Remember the Alamo

Ever notice how that statement is never used as a question? Remember the Alamo. Of course you do. You're supposed to remember.

Katie and I visited San Antonio during the Summer of 2002 and I snapped a few photos. I wanted to share a few of the Alamo pictures. I haven't seen the Alamo since I was a child, and I'm embarrassed to say that I had not seen it during the entire 12+ years that I had been living in Austin. So it was time for me to pay my respects. The first photo, the Alamo Shrine, is the image we all recognize as the Alamo, even though it is only a small part of the original mission/fort. It is considered a sacred place, hallowed ground dedicated to the heroes who gave their lives in the pursuit of Freedom. The guards will even insist that you remove your hat when you enter the building. The exhibit had just closed for the day, so this was a rare photo op when there were no people standing in front of the building.

Here is the lovely Katie posing next to the Gonzales Volunteer Memorial.

Here I am demonstrating the wrong way to operate heavy artillery. All right...yes the Shrine IS a sacred place, but this large cannon was nowhere near it. I couldn't resist a bit if irreverence. I think every guy walks past a cannon like that once in a while and feels a bit "inadequate." Maybe when I appear in the movie, I'll get to fire a big gun like this. Ahhh, the movie...

By now, several people have heard a rumor about me trying to get into the Alamo movie production. Now it's official. In case you haven't heard, Disney is putting together it's version of the Alamo saga. I wanted to be a part of it, so I prepared, paid attention, signed up, and got chosen for the audition. Several people have asked me about this, and I'm happy to tell the story, though this is just the beginning, so my story is a short one at this point. Still, it made sense to start telling my Alamo experience here instead of trying to explain it to everyone, one at a time.

I first heard about the new Alamo movie a few months ago on the radio. A local photographer was talking to the DJ about Alamo head shots. I looked him up on the WWW, contacted him, and set up a shoot. Within a few weeks, my head shot dupes were in hand, and I was ready for the casting call, which didn't come for several more weeks. The call was announced via TV, radio and newspaper and was held in Austin at the downtown Omni Hotel. I showed up, filled out an application and handed the staff a head shot. A few days later, I got the call. I went back to the Omni and met with the First Assistant Director K.C. Hodenfield. I and several hundred other guys followed this procedure. The formal training/audition for the Alamo took place in Wimberly, Texas December 12-14. Mexican army (soldado) training was early in the week, and the Alamo defender and Sam Houston army training was at the end of the week. The training consisted of horsemanship (for those who already had some equestrian experience), flintlock gun and cannon training, basic stunts (controlled falls, faking punches, taking punches, taking bullet hits, etc.), and basic military knowledge (marching formation, some military terminology, gun positions, etc.). The real audition for my group was the final day (Saturday) when we were asked to stay in character all day--no joking or laughing, as if we had been fighting Santa Anna for 13 days with little food nor rest. In reality, I was pretty damn tired from those long days plus social engagements in the evenings (hey, it was Christmas time and there was a lot going on) but we were very well fed during the training. Anyway, I didn't try to ride the horses; with my bad back, I probably wouldn't have ridden even if they had asked me to. But I did excel as part of a cannon team, and I got good with the muskets. The stunts were the most difficult to get accustomed to, but by the third day, the stunt coordinators used me specifically for some new demonstrations. So I guess they thought I was capable. At the end of the day, I was asked to participate (with 15 or so other trainees) in a small battle re-enactment. I got to load and fire a musket while charging "into battle" while others were firing and yelling and there were explosions set off by the special effects crew. It was pretty cool. That may be on the "making of" part of the Alamo DVD, as they filmed the scene. I'll be the guy with the red flannel shirt and the pony-tail. Of the 200 or so guys that showed up for this part of the audition, 120 were chosen as Alamo defenders and I am one of them. The other 80 guys will likely be called back to fight in the San Jacinto battle scenes. I will probably be involved in the Alamo siege and possibly the San Jacinto battle, although in the SJ battle, I would only appear in the deep background. Remember that everyone at the Alamo died, so it wouldn't make sense for the audience to clearly see me die, then see me again, resurrected, fighting in another battle. Ironically, I may fight as a soldado as well, although I would have makeup and wardrobe that will make me look like a Mexican soldier. Since Santa Anna had approximately 2500-4000 fighting soldados, the movie production will require everyone that can be spared to make the battles look as immense as possible. I finished the day handing a copy of "Funked Up Christmas" to K.C. and telling him that this was my last chance to kiss ass for a while. Everyone laughed and he responded by saying that there would be many many more chances to kiss ass later.

The production will begin in mid-January and finish around the end of May. Most of the movie will be filmed in Dripping Springs, Texas, on a private ranch that Disney is leasing. Don't even try to visit it. Even if you could find it, the security is tighter than a size 2 G-string wrapped around Anna Nicole Smith's fat ass. The wardrobe fitting will be held down the road from the set the week of December 16-20. Along with wardrobe, I'll also get a shave and haircut (I've been growing a beard for a couple of weeks). Apparently, they'll give me the look they want (probably long sideburns and collar-length hair), then they'll take a photo and (I guess) make regular comparisons so they can keep my hair, beard and makeup consistant throughout the production. I have heard that the battle of San Jacinto will be filmed in Bastrop, Texas because it's fairly close to the main set and the landscape and vegetation are similar to southeast Texas where the battle occurred.

This has been exciting so far and I expect it to be one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Everyone has been very nice and respectful, so there are no complaints about the production staff. I will occasionally post updates here, but don't expect any behind-the-scenes gossip. The audition I described is not a big deal, but we were asked for strict discretion regarding the script, the stars, and basically everything else once the production begins. And of course they won't allow personal cameras anywhere near the set. I would love to post some photos here of the Alamo set, but I don't wanna get fired, nor sued. And don't ask if I have any speaking parts. It's likely that the only speaking I'll do will be at the top of my lungs in the middle of a ferocious battle, saying meaningful, poetic words like "AAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!". But the movie is still being cast, so you never know when they may decide to give a "nobody" from Austin a shot at the Big Time...