion. To gain more time, Houston orders Col. William Barret Travis (Laurence Harvey) to take command of the Alamo, a fort in a crumbling mission near the village of San Antonio de Bexar, through which Santa Anna's men must pass. Houston hopes that Travis and his 27 "regular" army men will stall the enemy for as long as possible with the assistance of rancher Col. James Bowie (Richard Widmark) and his 100 Texas volunteers. The hard-drinking and independent Bowie, who has extensive landholdings to protect, and the aristocratic and arrogant Travis are a poorly matched team and antagonism between the two officers quickly grows. Although Juan Seguin (Joseph Calleia), a respected community leader, reports that Santa Anna is closer than they realize, Travis refutes the information and repeatedly lies to the men about the danger of their situation. Believing that most men have no capacity to act for reasons of honor, Travis tells his confidant, Capt. Almeron Dickinson (Ken Curtis), that the men would desert their posts if they knew the truth. Meanwhile, Colonel David Crockett (John Wayne), a former U.S. Senator, and his rowdy, but loyal 32-strong Tennessee backwoods sharpshooters, arrive in Bexar and head straight for the cantina. Travis seeks out "Davy", and is surprised to learn that the reputed "illiterate country bumpkin" is an eloquent, deep thinker and is sensitive to the Texans' plight. Aware that Santa Anna's regime forbids Texans economic rights, Davy has also guessed the unpublicized plans to create a Republic of Texas. Unknown to his men, who think they are out for adventure, Davy has brought them to Bexar to investigate the situation and possibly convince them to join the fight. Crockett soon falls in love with Flaca (Linda Cristal), a young Mexican woman whose family was killed by Santa Anna and who is being pressured to marry Emil Sande (Wesley Lau), a local merchant who has curried favor with the Mexican general. Although she refuses Davy Crockett's gallant offer of help, she tells him about the cache of ammunition Emil has hidden for Santa Anna in the basement of the village church. During the night Crockett, Bowie and their men find the supplies. When Emil discovers Davy and the others and tries to kill them, Davy throws Bowie's knife at Emil, killing him. Crockett and Flaca enjoy a brief romance, but he soon sends her north to safety, realizing they may never see each other again. Travis keeps up the morale in the fort by reporting that Captain Jim Fannin is on his way to the Alamo with more soldiers. Believing that staying cornered inside the fort is suicide, Bowie unsuccessfully tries to convince both Travis and, later, Davy that the best way to defend the Alamo is by a "cut, slash and run" approach out in the open. Davy Crockett convinces his men to fight for the Alamo by reading them a letter, purportedly written by Santa Anna, ordering the Tennesseeans to leave. Offended, the men stubbornly refuse to take orders from the Mexican general and vow to stay, after which Davy admits that he wrote the letter himself, but it is what Santa Anna would want. A detachment of Mexican soldiers arrive at San Antonio and a courier from Santa Anna arrives outside the Alamo fort, and from there, proclaims a message ordering the "occupiers" of the fort to relinquish all ammunition and leave. Before the courier can finish the message, Travis uses his glowing cigar to light the cannon. Startled by the cannon fire, the Mexican halts his reading and retreats in a dignified manner. Dryly, Bowie comments to Davy that Travis "knows the short way to start a war." Over the next few days, Mexican soldiers are taking positions in front of the fort. Travis predicts that fighting will not begin until Santa Anna himself, the Mexican heavy artillery and food wagons arrive, which will take several days. Believing the situation is hopeless, Bowie decides to leave with his men. However, when Captain James Butler Bonham (Patrick Wayne) arrives from another camp, reporting that Fannin is coming with one thousand men, Bowie decides to stay, unaware that Bonham has been ordered by Travis to lie about the number of men accompanying Fannin. In private, Bonham reports to Travis that only less then 500 men are expected. A quarrel between Bowie and Travis escalates into plans for a duel after Bowie takes his men out on patrol without Travis' permission, but Crockett convinces them to postpone their confrontation until after the war. Confronted by Crockett, Travis admits that his orders are simply to buy time for Houston. Believing that the mission is worthwhile and knowing that Bowie plans to leave with his men in the morning, Davy gets him drunk, causing him to sleep late. The next day, Seguin sneaks into the fort with a few dozen more men, bolstering morale and boosting the Alamo garrison from 150 to 185 men. One night, when a message is delivered directly to Bowie, bypassing Travis, the commander accuses Bowie of more insubordination. However, Travis apologizes after he learns that the message reports the death of Bowie's wife. When the doctor reports low rations and an outbreak of dysentery caused by tainted water, Travis orders a night-time raid of the Mexicans, from whom they rustle several steer. They also steal a good horse for a young teenage soldier, Smitty (Frankie Avalon), one of Crockett's men, to ride to Houston's encampment to report their situation. On Day 10 of the siege, Santa Anna arrives with the main body of his