Alamo Village
Part One

Brackettville,Texas

Obviously The Alamo (http://www.dukewayne.com/showthread.php?t=3755)was filmed here


http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c187/john-wayne/John%20Wayne/AlamoVillage.jpg (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Alamo_replica.jpg)..http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c187/john-wayne/John%20Wayne/Alamo.jpg (http://www.seeya-downtheroad.com/2000/Alamo.JPG)
(Click on photos for enlargements)

Alamo Village is a movie set and was untill 2009
a tourist attraction north of Brackettville, Texas, United States,
It can be found just north of Brackettville itself, on Route 674.
It was once Texas' most active and versatile movie set
and also one of the largest and most complete
(no false fronts here) backlots in the world.

The full-sized facsimile, which took two years to complete,
used the original plans,
the traditional adobe techniques and – without any apparent irony –
a largely Mexican workforce of 5,000.
It was the first movie location built in Texas',
and It was claimed at the time
to be the biggest movie set outside Hollywood

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c187/john-wayne/John%20Wayne/4areaveiwAV.jpg...http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c187/john-wayne/John%20Wayne/6alamo10.jpg

Built for John Wayne's The Alamo,
Alamo Village has played host to more than 200 major feature films,
TV movies, mini-series,documentaries, commercials, and music videos.
Barbarosa with Willie Nelson, Lonesome Dove
with Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones,
The Good Old Boys, starring Sissy Spacek, Tommy Lee Jones,
and Matt Damon, Bad Girls with Andie MacDowell
and Drew Barrymore and the modern day millennial comedy thriller,
The Bullfighter with Willem Defoe have all been
filmed here.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c187/john-wayne/John%20Wayne/3alamo11.jpg...http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c187/john-wayne/John%20Wayne/5PennysAlamoPic.jpg

Part One
History
The set was built by rancher and businessman
James T. "Happy" Shahan of Brackettville,
who in 1995 was named the "Father of the Texas movie industry"
by Governor George W. Bush.

Why Kinney County?
because Shahan convinced John Wayne's
Batjac Productions to film The Alamo here.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c187/john-wayne/John%20Wayne/avalamoareaveiw.jpg..http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c187/john-wayne/John%20Wayne/DSC01518.jpg

John Wayne’s lumbering epic, a long, long way from the historical truth,
actually began filming in Mexico – there’s not much of the real Alamo left
– but this proved too expensive.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c187/john-wayne/John%20Wayne/7alamo06.jpg...http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c187/john-wayne/John%20Wayne/8alamo07.jpg

Even so, at $7,500,000, The Alamo was the costliest movie made at the time.
The production was closed down and restarted at Brackettville on Highway 90,
about 100 miles west of San Antonio toward Del Rio, West Texas,
where Wayne leased 400 acres of a 22,000 acre ranch belonging to one
JT ‘Happy’ Shahan, and the Alamo was rebuilt.

Shahan began building the set
on his ranch in September, 1957 for Wayne,
who had tried for years to make a movie about the
Battle of the Alamo for Republic Pictures,
before finally breaking away to form Batjac Productions.

Filming in Bracketville began in August, 1959.

Since, hundreds of other production companies
have used our one-of-a-kind set located in the middle
of a 30 square mile working ranch.

Compiled by ethanedwards
with information from
Alamo Village,
Movie Locations of the World and Wikipedia

Alamo Village
Part Two

Brackettville,Texas

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c187/john-wayne/John%20Wayne/5e2d15ae.jpg (http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/Alamo%20Village.jpg)
(Click on photo for enlargement)

Part Two
The Set
Originally the set was to be facades of the front and sides of the buildings.
However, Wayne ran out of money
and called a halt to construction.
Shahan agreed to continue working while Wayne raised more money,
if Wayne would agree to building full sets with four walls, floor and roofs.
Wayne signed on to the deal.


http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c187/john-wayne/John%20Wayne/214ee8ac.jpg (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Alamo_Village.jpg)..http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c187/john-wayne/John%20Wayne/3a676205.jpg
(Click on Photo for enlargement)


The set includes a full-scale re-creation of the Alamo
compound as it would have appeared in 1836
(the real Alamo is in the middle of downtown San Antonio, Texas
and is surrounded by modern buildings).
The set also includes a representation of the village of
San Antonio de Béxar of the same time period.
The building of the set required over 1.5 million adobe bricks,
14 miles of gravel road and a 4,000-foot runway.
The full scale set for The Alamo.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c187/john-wayne/John%20Wayne/75be20c5.jpg..http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c187/john-wayne/John%20Wayne/535ffbfe.jpg

