Robert Duvall might as well just move to Texas. Yup, his home is in Virginia with his wife Luciana, but his fan base in Dallas alone would get him elected to anything he wants. The sell-out attendance and its enthusiasm about his Friday, November 19, appearance at the Dallas Film Society‘s The Art of Film should prove that.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17

Before he even arrived, a patrons party held the Wednesday before at Newt Walker’s was a sneak preview of the types of Dallas film lovers involved. Relative new face on the scene was Arthur Benjamin with his gal pal Sundays Hunt (pictured left with Arthur Benjamin).  Besides being the title sponsor of the Friday night event, Arthur has deep roots in the celluloid industry. His uncle was the late Robert S. Benjamin, who was “a driving force in turning United Artists around in the 1960′s and later went on to form Orion Pictures in 1978 as a joint venture.”

Arthur met Dallas Film Society Chairman Michael Cain and his wife Melina at the Palomar’s 214 one morning and learned about the proposed Duvall visit. He was so impressed with the plan that he stepped up to be the title sponsor to honor his late uncle.

When asked if he’s any relation to actor Richard Benjamin, Arthur chuckled, “No,” but he and Richard knew each other. It seems that both used to order Chinese food from the same Beverly Hills restaurant, which invariably would get the orders mixed up. So many times Arthur and Richard would meet on Beverly Drive and exchange paper bags.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19

As guests arrived at the Hall of State for the reception, interview and dinner with “Bobby,” it was obvious that this was a definite red carpet affair. With reporters, cameras, lights, sponsors backdrop and red carpet, Duvall and his interviewer Elvis Mitchell (pictured) were facing a mighty gauntlet. But they weren’t alone. Mayor Tom Leppert, Dallas Film Society Artistic Director James Faust (pictured), DFS founder Liener Temerlin, Arthur, Michael and a dressy group of guests chatted it up.

While guests waited patiently inside for Bobby, red carpet journalists quickly learned why Duvall is considered a legend. He took time to talk with each person as if there were no one else in the world.

Ah, but inside the Hall of State lobby were two mighty important people — at least to Bobby. On a bench, just to the right of the entrance, a petite beauty all in black sat talking with a Barry Corbin look-alike complete with cowboy hat. It was obvious from afar that they were longtime friends. They were none other than Mrs. Duvall (Luciana) and the Duvalls’ longtime friend Sheriff Arvin West (pictured right with Luciana Duvall) from Hudspeth County. Since meeting in 2000 in Lajitas, the three had become great friends with Arvin visiting the Duvalls’ home several times.

“He is the definition of a red-blooded American,” Arvin said. “He’s today’s John Wayne.”

While Arvin and Luciana sat in the lobby waiting for Bobby to finish his red carpet strut, a handful of VIP’s were in the West Texas Room Library. There weren’t that many, so they felt that once Duvall arrived, they would have a leisurely time with the Academy Award winner.

Ah, but that was not the case. Once Bobby left the red carpet, the sea of people parted for him throughout the lobby and followed him. It was obvious that the men checking credentials at the VIP room were going to have their hands full. Pretty soon the library filled with people. Everyone appeared to be a VIP. Instead of having a place for Duvall to stand for photos and visit with the VIP’s, he found himself in the back of the room between the wall and the bar with people trying to get to him. One woman wanted to walk with him about a story idea. Another just wanted to bend his ear. PR’s Beth Wilbin diplomatically tried to arrange quick photo opps for extreme VIPs like Event Chairs Lynn and Allan McBee (pictured right with, from the left, Robert Duvall and Lynn McBee) in the sea of  people. In fact the only people not trying to get to Duvall were Luciana and Arvin.

Eventually, Bobby was escorted to a SRO Margaret and Al Hill Lecture Hall for “the conversation.” As VIP’s found their seats in the front five rows, Luciana found her seat on the front row but none for Arvin. Without a nano-second of hesitation, the Argentine beauty insisted the cowboy sheriff take her seat. He wouldn’t hear of it until he saw the look in her eye. Quietly, he took his seat and removed his hat. Organizers quickly saw the situation and a seat on the second row center was found for Luciana.

When all were settled (pictured) and cameras at the back of the room were rolling, the program started.

With his dreadlocks in full array Elvis opened the talk with “First, I’m honored to be back in Dallas, and, second, I’m not James Faust (DSF artistic director).”  He went on to quote Horton Foote regarding Duvall: “He’s the best there is.”