army (numbering at least 2,000 men), he sends his messenger forward to allow the evacuation of the women and children. Most of the women and children leave, but Mrs. Dickinson (Aissa Wayne) insists that she and her young child will stay. After the rest of the noncombatants are safely away, the shooting commences. The Mexicans launch a full frontal assault on the south side of the Alamo. During the battle, the first Alamo casualty is Davy's friend Parson (Hank Worden), who is wounded by artillery fire. Before he dies, he inspires Davy Crockett to pray that his men are successful, and if not, will be remembered as good men. In the face of devastating fire, Santa Anna orders a retreat. At the end of the battle, the Alamo men have shot many of the Mexicans leaving hundreds of casualties in front of the fortress, but they suffer 50 casualties, twenty-eight of whom are dead. Bowie is wounded in his right leg by shellfire, but he still can fight. After the battle, men also receive news from Captain Bonham that Fannin's company was ambushed and routed, and consequently no further help will be coming. When Crockett expresses a desire to leave, Travis speaks truthfully to the men, telling them that they will not be able to hold the fort for long, but they have given Houston 10 extra days to prepare for Santa Anna. Giving his blessing, Travis opens the gate and claims there is no dishonor in leaving. Crockett and Bowie begin to lead their men out, but then Bowie gets off his horse and stands next to Travis. The others follow suit and soon all decide to persevere. The next day, Smitty delivers his written message to Houston at his camp and immediately rides away, anxious to return to his comrades, refuses both food and sleep. Upon reading the message, Houston, who is helpless to assist Travis, hopes that their sacrifice will be remembered. At the Alamo, the sleepless men talk about their belief in the hereafter. Bowie frees his aged slave Jethro (Jester Hairson) and urges him to sneak out and make his way north, but Jethro chooses to stay. On the morning of Day 13 of the siege, the entire Mexican army surrounds the Alamo for a determined final assault. Santa Anna and his staff officers take position atop a small hill to observe the battle as the entire 2,000-strong Mexican army attacks from all sides. The Texans fire back and inflict many more casualties on the attacking Mexican soldiers. During the final battle, Bowie is shot in his right leg again and taken to the infirmary, while Crockett and his men hold the south side of the fortress. Just then, Mexican artillery begins to take its toll among the defenders and cannon fire breaches the north wall, allowing hundreds of Mexican soldiers to enter the fortress. Travis takes on several Mexican troops until he his shot and killed. As Mexican soldiers and engineers breach the west wall with ladders, they manage to push the Texans back despite suffering horrendous casualties. The Mexicans also use captured Texan cannons to breach each position of the Texans one by one, sparing none of them. Seeing the breach in the north wall and despite the futility of the defense, Crockett orders a barricade thrown up in front of the Alamo church itself as he and the few surviving defenders are forced back. The Mexicans quickly overwhelm the Texans with their sheer numbers and breach all barricades. The Alamo defenders fight to the last man, with the Mexicans taking no prisoners. Davy Crockett is fatally stabbed with a Mexican lance by the dismounted soldier, whom he manages to kill. Before dying, Crockett sets fire to the ammunition to prevent the Mexicans from taking it. Near the end of the battle, Mexican soldiers entering the infirmary are shot by Bowie as he fires guns with both hands. Jethro throws himself over his former master to protect him, but both are slaughtered. Only Mrs. Dickinson, her child and a young black boy survive. In the final scene, the Mexicans have won the battle. Mrs. Dickinson, her young daughter and the slave boy are given a burro and allowed to leave without harm by Santa Anna. Smitty arrives, but from a distance he sees that he is too late to help. As Mrs. Dickinson walks away, Santa Anna orders his buglers to single a rise to call as all the Mexican soldiers stand at attention to salute the fallen Alamo defenders and allow Mrs. Dickinson to walk away. She soon joins Smitty in the distance and they walk away from the battle to tell the tale of the Alamo. The End

The Long Gray Line is based on the life of Martin "Marty" Maher, Jr. (25 June 1876 17 January 1961). Maher was an Irish immigrant from Ballycrine, County Tipperary, Ireland, who joined the United States Army in 1898 and rose to the rank of Master Sergeant. He served as a revered and beloved swimming instructor at the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York, from 1899 to 1928. Maher retired from the Army in 1928 and stayed at West Point as a civil service (civilian) employee in the athletic department and retired from that in 1946, completing 50 years of service at "The Point" (including two years as a waiter prior to his enlistment). Maher was named an honorary member of the classes of 1912, 1926 and 1928. His autobiography, Bringing Up The Brass: My 55 Years at West Point, cowritten by Nardi Reeder Campion, was published in 1951 by David McKay Company Inc. and was the source of the film. Maher died on 17 January 1961, at the age of 84 and is buried in the West Point Cemetery.