The Last Picture Show
Anarene, Texas, 1951. Nothing much has changed…
Country
Budget
$1 300 000
Box office
$29 133 000
Director
Actors
Scenario
Producer
Bob Rafelson, Stephen J. Friedman, Bert Schneider
Camera operator
Composer
Artist
Audition
Ross Brown
Editing
Short description
High school seniors and best friends, Sonny and Duane, live in a dying Texas town. The handsome Duane is dating a local beauty, while Sonny is having an affair with the coach's wife. As graduation nears and both boys contemplate their futures, Duane eyes the army and Sonny takes over a local business. Each struggles to figure out if he can escape this dead-end town and build a better life somewhere else.
What's left behind the scenes
- Ellen Burstyn was initially considered for the role of Genevieve (the role eventually went to Eileen Brennan), but after meeting with director Peter Bogdanovich and screen-testing for all three female roles, Bogdanovich offered her the role of Ruth, whereas she would have preferred to play Lois. He suggested she think it over and let him know her decision the next day. They parted ways on those terms, and the following day she told him she still wanted to play Lois, and the director accepted her decision. Ruth was eventually played by Cloris Leachman.
- After choosing Archer City, Texas, as the filming location, production designer Polly Platt and director Peter Bogdanovich felt it would be better to make the overall atmosphere of the town more bleak and the city itself more gloomy and colorless. After racking their brains and discussing and discarding several options (for example, repainting the buildings a dull gray), Platt and Bogdanovich asked Orson Welles if the film should be shot on black-and-white film. He immediately replied that this was exactly how the film should be shot. Welles was a great admirer of black-and-white cinema, believing that the absence of color on screen made the acting more expressive.
- After filming a confrontation scene between Jeff Bridges and Timothy Bottoms, director and screenwriter Peter Bogdanovich nearly lost his job for failing to shoot a so-called master shot (a scene filmed from beginning to end, usually in a wide shot, so that all involved characters are in view). A producer intervened on his behalf.
- In 2007, the American Film Institute ranked "The Last Picture Show" 95th in its list of the Greatest Films of All Time. This was the first time the film appeared on this list.
- Ben Johnson received an “Oscar” in the “Best Supporting Actor” category. This was the “Oscar” awarded for the shortest screen time – 9 minutes and 54 seconds.
- The final scene in the film with Cloris Leachman was shot in one take without any rehearsals beforehand. She initially mentioned rehearsals, but Peter Bogdanovich decided that rehearsals would only ruin it. After shooting the scene, the actress told Bogdanovich that she was ready for a second take, in which she would play it better. He replied that she couldn't play it better, and that she had just won an “Oscar.” Bogdanovich’s intuition did not fail him; Leachman actually received an “Oscar” in the “Best Supporting Actress” category.
- Peter Bogdanovich halted filming due to the death of his father. When he returned to the set, he began filming with the funeral scene for Sam “Lion.”
- Peter Bogdanovich interrupted filming due to the death of his father. When he returned to the set, he began filming with the scene of Sam "Gator's" funeral.
- All the music in the film (except for that heard in the credits and performed by the band at the Christmas party) was not added during editing, but sounds during filming from the radio, jukeboxes, and home record players.
- Having chosen Archer City, Texas, as the filming location, the film's artist Polly Platt and director Peter Bogdanovich considered how to make the town's overall atmosphere more desolate and the town itself more gloomy and colorless. After some deliberation and discussing and discarding several options (such as repainting the buildings a faded gray), Platt and Bogdanovich asked Orson Welles if the film should be shot in black and white. He immediately replied that this was exactly how the film should be made. Welles was a big fan of black and white cinema, believing that the absence of color on screen made the actors' performances more expressive.
- The film is based on the novel of the same name by Larry McMurtry.
- Ellen Burstyn was initially considered for the role of Genevieve (which ultimately went to Eileen Brennan), but when she met with director Peter Bogdanovich and auditioned for the roles of all three heroines, Bogdanovich offered her the role of Ruth, while she herself would have preferred to play Lois. He suggested she think it over carefully and let him know her decision the next day. They parted ways on that note, and the next day she said she still wanted to play Lois, and the director accepted her decision. Ruth was eventually played by Cloris Leachman.
- Ben Johnson won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. This is the Oscar awarded for the shortest screen time: 9 minutes and 54 seconds.
- The movie the characters watch during their 'final screening' is Howard Hawks' western 'Red River'. At the beginning of the film, however, they watch Vincente Minnelli's comedy 'Father of the Bride'.
- After filming the clash between the characters played by Jeff Bridges and Timothy Bottoms, director and screenwriter Peter Bogdanovich was nearly fired for failing to shoot a so-called master shot (a scene filmed from start to finish, typically in a wide shot, so that all involved characters remain within the field of view). The producer stepped in to defend him.
- The film that the heroes watch during the "last screening" is the Western "Red River" by Howard Hawks. At the beginning of the film, they watch the comedy "Father of the Bride" by Vincente Minnelli.
- Sybille Shepard agreed to work with Peter Bogdanovich on the condition that she could opt out of any nude scenes. She eventually decided not to waive the nudity only after speaking with the other actresses in the film (Cloris Leachman, Ellen Burstyn, and Eileen Brennan), who unanimously stated that, in their opinion, she should perform in those scenes.
- Sybill Shepherd agreed to star in Peter Bogdanovich's film on the condition that she could refuse to participate in the "nudity." She did not refuse the "nudity" after talking to other actresses involved in the film (Cloris Leachman, Ellen Burstyn, Eileen Brennan), who unanimously stated that, in their opinion, she should play in those scenes.
- The full version of the film has a runtime of 126 minutes.
- The final scene in the film featuring Cloris Leachman was shot in a single take without any prior rehearsals. She had mentioned rehearsals, but Peter Bogdanovich decided that they would only spoil everything. After the scene was filmed, the actress told Bogdanovich that she was ready for a second take in which she would perform better. He replied that she couldn't possibly do better and that she had just won an Oscar. Bogdanovich's intuition proved correct; Leachman indeed won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
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