Making the image & myth of Texas come alive in literature & on the silver screen
by BRYAN DAVIS
Bosque Film Society Historian
“The hardest thing on earth, is choosing what matters.”
~Larry McMurtry, Lonesome Dove
Learning of the passing of novelist Larry McMurtry today stung like losing a beloved figure from one of his famous novels. For many, certainly me, nobody wrote about Texas better than Larry McMurtry. In fact, he played a large role in helping create the image and the myth that many have come to love about Texas. All this from humble beginnings in the tiny North Texas town of Archer City 84 years ago.
Larry McMurtry and his many novels were one of the several things my late sister and I had in common. Charlene had a room in her house devoted to Texas literature, and McMurtry headed the pack in her love for all things Texas. She met him several times, traveling to his famous bookstore in Archer City just down the street from where his novel, The Last Picture Show, was set.
She had autographed copies of most of his books, with the Pulitzer Prize-winning Lonesome Dove being her favorite. Like many others, my sister held Lonesome Dove almost in reverence. She adored the story, loved its characters, and read it dozens of times. It was her favorite book, and she read constantly.
I had the pleasure of watching the television miniseries, “Lonesome Dove,” on the Big Screen at the Cliftex Theater two years ago. It played locally over two nights in conjunction with a wonderful exhibit on the film at the Bosque Museum.
I love movies just about as much as reading, and three of McMurtry’s filmed versions of his novels are among my favorite films. His first book, Horseman, Pass By, was made into 1963’s “Hud,” starring Paul Newman as the drunkard, womanizing rascal, Hud Bannon. The supporting cast was equally excellent, with Patricia Neal and Melvin Douglas in Oscar-winning roles.
My other favorite McMurtry film is “The Last Picture Show,” 1971’s gritty black and white look at 1950s small-town Texas. The cast, led by Jeff Bridges, Ellen Burstyn, and Cloris Leachman and Ben Johnson in Oscar-winning performances, was just as powerful when I watched it again this summer as it was 50 years ago.
McMurtry brought such depth and realism to his characters on both the page and screen. Lastly, the multi-Oscar winning “Terms of Endearment” was surely his greatest film success. Shirley MacLaine and Jack Nicholson won Oscars for this tear-jerker about a feuding Texas mother and daughter who finally realize the depths of their love only when tragedy strikes.
As proof of his versatility, McMurtry would win his only Academy Award for his screenplay, “Brokeback Mountain.”
I will forever cherish my copies of his books passed along to me by my sweet sister. I hope to reread many of his works again, and sit back and enjoy his memorable characters brought to life in my favorite films.
Rest In Peace Larry McMurtry, and thanks for so many years of wonderful moments and memories. You helped make Texas proud!
