My son just read the novel recently. He’d seen the mini-series and I knew he’d love the book (I’m sure he learned to love it in utero, since I first read it when I was pregnant with him), but he just never got around to it. Anyway, he’s in Afghanistan now and he picked it up there and read it. And loved it, as I knew he would. At his request, I tracked down the sequels and sent them to him and he is reading them now.
I just got an email from him which rather surprised me stating that he will be naming his first son (if and when he has one) ‘Call.’ Now, I’d have bet money that Nick’s favorite character would have been Gus. I always thought Call was kind of a dick, really. Doesn’t everybody like Gus best? Apparently not.
Hence this poll. State your reasons, too. I asked Nick why he prefers Call and he said that Gus was a fun guy, and a good man; but Call was the one who got things done.
Me, I’m voting for Gus – fuck getting things done; I like a good man with a cheerful spirit.
Hard to pick! Both are awesome. I went through a period early in my marriage where I wanted to name my future son Woodrow McCrae. I loved the sound of it! We could have called him Gus for short.
Most definitely Gus (as portrayed by Robert Duvall, natch!). All the other books were also made into movies as well. Jonny Lee Miller, David Arquette, LOL! They really aren’t that bad. Probably one of the best is Streets of Laredo with James Garner as Call. Comanche Moon was the last one done, and it’s out on DVD.
Nick’s enjoying the books, but I haven’t read any but the first. And I never reread *Lonesome Dove *after that first reading. I think because I was pregnant when I read it and, with my hormones being out of whack, I found some of the scenes to be terribly wrenching. So I haven’t wanted to put myself through that again. Never rewatched the mini-series either, although that’s less uncommon for me than not rereading a book.
Anyway, I think I will reread LD, and then read the sequels… I do really love McMurtry’s writing style. His *Buffalo Girls *is one of my absolute all-time favorite books ever. That one I’ve reread too many times to count.
Well, there would be a 3rd vote for Call if I could have done a vote for Nick. I did my own vote first (for Gus) and then the poll wouldn’t let me vote a second time for Nick. So it’s really standing at 3 votes Call; 10 votes Gus.
I genuinely can’t decide. For so many years, Gus was my absolute favorite. I literally grew up watching the mini-series, and I’ve read the book twice and adored it. I also love all the sequels (and the mini series for Comanche Moon is quite good). I really loved Gus, and I never read Streets of Laredo because I felt “What’s the point without Gus?”
But I introduced my youngest sister to the book and the movie around Christmas, and now I really, really appreciate Captain Woodrow Call. Perhaps it’s because he does seem like a bit of a dick, I don’t know. BUt he really did try to do right by Newt. Did he do everything he should have done for Maggie or Newt? No, but he really did his best. And he loved Gus. He loved him. How could anybody that devoted to Gus McCray be anything except a wonderful man?
Gus was a very complex character, but Call was, too. He was presented again and again as a “simple man” but I think that was misleading (intentionally so?). He was such a brave man, and a good leader, but he was frightened, too. Scared of loving a woman. Scared of being a father. Scared of admitting mistakes, and yes, like Gus said, scared of admitting he’s human like the rest of them. But there’s never any explanation as to why he’s that way, or if there was ever a time when he could have taken a different path. He was Gus’s opposite in so many ways, but essentially the only person in the series who truly understood Gus. And you could tell that despite the fact that his emotions frightened him, they were still very deep. He was going to kill the man whipping Newt, and Gus knew it immediately. Gus also knew that Call would take him back to Texas.
So I can’t even vote in the poll. I just don’t know.
I still haven’t picked up Streets of Laredo, just because I’m a little scared to read what Call might become without Gus there. Well, that, and I don’t like several of the developments mentioned on the back cover blurb (like Lorena marrying Pea Eye. What?).
Well do me a favor, pepperlandgirl, if you really can’t vote on your own – cast your vote for Call in Nick’s name. Just for accuracy’s sake.
As for Streets of Laredo – I can only tell you that Nick says Gus was on every page of that book. The friendship between the two is the central thread of the entire series, even after Gus’s death. Don’t know if that makes it better or worse – sounds a bit depressing to me, actually. But I’ve ordered copies of all the books from Amazon and I’m going to read them because Nick insists I ought to.
When I oppened this thread, I voted "Gus’, but I want to switch it. It’s been a while since I read the books, so I always remember Gus as being funny. Which is why I cast the vote for 'em, but I want to switch it.
For years now I’ve used the phrase, “Better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it”. For years I’ve never even wondered where it came from - it’s just true.
Actually, that’s the piece of information I needed to know. It does sound depressing, but that’s the kind of depressing that I eat up with a spoon. So maybe I will read it.
I told my sister about this thread, and she’s surprised that so many more people prefer Call over Gus. She says she things Call is hilarious. Especially when he bosses people around (like poor Dish) and what’s necessary is so obvious to him that it never even occurs to him he’s being unreasonable.
I voted Gus of course. And he is completely capable of getting the job done when Call isn’t around to do it- i.e, the scenes during Lorena’s rescue.
The Call in Lonesome Dove and Dead Man’s Walk would definitely be the kind of man I’d consider naming a son after, but the Call in Comanche Moon, his treatment of Maggie and inability to acknowledge Newt as his own would cancel that out.
I love Dead Man’s Walk as a book and a series, nearly as much as Lonesome Dove and part of that is the sheer stubborn heroism of Call.
I would like to throw another hat into the ring though, I always loved Bigfoot Wallace too. Having a kid named Bigfoot might be an issue though LOL.
Evidently I have missed out on a few things. Could someone fill me in on all things “Lonesome Dove”? I have read the original book (and others?), and have seen the original movie (plus a prequel?).
IIRC, Pea Eye is maybe 10? years or so younger than Gus & Call in the books, where in the movie he’s represented as the same age. I agree, Pea Eye is a challenging name for a youngster.
I am not sure about the publication dates, but chronologically we have:
Dead Man’s Walk- Gus & Call’s first expedition, they end up captured by the Mexican army and led across the desert by a Spanish commander (captain, colonel, I can’t remember, but fascinating character too).
Comanche Moon- This is Gus & Call’s middle years, when they become captains themselves and features their romantic (or not so romantic in Call’s case) fates, a significant and devastating Indian raid, the story of Inish Scull and the Buffalo Horse.
Lonesome Dove- we all know about that ;)!
Streets of Laredo- Call just can’t retire until he pretty much has no choice.
I don’t think I missed any. All are great reads, although Streets of Laredo is by far my least favorite. Wasn’t there a short lived tv series too?
There was a TV series, but not connected to the books nor written by McMurtry so it’s non-canonical. Also a TV movie sequel not connected to the books. Both of these came out before McMurtry wrote the book sequels.
