The First Texan

It's 1832. Sam Houston (Joel McCrea) crosses into Texas for the first time. The Tennessean wants to practice law while remaining neutral with independence. He befriends Jim Bowie (Jeff Morrow) and many of the pro-independence crowd. His old friend Davy Crockett arrives with an invitation to meet President Jackson who asks him to lead the fight for Texan independence and battle the Mexican army.

This is American history told by Americans. It's definitely slanted that way, but that's not unexpected. This is fine. There is limited drama as the history is told in a straight line. Maybe it could be shown in high school history classes. It's barely 80 minutes. That's about the level of this movie.

The First Texan is about Sam Houston and his journey from the Governor's Office to the battlefield of Texas to defeat Santa Anna after the loss of the Alamo. Joel Mcrea is featured as Houston and Vic Morrow has a bit part as Jim Bowie. Not the greatest saga ever made, but watchable.

"The First Texan" despite the obvious lack of a stellar supporting cast (aside from Wallace Ford who does not disappoint), a famous "name" director and a major studio resources and production values, however, this is nonetheless a great and highly entertaining film to watch solely because of the magnetic screen presence of its larger than life star, Joel McCrea. This is a movie after all, and not a documentary on the life and times of Sam Huston. As in virtually every film Hollywood has ever made, they do at times take "poetic license", which in my opinion does not detract one bit from the film or its stunning Technicolor cinematography. This is a gem of a film!

I honestly prefered the other westerns from Byron Haskin: SILVER CITY, DENVER AND RIO GRANDE, WARPATH, and Byron Haskin was not a western specialist, not at all, a science fiction film maker, but those previous ones were rather well done. Concerning this one, I don't say it's a bad western but it is too much patriotic oriented for my taste. Good Americans vs evil Mexican. And watching this movie in f...pan and scan doesnt help much to appreciate this so predictable topic. Byron Haskin was not really concerned by this feature, that's what I feel, and I was really bored during the viewing. There is some action, yes, but that doesn't justify to purchase this movie at all costs. I admit that I am French and not American, but biographies on movies have always annoyed, bored me. Even Charles De Gaulle's one...;So, if you want to watch every Byron Haskin's film, watch it.

A small group of men plan a coup on the government of Mexico and spoil for a good fight. They enlist a former politico as their unwilling leader and he proves to be a fine commander. The renegades suffer several setbacks before finally meeting the enemy at the crucial engagement of the insurrection. A too slow, unrealistic look at Texas independence.