Thalia is an unincorporated community in Foard County in the northern part of the U.S. state of Texas. [1] In 1990, the population was 104. Its name was given to the town portrayed in a number of Larry McMurtry's novels, including his first novel, Horseman, Pass By (1961). McMurtry's "Thalia" is widely considered to be modeled on his own North Texas hometown of Archer City, about 60 miles from Thalia.
Thalia is located at 33°59′05″N99°32′16″W / 33.98472°N 99.53778°W . [1]
Thalia was founded in Hardeman County, and originally called "Paradise", but that name was rejected by the United States Postal Service, so it was renamed Thalia, meaning "blooming" or "luxuriant". The townsite was donated by William W. Pigg. A post office and school were opened in 1890. When Foard County was established in 1891, Thalia was located within the borders of the new county. Thalia was incorporated in 1926 with a population of 50. A high school was opened in 1930.
Thalia's economy benefited from the Texas oil boom of the 1920s, but later suffered from drought, the Great Depression, and a drop in oil production. The high school shut down in 1943, and the post office was closed by 1960. The population was recorded as 104 in 1980, down from 180 in 1950. In 1990, the population was again recorded as 104.
In addition to Horseman, Pass By, Larry McMurtry's novels Leaving Cheyenne (1963), The Last Picture Show (1966), Texasville (1987), Duane's Depressed (1999), and When the Light Goes (2007) are set in or around "Thalia". Hud , the film adaptation of Horseman, Pass By, was relocated from North Texas to the Texas Panhandle. The film adaptations of The Last Picture Show and Texasville take place in fictional Anarene, Texas.
The Last Picture Show is a 1971 American coming-of-age drama film directed and co-written by Peter Bogdanovich, adapted from the semi-autobiographical 1966 novel of the same name by Larry McMurtry. The film's ensemble cast includes Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Ellen Burstyn, Ben Johnson, Cloris Leachman, and Cybill Shepherd. Set in a small town in northern Texas from November 1951 to October 1952, it is a story of two high school seniors and long-time friends, Sonny Crawford (Bottoms) and Duane Jackson (Bridges).
Knox County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 3,353. Its county seat is Benjamin. The county was created in 1858 and later organized in 1886. It is named for Henry Knox, an American Revolutionary War general.
Foard County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,095. Its county seat is Crowell, which is also the county's only incorporated community. The county is named for Robert Levi Foard, an attorney who served as a major with the Confederate Army, in the American Civil War.
Baylor County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 3,465. Its county seat is Seymour.
Iredell is a city in Bosque County, Texas, United States. The population was 305 at the 2020 census.
Lonesome Dove is a 1985 Western novel by American writer Larry McMurtry. It is the first published book of the Lonesome Dove series and the third installment in the series chronologically. It was a bestseller and won the 1986 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. In 1989, it was adapted as a TV miniseries starring Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Duvall, which won both critical and popular acclaim. McMurtry went on to write a sequel, Streets of Laredo (1993), and two prequels, Dead Man's Walk (1995) and Comanche Moon (1997), all of which were also adapted as TV series.
Larry Jeff McMurtry was an American novelist, essayist, and screenwriter whose work was predominantly set in either the Old West or contemporary Texas. His novels included Horseman, Pass By (1962), The Last Picture Show (1966), and Terms of Endearment (1975), which were adapted into films. Films adapted from McMurtry's works earned 34 Oscar nominations. He was also a prominent book collector and bookseller.
Timothy James Bottoms is an American actor and film producer. He is best known for playing the lead in Johnny Got His Gun (1971); Sonny Crawford in The Last Picture Show (1971), where he and his fellow co-stars, Cybill Shepherd and Jeff Bridges, rose to fame; and as James Hart, the first-year law student who battles with Prof. Kingsfield, in the film adaptation The Paper Chase (1973). He is also known for playing the main antagonist in the disaster film Rollercoaster (1977) and for playing President George W. Bush multiple times, including on the sitcom That's My Bush!, the comedy film The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course and the docudrama DC 9/11: Time of Crisis.
Lovin' Molly is a 1974 American drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Anthony Perkins, Beau Bridges, Blythe Danner in the title role, Ed Binns, and Susan Sarandon. The film is based on one of Larry McMurtry's first novels, Leaving Cheyenne (1963). Prior to release, the film was also known as Molly, Gid, and Johnny and The Wild and The Sweet.
Thomas Francis McGuane III is an American writer. His work includes ten novels, short fiction and screenplays, as well as three collections of essays devoted to his life in the outdoors. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the National Cutting Horse Association Members Hall of Fame and the Fly Fishing Hall of Fame. McGuane's papers, manuscripts, and correspondence are located in the Montana State University Archives and Special Collections and are available for research use. In 2023, he was given the first Award for Excellence in Service to the MSU Library for the advancement of scholarship and access to unique materials.
Horseman, Pass By is a 1961 Western novel by American writer Larry McMurtry. McMurtry's debut novel, it portrays life on a cattle ranch from the perspective of young narrator Lonnie Bannon. Set in Texas in 1954, the Bannon ranch is owned by Lonnie's grandfather, Homer Bannon. Homer's ruthless stepson, Hud, stands as the primary antagonist of the novel. The novel was adapted into the screenplay for the 1963 film Hud, starring Paul Newman as the title character.
Texasville is a 1990 American drama film written and directed by Peter Bogdanovich. Based on the 1987 novel Texasville by Larry McMurtry, it is a sequel to The Last Picture Show (1971), and features Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd, Cloris Leachman, Timothy Bottoms, Randy Quaid, and Eileen Brennan reprising their roles from the original film.
"Under Ben Bulben" is a poem written by Irish poet W. B. Yeats.
Anarene is a ghost town in Archer County, Texas, United States. Its name was used for the town portrayed in the film adaptation of Larry McMurtry's novel, The Last Picture Show.
The Wichita River, part of the Red River watershed, lies in north-central Texas. Rising in northeastern Knox County at the confluence of its North and South Forks, the river flows 90 miles (140 km) northeast across Baylor, Archer, Wichita, and Clay counties before joining the Red River just west of Byers Bend in northern Clay County.
Harriet Frank Jr. was an American screenwriter and producer. Working with her husband Irving Ravetch, Frank received many awards during her career, including the New York Film Critics Circle Awards and the Writers Guild of America Award, and several nominations.
The Waggoner Ranch is a historic ranch located 13 miles south of Vernon, Texas, in north Texas near the Red River and Oklahoma border. Founded in 1852 by Daniel Waggoner, it is the largest ranch within one fence in the United States. The land has been used to raise crops, beef cattle, and horses and to produce oil.
Leaving Cheyenne is the second novel written by author Larry McMurtry. It was published in 1963. The novel portrays the lives of people living in Texas from about 1920 to about 1965.
The Last Picture Show is a coming-of-age novel by Larry McMurtry published in 1966. Set in the small, fictional town of Thalia, Texas in the early 1950s, the novel explores the lives of a group of teenagers as they navigate the complexities of adolescence, love, and the decline of their hometown.
Texasville is a 1987 American novel by Larry McMurtry. It is a sequel to his earlier The Last Picture Show and features several of the same characters a number of years later.