Where was The Last Picture Show filmed? Know shooting locations of the hit 70s' film

The Last Picture Show is a 1971 American coming-of-age drama film adapted from the semi-autobiographical 1966 novel of the same name by Larry McMurty. Directed and co-written by Peter Bogdanovich, the film starred Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Ellen Burstyn, Ben Johnson, Cybill Shepard, and Cloris Leachman. The film was a critical and commercial success and grossed $29.1 million over the $1.3 million budget. The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards and Ben John won the Best Supporting Actor Award whereas Cloris Leachman won Best Supporting Actress Award. Know about The Last Picture Show filming locations-

Where was The Last Picture Show filmed?

The story of the film was set in a small tow Anarene in north Texas from November 1951 to October 1952. According to Movie Locations the one-street town of 'Anarene' was a ghost town and the shooting of the same took place in Archer City in North Texas. The place is defined as 'one street and a traffic light' by the locals. The real Anarene was deserted in the early 1950s after its railroad station closed down and it was located eight miles to the south of Archer City.

The Royal Theater shown in the movie was in reality a little more than a crumbling shell because it was gutted by a disastrous fire in 1965. According to Movie Locations, the cinema interior for the film was shot at the West-Tex Theater. The location stood on West Main Street at North Grand Avenue until it was demolished in 1986. The original Royal Picture House was finally restored in the 90s and after 35 years, the town opened its doors again as a successful live theatre. One can catch the production at 115 East Main Street, Archer City in Texas.

Sam the Lion played by Ben Johnson owns a pool hall, movie theatre, and a cafe in the film. When Duane and Sonny fail to take care of their disabled friend Billy, Sam bans them to use any of the places. After when Sam dies they find out that Sam left the movie theatre to the woman who ran the concession stand, the cafe to Genevieve, and the pool hall to Sonny in his will. According to The Movie District, the pool room is now a defunct building that stood by 109 North Centre Steet in Archer City, Texas whereas the Cafe was located at 103 East Main Street of the same city.

Promo Image Source: Still from The Last Picture Show trailer