Invasion of the Cable Snatchers

In Texas the best way to get rich in cable television is to know just a little about TV and everything about politics.

by John Bloom

No More Mr. Nice Guy

Straight out of the last century, fists swinging, cutting a swath through the lawless, comes Dick Cockrell.

by Sarah W. Thomas

Termite Watkins and the Fatal Pancakes

In a big fight you can outwit, outhit, or outlast your opponent. But you’d better not try to outeat him.

by Giles Tippette

Horse Power

Horses are expensive, finicky, and a pain to groom. They are also irresistible.

by Olive Spitzmiller

An American Family

Pedro Martínez, with only his Mexican heritage, a determination to work hard, and a desire for a better life, brought his family across the Rio Grande to fine a home in a new land.

by Richard West

The Law West of the Trinity

Justices of the peace, maligned since the days of Roy Bean, don’t operate like other judges. But if lawyers want to get ride of them, they can’t be all bad.

by Paul Burka

Behind the Lines

No news is bad news.

by John Bloom and William Broyles, Jr

Stepping Out

Alias Miss Moonlight

For Maxine, Texas’ leading gossip, life is all work and no playcation.

Michael Ennis

Country Notes

One Man’s Music

Harmony begins at home.

by John Graves

Cityview

The Egg War

Getting a memorial for Austin’s Viet Nam War dead began as a noble venture but ended in a trivial skirmish.

Susan Duffy

Church

Amens and Imams

Pentecostal revivalists bask in the Spirit of the Holy Ghost; Muslims find solace in the will of Allah.

by William Martin

Art

Russian Orthodox

The USSR today wouldn’t tolerate the radical art that was nurtured during the Russian Revolution.

by Michael Ennis

Books

The Secret Life of Chester Seltzer

Gordon Baxter’s Village Creek is just barely navigable. Amado Muro was a bohemian before it was fashionable.

by Stephen Harrigan

Theater

Theater in a Suitcase

On its Houston stop, the Acting Company unpacked performances for Texas theaters to live up to. Austin’s Center Stage is in the know but lacks the how.

by W. L. Taitte and Alice Gordon

Film

Brains, Beauty, and Braun

The Marriage of Maria Braun marks a second honeymoon for the New German Cinema; it’s hard to see your way through The Fog; this American Gigolo is overpriced and underwhelming.

by George Morris

Reporter

Texas Monthly Reporter

Del Monte gets steamed up over spinach; an entrepreneur’s scheme goes up in flames; Marlin takes the geothermal plunge; football is hot stuff in Mexico.

by Gene Lyons

The Inside Story

Black and brown.

by Gregory Curtis

Roar of the Crowd

Baby boom, bum rap, race trap.

Touts

Docs, rocks, and flocks.

by Patricia Sharpe

Puzzle

Ticket to write.

State Secrets

Texas witches need regulation; the Killer Bees sting again; a cloud hangs over the Contemporary Arts Museum; the feds insist that minority rules.

Edited by Paul Burka