FORT DAVIS Twenty-five years ago, Hollywood came to West Texas.
Not for the first time.
Plenty of famous movies have been shot out in West Texas from Giant (1956), which was filmed in Marfa, to No Country for Old Men (2007) which was also filmed in Marfa and Big Bend National Park to, of course, Friday Night Lights (2004) in Odessa.
But one movie in particular was also filmed in the Permian Basin.
One that the casual moviegoer may not remember.
That film was Dancer, Texas: Pop. 81.
The movie, which was shot in 1997 and released in 1998, is a comedy-drama starring Breckin Meyer, Peter Facinelli, Eddie Mills and Ethan Embry.
It is set in the small, fictional American town of Dancer (Brewster County, Texas) where four young friends that grew up in the town together plan to leave for the big city the day after graduation.
Over a week’s time, their back story and present day realities collide to determine how their plans play out.
While the movie may not have won any Oscars or seen a wide release in theaters across the country, it is something that is held dear to locals in Fort Davis and throughout Jeff Davis County.
To mark the anniversary of principal photography, the Fort Davis community will be coming together to celebrate and pay homage to the movie that showcased the town with a mural and movie celebration that will take place at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the Jeff Davis county Courthouse.
Main dishes will be provided by Hereford Café, Stone Village, Cueva de Leon and Mary Lou’s.
“It is all a tribute to that movie’s 25th anniversary of its filming which was all done in Jeff Davis County and the area surrounding Fort Davis,” Executive Director of the Fort Davis Chamber of Commerce Reagan Stone said. “It just shows that the movie portrays kind, wholesome residents so that’s really what the creation of this event is trying to create. With that, we’re having a potluck on the courthouse lawn and we’re asking community residents to bring side dishes and desserts, just like the movie. In the movie they have a potluck after the graduation scene.”
Stone says the event will include recognizing locals that acted as actors as well as doing trivia questions and other activities.
“We’ll be screening that movie at sunset on the courthouse lawn,” Stone said. “It’s a very family-friendly event. It is community-inspired and was created by a community of members. Further from that, we’re commissioning a welcome mural for the town, not just as a Dancer, Texas mural but a Fort Davis mural.”
One of the people that was in the film was Justice of the Peace for Jeff Davis County Mary Ann Ludecke who played the character “Betty Sue.”
In the movie, her character serves squirrel as food following graduation.
“I have the line saying ‘when you boys go to California and leave here, be sure to eat lots of vegetables.’ Then, Lashawn McIvor, the guy who was next to me, who also played in the movie, said ‘that’s all they eat.’ I said ‘ you best get you some good red meat too then.’ Then we keep piling the plate full and away he went, until the paper plate collapses and the food falls.”
Ludecke, who has lived in Jeff Davis County for over 47 years, talked about what made her want to be in the film.
“It was really kind of funny,” Ludecke said. “At the time, I was just simply cowboying and heard about them wanting to talk to anybody that wanted to be in the movie so I went up to them and talked. My question for them was ‘why did you chose this? Why Jeff Davis County?’ The director responded with ‘it’s a small town filled with friendly people and it projects a clean image.’ I had to agree with that so I figured, why not? So I read for it and two days later they called for me. It was pretty short and fast.”
The movie was directed by Tim McCanlies who has since gone on to direct other successful films that were also shot in the Lone Star State including Secondhand Lions (2003) which was filmed outside of Austin.
“He’s a well-known Texas director and artist and movie producer,” Stone said. “He came and picked out Fort Davis because of its small town aspect as well as its remoteness. It went along with the movie that he was trying to portray with four kids trying to leave Fort Davis but then realizing that maybe home is where they should be. It’s a coming of age movie. I think further as well, the movie is celebrated by a few different groups, primarily those that see it as a wholesome movie that it is but others that see it as an entry movie or a cult classic to a famous and well known director. Whether you’re just looking at the movie for what it is or you see the beginning of the careers of some of the actors, getting to see their entry into acting is something that’s also pretty interesting.”
While Ludecke said she had fun being in the movie, she said being an actress wasn’t something she wanted to do full time.
“I did hang out with a lot of the actors during filming,” Ludecke said. “I had my name on the door with a star and everything. It looked like it would be enticing. But a few hours into it, I decided that I would not give up my day job. But it was fun. It was fun to do something different and see how others make a living. But yet again, I wouldn’t leave here for all of Los Angeles.”
McCanlies and the actors from Dancer, Texas haven’t returned to Fort Davis for a reunion though Stone says the community has tried reaching out.
“We’ve reached out to (McCanlies) in a few different mechanisms, both through the Texas Film Commission as well as through local artists that live here in the community that have connections with him,” Stone said. “We haven’t heard back yet. We also reached out to some of the actors. One reached back and said that he was happy that we were celebrating this but no one has committed to coming back yet. We’d love to have them come back and I think in future years, with more planning, we’re hoping to celebrate with some of those well-known names.”
Regardless, Stone says the Fort Davis Chamber of Commerce is excited to bring the community together to remember a film that showcased the town.
“We really wanted to make something for the people who love the movie right here in town, in the region and the greater basin,” Stone said. “People from Odessa have been coming out to Fort Davis for years because of the mountains and the coolness. We’re celebrating that small town aspect. This event is made to celebrate the movie but also what’s been here for so many years before.”
For Ludecke, it meant a lot to see her community on the big screen.
“I can’t speak for everyone in the community, I can only speak for myself,” Ludecke said. “It truly brought to light how remote and how much of a community we are, independent of what may come into here. Our way of life and all the things we hold dear like our privacy and our small town and our connections to one another was what was brought to light, following the film. It was fun and a great thing to do. It was fun to see the end result but it made me see how much more than ever I wanted to be here. I wanted to raise my kids here which is what we have done.”
If you go
- What: Fort Davis Mural and Movie Festival.
- When: 6:30 p.m. Aug. 20.
- Where: Jeff Davis County Courthouse.
