This visit with y’all is a continuation of my current theme of writing about books I love that have been made into black & white movies. And the following movie, though made in 1971, was made in black & white when director Peter Bogdanovich asked Orson Welles about the viability of shooting in black & white and Welles replied, “Of course you’ll shoot it in black and white!” I just completed reading the fantastic book series by Larry McMurtry which began with this 1966 novel The Last Picture Show . And the “last picture” on the screen of the Royal Theater in the fictional one-horse Texas town of Thalia was seen in 1952. And the series of books the first novel inspired ended with the “last novel” being published in 2009, spanning 57 years in the lives of the characters. But the series itself was written in the years 1966 to 2009 giving it a 43-year time of total creation, surpassing the 35-year time frame it took Stephen King to create his magnum opus 7-volume series The Dark Tower.
I saw the movie The Last Picture Show back in 1971 but had never read the book until recently after seeing the movie again on TV. It was only after reading the book and doing research on it that I discovered it was the beginning of a series, initially a trilogy that ended up being a quintet: The Last Picture Show (1966); Texasville (1987): Duane’s Depressed (1999); When the Light Goes (2007); and Rhino Ranch (2009). This series is a semi-autobiographical work in which McMurtry used his actual hometown of Archer, Texas as the basis of the fictional town of Thalia featured in the novel. And the movie itself was actually shot on location in Archer.
At the time, many in the cast were newcomers to the Hollywood scene. Cybil Shepard and Randy Quaid made their screen debuts in this film. This was also the first major film role for Jeff Bridges who had earlier appeared in his father Lloyd Bridges’ TV series Sea Hunt as well as appearing in the TV series Lassie and the 1971 TV movie In Search of America, though his first actual film appearance was in the 1951 movie The Company She Keeps when he was just near two years old. And appearing in just their second films were Ellen Burstyn and Timothy Bottoms. Also appearing in the film were veteran performers Ben Johnson and Cloris Leachman. The film was nominated for eight Oscars and was truly an internal competition among the cast because both Ben Johnson and Jeff Bridges were nominated for Best Supporting Actor and both Cloris Leachman and Ellen Burstyn got the nod for Best Supporting Actress, with Johnson and Leachman winning. It was also nominated for Best Picture, losing out to The French Connection. Peter Bogdanovich had a double nomination for Best Director as well as Best Adapted Screenplay, along with the books’ author McMurtry.
I loved this series for in it, there were so many pieces that could have been sharing events from my life. The book began in the high school senior year of two best friends, Duane Moore and Sonny Crawford-Bridges and Bottoms. It’s full of the angst and drama of being a teen and introduces you to characters that will fill the pages of this, and all the following books. And in taking a journey through all these pages, one can’t help but fall in love with all these individuals. And the surprising final novel in this series, Rhino Ranch, is based upon, of all things, a game preserve for the endangered black rhino being opened on the Texas plains in the town of Archer, the hometown of the main protagonist in The Last Picture Show, Duane Moore.
McMurtry has written over thirty novels during his career. Of these there have been four sets of series novels to go along with his standalone works. Many of them have been made into movies or television mini-series, winning many Oscars and Emmy awards. Another one of his series that I read and fell in love with was Lonesome Dove, which he won the Pulitzer Prize for, followed by Streets of Laredo, Dead Man’s Walk and Comanche Moon, finishing the wild-west tale of two famous ex-Texas Ranger and their adventures. In the mini-series, these two were portrayed by Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones, and this is a show I highly recommend.
Without a doubt, Larry McMurtry goes on my list of all-time favorite authors along with Stephen King and William Manchester. And now, I’m off to the TV in search of more classics that go hand-in-hand with the books in my library.
I can’t say I’ve ever heard of this author before, but if you put him on the level with Stephen Kind, I’ll definitely be giving him a look.
My only experience I have had with Larry McMuutry was with Lonesome Dove. I really enjoyed that series.
Thanks for the heads up on this author. I’ve never heard of him, but I’m always on the lookout for a new read.