Then the two (pictured from the left Elvis Mitchell and Robert Duvall) settled back for a 53-minute conversation that covered such topics as –

• His last stage play American Buffalo (1977) and Lonesome Dove were the highlights of his career.
• He doesn’t read reviews. “I hear about them.”
• On Lonesome Dove: “It’s like a bible in Texas. My wife still hasn’t seen it. But that’s OK.”
• On Dwight Eisenhower: “He was a wonderful man. I tried to find the essence, the vulnerability. He was a very decent man.”
• “If there were no movies, I would go back do plays.”
• “I was sitting outside having lunch one day and here Frank Sinatra walks down Third Avenue one day and Paul Newman walks up Third Avenue and they meet. I thought to myself, ‘Wow, there’s power.’”
• On Marlon Brando: “He wouldn’t speak to you for six months. A strange guy. On the Godfather, there was a lot of mooning, a lot of stories, but there might be some children here. A lot of fun on the set.”
• “Wherever (Marlon) Brando is, he loves Jimmy Caan. To this day, he’s still trying to figure out a joke that Jimmy told him 25 years ago. Anytime he’d tell a joke, it would take three second for Brand.” Duvall does an impression of Brando (pictured).
• “A young actor once said to me, ‘What do you do between jobs when you are young?’ I said, ‘Hobbies, hobbies, hobbies, and more hobbies to keep you off the dope.’”
• “When I went to Hollywood years ago, I had a lot of free time between jobs. So I went to the Pickwick Stables. Four dollars a hour I could take a horse out. So I figured I was gonna get a good seat on a horse because most actors don’t have a good seat on a horse. I went out bareback, English saddle, western saddle. I learned how to jump a horse, did some competition.”
• “I (pictured) die pretty well.” (Colors, Geronimo and Lonesome Dove.)
• “I can remember Beau Bridges, Jeff’s brother. We were at Rodney Dangerfield in the Comedy Club in New York City and we were sitting this far away and he (Rodney) demanded that we laugh. We wouldn’t laugh. He really got put out. He really wasn’t that funny that night.”
• “Argentines think when lightning strikes, it’s God taking their picture.”
• Sammy Baugh: “For eight years he didn’t know who I was. Well, I sat down with him for two hours and talked. All those gestures that I had in Lonesome Dove, I got from him.”
• “A guy in Dallas told me that when (Larry) McMurtry wrote Lonesome Dove, he thought  of Don Quixote.”
• “Broken Trail is one of my favorites.”
• Angelo Evans (the 7-year old gypsy star of Duvall (pictured)-directed Angelo My Love): “He was on my street (73rd and Central Park West). He so intrigued me. He’d sit on the street corner and say, ‘Hey, buddy, do you have the time?’ The old guy would give him the time. Then he would ask somebody else. Finally, I asked him, ‘Angelo, why do you keep asking people for the time?” He said, ‘I do it because I like to see people work for me.’”
• “I’ve always been instantly recognized in Texas. One time years ago I was in a club in Dallas up against a wall with a drink and people were milling around. Some guy spots me and in his eyes only he knows who I am and we only know each other. As he comes by, he’s very discreet and doesn’t want to give it away, so as he passes by, he goes, “Terry Bradshaw.”

Michael Cain then presented Duvall with the 2010 Dallas Star Award, and the audience gave him a standing ovation. Mayor Tom then thanked him and told him that “Unfortunately, the governor couldn’t be with us this evening.”

Without missing a beat, Duvall came back with, “I hope he found time to work on the tax rebate.”

Mayor Tom presented Duvall with a letter from the governor recognizing all Duvall’s work in Texas.

Then it was up to the Grand Hall for a seated dinner with film professionals like Lone Star Film Society’s Dennis Bishop and celluloid supporters like Karla and Liener Temerlin (pictured left with from the left, Karla Temerlin and Michael Cain) sitting together comparing notes about Duvall and movies in general.

Andrew Stevens (pictured, Stella’s son, not Connie’s) relocated to the area about five years ago and has done 10 to 12 movie productions in Texas. While still an actor, he’s also produced or financed 175 movies over the years.

Rob Carliner is an old associate of Duvall’s. Having production credits for The Apostle and Crazy Heart, he admitted that they worked more than three years to get it to the screen. Rob was also executive producer on Duvall’s Get Low. Nowadays, Rob is running the film division of LA’s Prospect Park, which used to be The Firm, the management and entertainment company that produces USA’s Royal Pains TV show. Currently, he and Bobby are trying to get the financing arranged to produce Border.