The Royal cinema located in a small junction township within the northern plains of Texas, still holds significance, despite not airing a film ever since a fire incident in the 1960s and a collapse of its outer brick wall. The Spur Hotel’s owner, Johnny Hudson, confirms his presence during the filming of “The Last Picture Show” in Archer City (resident count 1,606) years back, even stating lightheartedly his part in the film.
As he recollects a sequence of a despondent basketball team being coached, he shares that he earned a handsome amount of $125 a day in the somewhat agricultural region of Texas. This experience allowed him to mingle with cast members, including Jeff Bridges, for a few unforgettable weeks.
At that time, he knew Larry McMurtry, a fellow Archer City native who gave up the family’s business of ranching for the out-of-the-ordinary pursuit of authoring books. McMurtry’s second novel was “The Last Picture Show,” which depicted the discontent and impatience within a quiet community situated in a vast and harsh backdrop.
McMurtry’s graphic detailed style and explicit themes involved in the book upset his mother so much that she halted reading after a hundred pages and stowed the book out of sight, wishing that if it was invisible to her, others wouldn’t discover it either. Her aspirations almost came true as just 900 copies sold in the initial run. However, unfortunately for her, one of these ended up in the possession of Peter Bogdanovich, an ambitious and passionate young director.
The history and legacy tied to the 1971 film continue to provide content for documentaries and podcasts. This renown comes from the noteworthy casting by Bogdanovich, which included established and rising stars. Along with McMurtry, he travelled through the Texas plains and hill counties for hours, seeking the right place to film. When they reached McMurtry’s birthplace, Archer City, Bogdanovich was ecstatic and affirmed to McMurtry that this was the perfect location for their fictional Anarene. To which McMurtry replied, “It makes sense. This is the place I wrote about.”
John Ford was pulled in by him to convince Ben Johnson to take on the role of the quiet Sam ‘the Lion’. Notably, he took Orson Welles’ counsel and captured the movie in greyscale. The result was breathtaking, with each frame closely resembling a Dorothea Lange photograph.
The portrayal of promiscuity and alcohol consumption sparked outrage among the town’s senior citizens, and the Archer County News found it deserving of derogatory editorial pieces.
The Last Picture Show, which received eight Academy Award nominations, emerged as a cornerstone of American filmmaking. It presented an imperative message from a remote corner of the country, compelling city dwellers to contemplate life in these regions. Life that post-electrification and the birth of cinema, seemed predominantly unchanged from the frontier era.
Today, Archer City remains a paradox of significance and insignificance, with its distinctly geometric road crossroad, a traffic light hanging centrally like a medal amidst wide streets, and a constant soft wind that breezes through year-round. The route from Dallas to Archer transforms from intricate urban roads to primary highways, and finally, a lone, straight route that seldom encounters another vehicle. Fields, oil rigs, and the vast, awe-inducing skyline contribute to its understated beauty.
Arriving late on a Saturday afternoon, the town cafe had already shut shop and an intense heat enveloped the town and reflected off the asphalt. The iconic traffic light gently swayed in the wind, which Johnny acknowledged was a regular occurrence due to the scanty foliage.
Later, over tea, Johnny took me to the local country club for a beer. We could see McMurtry’s house nearby from the club’s window, and the reservoir where Sam the Lion would fish and dispense wisdom to the youth. The pool hall that served as a haven for teenagers in the 1950s, once stood opposite Spur, but doesn’t exist anymore. The town, however, remains largely untouched.
Archer City has held onto its prominent position in Hollywood’s history without explicitly promoting it. The only overt tribute to The Last Picture Show is the preservation of the Royal Theater. A few years back, Johnny assumed control of the Spur. Its entrance hall is a feast for the eyes, brimming with works from McMurtry and other masters of the American South’s literature.
Conversations always surround the city’s evolution over the years – the unpredictable oil and cattle industry, the championship-winning Wildcats of 1964, and the globally recognised writer McMurtry, who spent the majority of his life writing prolifically. He always kept Archer City as his abode, often found enjoying a Dr Pepper at the local Dairy Queen.
With advancing age, he established four bookshops in town. He dreamt of transforming the remote Archer city into a Texan equivalent of Haye-on-Wye, a haven for bibliophiles. His plans flourished for some time, but upon his death in 2021, McMurtry’s bookshops were sold onwards and are now shut. It’s a sombre sight, witnessing an enormous collection of unread books through the stores’ glass panes.
Rachel Monroe, a fellow writer, noted that McMurtry remained true to his roots, committing to a dwindling business sector and facing heartache because of it.
The creator of the Last Picture Show, Bogdanovich, passed away in January 2022, and the leading actors including Bridges, Cybill Shepherd, and Randy Quaid, are now in their twilight years. However, Archer City with its soft breeze, an occasional interruption by passing trucks, and the serene Spur Hotel, where one can relish in the calm ambiance, listening to the wind chime and watching the traffic lights patiently transition from green to red, has remained the timeless star of his iconic film.