Kelly Reno was quite a good kid actor. "The Black Stallion" is a very nice movie. This, however, pulls out one of the most hackneyed of plots. The Twilight Zone did it about six times. Take a character from an historical setting and thrust him into modern times. Jobe is fighting at the Alamo and is sent on a mission (no pun intended). As he leaves his time he emerges in contemporary San Antonio. What would be expect from some poor kid thrown into this neo-cultural zoo. He only know what he knows. He has a weapon and he has used it before to help survive. And, of course, the police have probably seen enough nut cases in their daily patrols, to expect some Texan has gone bananas and is shooting up the place. There is nothing about this offering that gives us anything new or creative. We can only feel sad about his circumstances, look at the insensitivity of the contemporary milieu, and know that he is returning to a sure death at the Alamo. Pretty contrived and not very interesting.
5 Reviews
Time travel
sonnyschlaegel12 January 2007
Warning: Spoilers
'Alamo' Jobe Farnham is a soldier in the Battle of the Alamo. He is a volunteer and only about fifteen years old. During the battle, tourists (from the 1980s) start to appear inside the Alamo - the past and the present begin to mingle. Jobe is - of course - confused by what he sees. Then Colonel Travis tells him to deliver a message to General Lefferts. When Jobe leaves the Alamo, he finds himself in the San Antonio of the 1980s. And he finds that it is not easy to find the man he wants to deliver the message to...
I liked this episode. There are some funny scenes when Jobe comes into contact with modern technology (cars and a telephone). But in my opinion, these scenes aren't very original. I think that comparable scenes have often been done before, so they are not very surprising. However, these scenes - and the episode as a whole - are well done and there's a likable main character, so I think this episode deserves six points.
I liked this episode. There are some funny scenes when Jobe comes into contact with modern technology (cars and a telephone). But in my opinion, these scenes aren't very original. I think that comparable scenes have often been done before, so they are not very surprising. However, these scenes - and the episode as a whole - are well done and there's a likable main character, so I think this episode deserves six points.
"How many times do you ever get a chance to see the Alamo?"
classicsoncall8 October 2021
Warning: Spoilers
What's different about this time travel story is that there isn't the clean break between past and present which is found in most. During the heat of the battle at the Alamo, young Jobe Farnum (Kelly Reno) is given a message by Colonel William Travis (William Boyett) to deliver to General John Lefferts. But as he runs off to locate the General, he sees modern day tourists sight-seeing at the Alamo and others strolling through a gift shop, all while the battle rages around them. When he completely enters the present day city of San Antonio, he's bewildered by the change in scenery and the appearance of modern day conveniences. Names from the past emerge in the form of Crockett Tour Lines and Lefferts Antiques, where he makes the acquaintance of the General's great grandson (Michael Cavanaugh). In his confusion, the fifteen year old decides it's best to return to his more recognizable past, even if it means certain death, which he learned about from one of the tour guides. A couple reviewers mention the similarity of this story to those offered in Rod Serling's 'Twilight Zone' series, one of which was called "A Hundred Yards Over the Rim". A battle did not occur in that one, and I think the better example was an episode called "The Seventh Is Made Up Of Phantoms", in which 1960's National Guardsmen stumble across a time warp and land in the middle of Custer's Little Bighorn.
Pretty much a waste of time.
planktonrules22 June 2015
During the Battle of the Alamo, a teen from the battle inexplicably comes to the present day but that idiot doesn't seem to comprehend that he's not in his own time any more. For the entire show, Jobe blunders about modern day San Antonio....and that's about it!
There is almost nothing of value to "Alamo Jobe". The plot was recycled from "The Twilight Zone" ("A Hundred Years Over the Rim") but lacked the ironic twist and fine acting. Additionally, the show lacked any real reason for the time travel...none. A waste of time and an episode with little reason to exist. Shows like this explain why "Amazing Stories" only lasted two seasons.
There is almost nothing of value to "Alamo Jobe". The plot was recycled from "The Twilight Zone" ("A Hundred Years Over the Rim") but lacked the ironic twist and fine acting. Additionally, the show lacked any real reason for the time travel...none. A waste of time and an episode with little reason to exist. Shows like this explain why "Amazing Stories" only lasted two seasons.
The Alamo: Then And Now
ccthemovieman-130 August 2007
Kelly Reno, the kid star of "The Black Stallion," finds himself in a really puzzling predicament. One minute he's helping Davy Crockett and the boys defend the Alamo and the next minute he's zoomed ahead in time to modern-day San Antonio. Then - in a unique twist on a "time travel story" - we discover "Jobe" (Reno) is in both time "zones" at the same time.
He has to deliver this message from Crockett but then winds up trying to do so in modern times, on a bus and other crazy things. This is a very bizarre story.
It's a fish-out-of-water story. Imagine a kid from the Alamo days suddenly in a big city watching some guy "break dance" on sidewalk! Looking at Jobe's coonskin cap, the guy says, "Hey, man, I dig your funky cap!"
Reno mainly just stares at everything in disbelief, which I guess we would do, too. I might today if some dude, like the break dancer asked me, "I'm a lean, mean rappin' machine; ya know what I mean?" Then, the punk steals the cap.
Things get worse for the kid. A car nearly hits him so Jobe fires at the car. Now the police are after him.
Can Jobe get his message to General Lefferts, when it's years past the real-time event. Can he get back to the Alamo? Since everyone died there, would be best if he's stuck in time and never gets back there? Will that happen? The answer to these questions are seen in the last half of this episode. I won't say any more than that. It's a good adventure story.
He has to deliver this message from Crockett but then winds up trying to do so in modern times, on a bus and other crazy things. This is a very bizarre story.
It's a fish-out-of-water story. Imagine a kid from the Alamo days suddenly in a big city watching some guy "break dance" on sidewalk! Looking at Jobe's coonskin cap, the guy says, "Hey, man, I dig your funky cap!"
Reno mainly just stares at everything in disbelief, which I guess we would do, too. I might today if some dude, like the break dancer asked me, "I'm a lean, mean rappin' machine; ya know what I mean?" Then, the punk steals the cap.
Things get worse for the kid. A car nearly hits him so Jobe fires at the car. Now the police are after him.
Can Jobe get his message to General Lefferts, when it's years past the real-time event. Can he get back to the Alamo? Since everyone died there, would be best if he's stuck in time and never gets back there? Will that happen? The answer to these questions are seen in the last half of this episode. I won't say any more than that. It's a good adventure story.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
