Captain Woodrow F Call

[Yahoody]

I think that was actually Karl Urban - I re-watched Comanche Moon a couple weeks ago when I was laid up sick. He and Steve Zahn, who played Gus, did pretty well copying the mannerisms of the original Gus and Woodrow (Duvall and Jones), but it just wasn't the same for me.

Yahoody, I never got the sense of Woodrow being "mean", just a very serious and terse man. But I read the book before seeing the movie. The older I get, and the more I work with the younger generations, the more I favor Woodrow's character over Gus. On a side note, it's good to see you posting again!

Thank you Sir! It is a good place I shouldn't ignore.

Hard not to like Gus. But it was Woodrow in my mind that did the heavy lifting between the two. Great charter studies I think in both men's acting. Much to admire in both of them just as there is much I didn't admire in both characters. Kinda like real life I venture to say at different times in my life I could mimic either one of them. These days? Never liked Gus' hat. So been a long time Call, likely even more terse by some tellings.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

I think he just had high expectations of the behavior of other people!

He would do anything to protect that boy from others, but would never admit he was his son.

 

[Yahoody]

"I thought Tommy Lee Jones was pretty mean."

I thought TLJ was good in his part. A good balance. Voight I thought even colder, more distant. Garner too likeable.

Beating the chit out of a obvious dick aint mean. Just doing what needed to be done when few will step up.

 

[Bamaboots]

Beating the chit out of a obvious dick aint mean. Just doing what needed to be done when few will step up.

We've all got our favorites here, as well as which actor portrayed meanness well. Jones and Voight are my favorites but I'll take Jones and his meanness. Beating the chit out of someone because it needs to be done is one thing but when the beating becomes punitive to the point where the man had to be rescued, well that's meanness or psychosis.

 

[scottyrocks]

I thought Tommy Lee Jones was pretty mean.

This is one of those movie scenes that I refer back to time and again as an example of a multi-faceted series of events that contains more than it portrays.


As discussed previously, Call's character was affected by many things in his world, Newt, and the lack of desire to tell him who he really was, being one of them.


Call's rampage against the scout is extremely violent, but his approach and execution is carried out with almost no visible emotion until the very end when Gus lassos him, and you can hear Call gasping, partly in frustration.


Here is a more complete version of the scene, containing the setup, Call’s initial observation of the situation, and how quickly he swings into action, his years of experience in battle made evident by the wonderful acting, as well as editing and pacing:

 

[Yahoody]

Anyone that takes a quirt to a kid or an animal for that matter attempting to hurt either, I'd think a good beating with a branding iron would be fair game in return. Call did a lot of things I thought "mean" mostly towards women and Newt. Never thought he treated another man unfairly in any of the film versions. Gus was every bit as "fair". I found Gus way more prone to do what most would like to but never would. And he was a lot better to women and Newt or any of the boys.

 

[Woodtroll]

Thank you Sir! It is a good place I shouldn't ignore.

Hard not to like Gus. But it was Woodrow in my mind that did the heavy lifting between the two. Great charter studies I think in both men's acting. Much to admire in both of them just as there is much I didn't admire in both characters. Kinda like real life I venture to say at different times in my life I could mimic either one of them. These days? Never liked Gus' hat. So been a long time Call, likely even more terse by some tellings.

I can't argue with anything posted here. One of the things that make these characters from Lonesome Dove so real to me is that they all have great strengths, but they all have their own unique human failings as well. Gus is certainly more "fun", but still very capable when he needed to be; he was more than happy to let Woodrow do the heavy lifting. Woodrow's work ethic and sense of responsibility made up a huge part of his character, but his disappointments in his own failings (including his "weakness" for Maggie and his inability to claim Newt) came out as frustration in his dealings with others.

 

[scottyrocks]

I'd like to find the complete scene of what I posted above.

 

[Yahoody]

 

[Lean'n'mean]

For all the Tommy Lee/Woodrow Call hat admirers.

And his last hat after loosing the other in the river.

 

[Yahoody]

Call's green hat at the end was really nice. Thought about making one myself several times. Great photos, thank you!

 

[Lean'n'mean]

Call's green hat at the end was really nice. Thought about making one myself several times. Great photos, thank you!

I think the last hat was dark brown rather than green......I can't see Woodrow wearing a green hat.

 

[Yahoody]

When you look at the movie and your screen shots I'd say that hat is a might be a shade of dark brown or from what I see, dark green. Wife says I am crazy and it is either pecan or whisky of Winchester's swatch board. But we can all agree to disagree. Call could dress when he wanted to. Matching tweed coat, vest, blue collared shirt and tie prove that. Raw edged, 6" Derby open crown, 4.5" pencil curl brim, black ribbon is how I'd build one. Color? I'd use Winchester's "moss". I have a number of black open crown hats I wear daily. And one in "pecan". Captain Call is not wearing a "pecan" colored hat here. I really like Call's "last" hat in Lonesome Dove. Guess I need to build one



Lonesome Dove Part 4 1989 Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones Danny Glover mp4 - YouTube

 

[RossRYoung]

RIP Larry McMurtry, and thank you for this amazing story. Has anyone here read the other accompanying books? I’m tempted

 

[Bamaboots]

RIP Larry McMurtry, and thank you for this amazing story. Has anyone here read the other accompanying books? I’m tempted

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I’ve read them all, Ross and recommend them but I’m a big McMurtry fan and have read a number of his other works as well. Pretty sure HJ has read them too.

 

[RossRYoung]

I’m going to trek out to The Last Bookstore today in LA to see if they have them in print. If not I think I’ll get the digital version, if it’s a thumbs up from you HJ then that’s enough for me!

 

[Hurricane Jack]

I’m going to trek out to The Last Bookstore today in LA to see if they have them in print. If not I think I’ll get the digital version, if it’s a thumbs up from you HJ then that’s enough for me!

I've read them all & own copies. Supposedly after the popularity of the LD miniseries there was a 4 book gold leaf edition in slip covers. I've looked & watched booksites like ABE but have never seen one.

At a minimum you should read "Streets..." as that sort of ties it all together with the remaining characters after the death of Gus. The 2 prequels are good too & you would want to read them in chronological order, "DMW" then "CM".

 

[RossRYoung]

Thanks Jack! I’ll bump this thread when I’m done reading... hopefully before the end 2022.

 

[Woodtroll]

RIP Larry McMurtry, and thank you for this amazing story. Has anyone here read the other accompanying books? I’m tempted

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I've read all four, several times each over the years, and recommend them all if you enjoyed reading Lonesome Dove. (Or if you enjoyed the movie, and enjoy reading as well. As good as the mini-series was, the book was even better because the character development was so much more detailed in the book.) Lonesome Dove was the first one written, and still my favorite, but the others are very good books. They all can be dark and even brutal at times, but I have every reason to believe that real life on the plains in that time could be that way, as well.

Happy reading!

 

[Lean'n'mean]

Here's a pic you won't see anywhere else. Luster Bayless wearing the Tommy Lee/ Woodrow Call hat.

For those who don't know, Luster Bayless was the costume designer on 'Lonesome Dove' (among many, many other movies & TV shows, including most of John Wayne movies from the mid-60s onwards)