Lonesome Dove (miniseries)
| Lonesome Dove | |
|---|---|
 The 1989 film DVD cover | |
| Written by | Larry McMurtry (novel) William D. Wittliff (teleplay) |
| Directed by | Simon Wincer |
| Starring | Robert Duvall Tommy Lee Jones Danny Glover Diane Lane Anjelica Huston |
| Music by | Basil Poledouris |
| Country of origin | USA |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producers | Dyson Lovell Suzanne De Passe |
| Cinematography | Douglas Milsome |
| Running time | 384 min. |
| Original release | |
| Release | February 5, 1989 |
Lonesome Dove is a Western television miniseries based on Larry McMurtry's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name. Starring Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones, Lonesome Dove was originally broadcast by CBS on February 5, 1989, drawing a huge viewing audience, earning numerous awards, and reviving both the television western and the miniseries.
An estimated 26,000,000 homes tuned in to watch Lonesome Dove, unusually high numbers for a Western at that time. The western genre was considered dead by most people, as was the miniseries. By the show's end, it had earned huge ratings and virtually revamped the entire 1989–1990 television season. A favorite with audiences, as well as critics, Lonesome Dove garnered many honors and awards. At the 1989 Emmy Awards, the miniseries had 18 nominations and seven wins, including one for director Simon Wincer. Another miniseries of significantly lower TV ratings and less critical acclaim, War and Remembrance, won the Emmy for Outstanding Miniseries. Yet, Lonesome Dove found success later, when it won two Golden Globes, for Best Miniseries and Best Actor in a Miniseries (Robert Duvall).
The film was deemed Program of the Year by the National Television Critics Association, as well as Outstanding Dramatic Achievement. It received the D.W. Griffith Award for Best Television Miniseries, and CBS was presented with a Peabody Award for Outstanding Achievement in Drama. In a 2003 TRIO Network Special, TRIO ranked Lonesome Dove third in a list of ten outstanding miniseries, beginning from the time the format was created.[1]
Plot
Captain Augustus "Gus" McCrae (Robert Duvall) and Captain Woodrow F. Call (Tommy Lee Jones), two famous former Texas Rangers, run a livery in the small dusty Texas border town of Lonesome Dove. Gus loves women, but he's twice a widower, and Call is somewhat of a workaholic. Working with them are Joshua Deets (Danny Glover), a black tracker and scout from their Ranger days, Pea Eye Parker, another former Ranger who works hard but isn't very bright, and Bolivar, a retired Mexican bandit who is their cook. Also living with them is Newt Dobbs (Ricky Schroder), a 17-year-old whose mother was a prostitute named Maggie and whose father may be Call.
Part I - Leaving
The story begins in the small Texas town of Lonesome Dove, as Jake Spoon (Robert Urich), a former Texas Ranger and comrade of Gus and Call's, shows up after an absence of more than ten years. He reveals that he is a man on the run, a fugitive, after having accidentally shot the dentist and mayor of Fort Smith, Arkansas in a bar-room gunfight. The dentist/mayor's brother-in-law happens to be the sheriff, July Johnson (Chris Cooper).
Reunited with Gus and Call, Jake's glowing description of Montana inspires Call to gather a herd of cattle and drive them there, attracted by the notion of settling pristine country. Gus is less enthusiastic, pointing out that they are getting old and that they are Rangers and traders, not cowboys. But he changes his mind when he realises Lonesome Dove has little left to offer him by way of excitement, now that much of the land has been 'civilized'.
At the continued insistence of the dentist's widow, Sheriff Johnson sets off in pursuit of Spoon, accompanied by his young step-son, who travels at Elmira's (the wife of Sheriff Johnson) insistence. Ogallala, Nebraska also happens to be the destination of the pregnant Elmira - and with her new husband gone, she runs away upriver to meet up with her true love, Dee Boot. En route upstream, she soon falls in with a rough gang of buffalo hunters.