Shahan preserved the set after the end of the 1960 production and,
over the years, over a dozen films about the Alamo
have been shot there.
In addition, over 100 other western movies as well as documentaries,
music videos and commercials have been shot using
various parts of the set.
(The 2004 Disney movie about the Alamo was not shot on this set,
but in a new set built in Dripping Springs, Texas.)
Frank Thompson, a film historian, noted that each production changed the set in some way, big or small, and that the changes appear
in each new movie about the Alamo,
documenting the current view of authenticity over time.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c187/john-wayne/John%20Wayne/00b4dc34.jpg..http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c187/john-wayne/John%20Wayne/9abea298.jpg

After the filming of the 1960 version of The Alamo,
the village has served primarily as a tourist attraction.
For several decades, it served as a significant local employer
and element of the economy of Brackettville.
In addition to the replica of The Alamo, the village included a cantina
and restaurant, a trading post, an Indian store, a church, a jail,
a blacksmith shop, the John Wayne Western Museum,
several museums, and a celebrity gallery.
Alamo Village also maintained a collection of antique tools,
vehicles and other period props, as well as a herd of longhorn cattle.
During the summer, live music and stage shows performed frequently,
and over Labor Day weekend the Labor Day Horse Races brought
crowds to the village.
Alamo Village was open to visitors year round except for December 21-26.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c187/john-wayne/John%20Wayne/81c28af8.jpg..http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c187/john-wayne/John%20Wayne/5f1cc185.jpg

And it was still there, until 2009, as a tourist attraction as well as a location
for many subsequent movies. Extensions acquired over the years
include a section of San Antonio which metamorphoses over its length
to become Fort Worth of the 1880s.

In 2004, the set was put up for sale by its owner, Virginia Shahan,
Happy Shahan's widow, for $3.0 million.
Virginia Shahan died on June 23, 2009 at the age of 93.
Alamo Village was closed to the public while her estate evaluated
the feasibility of the Village's continued operation in the midst of the late-2000s recession.
Alamo Village temporarily re-opened after the death of Virginia Shahan
but on September 28, 2009, Tulisha Shahan Wardlaw,
Happy and Virginia's daughter died at the age of 67.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c187/john-wayne/John%20Wayne/a712f685.jpg

Alamo Village then closed its doors and removed its website, ending an era.

Alamo Village reopened for the summer in 2010 with limited hours and no shows,
stores or restaurants.

Selected Filmography
* The Alamo (1960) - Produced, directed and starring John Wayne
* Two Rode Together (1961) - starring James Stewart
* Bandolero! (1968) - starring James Stewart, Raquel Welch and Dean Martin
* Barbarosa (1982) - starring Willie Nelson
* Good As Gold (1983 music video) by Red Rockers
* Uphill All the Way (1986)
* Alamo: The Price of Freedom (1988) - Imax
* Lonesome Dove (1988) (TV) - starring Robert Duvall
* Bad Girls (1994)
* Once Upon a Time in China and America (1997) - a Chinese martial arts western
* Bullfighter (2000)
* Jericho (2000)

Compiled by ethanedwards
with information from
Alamo Village,
Movie Locations of the World and Wikipedia

WaynamoJim appropriately shared the following in the General RIP Announcements thread, but it also seemed proper to put the information here, in the Alamo Village thread, as well. Thanks, Jim, for letting us know!

Just wanted to mention that Virginia Shahan, widow of Happy Shahan and owner of Alamo Village in Brackettville Texas, passed away last night. I don't know how old she was, near 90 or so, I think but, I guess last week, she fell and broke her leg and was to go through extensive rehab and but, she just wanted to go home and be in her own bed. When she got there, she said, "it's about time". She died later in the night.
Of course, as we all know, it was her husband Happy Shahan, who convinced Duke to build his Alamo and San Antonio set on his ranch and to film The Alamo there. Afterwards the Shahans turned it into a continuing movie set and tourist attraction. Virginia had been running the place since Happy died some years back. And in the last few years she put up Alamo Village for sale. Supposedly, she had a buyer who planned to renovate the Alamo compound back to it's original look from when Duke built it. He was going to put in electricity and new bathrooms and plumbing and add some new tourist attractions to it, like a train from the main entrance to the village. But that was over a year ago and there hasn't been much said about it lately.

Here are some YouTube videos of the Alamo Village, the first one with music from Dmitri Tiomkin. The second one is sort of a tour of the facilities.

