The First Texan

The First Texan
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Byron Haskin
Written by	Daniel B. Ullman
Produced by	Walter Mirisch
Starring	Joel McCrea Felicia Farr Jeff Morrow
Cinematography	Wilfred Cline
Edited by	George White
Music by	Roy Webb
Production company	Walter Mirisch Productions
Distributed by	Allied Artists
Release date	June 29, 1956 (1956-06-29)
Running time	82 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$1 million

The First Texan is a 1956 American Technicolor western film directed by Byron Haskin and starring Joel McCrea, Felicia Farr and Jeff Morrow. Produced by Walter Mirisch, it was shot in CinemaScope and distributed by Allied Artists. It is set during the Texas Revolution of the 1830s.

Plot

Sam Houston, a lawyer and former governor of Tennessee, travels to San Antonio, Texas to begin a new life. He encounters Jim Bowie, who is determined to free the territory from Mexico's rule.

Bowie is tried for treason. Houston represents him in court and successfully argues that the charge against Bowie must be dismissed because Mexico was not under martial law at the time.

Katherine Delaney comes into Houston's life. He still is married back home, but separated and dictates a letter requesting a formal divorce. Katherine will not become involved with Houston unless he changes into the man she wants him to be and not become actively involved in the fight to free Texas.

Davy Crockett relays a message from U.S. president Andrew Jackson, who wants Houston to lead the revolution. There are not enough troops at the Alamo to hold off General Antonio López de Santa Anna and the large Mexican army and the Alamo falls. Later. when Houston appears to be in full retreat, some of his men begin to feel he must be replaced.

It turns out Houston was planning a surprise attack. His forces are told to "remember the Alamo," and they proceed to overwhelm Santa Anna and his men. Texas is declared a free republic, and Sam Houston its first president, a movement that eventually will lead to statehood.

Cast

• Joel McCrea as Sam Houston
• Felicia Farr as Katherine Delaney
• Jeff Morrow as Jim Bowie
• Wallace Ford as Henry Delaney
• Rodolfo Hoyos, Jr., as Colonel Martín Perfecto de Cos
• Abraham Sofaer as Don Carlos
• James Griffith as Davy Crockett
• William Hopper as William Barret Travis
• Dayton Lummis as Stephen F. Austin
• Roy Roberts as Col. Sam Sherman
• David Silva as General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna
• Chubby Johnson as Deaf Smith
• Nelson Leigh as Colonel George Washington Hockley

See also

• List of American films of 1956

External links

• The First Texan at IMDb 
• The First Texan at AllMovie
• The First Texan at the TCM Movie Database
• The First Texan at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films