The Last Picture Show (1971)

In 1951, a group of high schoolers come of age in a bleak, isolated, atrophied North Texas town that is slowly dying, both culturally and economically.

Director:

Peter Bogdanovich

Writers:

Larry McMurtry (screenplay), Peter Bogdanovich (screenplay)

Stars:

Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd

Won 2 Oscars. Another 17 wins & 22 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Timothy Bottoms	...	Sonny Crawford
Jeff Bridges	...	Duane Jackson
Cybill Shepherd	...	Jacy Farrow
Ben Johnson	...	Sam the Lion
Cloris Leachman	...	Ruth Popper
Ellen Burstyn	...	Lois Farrow
Eileen Brennan	...	Genevieve
Clu Gulager	...	Abilene
Sam Bottoms	...	Billy
Sharon Ullrick	...	Charlene Duggs (as Sharon Taggart)
Randy Quaid	...	Lester Marlow
Joe Heathcock	...	Sheriff
Bill Thurman	...	Coach Popper
Barc Doyle	...	Joe Bob Blanton
Jessie Lee Fulton	...	Miss Mosey

Storyline

In tiny Anarene, Texas, in the lull between World War Two and the Korean Conflict, Sonny and Duane are best friends. Enduring that awkward period of life between boyhood and manhood, the two pass their time the best way they know how -- with the movie house, football, and girls. Jacy is Duane's steady, wanted by every boy in school, and she knows it. Her daddy is rich and her mom is good looking and loose. It's the general consensus that whoever wins Jacy's heart will be set for life. But Anarene is dying a quiet death as folks head for the big cities to make their livings and raise their kids. The boys are torn between a future somewhere out there beyond the borders of town or making do with their inheritance of a run-down pool hall and a decrepit movie house -- the legacy of their friend and mentor, Sam the Lion. As high school graduation approaches, they learn some difficult lessons about love, loneliness, and jealousy. Then folks stop attending the second-run features at the movie...

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Plot Keywords:

1950s | texas | movie theater | older woman younger man relationship | nostalgia | 

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Taglines:

The story of big dreams in a small town.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

18+

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filmed mostly on location in Archer City, Texas, the city upon which the fictional town of Anarene was based. The swimming pool scene was filmed at the Burns estate in Wichita Falls. Ironically, the inside shots of the Royal theater were filmed at the still-active theater in nearby Olney, Texas. At the time of the filming, the actual Royal theater was nothing more than a shell. Likewise, the Cloris Leachman character's house was located in Holliday, Texas. Anarene was once a real town, just a few miles from Archer City.

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Goofs

The camera's shadow can be seen at the bottom of the screen as it tracks a car towards the end of the film.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Radio announcer: President Truman'll be here tomorrow, so all you folks in Dallas turn out, chuh hear? This is Cowboy Rhythms on KTRN, Wichita Falls, here's Hank Williams' big hit tune, "Cold Cold Heart".
Sam the Lion: You ain't ever gonna amount to nothing. Already spent a dime this morning, ain't even had a decent breakfast. Gimme the chalk. Why don't you comb you hair Sonny, it sticks up, look like you smelled'm wolf. I'm surprised you had the nerve to show up this morning after that stomping y'all took last ...
[...]

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Alternate Versions

Special edition includes seven minutes of footage not included in the original release.

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Connections

References White Heat (1949)

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Soundtracks

Slow Poke
(uncredited)
Written by Pee Wee King, Redd Stewart, Chilton Price
Performed by Pee Wee King

User Reviews

No doubt one of the top 10 best movies ever made.

A beautiful and heart wrenching movie that gets better and better as the years go by. I saw this when it came out in 1971, I knew it was good, but I didn't really understand how good or why. Over the years I have gone back and watched it again, and as my life changed I began to relate deeper each time I saw it. Bogdonovich was WAY ahead of the game on this one.

This is one of those rare movies that you can go back every five years and watch for the first time. Myself having been raised in Del Rio, Texas in the late 50's and early sixties, I can attest that this is a totally accurate picture of what coming of age in west Texas was really like for most of us.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 October 1971 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Last Picture Show

Filming Locations:

200 S. Walnut Street, Holliday, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,300,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$29,133,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$29,146,131

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, BBS Productions, Last Picture Show Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min 126 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1