Meanwhile, the men make preparations for their adventure north, including stealing 2,500 horses and cattle from across the Rio Grande in Mexico, befriending two Irish immigrants, and being joined by nearly all of the male citizens of Lonesome Dove. Before leaving, Gus returns for his livery yard sign and to farewell his pigs, who end up following him anyway. Jake decides not to travel with the herd, mainly because he promises to take the town's only prostitute, Lorie (Diane Lane), to San Francisco via Denver. Some time later the group survive a huge dust-storm, but one of the Irish is bitten by water moccasins while crossing the Nueces River.
Part II - On the Trail
The young Irishman soon succumbs to his numerous snakebites, dies, and is buried. While travelling through a forest in east Texas, Roscoe, Sheriff Johnson's deputy, is joined by a young girl fleeing from an old abusive "owner". As they travel together they are in the process of being robbed, when luckily Sheriff Johnson happens to catch up with them. Meanwhile, Johnson's wife Elmira arrives by boat at Bent's Fort, Colorado, and sets off overland across the Kansas Plains with two hunters she has befriended.
Meanwhile, the camp's cook refuses to continue, and Gus and Call head into San Antonio in search of a new cook. On the way back they catch up with Lorie, who Jake has abandoned in order to go gambling in Austin. Before he returns, Gus and Lorie encounter Blue Duck, a notorious bandit with a deep grudge against Gus and Call. Blue Duck knocks Newt unconscious, kidnaps Lorie, and attempts to sell/barter her to a gang of Comanchero bandits camped near a place called Llano Estacado.
Knowing that Gus is in pursuit, Blue Duck asks the Comanchero bandit gang to kill Gus when he arrives - the reward of doing so being Lorie. Gus and the bandits engage in a brief gun battle that quickly turns into a stalemate. Gus, having killed his horse, is pinned down by the bandits' gunfire until nightfall, when Sheriff Johnson's party arrives and scares them off. Sheriff Johnson, despite Gus' protests, agrees to help Gus rescue Lorie, and they ride to a hilltop above the bandit camp to kill the Comancheros. While Gus and Johnson are away, Blue Duck slips in and knifes the remainder of Sheriff Johnson's party (stepson Joe, deputy Roscoe, and Jamie), steals their horses, and escapes.
After a brief one-sided gunfight, Gus and Lorie, now reunited, ride north to rejoin Call and the herd, leaving Sheriff Johnson alone to bury his dead companions. Lorie, clearly traumatized by her capture, assault and ordeal, now regards Gus as her primary protector. Meanwhile, in a saloon in Fort Worth, and oblivious of Lorie's ordeal, Jake Spoon falls in with a gang of rough-riders.
Part III - The Plains
As they ride through the bush, Spoon and the robbers come across a group of horse wranglers. They shoot most of the wranglers and steal the horses. They then travel to a sodbuster's farm, two of whom the leader kills, hangs, and burns for no apparent reason. Although Spoon disagrees, the gang leader bullies Spoon into submission. When one of the dying wranglers is rescued by the cowboys, Call leads a posse to search for the thieves. Gus and Call quickly capture the robbers and prepare to hang them. With his last words, Jake Spoon admits that it is better to be hanged by his friends than by strangers.
By chance, Elmira and the buffalo hunters arrive at the home of Gus' old sweetheart, Clara, near the Platte River in Nebraska. Elmira gives birth to a son, but abandons the child with Clara and goes to Ogallala in search of Dee Boot. She finds Dee Boot in jail, where he is shortly hanged for a murder. Two weeks later, Sheriff Johnson also meets Clara, his son, and Elmira. That night, Elmira secretly departs east for St. Louis with the buffalo hunters, but they are soon killed by the Sioux. Sheriff Johnson returns to Clara's house and is offered a job. Clara, having lost three sons of her own is quite fond of Johnson's newborn son, and names him Martin.
