Congressman Lamar Smith, R-Texas (Courtesy: U.S. House of Representatives)

As a Hollywood success can tip its hat to Texas, money from movies is apparently helping one lawmaker from the Lone Star State. In the same week the western remake True Grit (see Josh’s Living Off The Air blog post about this movie) made its lucrative debut with scenes from Blanco, Austin, and Granger, U.S. News and World Report lists Congressman Lamar Smith, R-Texas, as one of the entertainment industries Top 25 “Favorite Lawmakers.”

Smith, who hails from San Antonio, serving the state’s 21^st Congressional district, is the U.S. House Judiciary Committee Chair. The publication says the TV, movie, and music industry gave $79,550 in campaign money since 2009.

The Congressman falls at #23 on the list. $59,500 came from PACs, according to the report. Another $20,050 came from individuals associated with the industry.

Looking at the U.S. House and Senate as a whole, this industry gave these amounts to political campaigns since 2009:

• Democrat – $7,863,075
• Republican – $3,512,261
• Independent – $52,850

The following Texas lawmakers made the Top 100:

• #23 Congressman Lamar Smith, R-Texas – $79,550
• #42 Congressman Joe Barton, R-Texas – $54,500
• #52 Congressman Charles Gonzalez, D-Texas – $47,000
• #67 Michael McCaul, R-Texas – $40,700

Movie poster at Carmike Cinema in Shawnee, OK

When you call my grandparents’ house in Amarillo, the answering machine still sounds, “This is the Smith residence. Leave a message, and we MIGHT call you back.” Even now, nearly a year since my Pawpaw passed away, his sarcastic, gruff voice still makes me laugh. During that same time, I waited for one movie in particular. True Grit.

I covered the filming of this western re-make in central Texas for KXAN. It was one of the last topics my Pawpaw and I discussed. Last Christmas, we sat in his living room, chatting about his affection for John Wayne. The original True Grit won the Duke an Academy Award in 1969, so Pawpaw was particularly interested in this conversation. It was quite unusual for him to be so talkative about anything. Even before his illness, he was not the most expressive man.

Check out Josh’s full Living Off The Air blog post here.