Se5Zlyo7qo4

3cEz7CU0UeU

I just found out some sad, sad news folks. The management and owners of Alamo Village have announced that the Village is closing it's doors to the public very soon. With the passing of Virginia Shahan, they say they need to do some restructuring and make some changes. I guess the economy is not helping the fact that they're losing money on it and need to come up with something to keep it going. A couple of years ago, there was supposed to be a buyer for it who was going to renovate the Alamo itself to it's original look and update the utilities and bring in some other attractions to bring in tourists. But, so far, nothing has come of it and maybe nothing will. They're hoping to reopen sometime in the future and want to maintain their connections in the film industry and do group tours and keep doing the trail drives they started a couple of years ago. I hope they succeed. I know it's only a film set and tourist stop but, Duke Wayne built it and it does have a great history.

I wish I had noticed this thread last week. I posted a message in the Dukes Westerns section under The Alamo about Alamo Village closing it's gates in the wake of the passing of Virginia Shahan. If someone with good computer knowledge( anybody but me) could move my post over here, more people might see it. In the latest, Tulisha Shahan Wardlaw, daughter of Virginia and Happy, says they don't know what the future is going to hold for Alamo Village but, they are hoping to get things straightened out and see where they stand.

You can find out more info here, www.johnwayne-thealamo.com (http://www.johnwayne-thealamo.com) and click on Alamo Village Brackettville.

If someone . . . could move my post over here, more people might see it.
Your wish is my command :wink_smile:.

Chester :newyear:

I did see that they were closeing the John Wayne Alamo. How much and how long do they think it will take to re-open it? I feel very lucky to have gone to the site and was in seventh heaven, or course I am sure that anybody that loves John Wayne, this is a must see site. I am really hopeing they get it going again for other people to see and remember him, since it was his dream to make the picture. When I was there I was very touched just to be there and was luck enough to be there on a not so busy day. The reinactors spent several hours with my husband and I talking about the movies they were in and the actors themselves, I have never been anywhere were I felt more welcome in my life. They even sang me songs from Rio Bravo, which is one of my favorite westerns. I just hope it gets done and would like to, in some way help, so were do we go to contribute? I think keeping it open is VERY important, in keeping his memory alive.
Stacy

Thanks Chester,
I did see on line that the John Wayne Alamo is closed now. I am very concerned and hope that maybe somebody can do something about this. I would hate for the new generations to not see this site, considering it was so important to the Duke.
Maybe we can all get a petition going and send it to the surviving family members or however owns it now. I don't know, I think something needs to be done it is such an important place!!!
Stacy

My daughter's and I visited Alamo Village about 8 years ago, and loved every minute! We pretty much had the place to ourselves that day, and really took our time checking out every nook & cranny. From the film, it was hard to judge where some of the action took place within the "fort", so it was nice to be able to finally see how it was laid out. We had an unforgettable time!

I found the following information, which I thought might be of interest. Obviously, we had already heard some already, but the following gives a little more detail, and possibly a little hope.

Alamo Village Closes Its Gates - the End of an Era


With the passing of Texas Icon, Virginia F. Webb Shahan, a difficult business decision has been made by family members. Alamo Village is closed to the general public. Our gates have been open to the visiting public and to the film industry for fifty years. At this time, we choose to close the gates of Alamo Village in order to reconstruct management and possibly redirect our efforts toward new positive goals. The future possibilities for this historical movie set are many. At present time, managers and owners continue with sound decision making even in the midst of a troubled economy. Our future goal includes the pursuit of continued business relations within the film industry, producing more and even larger trail drives and promoting individual group tours. As decisions are finalized, announcements will be made to the general public.

“To the multitudes of visitors, businesses, employees and dear friends who have contributed to the success of Alamo Village throughout these five decades, we offer our heartfelt gratitude and a sincere Texas thank you.” God Bless us one and all.

Click here (http://thealamovillage.homestead.com/alamovillage.html) for more information, and to see some pictures of the Bracketville Alamo site.

I'am very happy I was able to get there before it closed.

I'am very happy I was able to get there before it closed.
Its is sad, and coupled with this,
the Roy Roger's Museum closing it's doors,
it is, I'm affraid, a sign of the times.
that the folks who would support these treasures,
are slowly moving on!

. . . that the folks who would support these treasures, are slowly moving on!
Or even worse, dying off. Of course, many are simply checking their wallets and finding them thinner than in years past.

That's one reason it's so important to introduce the younger generations to these great stars and their legacies.

