Post by neferetus on Sept 23, 2006 12:44:16 GMT -5
Photo of Waynamo facade from Lonesome Dove.
(Photo courtesy of Davy Webb)
A lot of the LONESOME DOVE mini-series was filmed in Alamo Village, on the Shahan Angus Ranch, near Brackettville, Texas. In order to replicate the San Antonio of the early 1870's, the Waynamo chapel was re-humped in styrofoam. The results, as you can see, are startling.
In the scene, Texas Rangers Gus (Robert Duvall) and Call (Tommy Lee Jones) are shown riding past the Waynamo facade, while discussing how they wish they would be remembered like Custer at the Little Bighorn. That scene always bugs me. Here they are riding by the Alamo talking about how they should've gone down like Custer! That would be just like riding across the Little Bighorn Battlefield and talking about how they wished that they'd gone down like Travis at the Alamo! Makes no sense.
Robert Lee, of THE ALAMO SITE has this to say about the whereabouts of the styrofoam facade:
I first visited Alamo Village in late 1989 -- months after Lonesome Dove initially aired -- and asked one of the employees (it might have been Rich Curilla) that same thing: Was that the Alamo Village chapel in Lonesome Dove, and how had they made it look authentic for the period?
He told me Styrofoam "bricks" had been painted and installed atop the chapel front, and that I'd find some of them stored in a room next to the palisade. I found 'em and was sorely tempted to grab a couple for souvenirs, but chickened out.
For all I knew, the whole compound had security cameras hidden all over, which is why I also chickened out on climbing to a spot atop the main gate. The sign said don't climb the stairs.
Robert Lee