The First Texan is directed by Byron Haskin and written by Daniel B. Ullman. It stars Joel McCrea, Felicia Farr, Jeff Morrow, Wallace Ford and Rodolfo Hoyos. A Technicolor/CinemaScope production, cinematography is by Wilfrid Cline and music by Roy Webb. McCrea plays Sam Houston, who after travelling from Tennessee to San Antonio, Texas, starts to shape Texas history in spite of his initial reluctance. OK! So it's no Sam Houston biography of considerable substance or big bucks production values, I mean how was it ever going to be so when it only runs at just over 82 minutes? Yet this is still a very colourful and engaging picture, with the core essence of the Sam Houston story firmly put forward. We are basically watching what Huston was doing as elsewhere The Alamo was playing its part in historical legend. This means that the narrative is given to mostly talky passages as political machinations and power hungry posturings come to the fore. Thankfully, in McCrea's hands Houston comes off as a fascinating and inspiring man, which in the grand scheme of things is objective achieved. There is, perhaps inevitably, a romantic sub-plot, which explains why the gorgeous Felicia Farr is in the movie, sadly it's not only a token characterisation, but also historically suspect to say the least. But again, take it with a pinch of salt and buy into Houston the man and it never hurts the story. It all builds towards the battle of San Jacinto, where spurred on by famous chants about remembering The Alamo, Houston led his forces to victory over General Antonio López de Santa Anna's Mexican army. Financial restraints mean we don't get the big and bold battle that history deserves, but what is on offer is deftly staged regardless, as stunt-men flail about and cannons do roar. Nothing approaching educational class standards here, but with McCrea a strong and rugged presence, and Haskin rising above budget limitations to tell a literary story, The First Texan is as solid as a San Antonio mission built with limestone that has been cemented by a stucco layer. 7/10

Historic events and great action as well as an acceptable cast . Sam left his mark across the West's thousand toughest miles to escape a scandal back east . From the Red River to the Rio Grande he was hunted and feared ; a restless giant in a violent land . Tall in the saddle, restless of heart , he ranged across a violent land, forging an era with cold steel . However , Houston nowadays justly wants to maintain a low profile . After arriving in Texas , advocate at law Sam Houston (Joel McCrea) wishes to stay out of any political turf . Later on , he gets together with notorious Texan leaders , his compatriots as Jim Bowie (Jeff Morrow) , Davy Crockett (James Griffith) , William Barrett Travis (William Hopper) , Stephen Austin (Dayton Lummis) , he then changes his opinion . After that , President Jackson (Carl Benton Reid) personally orders him to lead the battle for Texan independence, he overcomes his reluctance to become involved and leads his partners to a string of victories over the Mexican army . At the end takes place the famous battle of San Jacinto , in which was imprisoned General Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana (David Silva) . This exciting picture about Texas fights for independence contains action Western , drama , historical happenings , a love story and is quite entertaining . Interesting writing based on a story and screenplay by Daniel Ullman , a Western expert . Good main cast such as Joel McCrea and Felicia Farr who married Jack Lemmon . Ample support cast formed by notorious secondaries playing brief roles such as Jeff Morrow as Jim Bowie , Wallace Ford as Henry Delaney , Abraham Sofaer as magistrate , Chubby Johnson as Deaf Smith , William Hopper as William Barrett Travis and Jody McCrea , Joel Mcrea'son . Atmospheric as well as thrilling musical score by Roy Webb , RKO's usual . Colorful and evocative cinematography by Wilfred Cline . Medium budget film by Walter Mirisch , being professionally directed by Byron Haskin , though with no originality . Haskin was a good craftsman who worked in Warner Brothers Special Effects department . He returned to filmmaking , and was responsible for Walt Disney's first live-action film , the adventure cult-classic Treasure island (1950). In the mid-1950s Haskin began a rewarding association with producer George Pal, for whom he filmed what is probably his best-known film , the science fiction classic War of the worlds (1953) and a catastrophe movie , The naked jungle (1954). Haskin was expert on Sci-Fi genre , as he would collaborate with Pal on other films , such as Conquest of Space (1955) , Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964) and The power (1968). He also directed some Western as Denver Rio Grande and Silver City .The picture is partially based on historical deeds about Texas independence, these are the following : With Mexican permission Stephen Austin (Dayton Lummis) brought the first Anglo-American colonists to Texas, the first of many, their numbers grew and they wanted self-government and this desire led to the revolt of 1835, the Texas war for Independence . General Santa Anna (David Silva) , stormed the Alamo , being defended by Jim Bowie (Jeff Morrow) , Davy Crockett (James Griffith) and William Travis (William Hooper) , and wiped out the garrison on 6 March 1836 . But on 21 April 1836 General Santa Anna suffered a crushing defeat by Sam Houston (Joel McCrea) and was taken prisoner . Texas was declared a Republic in October 1836 and Houston became its first president. In 1845 Texas joined the US, this lead to war with Mexico and disastrous results for that country. Samuel Houston (1793-1863) well performed by Joel McCrea , was a frontiersman and politician , he went to live with the Cherokees and took a Cherokee wife . After the fall of the Alamo , he managed to keep together a small force and launched a furious surprise attack on the Mexican army of 1300 camped on the western bank of the San Jacinto River . With Texas free and independent republic , Houston was elected the first president . When Texas was admitted to the United States in 1845, Houston was a senator to Washington .

