Ranging Across Texas

[Asithappens 974]

Nice article by Geoff Dyer in the TLS.

https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/geoff-dyer-lonesome-dove-essay/

 

 

[Message Board User 12397]

5 minutes ago, Asithappens said:

Nice article by Geoff Dyer in the TLS.

https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/geoff-dyer-lonesome-dove-essay/

 

 

Loved the book and the network miniseries (the young'ns here don't have any clue what a network miniseries is).

[Armybrat 41001]

LD is in the top 5 finest western moviies ever made. 
With my bias showing, I’d vote it #1.
Gus & Blue Duck were my favorite characters.

 

[Message Board User 12397]

12 minutes ago, Armybrat said:

LD is in the top 5 finest western moviies ever made. 
With my bias showing, I’d vote it #1.
Gus & Blue Duck were my favorite characters.

 

And not a chance Lonesome Dove is made in 2020.

[Willfully Horn 8091]

Cast a cold eye on life, on death.

Take pride in all that is Texas.

 

 

[Judge Roybeanbag 11825]

9 minutes ago, Message Board User said:

And not a chance Lonesome Dove is made in 2020.

Nothing is getting made in 2020, except obituaries of people and the American political landscape.  

[FORTY NINE TO ZERO 2647]

21 minutes ago, Message Board User said:

And not a chance Lonesome Dove is made in 2020.

I’m actually sort of surprised hbo or Netflix hasn’t tried. 
 

then I remembered where we are in society (which isn’t necessary a bad thing)

[atomheartbevo 90056]

37 minutes ago, Message Board User said:

And not a chance Lonesome Dove is made in 2020.

Not on a broadcast network these days.  At the time they made it, period mini-series were kind of a huge thing for the broadcast networks - Shogun, Thorn Birds, War and Remembrance, The Winds of War, The Blue and the Gray (which blew my mind at the time).  But then they found out reality shows and sitcoms made for a more profitable venture.

But for a while, we got some pretty amazing stuff for those of us who didn't yet have access to cable TV.

These days, it would get made on a cable channel - AMC or HBO probably.

[atomheartbevo 90056]

21 minutes ago, Xian said:

I’m actually sort of surprised hbo or Netflix hasn’t tried. 
then I remembered where we are in society (which isn’t necessary a bad thing)

Gotta be gory violence, swearing, and tits.

Deadwood, Hell on Wheels, etc.

[Message Board User 12397]

1 minute ago, atomheartbevo said:

Not on a broadcast network these days.  At the time they made it, period mini-series were kind of a huge thing for the broadcast networks - Shogun, Thorn Birds, War and Remembrance, The Winds of War, The Blue and the Gray (which blew my mind at the time).  But then they found out reality shows and sitcoms made for a more profitable venture.

But for a while, we got some pretty amazing stuff for those of us who didn't yet have access to cable TV.

These days, it would get made on a cable channel - AMC or HBO probably.

Didn't really mean in the sense it won't get made on a network.

Rather, I meant that it would never get made because of cultural sensitivities (ie., main bad guy is Native American savage and the heroes are Texas Rangers, an organization some are calling racist).  Maybe in a remake they could add an trans person of color to the cattle drive or a woman in a position of power over Call and Gus.

[atomheartbevo 90056]

22 minutes ago, Message Board User said:

Didn't really mean in the sense it won't get made on a network.

Rather, I meant that it would never get made because of cultural sensitivities (ie., main bad guy is Native American savage and the heroes are Texas Rangers, an organization some are calling racist).  Maybe in a remake they could add an trans person of color to the cattle drive or a woman in a position of power over Call and Gus.

Thank you for your hot take.  You should probably avoid Hell on Wheels.  The protagonist is a former Confederate soldier.

[Message Board User 12397]

2 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

Thank you for your hot take.  You should probably avoid Hell on Wheels.  The protagonist is a former Confederate soldier.

Watched that show too (RIP Norwegian Swede).  

[Judge Roybeanbag 11825]

18 minutes ago, Message Board User said:

Watched that show too (RIP Norwegian Swede).  

You should watch Roots.  Blow your mind.

[MaybeACoordinator 8350]

2 hours ago, Message Board User said:

Didn't really mean in the sense it won't get made on a network.

Rather, I meant that it would never get made because of cultural sensitivities (ie., main bad guy is Native American savage and the heroes are Texas Rangers, an organization some are calling racist).  Maybe in a remake they could add an trans person of color to the cattle drive or a woman in a position of power over Call and Gus.

Clara was in a position of power over Gus...Lorie darling was in a position of power over most of the cowboys...Peach was in a position of power over Roscoe and July, and July's wife was also in a position of power over July.

The Principle of Undefeatedism is rampant in LD. 

[atomheartbevo 90056]

If you like cattle drive/Texas mini-series, there's a few hours in the 21-hour mini-series "Centennial" devoted to that, and the episode is "The Longhorns".  Dennis Weaver was the trail boss, and it was really well done - they drove the cattle roughly over the Goodnight–Loving Trail/Llano Estacado to Colorado.

 Probably the best adaptation of a James Michener novel, and the whole thing has an amazing cast from start to finish.  Came out the year after Roots, and like Roots, was The Major Television Event of the Season.

 I put it up there close to Lonesome Dove.  If you ask me to name my three favorite Western-centered TV mini-series, Lonesome Dove, Centennial, and The Sacketts.

Started off in the 1700s, finished in the 1980s, so you get a good feel for what armybrat went through in his earlier years.

• William Atherton
• Raymond Burr
• Barbara Carrera (gorgeous as usual)
• Richard Chamberlain
• Robert Conrad (stole all of his scenes)
• Richard Crenna
• Timothy Dalton
• Cliff De Young
• Chad Everett
• Sharon Gless
• Andy Griffith
• Merle Fuckin' Haggard
• Mark Harmon
• Gregory Harrison
• David Janssen
• Alex Karras (very underrated actor after leaving the NFL)
• Brian Keth
• Sally Kellerman
• Morgan Paull
• Donald Pleasance
• Cristina Raines (also gorgeous)
• Lynn Redgrave (gorgeous)
• Pernell Roberts
• Clint Walker
• Dennis Weaver
• Robert Vaughn
• Anthony Zerbe
• Stephanie Zimbalist (also gorgeous)

About the only person not in it was Clint Howard.  Today's Trivia: Chad Everett, Morgan Paull, and Andy Griffith passed away within 3 weeks of each other back in 2012.  

Unless you are willing to drop $14 on the DVD set (no Blu-ray no matter how much people bitch), or your local library has a copy, you are out of luck.  It has been on certain sites in the past, but that was almost a decade ago, and not many seeding, if at all.

Based on the artwork below that I came across, it apparently streamed on Starz at one point.  

Spoiler

I had this VHS set:

Spoiler

 

Edited July 19, 2020 by atomheartbevo

[Armybrat 41001]

11 hours ago, Message Board User said:

Didn't really mean in the sense it won't get made on a network.

Rather, I meant that it would never get made because of cultural sensitivities (ie., main bad guy is Native American savage and the heroes are Texas Rangers, an organization some are calling racist).  Maybe in a remake they could add an trans person of color to the cattle drive or a woman in a position of power over Call and Gus.

The Rangers could be very racist in the 19th century. Look up what they did during the Mexican War (committed at least one massacre of civilians in a cave) while attached to the US Army.