Gus and Call's cattle drive also arrives at Ogallala, where they relax and enjoy the town. Some US soldiers attempt to commandeer the group's horses, and beat Newt when he resists, making Call enter a murderous rage. In the aftermath, Newt learns that Call is his father. Clara, although happy to see Gus, and with her husband gravely ill, makes it clear that she will not marry Gus. Instead, she invites Gus to settle and ranch on a piece of nearby property. Further, she invites Lorie to remain with Clara and her daughters, and Gus promises he will return one day to them.
Continuing their journey, Gus and Call lead their cattle drive north through the badlands of Wyoming and into Montana Territory. Impoverished Indians soon steal a dozen of their horses for food. Gus, Call, and Deets ride after the horse thieves to retrieve the horses. Call frightens the Indians with a gunshot, and Deets takes pity on a blind Indian child and goes to assist him. Another Indian mistakes his intentions and impales him with a spear. Deets is mortally wounded and dies in Gus's and Call's arms a few moments later.
Part IV - Return
Deets is buried, then the party continues on across the Powder River, Montana Territory. Meanwhile, Clara's husband finally dies and is buried as well. Leaving the main group to scout ahead with Pea Eye Parker, Gus decides to chase some buffalo, but is chased by mounted Indians and is badly wounded in his right leg. While trying to get help, an exhausted Pea Eye is guided by the ghost of Deets, whereas Gus is found by a stranger and taken 40 miles away to Miles City, Montana.
There a doctor amputates Gus' right leg. Gus knows that his left leg is septic and he is likely to die, but refuses to let the doctor remove it. Gus tells Call (who has come in search of him) to give his money to Lorie, to bury him in Texas, and to admit that Call is Newt's father. Call stores Gus' body in the town over the winter. He then leads the cattle drive to a wilderness lake where the party raises a cabin and a corral.
Call honors Gus' wish to be returned to Texas. Just before departing, he gives Newt a pocket-watch that belonged to his own father and states that Newt will run the ranch in his absence. The moment is filled with anticipation, but he is incapable of actually calling Newt his son out loud. Call soon returns to Ogallala.
Sheriff Johnson, Clara, Lorie, and the ranch hand Dish live happily together. Dish is enamored with Lorie, but she does not return his affections. When Call brings Gus' body, she stays and mourns by the coffin all night long. Clara asks Call to bury Gus at her home, but Call declines. Clara then berates Call for the bad effect he and Gus had on each other, blaming their adventures as the reason neither of them could find happiness.
After a long journey, Call arrives at Santa Rosa, New Mexico Territory, the town where Blue Duck has finally been captured. Call visits Blue Duck in jail, where Blue Duck mocks Call's failure to capture him. While being led to the gallows, Blue Duck grabs a deputy and throws himself out a window, choosing a murder-suicide rather than allow himself to be hanged.