I’m always looking for new reads. I love when someone recommends a good book they have read. It’s always so hard to know just by reading the jacket of the book. I haven’t heard of this author, but I’m always willing to read at least one book to see how I like their writing style. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the book! 🙂
He sounds like an impressive author. I have not heard of him until now but I will be checking him out!
Never heard of the author but now very interested in reading some of his books. Just finished a series and been looking for some new reads! Cant wait to head over to the library to check some out.
Wow, this series sounds like the perfect summer escape! I love the description of the storyline, as well as how much time went into all five books.
I have read a couple of Larry McMurtry books. I really liked Lonesome Dove. I loved the miniseries as well. I would probably like these books if I ever sat down and read them.
This sounds like a good book. I haven’t had much time for reading lately, but this sounds like it is right up my alley. I hadn’t heard of it before, and it’s nice to have some good recommendations for books on hand!
I have never heard of this author before but this book sounds like a page turner. I am currently creating a master list of must read books for summer…can’t wait to dive into them!
I haven’t heard of Larry Mc Murty. Thanks for introducing him to us. I will check out these books.
I love Stephen King, so I will have to check this author out. I don’t have too much time to read but I really need to make time to show my daughter that reading is important.
This is how I’ve found some of my favorite books. Hearing about an obscure author from someone on the train, a bus stop or randomly perusing the stacks in the library, or the books in a store. Thanks for sharing this gem, and I’ll have to add it to my to-read list on good-reads and my library queue!
I haven’t read any of the books in this series yet but it sounds like a good read to me! I may just have to check one of these out!!
I have not heard of Larry Mcmurtry before but will have to read the series now. Books that are made into movies are interesting to me for sure. I like watching the movies and reading the books also so I can compare the two. Thanks for sharing this information.
I’m a bookworm so I’ll check out this book and author. I love all sorts of genres when reading and I think I’d really like this.
I have never heard of Larry McMurtry. He has written quite a bit of books! Sounds like an interesting read.
I’ve been slacking lately when it comes to reading books. This author seems like a novelist I’d enjoy reading.
Angst and drama are always a good pull for me in stories. I am glad that you enjoyed this one so much!
I am always on the lookout for a good book and this one looks like it may be worth the time put into reading it. I love a series especially.
I am always looking for great reads to add to my summer reading list! This sounds like a wonderful find and something interesting!
I haven’t heard of him before. I usually read a lot of Nicolas Sparks. I should see if our library has this book out and try a new author.
Sounds like a really good book. I’ll have to grab a copy and read it sometime. I wish I had more time to read though. I need to really make the time because I love reading.
My father in law loves larry mcmurtry. He’s read them all. Maybe I should check them out too.
I don’t recognize this author but then again I don’t care for a bunch of the older stuff. It never did catch my attention. I always pick on my husband when he turns on Mash. lol
What an amazing author! It sounds like a great book and like he has lots of great ones out there. I definitely have to check them out!
This sounds like a great book. I’m always looking for a great book to read!
I love reading. I am always intrigued to see how a book translates to the silver screen. I have to dive back into reading to find more stories to enjoy.
I’ve never heard of this author before! I’ll have to check out the books – I love curling up and reading and do it often, and I’m always looking for new authors to check out
It definitely sounds like a good book and one that you’ll won’t put down until you finish the entire thing. I think it’s a must read!
It’s my first time to hear this series and it sounds fascinating! I would love to read it soon.
I’m amazed that so man people haven’t ever heard of Larry McMurtry. His first novel was made in the movie HUD, with Paul Newman; he also wrote the novel TERMS OF ENDEARMENT, upon which the movie is based. He’s written nearly 50 books, from what I can gather. He’s a fantastic author. His early essays, IN A NARROW GRAVE, are wonderful. Check him out. He’s also good friends with Stephen King.
I have never heard of this author prior to this, but his book sounds really good! I’ll have to keep it in mind the next time I’m at the library.
I’ve never heard of this author, but the way you talk about him makes me want to know more! This also made me realize, I only stick to a specific, small group of authors. I need to branch out more and read different authors and genres!
Sounds like an interesting read for the summer!
I am going to have to add this to my summer reading list. It sounds like such an interesting read! I have never heard of this author either, so it’s time to discover new!