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The Last Picture Show

1971 film by Peter Bogdanovich

The Last Picture Show is a 1971 film about the coming of age of two young men in west Texas in the early 1950s.

Directed by Peter Bogdanovich. Written by Larry McMurtry and Peter Bogdanovich, based on McMurtry's novel.
Anarene, Texas, 1951. Nothing much has changed...

Ruth Popper

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  • [to Sonny] What am I doing apologizin' to you? Why am I always apologizin' to you, ya little bastard? Three months I been apologizing to you, without you even bein' here. I haven't done anything wrong - why can't I quit apologizin'? You're the one oughta be sorry. I wouldn't still be in my bathrobe if it hadn't been for you. I'da had my clothes on hours ago. You're the one made me quit carin' if I got dressed or not. I guess just because your friend got killed you want me to forget what you did and make it all right. I'm not sorry for you. You'd've left Billy, too, just like you left me. I bet you left him plenty a nights, whenever Jacy whistled. I wouldn't treat a dog that way. I guess you thought I was so old and ugly you didn't owe me any explanation. You didn't need to be careful of me. There wasn't anythin' I could do about you and her - why should you be careful of me? You didn't love me. Look at me. Can't you even look at me? Y'see? You shouldn't have come here. I'm around that corner now. You've ruined it and it's lost completely. Just your needing me won't make it come back. [pause] Never you mind, honey, never you mind.

Genevieve

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  • One thing I know for sure - a person can't sneeze in this town without somebody offerin' him a handkerchief...it's an awful small town for any kinda carryin' on...And some people got a lotta guns.