Despite blizzards, a broken wagon, and the loss of the coffin, Call finally succeeds in burying Gus after a journey of some three thousand miles. Call weeps for his friend after burying him, the first display of emotion he has allowed himself since Deets' death. After the burial, Call tours Lonesome Dove and discovers that the saloon owner who once employed Lorie was so heartbroken by her departure that he burned down the saloon and killed himself. As Call walks out of town, a reporter recognizes him and tries to interview him about his remarkable feats. Call ignores the reporter's questions, aside from ironically agreeing with him that he was a man of vision, then walks away as the sun sets on Lonesome Dove.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Robert Duvall | Captain Augustus "Gus" McCrae |
| Tommy Lee Jones | Captain Woodrow F. Call |
| Danny Glover | Joshua Deets |
| Diane Lane | Lorena Wood |
| Robert Urich | Jake Spoon |
| Frederic Forrest | Blue Duck |
| D. B. Sweeney | Dishwater "Dish" Boggett |
| Ricky Schroder | Newt Dobbs |
| Anjelica Huston | Clara Allen |
| Chris Cooper | July Johnson |
| Tim Scott | Pea Eye Parker |
| Glenne Headly | Elmira Johnson |
| Barry Corbin | Roscoe Brown |
| William Sanderson | Lippy Jones |
| Barry Tubb | Jasper Fant |
| Gavin O'Herlihy | Dan Suggs |
| Steve Buscemi | Luke |
| Frederick Coffin | Big Zwey |
| Travis Swords | Allan O'Brien |
| Kevin O'Morrison | Doctor |
| Ron Weyand | Old Hugh |
Helena Humann Peach Johnson
Episodes
1. Leaving (first aired Sunday 5 February 1989)
2. On the Trail (aired Monday 6 February 1989)
3. The Plains (aired Tuesday 7 February 1989)
4. Return (aired Wednesday 8 February 1989)
Production
The series was shot in New Mexico and Texas. Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Duvall did their own stunts in the film, except for one brief scene that required Duvall to ride in the center of a herd of bison.[2]
Reception
Lonesome Dove received an overwhelmingly positive reception with critics and audience alike. It is currently one of the few films on Rotten Tomatoes to carry the rare, perfect 100% rating.
The New York Times comments that:[3]
:This six-hour miniseries, based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Larry McMurtry, revitalized both the miniseries and Western genres, both of which had been considered dead for several years. Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones star as fun-loving Gus MacRae and taciturn Woodrow Call, respectively, a pair of longtime friends and former Texas Rangers who crave one last adventure before they bow to their advancing years. Convinced that animals will thrive on the lush grasslands of Montana, Woodrow persuades Gus to undertake the arduous, 3,000-mile cattle drive there. ... Storms, hostile natives, poisonous snakes, and rustlers take their toll on the company before Montana is reached in an adventure that is equal parts Greek tragedy and classic, John Ford-style oater. Originally developed in the 1970s as a script by McMurtry for director Peter Bogdanovich and stars Henry Fonda, John Wayne, and James Stewart, Lonesome Dove earned 18 Emmy nominations and inspired a pair of miniseries sequel as well as two attempts at an ongoing television series.
Awards
Lonesome Dove was nominated for 18 Emmy Awards, winning seven.[4]
| Category | Won | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| Outstanding Achievement in Casting for a Miniseries or a Special |  |
Lynn Kressel |
| Outstanding Achievement in Makeup for a Miniseries or a Special | |
Manlio Rocchetti (makeup supervisor), Carla Palmer (makeup artist), and Jean Ann Black (makeup artist) For Part 4 ("The Return") |
| Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Miniseries or a Special (Dramatic Underscore) | |
Basil Poledouris (composer) For Part 4 ("The Return") |
| Outstanding Costume Design for a Miniseries or a Special | |
Van Broughton Ramsey For Part 2 ("On the Trail") |
| Outstanding Directing in a Miniseries or a Special | |
Simon Wincer (director) For Part 1 ("Leaving") and Part 4 ("The Return") |
| Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries or a Special | |
Dave McMoyler (supervising sound editor); Joseph Melody (co-supervising editor); Mark Steele, Richard S. Steele, Michael J. Wright, Gary Macheel, Stephen Grubbs, Mark Friedgen, Charles R. Beith Jr., Scott A. Tinsley, Karla Caldwell, George B. Bell, and G. Michael Graham (sound editors); Kristi Johns (supervising adr editor); Tom Villano (supervising music editor); and Jamie Forester (supervising music editor) For Part 3 ("The Plains") |
| Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Special | |
Donald F. Johnson (sound mixer), James L. Aicholtz (dialogue mixer), Michael Herbick (music mixer), and Kevin O'Connell (sound effects mixer) For Part 4 ("The Return") |
| Outstanding Achievement in Hairstyling for a Miniseries or a Special | Philip Leto (hairstylist) and Manlio Rocchetti (hair supervisor) For Part 2 ("On the Trail") | |
| Outstanding Art Direction for a Miniseries or a Special | Cary White (production designer) and Michael J. Sullivan (set decorator) For Part 4 ("The Return") | |
| Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or a Special | Douglas Milsome (director of photography) For Part 4 ("The Return") | |
| Outstanding Editing for a Miniseries or a Special - Single Camera Production | Corky Ehlers (editor) For Part 3 ("The Plains") | |
| Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Special | Robert Duvall For Part 2 ("On the Trail") | |
| Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Special | Tommy Lee Jones For Part 4 ("The Return") | |
| Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special | Anjelica Huston For Part 3 ("The Plains") | |
| Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special | Diane Lane For Part 3 ("The Plains") and Part 4 ("The Return") | |
| Outstanding Miniseries | Suzanne de Passe (executive producer), Bill Wyttliff (executive producer), Robert Halmi Jr. (co-executive producer), Dyson Lovell (producer), and Michael Weisbarth (supervising producer) | |
| Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Special | Danny Glover For Part 1 ("Leaving"), Part 2 ("On the Trail"), and Part 3 ("The Plains") | |
| Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Special | Glenne Headly For Part 1 ("Leaving"), Part 2 ("On the Trail"), and Part 3 ("The Plains") | |
| Outstanding Writing in a Miniseries or a Special | Bill Wyttliff (teleplay) For Part 1 ("Leaving") and Part 4 ("The Return") |
| Category | Won | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV | |
|
| Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV | |
Robert Duvall |
| Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV | Tommy Lee Jones | |
| Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV | Anjelica Huston |
| Awards | Category | Won | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Cinema Editors (1990) | Best Edited Episode from a Television Mini-Series | Corky Ehlers For Part 3 ("The Plains") | |
| BMI Film & TV Awards (1990) | |
Basil Poledouris | |
| Casting Society of America (1989) | Best Casting for TV Miniseries | |
Lynn Kressel |
| Directors Guild of America (1990) | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Specials | Simon Wincer | |
| TV Land Awards (2007) | Miniseries You Didn't Miss a Moment Of | ||
| Television Critics Association Awards (1989) | Outstanding Achievement in Drama | |
|
| Television Critics Association Awards (1989) | Program of the Year | |
|
| Western Heritage Awards (1990) | Television Feature Film | |
William D. Wittliff (writer/executive producer), Suzanne de Passe (executive producer), Robert Duvall (star), Tommy Lee Jones (star), and Anjelica Huston (star) |
| Writers Guild of America Awards (1990) | Adapted Long Form | |
William D. Wittliff For Part 1 ("Leaving") |
DVD & Blu-ray
Lonesome Dove, Return to Lonesome Dove, Streets of Laredo and Dead Man's Walk are all available on DVD in the United Kingdom (distributed by Acorn Media UK) and the United States. Both seasons of the TV series have also been released in the U.S.
Lonesome Dove was filmed in a soft matte 1.78:1 (16:9) aspect ratio, allowing it to be cropped from the 4:3 negative. It was then released on Blu-ray Disc on August 5, 2008 just months before the film's 20th anniversary.
References
- ^ http://www.medialifemagazine.com/news2005/jun05/june27/3_wed/news3wednesday.html
- ^ Dave Davies (July 22, 2010). "Robert Duvall: From 'The Godfather' To 'Get Low'". Fresh Air. NPR. Retrieved August 2, 2010.
- ^ The New York Times http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/29911/Lonesome-Dove/overview.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Awards Listing for Lonesome Dove (1989)". Internet Movie Database (IMDB). Retrieved 16 August 2009.
Further reading
- A Book of Photographs from Lonesome Dove, by Bill Wittliff. Foreword by Larry McMurtry. The University of Texas Press, 2007. 188 pp., 112 color photos. ISBN 978-0-292-71311-6 . Publishers info page for the book
