Movie Locations of the Great Southwest: Part 2 in a Series

Hud (1963)

This movie is a must-see for those interested in the Great Southwest (Texas in particular) during the mid-twentieth-century. It was such a special time in America: the old was making way for the new at breakneck speed and it was like being in a whirlwind to those who were living it. The story told in Hud clearly illustrates that particular time in history.

My thoughts on the movie:
This is without a doubt my favorite movie of all time (tied with another Paul Newman flick, Paris Blues) and Paul Newman is my all-time favorite actor. No Doubt About It. End Of Story. So There. But, seriously... this film is simply hypnotic, with its sad, mundane reality so out in the open for everyone to see. These people think this is the way life is, and I guess for them, that’s true. I had some somewhat distant relatives (who lived in small Oklahoma towns) who were sort of like these folks, and maybe that’s why it touches me the way it does: a strange chill mixed with a warm, cozy feeling about something that does, indeed, seem oddly familiar.

As for the lead character of “Hud,” played to perfection by Newman, all anyone can say is: what a cad! But, what a charming, handsome, and completely swaggeringly seductive cad. I’d like to know who could resist him... oh, wait a minute: in real life I’d get as far away from this monster as possible, no fooling. But, God, what movie magic this whole mess makes. This is definitely a film where they got it completely right, including the ending. What a triumph! Paul Newman is “Hud!” ~Jean

Movie Synopsis:
A classic character study of Hud Bannon, a ruthless young rancher without a heart, who abuses and eventually alienates everyone in his “big fish in a little pond” Texas Panhandle world.

Location Site: Claude, Texas
Most of Hud was filmed in and around the tiny town of Claude. The sleepy Texas Panhandle town was the perfect backdrop in which to tell the common, yet tragic, story of the Bannon family. This movie, which was beautfully filmed in black and white, perfectly captured the banality of the humdrum, dead-end feeling of a small Texas town and the personal dramas of its inhabitants in the early 1960s. More...

See the entire feature about Hud in Movie Locations of the Great Southwest on Taos Unlimited

Movie Locations of the Great Southwest: Part 1 in a Series

The Last Picture Show (1971)

 

This movie is perfect for January discussion and viewing. It’s set in such a bleak, dead-of-winter reality, you can almost feel the chill as you watch it. That’s why I chose The Last Picture Show as the first in our series of excerpts from Movie Locations of the Great Southwest.

My thoughts on the movie:
Since the first time I saw this movie (in the theater, like you had to back then), it has been one of my all-time favorites. With the brillance found in all Larry McMurtry stories, it captures the isolated, small Texas town of the 1950s to a T. And the cast is unbelievable! Just to see the first on-screen and almost-first on-screen performances of Cybill Shephard and Jeff Bridges is worth the price of admission, but here we have so much more! The stories of the characters are sad, funny, pathetic, charming, and depressing... and it makes for a really good movie experience. Today, some people may not get the depth of this film and the reason it is so amazingly good, but at the time, the critics and industry folk got it and awarded it accordingly.

I almost drove down to Archer City to witness some of the filming of The Last Picture Show, but decided to use my gas money for another road trip. I’ve regretted that decision for a long, long time. I think it could have been one of the best experiences of my life, but I was young (only 20 years old) at the time, and other adventures were calling me. But, oh, to have seen Archer City! ~Jean

Movie Synopsis:
A group of 1950s high schoolers come of age in a bleak, isolated, atrophied West Texas town that has been slowly dying, both economically and culturally, along with its older generation of cynical, hardened, and hopeless townsfolk.

Location Site: Royal Theater, Archer City, Texas
The Royal Theater is the iconic image most connected to The Last Picture Show. It is located at 116 S. Sycamore Street in Archer City. When filming began, the theater itself had already fallen into great disrepair, and only the outside facade was used in the movie. The production crews for The Last Picture Show (and its sequel, Texasville) spent considerable money and effort to prop the building up for filming purposes. But, ironically, the inside shots that were supposed to be the Royal Theater were filmed at a then still-active theater in nearby Olney, Texas. More...

See the entire feature about The Last Picture Show in Movie Locations of the Great Southwest on Taos Unlimited

Movie Locations of the Great Southwest!

I have always loved the movies. I was raised up on the local Saturday double feature and late night TV classics. Movies are simply a part of my life. And that begins to explain this Special Feature: Movie Locations of the Great Southwest. But it goes much deeper than that.

In the early 1990s, “Movie Locations” began as a book project, but my agent and I could never seem to get if off the ground. I brought the manuscript with me when I moved to Santa Fe, because I was still working on it, but not too long after that my agent retired, and I got caught up in a myriad of other things. So, into the trusty file cabinet it went.

Last winter, I talked with Aimee about putting the project online... and here it is! Movie Locations of the Great Southwest: An Online Book by Jean. Bigger and better than it ever could, or would, have been as a printed book, this Special Feature now available on the Taos Unlimited and Santa Fe Unlimited websites, will eventually encompass over 150 movies (from the 1950s through the 2000s) and their unique Southwestern locations.

I consider myself somewhat of an expert on the movies of the 1950s and 1960s, and I have a massive amount of film info in my brain about films of the 1970s and 1980s, as well. I called upon Aimee to assist me with the later decades (1990s and 2000s), because that is her major area of expertise in regard to film. When Aimee has provided information on a particular movie/location, she will be credited for her contribution.

Well, I guess that’s it. Movie Locations of the Great Southwest has truly been a labor of love. I hope you enjoy exploring it as much as I did creating it. Now... on the to movies! ~Jean

Movie Locations of the Great Southwest!

Upcoming Section on Taos Unlimited

We’ve got some great upcoming features that we’ll be debuting this year on the Taos Unlimited website. It's definitely going to be an exciting year of expansion!

One feature that I am working on right now is “Movie Locations of the Great Southwest!” It’s a whole new feature in The Wild West section that will provide information about dozens of scenic areas in the Southwest where movies were filmed from the 1950s through the 2000s. I hope to launch this very large project sometime this summer. ~Jean