December 1981

Dec 1, 1981 — By Harry Hurt III

How a band of thrill-seekers called BASE made jumping off Texas’ tallest building the ultimate urban adventure.

Dec 1, 1981 — By Nicholas Lemann

In a faraway archive we found the best photographs of Texas ever taken, never befor published in a large group. Together, they show every part of the state as it entered the modern age. And each one has a story behind it.

Dec 1, 1981 — By Stephen Harrigan

A brief but opinionated guide to the world’s best toys, from the Alpha Porbe to the telephone.

Dec 1, 1981 — By Stephen Harrigan

They used to be virtuous and wooden and they were good. Now they’re commercial and plastic and they’re great.

Dec 1, 1981 — By Gary Cartwright

The life—promising beginning, overripe middle, bloody end—of Lee Chagra, the biggest drug lawyer in El Paso.

Dec 1, 1981 — By William Martin

On Yom Kippur, Jews in Dallas mark the Day of Atonement; on Christmas Eve, Episcopalians in Houston gather for a night of adoration.

Dec 1, 1981 — By Harry Hurt III

Coastal Corporation’s mastermind, Oscar Wyatt, keeps everyone guessing these days—from the IRS to society columnists to stock analysts.

Dec 1, 1981 — By Gregory Curtis

The big boom.

Dec 1, 1981 — By W. L. Taitte

Dallas’ Stage #1 proves it’s worthy of its name with a gut-wrenching production about a family torn apart.

Dec 1, 1981 — By Pepi Plowman

Texas music is wide open these days. You can stand by old standbys like Willie or take a chance on nuclear polka and Caribbean funk.

Dec 1, 1981 — By James Wolcott

Southern Comfort bathes the bayou in blood; Chariots of Fire sets no track records; Quartet is a marvel of misdirection; True Confessions’ trespasses are forgivable; Time Bandits steals the show.

Dec 1, 1981 — By Prudence Mackintosh

Children today understand brand names like Izod and concepts like “rip-off,” but they don’t understand that some things—the best things—can’t be bought.

Dec 1, 1981 — By Patricia Sharpe

Have yourself a merry Texas Christmas.

Dec 1, 1981 — By Paul Burka

Dreaming Democrats; juicy news about the News; shake-ups brewing in UT; whey Reagan can’t decontrol gas.

Dec 1, 1981 — By Texas Monthly

The high and the flighty.

Dec 1, 1981 — By Texas Monthly

The bottle-cap gambit.

Dec 1, 1981 — By Peter Applebome

Robots take over Dallas; sports talk shows take Houston by storm; border bridges take forever to get built; John Tower takes the lead in the defense debate; a Corsicana bakery takes the fruitcake.