The “absolutely thrilling” 1971 movie Jeff Bridges considers timeless: “It just hangs there by itself”
Some people are just born to be superstars, and in Jeff Bridges’ case, this is literally true.
As the son of two performers, Lloyd and Dorothy Bridges, a young Jeff spent his childhood a stone’s throw away from Tinseltown, mingling with the great and the good of his parents’ circle of friends. When the time came for him to make his own way in the world, he did not disappoint. Now in his 70s, Bridges is one of the most recognisable, accomplished, and beloved actors of his time.
The first film that marked a young Bridges out as one to watch was Peter Bogdanovich’s The Last Picture Show. Based on a true story, the film follows two young men, Sonny Crawford, played by Timothy Bottoms, and Duane Jackson, played by Bridges, preparing for life after high school.
The movie was released in 1971, but is set two decades earlier. It captures the spirit of America at the time, recovering from the Second World War and unsure of what the second half of the 20th century would bring.
Bridges was just 21 years old when The Last Picture Show was released and had only made three other movies, one of which he appeared in as a child. His performance as Jackson, a good-looking, confident student with the world seemingly at his feet, garnered a lot of attention. He picked up his first of seven career Oscar nominations and was able to use the role as a launchpad to embark upon a truly remarkable life on the big screen.
The Last Picture Show is one of those films that has continued to find new audiences with each new decade, and Bridges has lived through every one of those generations with his opinion too remaining constant across all that time. Speaking to Observer in 2024, the now-veteran star had nothing but good things to say about the movie that made his name.
“That was an absolutely thrilling experience,” he recalled, “Bogdanovich was a great filmmaker, a great spirit. Cloris Leachman, Ben Johnson, Ellen Burstyn, Timmy Bottoms, it was cast to perfection. We were all starting out in those days, and we got the idea that this film felt special. It was, too. If you look at it today, it just hangs there by itself, being beautiful. It’s nothing like anything else.”
The icon proved he wasn’t all talk when it came to Duane Jackson; in 1990, 19 years after the first film hit screens, he reprised the role in the sequel Texasville, featuring many of the original cast, which picks up the story in the 1980s.
It sees Duane as a millionaire, navigating life as a businessman, husband, and father, but unfortunately, while Bridges had a great time reprising his part, Texasville was a flop that left critics underwhelmed, and it made just $2million at the box office from an $18m budget, so it might not have been franchise-worthy, but The Last Picture Show is a classic for a reason, with the actor showing genuine affection for it beyond a movie that changed his life.
