In 1971 the film "The Last Picture Show" became an instant classic. It's based on the book by Larry McMurtry and tells the story of a withering small Texas town in 1951.
The film was shot in McMurtry's small hometown of Archer City — which was fitting given the autobiographical nature of the book and into the future. It was where McMurtry opened his legendary bookstore.
McMurtry’s take on rural Texas redefined the popular view of the state and the western. And made him one of the most celebrated writers of the twentieth century.
When he died in 2021, McMurtry had published forty books, won a Pulitzer for "Lonesome Dove" and an Oscar for his cowritten adaptation of Brokeback Mountain.
David Streitfeld has written a biography of his friend McMurtry – “Western Star: The Life and Legends of Larry McMurtry.”
