Raise Hell: The Life and Times of Molly Ivins.
Raise Hell; The Life and Times of Molly Ivins. My friend Sara and I were talking about movies and life and friendship, as we have for over 30 years.
Bagels in a blue van in a field of high grass.
She told me what she was gonna watch that evening. It surprised me a little bit.
Me? I've been watching Soap and Columbo on Tubi. Their search is a little hinky, but it blurted out this Molly Ivins documentary. Sometimes never meet your heroes they say. I've met met a bunch, and so far so good, so I texted Sara I'm going with the doc about Molly Ivins. Molly Ivins is a hero of mine. Charles Pierce turned me on to her blistering prose about politics and trying to find truth years ago. I fell in love with her fearless, cutthroat truth telling bound to a wit that stand up comics would die for.
I pressed play
Me to Sara after pressing play.
'Okay. 30 seconds in I just have to hit pause and say. 'A big, buzz cut, white haired white lady with glasses walks on stage to applause. She puts her notebook/briefcase on the lectern. Realizes that it's upside down. Flips it effortlessly. ZZ Top's La Grange starts playing on the soundtrack. They cut to her throwing up her hands saying "AAAlllright, I have come to cheer you up about the state of politics in this great nation" in an effortlessly beautiful Texas accent that Mathew McConaughey would listen to and just say 'Daaamn'. Yeah, I'm in. All in.'
These folks know how to draw a great portrait of a Great Person. She was Big, Bold, and fiercely Independent, just like the Texas that made her. The Texas that she loved so much. Loved enough to point out its flaws remorselessly. She made a career of it. Then with a bigger voice she moved on to The America she loved so much. I'm not gonna get deep on this. It's simple. This is essential documentary watching about American politics in the late 20th century until she died in 2007. If you've never heard of Ann Richards, here ya go. Molly said Shrub, and Governor Good Hair with a laugh and deep venom. Hopefully, sometimes, Past is Prologue is a positive and Texas gets back to Molly's ideals. Highest Recommend. It's on Tubi, it's free. Make a junk email on Gmail and sign up to avoid spam. Watch this.
Bonus, search one of her mentors John Henry Faulk. That motherfucker, whew, make a doc about him.