Man of Conquest (1939)

The story of Sam Houston, hero of the Texas revolution, statesman, and first president of the Republic of Texas.

Director:

George Nichols Jr.

Writers:

Wells Root (screenplay), Edward E. Paramore Jr. (screenplay),

Stars:

Richard Dix, Gail Patrick, Edward Ellis

Nominated for 3 Oscars.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Dix	...	Sam Houston
Gail Patrick	...	Margaret Lea
Edward Ellis	...	Andrew Jackson
Joan Fontaine	...	Eliza Allen
Victor Jory	...	William B. Travis
Robert Barrat	...	David Crockett
George 'Gabby' Hayes	...	Lannie Upchurch (as George Hayes)
Ralph Morgan	...	Stephen F. Austin
Robert Armstrong	...	Jim Bowie
C. Henry Gordon	...	Santa Ana
Janet Beecher	...	Mrs. Sarah Lea
Pedro de Cordoba	...	Oolooteka
Max Terhune	...	Deaf Smith
Kathleen Lockhart	...	Mrs. Allen
Ferris Taylor	...	Jonas Lea

Storyline

The story of Sam Houston, hero of the Texas revolution, statesman, and first president of the Republic of Texas.

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Plot Keywords:

texas | republic of texas | statesman | usa | deafness | 

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Taglines:

Adventurer Beyond Daring! (original poster)

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Genres:

Biography | History | Romance | War | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 May 1939 (USA)

Also Known As:

Rache für Alamo

Filming Locations:

Iverson Ranch - 1 Iverson Lane, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Republic Pictures (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA High Fidelity Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Richard Dix fractured two bones during the wrestling scene, causing a delay of a week in the production schedule.

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Connections

Featured in That's Action (1977)

User Reviews

Solid biography of Sam Houston - a rare slice of American History

This solid and impressive biography of Sam Houston reveals a slice of American History that is rarely investigated, the presidency of Andrew Jackson, the US government's treatment of the Cherokee tribe, and the annexation of Texas. It's all fascinating and quite well done - in fact this is probably the most honored film to come out of Republic Studios - three Oscar noms (Art Direction, Sound, Score) with only the latter by Victor Young really deserving of the honor. Richard Dix is perfectly cast as the homespun, Native American-loving frontiersman, whose on again/off again career in politics is nurtured by father figure, Andrew Jackson. Joan Fontaine appears briefly as his first wife. Gail Patrick does well as his second. Most impressive is the supporting performance of character actor, Edward Ellis, as Jackson. The film did deserve its nom for Score and should have also been recognized for its editing - the montage sequences are quite fine. All in all, this rare film is very worth watching.