Dialogue

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Sonny: [about his football game] Coulda been worse...
Sam: Yeah. You can say that about nearly everything, I guess.
Charlene: We've been goin' steady a year tonight.
Sonny: Yeah? Seems like a lot longer.
Charlene: You shoulda got me some anniversary present.
Sonny: You can have another stick of gum - that's all I got on me.
Genevieve: [about Charlene] She doesn't have a good disposition - what are you blue about then?
Sonny: Ain't nobody to go with in this town. Jacy's the only pretty girl in school and Duane's got her.
Genevieve: I'd call that his tough luck...Jacy'll bring him more misery than she'll ever be worth.
Lois: I'd just hate to see you marry him, that's all. You wouldn't be rich anymore, and in about two months...
Jacy: I don't care about money...
Lois: ...he'd quit flattering you.
Jacy: Not at all.
Lois: Well, you're pretty stupid then.
Jacy: Well, you married Daddy when he was poor. And he got rich, didn't he?
Lois: I scared your Daddy into gettin' rich, beautiful.
Jacy: Well, if Daddy could do it, Duane could too.
Lois: Not married to you. You're not scary enough.
Jacy: Well, you're rich and you're miserable. I sure don't want to be like you.
Lois: Not much danger of that.
Jacy: Why can't I just stay here and go to college in Wichita Falls?
Lois: Because everything is flat and empty here, and nothin' to do. Just remember, beautiful, everything gets old if you do it often enough. So if you wanna find out about monotony real quick, marry Duane.
Sam: You wouldn't believe how this country's changed. First time I seen it, there wasn't a mesquite tree on it, or a prickly pear neither. I used to own this land, you know. First time I watered a horse at this tank was - more than forty years ago. I reckon the reason why I always drag you out here is probably I'm just as sentimental as the next fella when it comes to old times. Old times. I brought a young lady swimmin' out here once, more than 20 years ago. Was after my wife had lost her mind and my boys was dead. Me and this young lady was pretty wild, I guess. In pretty deep. We used to come out here on horseback and go swimmin' without no bathing suits. One day, she wanted to swim the horses across this tank. Kind of a crazy thing to do, but we done it anyway. She bet me a silver dollar she could beat me across. She did. This old horse I was ridin' didn't want to take the water. But she was always lookin' for somethin' to do like that. Somethin' wild. I'll bet she's still got that silver dollar.
Sonny: Whatever happened to her?
Sam: Oh, she growed up. She was just a girl then, really...
Sonny: Why didn't you ever marry her after your wife died?
Sam: She was already married. Her and her husband was young and miserable with one another like so many young married folks are. I thought they'd change with some age, but it didn't turn out that way.
Sonny: Bein' married always so miserable?
Sam: No, not really. About eighty percent of the time, I guess. We oughta go to a real fishin' tank next year. Aw, too late to think about things like that too much. If she was here, I'd probably be just as crazy now as I was then in about five minutes. Ain't that ridiculous? Naw, it ain't really. 'Cause bein' crazy 'bout a woman like her's always the right thing to do. Bein' a decrepit old bag of bones - that's what's ridiculous - gettin' old.
Bobby: You a virgin?
Jacy: I guess I am.
Bobby: Too bad.
Jacy: I don't wanna be, though.
Bobby: I don't blame ya. Come see me when you're not.
Jacy: Oh Duane, hurry. What's wrong, honey?
Duane: Uh, I don't know.
Jacy: That tickles. You know I can't stand to be tickled. Well, what's the matter? Aren't you gonna do it?
Duane: I don't know what's wrong.
Jacy: What do you mean? How could anything be wrong? Just go on and do it. Oh! What's the matter with you?
Duane: I don't know. I don't know. Somethin's happened.
Jacy: Well, get off a minute, for goodness sake. You might fall and mash me. It's 'cause you and Sonny went down to Mexico. No telling what you got down there. I just hate you. I don't know why I ever went with you. Put some clothes on! You think I wanna sit around here and look at you nekkid? I might never get to not be a virgin. I think you're the meanest boy I ever saw. My mother was dead right about you. You better not tell one soul - you just pretend it was wonderful.
Jacy: [about Abilene] Oh, he's just awful, Momma. Why do you fool with him? Daddy's a nicer man than him, isn't he?
Lois: He sure is, beautiful. Your Daddy's a very nice man. I oughta been givin' Abilene hell, instead of him.
Jacy: I don't know what I'm gonna do. Bobby was the last one - I'm just gonna be an old maid.
Lois: Oh no, honey, that's just the way it goes sometimes, you know. You win a few, you lose a few.
Jacy: What do you do? Nothin's ever the way it's supposed to be at all.
Lois: You're right, come on. I wanna tell you somethin'. What I've done has not worked out too well. I think maybe we better think of somethin' else for you.
Sonny: [about Jacy] Sure, I been goin' with her, why not?
Duane: I never said I blamed you for it. I don't blame you much. I just never thought you'd do me that way. I thought we was still best friends.
Sonny: We are. What's you so mad for? I never done nothin' to you.
Duane: I guess screwin' my girl ain't nothin' to you.
Sonny: I ain't screwin' her.
Duane: The hell you ain't.
Sonny: Well, I ain't. But she's not your girl anymore, anyway.
Duane: She is my girl. I don't care if we did break up.
Jacy: You just can't believe how famous we are. We're all anybody talks about in this town now...I want us to get married...Just as soon as you want to. Don't you want to?...I bet the whole town'll be knocked for a loop if we do. They'll never forget it.
Sonny: But ain't you goin' to college?
Jacy: Oh, I don't care about that. I love you, and that's more important. You were so dear to fight for me. My folks won't like it, but we can run off.
Sonny: They'll kill us.
Jacy: Oh, no they won't.
Sonny: Kill me, anyhow.
Jacy: They'll get over it. You're workin' for Daddy now anyway, and pretty soon they'll love you just as much as I do. [they kiss] Can we?
Sonny: Sure. I just hope I can see to drive.
Jacy: Don't you worry. I can drive.
Sonny: Nothin's really been right since Sam the Lion died.
Lois: No, no it hasn't. Oh God, I get sad if I think of Sam for long. Did you know he had beautiful hands?
Sonny: I guess you liked him, didn't you? Aw, I guess everybody did.
Lois: Well, I tell you, it was different with me, Sonny. I loved him. He loved me, too.
Sonny: Are you - are you the one he used to take swimmin'? Out at the tank?
Lois: He told you about that, huh? Yeah, I was the one. I guess if it wasn't for Sam, I'd just about have missed it, whatever it is. I'd have been one of them Amity types that thinks that playin' bridge is about the best thing that life has to offer. Old Sam the Lion. Sam the Lion - you know, nobody knows where he got that name. I gave it to him. One night, well, it just came to me. He was so pleased. I was 22 years old then. Can you imagine? I'll tell you, Sonny, it's terrible to only meet one man in your whole life who knows what you're worth. Just terrible. I've looked, too. You wouldn't believe how I've looked.
Sonny: Well, now I know why Sam liked you.
Lois: Loved me.
Sonny: Loved ya, I mean.
Lois: Do you? Well, I can kinda see what he saw in you, too. Nope, I'll just go on home. Go on, get out.
Sonny: Think I can - think I can learn to drink?
Lois: You might. You'd better keep on practicing.
Miss Mosey: Nobody wants to come to shows no more. Kids got baseball in the summer, television all the time. If Sam had lived, I believe we could've kept it goin'. But I just didn't have the know-how.
Duane: Won't be much to do in town with the picture show closed.
Sonny: Yeah.

Cast

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