Chester :newyear:

Or even worse, dying off. Of course, many are simply checking their wallets and finding them thinner than in years past.

That's one reason it's so important to introduce the younger generations to these great stars and their legacies.

Chester :newyear:
I tried to put it more pleasant,
I don't like to think of us 'dying off'!!
One thing about it Jim,
this site sure makes the younger ones welcome!!

Sadly to many young people will not watch a movie in black and white or made before 1990.:sad_smile::closedeyes:

It is sad, . . . and . . . , I'm afraid, a sign of the times.
that the folks who would support these treasures, are slowly moving on!

Or even worse, dying off.

I tried to put it more pleasant,
I don't like to think of us 'dying off'!
Well, I don't like to think of us 'dying off' and I see what you mean about sidestepping that little issue . . . :wink_smile:.

And as you say, we seem to be cultivating a real good group of JW fans from the younger generation to carry on the banner! Lt. Brannigan and Robbie, you got that?

Chester :newyear:

John Wayne never made another film at Alamo Village, after the Alamo. I always wondered why, and thought maybe it was due to just bad memories over the money he lost. But recently I read a short note Duke had written to a fan. In it he that hinted at some possible hurt feelings on his side over the amount of improvements he made to the Shahan property in production of the film. And (my impression was) that he felt he wasn't given some type of compensation for these improvements. He did state in the letter he had had all intentions of continuing relations with AV and doing more films there, but due to this problem, he never went back.
Does anyone have any further knowledge or info regarding Duke never filming there again?

It hasn't been official yet, but they are hoping to have a 50th anniversary showing of The Alamo, and bash, in October of this year.

So, how is the restoration project coming??

So, how is the restoration project coming??

From what i have heard they have run out of funds.
Sad.:sad:

From what i have heard they have run out of funds.
Sad.:sad:
Such a pity, and as we have said before,
there's not enough of us devoted one's around to keep it alive!!!

I do have a bit of news about Alamo Village. A couple of years ago, it was revealed that someone wanted to buy Alamo Village, fix it up, add some things and turn it into a bigger tourist attraction than it had been. I hadn't heard anymore until recently over on www.johnwayne-thealamo.com (http://www.johnwayne-thealamo.com). A few of the guys over have been talking about a man named David Jones, who was the guy who wanted to buy it and still wants to buy it. And one of the things he intends to do if he does, is to restore the Alamo compound itself to what it was when John Wayne had it built for his film. If he does, I can tell you, there are alot of people on that site, myself included, who would be most happy to see it as it originally was.

WaynamoJim,

We'll count on you to keep us up-to-date on the progress, and of course let us know if there is any way we can help! Thanks for this most recent report - it is encouraging!

Chester :newyear:

Alamo Village has been re-opened but, on a limited basis. It'll be open on Fridays, Saturdays and, Sundays only. It'll cost $10 to get in, kids under 6 are free. Gates will be open for 15 minutes at 10am, 11am, 12 noon, 1pm, 2pm and, 3pm. After those 15 minutes the gates will be locked till the next hour. There will be no services, no food or water, no bathrooms, gift shop or shows. They ask that you bring your own water. This is on an experimental basis and if successful, could pave the way for a total re-opening. There will two people working at the Village, Rich Curilla, who has been working there for a number of years. He's a film maker, Alamo historian, Alamo movie historian and also worked the shows they put on. And he's a really great guy and just wonderful to talk to about anything Alamo. the other person working is the secretary of the place, named Treva.

Thanks for the update Jim.
Good to see someting positive happeneing.

anyone who has the chance should see Alamo Village, it's a great experience for the John Wayne fan. Even with all the changes since 1959, it's incredible to walk where Duke, Harvey, Widmark, John Ford, Jimmy Stewart, Dean Martin, et all. walked.

WaynamoJim,

Thanks for that update.

Sounds like a place we might want to visit someday. Although that part about no bathrooms kind of surprises me (what were they doing before?). It seems that if they are charging folks, the least they could do is rent a couple of port-a-potties. With no food, services, or even a bathroom, I have to wonder if they want it to succeed.

Chester :newyear:

They HAVE bathrooms, but I'm sure the water has been turned off while the place was shut down. IMHO they want to see what interest they get in seeing the place before going to additional expense. It appears to be pretty much a volunteer setup at the moment

I have to amend my post from yesterday. I found out that the bathrooms at Alamo Village WILL be open. Also, some of the other posters over on johnwayne-thealamo.com have said that anybody who might want to visit, might want to think about bringing a picnic lunch with them. I guess there's a great party store in Brackettville that you can get things like pizza, chicken and, other food items. Also a restaurant at Ft. Clark and a pretty good burger place(been there, good burgers) in town that also serves daily dinner specials.

