Blessed Assurance: The Life and Art of Horton Foote

by Marion Castleberry, Hallie Foote (Foreword)

For more than seventy years, beginning in 1939, when he penned his first play, Wharton Dance, Horton Foote was regarded as one of America s most revered dramatists. With his probing and perceptive dramas, he succeeded in charting the landscape of small-town America while creating classics of modern theatre and film that have found devoted audiences around the world. Foote wrote more than a hundred plays and screenplays for cinema, theatre, and television, and was equally successful in all three mediums--a record of variety and productivity unmatched by any other writer. Inspired by his hometown of Wharton, Texas, Foote wrote timeless tales of family, home, and the mysterious resilience of the human spirit that garnered him dozens of prestigious awards, including an Emmy for his adaptation of Old Man, Academy Awards for To Kill a Mockingbird and Tender Mercies, a Pulitzer Prize for The Young Man from Atlanta, as well as a National Medal of Arts. Horton Foote was, in the words of Robert Duvall, the great American voice.

With a foreword by Hallie Foote, this biography is the most thorough and comprehensive to date of American dramatist Horton Foote. Drawing on the author's complete access to Foote's personal papers and extended conversations with the writer, his family, and his friends, Marion Castleberry discusses all the important aspects of Horton Foote's life and career--his Wharton, Texas childhood, his devotion to family, his deep Christian faith, his abiding passion for the theatre, and his successes as a screenwriter and independent filmmaker.

While placing Foote's work in biographical context and offering insightful analyses of his works, Castleberry paints a striking portrait of the artist as well as the man.

536 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2014

About the author

Marion leaves a legacy of achievements in the world of theatre, especially theatre education. He began teaching in 1972 and retired from Baylor University on June 1, 2022.

He enjoyed writing especially about his favorite subject, Horton Foote, playwright and screen writer. He wrote his culminating work on Foote entitled, Blessed Assurance, The Life and Faith of Horton Foote, and it is a definitive biography covering all the works of Horton Foote. He directed over 100 productions during his career, one of those, Horton Foote’s 'The Traveling Lady,' was staged at the Ensemble Studio Theatre in New York City.

Reviews

[Joey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was great! Very thorough! Readable. A few factual errors and typos, but overall great biography combined with literary analysis. Reading this will enhance my appreciation and enjoyment of future re-readings of Horton Foote’s plays.

[Jdblair · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up living across the street from Horton Foote's parents from 1945 to 1960. I was aware that Mr. & Mrs. Foote's son was a writer but really didn't know much about his career until many years later.

I was not exposed to the theater while growing up in Wharton and I didn't know what to expect when I purchased this book. Marion's book has introduced me to the theater and makes me want to experience more.

I met Marion Castleberry in 2004 when Horton was being honored with the Horton Foote American Playwrights Festival at Baylor University. The festival planners made a trip to Wharton to see Horton's home, the town, the old cemetery, etc.

At the same time, a group of local people were very involved with the restoration of the 1889 Wharton County Courthouse. The restoration was completed in 2007 and Mr. Foote was very pleased to see the building being restored to its Victorian glory and the courthouse he remembered from his childhood. I've been told "To Kill A Mockingbird" probably would have been filmed in the real "Harrison" if the courthouse restoration had been completed earlier. He didn't live long enough to do another film in Wharton.

The book goes into great detail telling about all of his plays, describing all of the characters, and telling who the actors and actresses were. I suppose it might have been tedious reading if I didn't have some connection to the characters.

Finally, I grew up and still live in Wharton (Harrison). I would love to be able to sit and talk with Horton and discover more about the real people who were the objects of his stories. Marion's book comes close to filling that void. I enjoyed reading it!