| 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 | |
| Distributed by | Allied Artists |
Release date |
|
Running time | 82 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $1 million[1] |
The First Texan is a 1956 AmericanCinemaScope andTechnicolorWestern film directed byByron Haskin and starringJoel McCrea,Felicia Farr andJeff Morrow.[2] Produced byWalter Mirisch, it was shot inCinemaScope and distributed byAllied Artists. It is set during theTexas Revolution of the 1830s.
Sam Houston, a lawyer and former governor ofTennessee, travels toSan Antonio, Texas to begin a new life. He encountersJim 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 undermartial 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. presidentAndrew Jackson, who wants Houston to lead the revolution. There are not enough troops atthe Alamo to hold off GeneralAntonio 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 in theBattle of San Jacinto. Texas is declared a free republic, and Sam Houston its first president, a movement that eventually will lead to statehood.
Finance came from Allied Artists.[3]
