Do you remember the 1989 miniseries, Lonesome Dove? It was immensely popular at the time, drawing over 26 million viewers. Nominated for 18 Emmys, it won 7.
My son became interested in the Lonesome Dove series of books after watching a recent western series called The English, an extremely dark tale where virtually everyone turned out to be evil. He did a bit of research that suggested the Lonesome Dove books give a remarkably accurate account of western life. I had never read the books, although I bought the fourth and final book in the series at Costco, many years ago. We both commenced a western adventure.
I became enthralled with the exploits of Gus and Call, basically not putting down the lengthy novels until I finished. In the books, Gus is a tall man from Tennessee while the serious Call is the shorter of the pair. In the miniseries, Gus is played by Robert Duvall and Call is played by Tommy Lee Jones who is five inches taller. Despite this deviation, Gus and Call will always have the faces of those two actors, to me.
Although the entire book series was made into TV programs, I’m not able to find the original Lonesome Dove miniseries available now, although there have been re-releases. I might have to shell out some money to watch that again. There’s even a Return to Lonesome Dove that has nothing whatever to do with the plot of the books.
I was surprised to learn Lonesome Dove didn’t start out as a novel but as a screenplay written by Larry McMurtry and Peter Bogdanovich. Their intention was to have John Wayne play Call, James Stewart play Gus and Henry Fonda as the character Jake Spoon. John Ford actually dissuaded Wayne from accepting the role and the project fell apart. This led to McMurtry writing his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about aging, death, friendship and unrequited love in the old west.
The plot of the book series revolves around the struggle between the Texas Rangers and the Comanche Indians from the early 1840s through the early 1890s. It’s easy to understand both positions. The Rangers sought to protect the settlers, who came against staggering odds to make a new home and find prosperity. The Comanches used terror tactics to drive the newcomers away. The harsh realities of those times are the reason why my novels are set in the 1890s and later!
I’m always a bit stunned when groups proclaim Indians have a right to the land because they were here first. Are these people actually saying Europeans should have gone home and left the New World alone? How long would this have lasted? Are they saying the Americas would still remain as they were in the 1400s, unsettled, untouched? I don’t think this is a logical or practical position. It’s not that I don’t regret the atrocities performed by both sides, there’s just no stopping progress. This is an issue we still face today, except at an absolutely dizzying pace. The world has changed incredibly over my lifetime. I must admit, I’m not liking most of the changes. The implications of AI and genetic engineering alone are mind-blowing.
Yet, we have no choice but to face the future. My recommendation: find the beauty and wonder in your day and if you enjoy a great read, take up all four books in the Lonesome Dove series. I don’t see people learning much from the past, but knowledge is there if you seek it.