Joel McCrea is Sam Houston in the 1840s, a tall fellow in buckskin, who comes to Texas to get away from all that political blather in his native Tennessee. He has no more interest in politics, he tells Jim Bowie after Bowie has invited him to join the movement for independence from Mexico. Of course he's swept up into it nonetheless.We watch the assembly of the ragtag army of ill-disciplined Texans and the inexorable march of Santa Ana's colorful soldiers across the field to the final confrontation. The battle of the Alamo takes place off screen but the battle of San Jacincto (which Texas won) is presented for our enjoyment. Still, the emphasis is on politics rather than blood.It's a relatively small-budget film and, although I'm no student of Texas history, it seems to me that it shines up those cowboy boots a little more than adherence to historical accuracy would demand. Everybody looks so NEAT. Felicia Farr is glamorized too, in the familiar role of the anti-war woman who overcomes her prejudice against violence to stick with her man.More than once the comparison is drawn between Texas' independence from Mexico and America's independence from Great Britain. Not that the Mexican government or its representatives are treated as villainous. They're men of honor, and many Mexicans are in the movement for independence. The Texans just want their "freedom", and who can argue with such a platitude? But of course there were other, more mundane considerations involved. Slavery had been abolished in Mexico in 1829, whereas many of the immigrant Gringos in Texas had brought slaves with them. Jim Bowie's personal slave is never even brought up. At no point does the neatly dressed, polite, principled Jim Bowie ever say, "Snowflake, bring me a gin sling," and never does anyone bow and say, "Yazzuh, Mistuh Jim." The ambitions of the Confederacy went beyond secession and the absorption of Texas. There was talk of expanding into the Caribbean and Latin America and reintroducing slavery. Well -- sugar and cotton are labor intensive industries.But issues like that can be disregarded because I don't think this was ever intended to be an accurate history of Texas but more of an Afterschool Special, trimmed down and made accessible. I don't mean that to sound too harsh. The film is like a quick charcoal sketch of a landscape and if details are left out and the final product looks a little unfinished, at least we have the general outline. It succeeds in what it set out to do. It will enlighten people who don't know why the capital of Texas is named "Austin."

While watching this movie, I can feel the drive behind these men and their fight for Texas independence.Told from the perspective of Gen. Sam Houston, this movie begins as Houston has just moved to the Mexican territory which is now Texas. We then witness his growing thirst for Texas independence and his subsequent call to arms by President Andrew Jackson.We see his genius as a military commander in the fight against Mexican General Santa Ana, in what at first appears to be a cowardly retreat against Santa Ana's superior forces.A wonderful classic for those who like westerns or war movies and for film buffs in general.