THE ALAMO: John Wayne (Producer/Director/Actor)

[CHARLES STEPHEN FRAZEE]. JOHN WAYNE. SIGNED & INSCRIBED. THE ALAMO. Avon Books, New York, 1960. Paperback. First Edition. Avon # T-446 with the original 35 cents price on cover. Directed by John Wayne and co-directed (uncredited) by John Ford. Produced by United Artists and John Wayne's Batjac Productions.Housed in handsome fine custom one-quarter beautiful red Morocco leather over orange-terracotta colored cloth covered boards clamshell case, burgundy red felt interior, type and title in gilt on spine with raised bands. Book Condition: Very Good. Appears barely read, light creases to covers, mild rubbing to spine with two closed tears near middle, head of spine, some aged binding glue, micro-chips to extremities of covers typical of vintage paperbacks of this age, binding is good, pages are bright and very clean. Overall in very good to excellent condition considering for a near 60 years of age vintage paperback. Scarce signature and inscription on half-title page by author Steve Frazee. Only known copy that exists of the only authorized United Artists movie studio official movie tie-in book to include photo stills of the principle actors of The Alamo and signed by the novelist based on the screenplay by James Edward Grant. Story based on one of the most famous battles of the early 19th century United States, the historical 1836 Battle of the Alamo led by James Bowie, William B. Travis and Davy Crockett against the Mexican General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna and his troops. Praised by Grant as a superb novel and closer to historical events than his original screenplay. Steve Frazee wrote several of the top westerns of the day, a prolific writer in the western genre of 50 plus novels, novelettes, pulp fiction magazine short stories and Film /TV screenplays including many movie tie-ins; Desert Guns (Gold of the Seven Saints), Many Rivers To Cross, Bounty Killers, My Brother Down There, Cry Coyote, Sky Block, High Cage (High Hell), The Alamo movie tie-in directed by John Wayne and many more western novels. His short stories have been featured in early pulp western / crime / science fiction "dime novel" magazines since the 1930's; Short Stories, Fifteen Western Tales, Complete Western Book Magazine, Street & Smith Western Story, Pursuit Detective Story, Fantasy Magazine, Cosmos Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine, Argosy and many more. Frazee also wrote many young adult's TV tie-in novels for Zorro, Bonanza, Cheyenne and Lassie. Western author Noel Loomis once said " Frazee is to the west what Hemingway is to Africa...". Steve Frazee was elected president of the Western Writers of America in 1954. John Ford directed a second unit and several scenes of film of The Alamo filmed in 70mm on a Todd-AO Mitchell movie camera by cinematographer William H. Clothier. Featuring actors John Wayne, Richard Widmark, Richard Boone and Laurence Harvey. Original first edition official movie tie-in novelization (including photo stills of principle cast) of The Alamo was only available in this Avon paperback, no hardback novel or movie tie-in novel in hardback was ever produced for The Alamo during the 1960 film release. Film cast and credits page with several pages of frontispiece, illustrations, map of Alamo set and publicity photo stills of cast on verso of cover wraps from the movie. 162 pgs. 16mo. Clamshell case 8vo.