Before Elmer Kelton's The Good Old Boys (1978) was made into a television movie for Turner Network Television in 1995 by Tommy Lee Jones, Kelton had a loyal following among Texans and readers of Westerns, but he had not gained wide national recognition. Jones had been intrigued by Kelton's novel, and the famed actor, a San Saba, Texas, native, wrote the screenplay, directed, and starred in the movie, along with Sissy Spacek, Sam Shepard, and Wilford Brimley. Kelton finally came to national attention after a long and productive career. He is now recognized as a writer who has long written what might appear to be "formula Westerns"; but closer analysis reveals that much of Kelton's work demonstrates the human qualities that characterize good literature.

Kelton was born at Horse Camp on 29 April 1926, on the Five Wells Ranch in Andrews County, Texas, and grew up on the McElroy Ranch near Crane...