Instructing |
Illuminating | Inspiring
The Southwestern
Writers Collection
at
Texas State University-San Marcos presents
The Making of
King of the
HiLL
On Exhibit September 1—December 14, 2007
Exhibit Reception & Program November 10, 2007
© Mike Judge. All Material From ÒKing of
the HillÓ
Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Television. All rights
reserved.
Guide to King of the Hill Papers now available on-line
[September 11, 2007—TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY-SAN MARCOS] The Southwestern Writers Collection celebrates the production and creative processes behind the Emmy Award-winning animated comedy, King of the Hill, with its newest exhibit on view September 1 through December 14. A public exhibit reception and program will be held the evening of Saturday, November 10, with special guest Jim Dauterive, series writer and Executive Producer.
The
show, co-created by Beavis and Butt-head creator,
Mike Judge, and Simpsons writer,
Greg Daniels, centers around Hank Hill, an all-American propane salesman who
loves his wife Peggy, his son Bobby, his dog Ladybird, and the Dallas Cowboys
(not necessarily in that order). The Hills reside in the fictitious town of
Arlen, Texas, where HankÕs high-school football buddies are also his neighbors
and closest friends. Right from the beginning, Hank became known as a
no-nonsense embodiment of suburban Texas culture. In 1997, after only one
top-rated season, Texas Monthly
named him one of the ÒTexas TwentyÓ—the Òmost impressive, intriguing and
influential Texans of the year.Ó
The Southwestern Writers Collection exhibit features eleven
yearsÕ worth of material collected by the showÕs creative team. Since 1999, King
of the Hill writer and current Executive
Producer Jim Dauterive has donated
his own writing archives to the SWWC, which include research notes, story
pitches, outlines, and drafts of scripts for the show, and he was instrumental
in the SWWCÕs acquisition of the bulk of the King of the Hill archives in 2005. The astounding amount of content
documents the effort-intensive, lengthy process behind the making of this
deceptively simple animated sitcom—from character development and back
story to final cell animation and show promotion.
Prominent in the exhibit is an image of the four-foot by
six-foot whiteboard titled ÒThe Making of King of the HillÓ used by the writers to depict the 40-week-per-episode
timeline from story idea to broadcast. Other evidence of the showÕs development
can be seen in the original 1995 pilot script by Mike Judge and its broadcast
draft (air date: January 12, 1997) written by Judge and Daniels, the show
ÒBibleÓ written by Dauterive—a resource for writers and others that
provides an overview of the show and the characters, and the text for an early
press tour of the offices that outlines where the writers get their ideas.
The expansion of one story idea from inception to the final
produced episode is the subject of one full case in the exhibit. The display
traces DauteriveÕs work on ÒHankÕs Cowboy Movie,Ó a season-three episode in
which Hank and his friends produce a documentary movie in order to entice the
Dallas Cowboys to locate their spring-training camp in Arlen. The items on
display—among them DauteriveÕs early drafts, the 200-plus page storyboard
for the 45-page script, and the final creative notes by Judge—are just a
fraction of the records that reveal the collaborative effort involved in honing
a story idea to the point of broadcast.
With literally hundreds of people working on each episode,
standards manuals are essential. There are several on view in the exhibit
including: character-design standards; a special-effects manual with examples
of how to animate stock footage such as rain, fire and wind; and a numbered
list of 60-plus ÒdoÕs and donÕtsÓ for animation directors (e.g., ÒDonÕt make
Peggy too shapely,Ó ÒAngle heads, not just eyes,Ó ÒNo high fivesÓ).
The exhibit also highlights the impact the show has had
beyond broadcast, through published articles, books, and other memorabilia such
as calendars and figurines. Perhaps the most solid evidence of this on view is
the collection of Òinterview questionsÓ sent from news media and reporters to
the various characters, asking their opinions on everything from propane to
relationships to world politics.
As Dauterive stated in a 1998 article for Written By magazine, ÒWe [the writers] know these people, and we love
them. That accounts a lot for the success this show has had.Ó Having won
numerous awards, King of the Hill has
earned a place in television history. Its archive at the Southwestern Writers
Collection not only uniquely documents the processes involved in producing an
animated series and the work of a fresh, smart, creative team behind an
especially successful show, but it also preserves a snapshot view of whatÕs currently
going on in the world as seen through the eyes of a decent Texas guy like Hank
Hill.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10
The public is invited to the King of the Hill Exhibit Reception and Program at the Southwestern Writers
Collection, with special guests including series writer and Executive Producer Jim Dauterive on November 10, 2007, at
7:00 pm. Attendees are asked to RSVP to (512) 245-2313 or southwesternwriters@txstate.edu.
Admission is free.
This event supported by:
SOUTHWESTERN
WRITERS COLLECTION
Alkek Library Seventh Floor
Texas State University-San Marcos
Directions & event calendar: www.swwc.txstate.edu
(512) 245-2313
EXHIBIT
HOURS (closed holidays)
Mon/Tue/Fri:
8 am to 5 pm
Wed/Thu:
8 am to 7 pm
Sat:
9 am to 5 pm
Sun:
2 pm to 6 pm
Admission
is FREE
INSTRUCTING | ILLUMINATING | INSPIRING
Part of the Alkek Library Department of Special Collections at Texas State
University-San Marcos, the Southwestern
Writers Collection was founded in 1986 and has since become a
distinguished and steadily growing archive charged with preserving, exhibiting,
and providing access to the papers and artifacts of principal writers,
filmmakers, and musicians of the Southwest. Its resources attest to the
tremendous diversity of creative expression among southwestern artists and
contribute to an inspiring research environment within which students and
others may discover how the unique conditions and character of the region have
shaped its people and their cultural arts. Connie Todd, Curator. Steve Davis,
Assistant Curator.
(512) 245-2313 www.swwc.txstate.edu
Texas
State University-San Marcos
A
member of The Texas State University System
[ÒTexas StateÓ is the
preferred second reference for Texas State University-San Marcos (not ÒTSU,Ó
which begs confusion with Texas Southern University and Tarleton State
University), or, if an abbreviation is absolutely necessary, ÒTxStÓ is
acceptable.]
CONTACT: Michele M. Miller
Marketing & Publications
Alkek
Library Special Collections
TEXAS STATE
UNIVERSITY-SAN MARCOS
(512)
245-2313 m.miller@txstate.edu
HIGH-RES DIGITAL IMAGES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST