The Last Picture Show is a 1971 film directed by Peter Bogdanovich.

Set in the fictitious town of Anarane, Texas in the early 1950s (November 1951 - November 1952), it is about the coming of age of two young men, best friends Sonny Crawford (Timothy Bottoms) and Duane Jackson (Jeff Bridges).

Cybill Shepherd plays Duane's girlfriend Jacy Farrow, and their friend and mentor Sam the Lion, owner of the eponymous movie theater, is played by Ben Johnson. The movie also features Cloris Leachman, Ellen Burstyn, Eileen Brennan, Clu Gulager, Sam Bottoms , Sharon Ullrick and Randy Quaid.

The screenplay was adapted by James Lee Barrett , Peter Bogdanovich, Larry McMurtry and Polly Platt (uncredited) from the novel of the same name by McMurtry. It was the first successful film directed by Peter Bogdanovich, who had already built a reputation as a film critic. It was filmed in black and white by cinematographer Robert Surtees .

The Last Picture Show won Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Ben Johnson) and Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Leachman). It was also nominated in the categories for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Bridges), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Burstyn), Best Cinematography (Surtees), Best Director, Best Picture and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium.

The film has been deemed "culturally significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.

Reference

Book: McMurtry, Larry. The Last Picture Show: A Novel. New York, Dial Press, 1966.

External links