I hope my previous comments didn't seem overly harsh or critical.

No food or gift shop doesn't bother me, especially when they are just testing the waters, so to speak. I would have no problem bringing along a picnic lunch!

But a bathroom seems like a basic necessity whenever you have a bunch of people, so I'm real glad to hear that at least that amenity is available.

I agree with a previous poster - to walk where Duke and so many others actually stood would be an amazing experience! Plus there is the historical aspect of the Alamo, so important to our heritage. I hope this initial trial is VERY successful!

Chester :newyear:

Ft. Clark is where Duke and a lot of the cast stayed while filming, so that would make a nice side trip to anyone visiting AV. Plus the some of the river scenes were filmed there.

For continuity, this was also posted
on the movie thread, so I have quoted it here

....Alamo Village will be open for a limited time with a shuttle taking fans to and from the site I've heard. Don't miss that if you can-

Now updated with more information and great photographs

http://i67.servimg.com/u/f67/11/97/59/03/a_duk274.jpg (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=7696&u=11975903)

http://i67.servimg.com/u/f67/11/97/59/03/a_duk279.jpg (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=7701&u=11975903)

http://i27.servimg.com/u/f27/11/97/59/03/a_duk158.jpg (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=7889&u=11975903)

http://i27.servimg.com/u/f27/11/97/59/03/a_duk140.jpg (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=7871&u=11975903)

http://i67.servimg.com/u/f67/11/97/59/03/a_duk288.jpg (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=7710&u=11975903)

http://i27.servimg.com/u/f27/11/97/59/03/a_duk183.jpg (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=7914&u=11975903)

http://i37.servimg.com/u/f37/11/97/59/03/a_duke63.jpg (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=7069&u=11975903)

http://i37.servimg.com/u/f37/11/97/59/03/a_duke64.jpg (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=7070&u=11975903)

http://i37.servimg.com/u/f37/11/97/59/03/a_duke68.jpg (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=7074&u=11975903)

http://i37.servimg.com/u/f37/11/97/59/03/a_duke69.jpg (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=7075&u=11975903)

http://i37.servimg.com/u/f37/11/97/59/03/a_duke97.jpg (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=7103&u=11975903)

http://i37.servimg.com/u/f37/11/97/59/03/a_duke98.jpg (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=7104&u=11975903)

http://i37.servimg.com/u/f37/11/97/59/03/a_duke99.jpg (http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=7105&u=11975903)

Having been to Brackettville twice. These photos have great meaning.
I have sat on the same cot as Richard Widmark and the room where Duke first talkes to Laurence Harvey. And in the basement of the church, which is on the ground floor in the back of the church. Thanks the the memorys.

Same here, I really hope AV reopens-I'd love one more visit.

I envy you who enjoyed Alamo Village. I was stationed in San Antonio in 1971 and 1972 and while I visited the shrine many times, I didn't know anything about the village. I spent many a weekend idling around Fort Sam and now I'm kicking myself in the butt that I was so close and so uninformed.
Maybe someday I can afford to go back.



We deal in lead, friend.

A superb thread. Duke's Alamo is my all-time favourite closely followed by The Searchers

Last October I visited the film set at Bracketville on what was, up to now anyhow, the last day it was officially open to the public.

I took a heap of photo's and video and have put them together mixed with clips of the film to give a sort of "then and now" perspective.

I only intended to make it last for about 15 minutes or so but kinda got carried away somewhat and it ended up at about 40minutes long in the end !!

I put the finished effort on Youtube and had to split it into 3 parts, if anyone is interested in having a look, here are the links.

part 1 http://youtu.be/YrIoWPDsv84

part 2 http://youtu.be/IRxCEOWQSnM

part 3 http://youtu.be/76_vThfXOyc

Great clips John, thanks for posting them.
I have also moved your post to this the dedicated location thread

Thanks for posting John Great Clips & photos.

Mike

That was truely awesome, John. Thanks for the trip. I really enjoyed that.

Mark

Thanks for the kind comments guys, it was a dream come true to visit Bracketville and I could have walked around that place forever.
It was the most amazing experience to just stand on the same spot where all those unforgettable scenes were filmed and take it all in, one day just wasn't long enough.

john that was amazing photo's and clips.it's great to see the now and then clip's of the set of the alamo.thanks again for sharing