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John Wayne made more than 100 Westerns over the course of his legendary career, but The Alamo stood out to him.
Released in 1960, the epic historical Western was Wayne's long-gestating passion project. He spent roughly 15 years developing the film, directed it himself, and even invested more than $1.5 million of his own money into bringing his vision of the Battle of the Alamo to the big screen.
Unfortunately, audiences didn't show up in the numbers Wayne needed.
'The Alamo' Tanked at the Box Office
Despite grossing around $6 million and finishing as the 10th highest-grossing film of 1960, The Alamo failed to recoup its massive $12 million budget, making it one of the biggest financial disappointments of Wayne's career. The actor reportedly remortgaged his home to help finance the production and later accepted several lucrative acting roles to recover from the film's losses.
Critics were similarly divided upon release, praising the movie's ambitious scope while criticizing its lengthy runtime and historical inaccuracies. Over the decades, however, The Alamo has earned a very different reputation.
John Wayne's 'The Alamo' Named Among the Greatest Westerns of All-Time
Today, the film is ranked among IMDb's greatest Western movies of all time, cementing its place alongside many of the genre's most beloved classics. Wayne starred as Davy Crockett alongside Richard Widmark, Laurence Harvey, Richard Boone, and Frankie Avalon.
Now, movie fans can revisit Wayne's ambitious Western for themselves without committing ot a purchase. The Alamo is currently streaming free on Tubi.
