Hollywood in Cowtown

Costumes and props from Yellowstone prequel 1883 go on display in North Texas

"1883: The Journey West" wraps up at the National Cowgirl Museum on April 17.

Photo courtesy of National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame

UPDATE 3-23-2022: Due to "unprecedented visitorship," the museum says, the exhibition will continue through April 17.

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Fort Worth's National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame is taking visitors inside the world of 1883, the Paramount+ series that's become the buzziest show on earth. The new exhibition "1883: The Journey West" opens at the museum on Friday, February 11 and runs through March 20.

Organized by the museum in partnership with 101 Studios, Visit Fort Worth, and the Fort Worth Film Commission, the special exhibition includes costumes, props, and photography from the Yellowstone prequel, which was filmed in and around D allas-Fort Worth from July to October of 2021.

Highlights include an authentic wagon; a camp set-up; and apparel worn by stars Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Sam Elliott, and LaMonica Garrett. There's also a display of behind-the-scenes photography.

Also of note is a collection of beaded items from Cowgirl Hall of Fame honoree Cathy A. Smith, an artist who works to preserve the history of the 19th century cowboy and cowgirl and the Plains Indians. The museum notes that Smith’s work was featured as part of the costuming for the Lakota, Crow, and Comanche tribes in 1883.

“A 'cowgirl' represents fortitude, determination, tenacity and grit," says David Glasser, CEO of 101 Studios, in a release. "It is that indomitable spirit that we are so thrilled to celebrate through the National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame’s upcoming exhibit '1883: The Journey West.'"

With apologies to Hollywood, there really is no better place for an 1883 exhibition than the Cowgirl Museum. The show is written and directed by Fort Worth native and Weatherford resident Taylor Sheridan, who also created Yellowstone (along with Sicaro, Hell or Highwater, Wind River, and more). His wife, actress Nicole Sheridan, is a Cowgirl Museum board member; and the Hall of Fame's 2021 Patsy Montana Award recipient, Christina Voros, is the cinematographer on the hit series.

“We are honored to host the '1883: The Journey West' exhibition," says Dr. Diana Vela, the museum's associate executive director. "The ties to Fort Worth history, pioneers, and trailblazers make it a natural fit. The captivating series complements some of the real-life stories of very own honorees."

Yellowstone and 1883 follow the lives of the Duttons, first with the modern-day Western drama of the John Dutton family, then with the late 19th-century story of James and Margaret Dutton’s move west across the U.S.

When it filmed in Fort Worth last year, 1883 employed hundreds of local production crew and extras, used local businesses, and heavily featured locations like the Fort Worth Stockyards, the release notes. The show — whose official trailer featured a killer line about the city, delivered by star Billy Bob Thornton — was built up as one of the buzziest newcomers of the year.

1883 debuted in December and reportedly set a premiere record of 4.9 million households. The Yellowstone season finale drew an estimated 65 million households.

Powered by the success of the shows, Fort Worth recently shot onto a prestigious list of top filmmaking cities for first time; the city landed at No. 25 on Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker, an annual list compiled by Los Angeles-based publication MovieMaker.

A couple of visits to the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo by two of the shows' biggest stars February 1 and 2 drew swarms of fans, near and far.

“We are proud to partner with the National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame and 101 Studios on this exhibition,” says Bob Jameson, president and CEO of Visit Fort Worth (which includes the Fort Worth Film Commission). “Film and television production not only creates jobs locally, it provides an opportunity to drive tourism to our city through location tours and exhibitions like this one.”

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"1883: The Journey West," February 11-March 20, National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame, Fort Worth. Entrance is included with museum admission; tickets and more information at cowgirl.net.

Costumes worn by Faith Hill will be on display.

Photo courtesy of Paramount+

Costumes worn by Faith Hill will be on display.

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Movie Review

Podcaster lets creepy noises get under her skin in Undertone

Photo courtsy of A24

Nina Kiri in Undertone.

While the horror genre is still capable of producing some innovative filmmaking, most of the output tends to fall back on jump scares and other tropes to deliver their terror. So when a film like the new Undertone tries something different, it should be applauded for the effort, even if it’s not as successful in its execution.

Evy (Nina Kiri) is a podcaster who co-hosts a show called Undertone, which focuses on paranormal videos and sounds they find on the internet. Her co-host, Justin (Adam DiMarco), lives in London, so - for kind of contrived reasons - in order to make the time difference between them work, Evy records at around 3 am her time. Evy - who lives at home with her bedridden, dying mother - is the skeptic of the two, consistently debunking clips that Justin presents to her.

Her doubts are tested when Justin brings in a series of 10 audio clips that purport to be about a boyfriend recording his girlfriend as she talks in her sleep. The audio begins in a lighthearted manner and quickly turns creepy and then sinister as unexplained things start happening. Evy senses that what she’s hearing is bleeding into her own world, especially when inexplicable actions take place in her mother’s bedroom.

Written and directed by first-time feature filmmaker Ian Tuason, the film is effective early on when it introduces the story concept. Making great use of sound design, Tuason essentially puts the audience inside Evy’s head, where every little sound is heightened. Setting the podcast sessions in the middle of the night ups the anxiety level for both her and the audience.

However, as the film goes along it gets a little tedious watching Evy listen to the audio, even as Tuason attempts to keep the film dynamic by moving the camera around her. The premise of the story - progressively going through 10 clips - and Tuason’s framing of shots that focus as much on the background as they do on Evy seem to promise more interesting results than actually transpire.

What ultimately holds the film down more than anything is its lack of different viewpoints. The only other person who’s actually seen is Evy’s mother, who is unable to speak. Evy speaks to Justin, another friend, and a doctor over the course of the story, and while each broadens our understanding of Evy somewhat, none of them make her a truly three-dimensional person. Getting a little more information about her history might have helped the story work better.

Kiri does her level best to vary her acting in the various podcast scenes, and even when they start to get repetitive, she remains compelling and watchable. It’s difficult to judge the other actors based on audio alone, but knowing that DiMarco also starred in season 2 of The White Lotus helps to visualize him and his acting style.

Undertone does well in creating a spine-chilling mood, but it needed something beyond that to become a truly great horror movie. Tuason shows some promise as a filmmaker, especially in the way he uses the camera to create tension, but a more complete story will serve him better the next time around.

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Undertone is now playing in theaters,

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