Return to Lonesome Dove
Encyclopedia
Return to Lonesome Dove, written by John Wilder, is a TV Miniseries
involving characters created in the Pulitzer Prize
-winning western
novel Lonesome Dove
. The story focuses on a retired Texas Ranger
and his adventures driving mustangs
from Texas
to Montana
. Many fans of the Lonesome Dove Series
of novels do not consider this Miniseries to be legitimate because it was not written by Larry McMurtry
and its production seems to have been motivated by the success of the Lonesome Dove miniseries.
It was nominated for an Emmy Award
. It chronologically follows Dead Man's Walk
, Comanche Moon
and Lonesome Dove
. Return to Lonesome Dove is part of an alternate timeline that does not include Streets of Laredo
. In this new timeline, it is followed by the TV show Lonesome Dove: The Series and Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years.
), having just buried his friend Augustus McCrae near Lonesome Dove in Texas
, plans to return to his ranch in Montana
. In order to make the trip profitable he decides to take a herd of wild Mustangs
and drive them north with the help of Gideon Walker (William Petersen
) and Isom Pickett (Louis Gossett Jr.).
Call sends word to Newt Dobbs (Rick Schroder
) that he intends to meet him at the home of Clara Allen (Barbara Hershey
) but Newt becomes involved in a bar fight that concludes with the death of two local men. Newt is to be hanged for the incident before he is rescued by a neighbor, Gregor Dunnigan (Oliver Reed
). Newt is paroled into his custody and develops a close relationship with Gregor's young wife, Ferris Dunnigan (Reese Witherspoon
).
Call captures an outlaw named Cherokee Jack Jackson (Dennis Haysbert
) and barely escapes with his life after Jack's gang rescues him. After his return to Montana, Call is upset to find Newt working for Dunnigan but Newt is determined to repay his debt to Call's neighbor. Newt becomes disillusioned with Dunnigan because of his campaign to drive the other ranchers of the region out of business.
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
involving characters created in the Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
-winning western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
novel Lonesome Dove
Lonesome Dove
Lonesome Dove is a 1985 Pulitzer Prize–winning western novel written by Larry McMurtry. It is the first published book of the Lonesome Dove series, but the third installment in the series chronologically...
. The story focuses on a retired Texas Ranger
Texas Ranger Division
The Texas Ranger Division, commonly called the Texas Rangers, is a law enforcement agency with statewide jurisdiction in Texas, and is based in Austin, Texas...
and his adventures driving mustangs
Mustang (horse)
A Mustang is a free-roaming horse of the North American west that first descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but there is intense debate over terminology...
from Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
to Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
. Many fans of the Lonesome Dove Series
Lonesome Dove series
The Lonesome Dove series refers to a series of four western novels written by Larry McMurtry and the four television mini-series based upon them.-Novels:# Lonesome Dove # Streets of Laredo # Dead Man's Walk...
of novels do not consider this Miniseries to be legitimate because it was not written by Larry McMurtry
Larry McMurtry
Larry Jeff McMurtry is an American novelist, essayist, bookseller and screenwriter whose work is predominantly set in either the old West or in contemporary Texas...
and its production seems to have been motivated by the success of the Lonesome Dove miniseries.
Lonesome Dove (film)
Lonesome Dove is a western television miniseries based on Larry McMurtry's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name. Starring Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones, Lonesome Dove was originally broadcast by CBS on February 5, 1989, drawing a huge viewing audience, earning numerous awards, and...
It was nominated for an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
. It chronologically follows Dead Man's Walk
Dead Man's Walk
Dead Man's Walk is a 1995 novel by Larry McMurtry. It is the third book published in the Lonesome Dove series, but the first installment in terms of chronology. McMurtry wrote a fourth segment to the Lonesome Dove chronicle, Comanche Moon, which describes the events of the central characters' lives...
, Comanche Moon
Comanche Moon
Comanche Moon is a 1997 western novel by Larry McMurtry. It is the fourth and final book published in the Lonesome Dove series, but the second installment in terms the chronology of the narrative.-Plot introduction:...
and Lonesome Dove
Lonesome Dove
Lonesome Dove is a 1985 Pulitzer Prize–winning western novel written by Larry McMurtry. It is the first published book of the Lonesome Dove series, but the third installment in the series chronologically...
. Return to Lonesome Dove is part of an alternate timeline that does not include Streets of Laredo
Streets of Laredo
Streets of Laredo is a 1993 western novel by Larry McMurtry. It is the second book published in the Lonesome Dove series, but the fourth and final book chronologically. It was adaptated into a television miniseries in 1995.-Plot introduction:...
. In this new timeline, it is followed by the TV show Lonesome Dove: The Series and Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years.
Plot
Captain Woodrow F. Call (Jon VoightJon Voight
Jonathan Vincent "Jon" Voight is an American actor. He has received an Academy Award, out of four nominations, and three Golden Globe Awards, out of nine nominations. Voight is the father of actress Angelina Jolie....
