Midnight Cowboy

Midnight Cowboy, a 1965 novel by the American writer James Leo Herlihy, is best known to most for its film adaptation, starring Jon Voight as Joe Buck – a naïve dreamer from Texas - and Dustin Hoffman as Enrico "Ratso" Rizzo, a New York street pickpocket.

The novel tells the story of Joe Buck’s childhood in Texas, provides context for his naivety and emotional illiteracy, and explains what drives him to move to New York in his 20s, to seek his fortune providing sexual services to rich frustrated women.

Directed by John Schlesinger, the 1969 movie version focuses less on Joe’s early life – and more on the relationship between Joe and Ratso in New York. The film won best picture at the Oscars the following year. The novel, which didn’t achieve mainstream success, fell out of print in the shadow of the film.

But, as John Yorke explains, the story of Midnight Cowboy, however simple, was groundbreaking in the mid 1960s: bringing characters at the margins of society to the centre, and dealing with themes of sexuality and sexual frankness in a powerful new way.

John also explores how Herlihy connects the story with the political uncertainty of 1960s America, and looks at what drove him to write the book.

John Yorke has worked in television and radio for over 30 years and shares his experience as he unpacks the themes and impact of the books, plays and stories dramatised in BBC Radio 4’s Sunday Drama series. As former Head of Channel Four Drama and Controller of BBC Drama Production he has worked on some of the most popular shows in Britain; from EastEnders to The Archers, Life on Mars to Shameless. He created the BBC Writers Academy and trained a generation of screenwriters, now with thousands of hours of television to their names. His acclaimed books Into the Woods and Trip to the Moon explore the structure and power of narrative, and he writes, teaches and consults on all forms of storytelling, including many podcasts for Radio 4.

Contributors:
James Leo Herlihy, from Studs Terkel WFMT radio archive, broadcast 1969.
Howard Schuman, from Open Book, BBC Radio 4, 10 August 2003.

Readings by William Hootkins for Open Book, BBC Radio 4, 10 August 2003.
Excerpts from Midnight Cowboy by James Leo Herlihy, Simon & Schuster, Inc, 1965.
Excerpts from John Schlesinger's 1969 film adaption of Midnight Cowboy.

Researcher: Henry Tydeman
Sound: Iain Hunter
Producer: Jack Soper
Executive Producer: Sara Davies
Production Hub Coordinator: Dawn Williams
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds