Viva Max (1969)

Director:

Jerry Paris

Writers:

Jim Lehrer (novel)
Elliott Baker (screenplay)

Release Date:

December 1969 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Some heroes are born...some are made...some are mistakes

Plot:

When his girlfriend tells him that his men wouldn't follow him to a house of ill repute, Max, a general...

Plot Keywords:

National Guard | Texas | General | Texan | Mexican Army

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Peter Ustinov	...	General Maximilian Rodrigues De Santos
Pamela Tiffin	...	Paula Whitland
Jonathan Winters	...	General Billy Joe Hallson
John Astin	...	Sergeant Valdez
Keenan Wynn	...	General Lacomber
Harry Morgan	...	Chief of Police Sylvester
Alice Ghostley	...	Hattie
Kenneth Mars	...	Dr. Sam Gillison
Ann Morgan Guilbert	...	Edna Miller
Bill McCutcheon	...	Desmond Miller
Gino Conforti	...	Contreras
Christopher Ross	...	Gomez
Larry Hankin	...	Romero
Paul Sand	...	Moreno
Don Diamond	...	Hernandez

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | UK:U | USA:G

Filming Locations:

Alamo Village - Highway 674, Brackettville, Texas, USA

Company:

Commonwealth United Entertainment

Trivia:

Due to protests from locals when they found out about the film's plot--the Mexican army recapturing the Alamo--production was halted, although some major scenes had already been shot inside the Alamo. These keys scenes were The Tour, The Climbing of the Barrack Wall, and the Sacristy. The company was only allowed to film scenes up to the front gate after production was halted. The scene where John Astin replaced the flag was filmed on a Hollywood business street. The scene in CBS Television's city back lot was also used in The Omega Man (1971).

Movie Connections:

Spoofs The Alamo (1960)

Incredibly realistic for a 1969 movie!

What a hoot! Wa-a-a-ay too subtle a depiction of Texas characters for a Scotsman to understand.

Then there's the action: Border crossing? - If only it were this stringent... San Antonio - yep. Mexican Army - Yeah: been there, seen them. State Department characters - figures (in fact, it's rather flattering to our "diplomats".)

Other images: El General riding his horse, while the soldados walk; the "army" riding the bus into San Antonio - PERFECT. John Astin as El Sargente - que bueno!

Then there are the main characters: Peter Ustinov - perfect for the role. Pamela Tiffin - The Baylor coed - exactly as shown.

Thumbs up for Viva Max from a life-long Texan.