), having just buried his friend Augustus McCrae near Lonesome Dove in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, plans to return to his ranch in Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
. In order to make the trip profitable he decides to take a herd of wild Mustangs
Mustang (horse)
A Mustang is a free-roaming horse of the North American west that first descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but there is intense debate over terminology...
and drive them north with the help of Gideon Walker (William Petersen
William Petersen
William Louis Petersen is an American actor and producer, best known for playing Dr. Gilbert "Gil" Grissom on the hit CBS series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. He portrayed President John F...
) and Isom Pickett (Louis Gossett Jr.).
Call sends word to Newt Dobbs (Rick Schroder
Rick Schroder
Richard Bartlett "Rick" Schroder, Jr. is an American actor and film director.He debuted in the 1979 hit film The Champ, going on to become a child star on the sitcom Silver Spoons...
) that he intends to meet him at the home of Clara Allen (Barbara Hershey
Barbara Hershey
Barbara Hershey , also known as Barbara Seagull, is an American actress. In a career spanning nearly 50 years, she has played a variety of roles on television and in cinema, in several genres including westerns and comedies...
) but Newt becomes involved in a bar fight that concludes with the death of two local men. Newt is to be hanged for the incident before he is rescued by a neighbor, Gregor Dunnigan (Oliver Reed
Oliver Reed
Oliver Reed was an English actor known for his burly screen presence. Reed exemplified his real-life macho image in "tough guy" roles...
). Newt is paroled into his custody and develops a close relationship with Gregor's young wife, Ferris Dunnigan (Reese Witherspoon
Reese Witherspoon
Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon , better known as Reese Witherspoon, is an American actress and film producer. Witherspoon landed her first feature role as the female lead in the film The Man in the Moon in 1991; later that year she made her television acting debut, in the cable movie Wildflower...
).
Call captures an outlaw named Cherokee Jack Jackson (Dennis Haysbert
Dennis Haysbert
Dennis Dexter Haysbert is an American film and television actor. He is known for portraying baseball player Pedro Cerrano in the Major League film trilogy, President David Palmer on the American television series 24, and Sergeant Major Jonas Blane on the drama series The Unit, as well as his work...
) and barely escapes with his life after Jack's gang rescues him. After his return to Montana, Call is upset to find Newt working for Dunnigan but Newt is determined to repay his debt to Call's neighbor. Newt becomes disillusioned with Dunnigan because of his campaign to drive the other ranchers of the region out of business.
Characters in Return To Lonesome Dove
- Captain Woodrow F. CallWoodrow F. CallWoodrow F. Call is a fictional, Scottish-born Texas Ranger who appears in all four books of Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove series. Much of the books revolve around his relationship with his Ranger partner Augustus McCrae...
- Call works long and hard and sees no reason why others should not do the same. A former Texas Ranger who won a merit award from the Governor of Texas for "courage under fire", he served with Gus McCrae when both were young men. Though Call has utter disdain for lazy men who drink, gamble, and whore their lives away, he has his own secret shame which he hides carefully from his comrades. Call's ability to "break" unmanageable horses is also well-known. - Newt Dobbs - A young orphan raised by Gus and Call. His mother was a prostitute named Maggie Tilton, who died when he was a child. He knows that Call is his father despite Call not formally admitting it.
- Pea Eye ParkerPea Eye ParkerPea Eye Parker is a fictional Texas Ranger appearing in three books in Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove series.-Comanche Moon:Pea Eye is played by Troy Baker in the film version of Comanche Moon. In this volume, he, Gus McCrae, Woodrow F...
- The wranglerWrangler (profession)In North America, a wrangler is someone employed to handle animals professionally, especially horses, but also other types of animals. Wranglers also handle the horses and other animals during the making of motion pictures...
and blacksmithBlacksmithA blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
of the Hat Creek Cattle Company, Pea Eye served as a corporal in the Rangers under Gus and Call. Pea Eye (his real name long forgotten) is not especially bright, but he is reliable, brave, and kind. He follows Call's lead without question. - Gideon Walker - Former Ranger who agrees to help Call herd his Mustangs.
- Isom Pickett - African-American cowboy that agrees to help Call herd his Mustangs.
- Agostina Vega - A Latina wrangler on the Mustang drive to Montana. In the film, she is revealed to be the daughter of Augustus McCrae.
- Gregor Dunnigan - A wealthy Montana rancher on a spread near the Hat Creek Cattle Company.
- Ferris Dunnigan - The young wife of Gregor who befriends Newt.
- Clara Allen - Former love of Gus McCrae and owner of a ranch in Nebraska. Clara blames Call for her failed relationship with Gus. She and her family relocate to Montana after her ranch burns down.
- July Johnson - A former sheriff of the town of Fort Smith, Arkansas. July has become a hand on the property of Clara.
- Cherokee Jack Jackson - An African-American outlaw raised by the CherokeeCherokeeThe Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
.