Sometime around 1984, Mayor Koch and I went to see
Last Night at the Alamo--not together, of course. The movie, by Eagle Pennell, was getting a little bit of attention from critics like Roger Ebert. Black-and-white, low budget, it told the story of a couple of lovable losers in Dallas trying to figure out how to keep their favorite bar, The Alamo, from closing down. A reporter must have asked Koch what he thought of it. I can't find any record his response; what I do remember is that he unloaded on the movie. He didn't just say he didn't like it or, "It's not for me,"but wondered why movies like that even get made.
Hard to imagine a mayor, governor, senator or politician of any stripe today even going to see a movie like
Alamo, let alone sharing their unvarnished review? Maybe, Chris Christie, but I doubt it. Needless, to say I disagreed with the Mayor's review but you gotta admire the guy's... What's that word Jews use...?
(Pennell's only other film,
The Whole Shootin' Match, was rereleased a couple years ago, and you can get it on Netflix.
Alamo is sadly condemned to obscurity.)
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