John Wayne played David Crockett in "The Alamo," a film he produced and directed. The film was so important to Wayne, he invested $1.5 million of his own money in the project and took out second mortgages on his houses. He even used his vehicles as collateral to obtain loans for production. Though the film was considered a success at the box office, the cost kept it from being a financial success. Wayne lost his personal investment and had to sell his rights to United Artists to make back his money.