The Poster Memorabilia blog

Lonesome Dove’s Lasting Legends

A son's promise, four legends' signatures, and a poster that was never really about the autographs.

By an anonymous Hollywood insider

Anyone remember Lonesome Dove? It was a 1989 Western mini-series about two Texas Rangers heading off into the wild, wild west. I can't blame anyone for not remembering it, but it was good. And it had a stellar cast that included legendary stars like Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones, Anjelica Huston, Danny Glover, and Diane Lane.

I remember my dad loved the show so much that he was always glued to the TV when it was on. I even bought him a poster of it for his birthday in 2010, but he passed away a year later. In my grief, I made it my mission to get his poster signed by the iconic cast themselves.

“In my grief, I made it my mission to get his poster signed by the iconic cast themselves.”

I wasn't sure how it was gonna go, but once I decided on something, I stuck to it until the end. I figured that I could at least get to the main cast, who were still alive and active when I started this whole thing. They're also very famous actors, undeniable icons, so I was sure they would appear in public more than a couple of times.

Fortunately, I was right. I met most of the main cast at the premieres of their many film and theater projects. First, there was Tommy Lee Jones, one of the two leads of the show, Captain Woodrow F. Call.

I got to see him and ask for his autograph at the Men in Black III premiere in New York City in 2012. It was great seeing him look so shocked that someone actually remembered the mini-series, much less have a poster of it.

Four years later, I met Diane Lane, who portrayed the prostitute Lorena Wood in Lonesome Dove, also in New York City. She starred in the 2016 Broadway revival of Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard, which was amazing, by the way. I liked her the most in it, and seeing her in period clothes again reminded me of the series.

I eventually saw her and got her autograph at the stage door after her performance. Not only did she still look as beautiful as she did in the show, but she was also very nice. It was the best encounter I had in this whole thing.

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Despite working since the 1970s, I was lucky that Anjelica Huston was still active in movies in the 2010s. She starred in John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum in 2019, and I finally got her autograph at that movie's premiere. It was also held in New York City, where I had already relocated for work.

Like Jones and Lane before her, Huston looked shocked when I asked her to sign my Lonesome Dove poster. It seems that even the show's stars are unaware of just how many people still remember it. I can't blame them, though. They've starred in much more memorable productions since, and they probably think that their fans remember those projects more than this one.

When I finally got Danny Glover's autograph at the Jumanji: The Next Level premiere in LA later that year, I didn't know he was going to be the last Lonesome Dove cast member I'd ever meet. It was a fun encounter since he looked really happy on that red carpet, as spry as Joshua Deets himself, the former Texas Ranger scout he played in the show.

I was really excited to see Robert Duvall, the series' other lead and a legendary actor in his own right, but I never did. I was always busy with work whenever I heard he was going to appear at an event. And when he passed away earlier this year, I figured my job was done.

The autographs on this poster might not be complete, but I'm still proud of it. Not a lot of people, not even the most experienced celebrity hounds, could say that they met this many movie legends in their lifetime!

Dad, this is for you.

Some things you watch. This one you keep.

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