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This week, Mike Rhyner and Rob Ervin settle into the shadows with a pair of guests who know exactly how Hollywood spins a Texas yarn. Kelly Kitchens, the mastermind behind the It Came from Texas Film Festival, takes us behind the curtain on curating films like Bernie and The Great Debaters, where fact and fiction duke it out in the Lone Star State.
Then comes Farris Rookstool III — retired FBI analyst, JFK authority, and genealogical surprise package (yep, there’s a Bonnie and Clyde connection). From ferrying assassination files across the country in a U-Haul to surviving an awkward dinner with Oliver Stone, Farris proves truth is stranger (and often funnier) than film.
Together, the crew unpacks what happens when Texas history collides with cinematic mythmaking — and why Garland’s Plaza Theatre might just be the best place on earth to argue about it.
Pull up a chair, pour a drink, and prepare for a ride where the stories are as big as Texas — and sometimes just as unbelievable.
Chapters
0:00 – Festival Lights Up Garland
3:20 – Plaza Theatre, Small Town, Big Screen
12:43 – Growing Up with Bonnie & Clyde
17:56 – From Curious Kid to FBI Analyst
21:41 – Dinner with Oliver Stone
26:51 – A U-Haul Full of Secrets
40:11 – Family Trees and Texas Lore
45:50 – Dallas, Ground Zero for Breaking News
54:02 – Preserving Stories, Screening Truths
1:03:02 – Wrapping with a Lone Star Verdict
By Mike Rhyner5
44 ratings
This week, Mike Rhyner and Rob Ervin settle into the shadows with a pair of guests who know exactly how Hollywood spins a Texas yarn. Kelly Kitchens, the mastermind behind the It Came from Texas Film Festival, takes us behind the curtain on curating films like Bernie and The Great Debaters, where fact and fiction duke it out in the Lone Star State.
Then comes Farris Rookstool III — retired FBI analyst, JFK authority, and genealogical surprise package (yep, there’s a Bonnie and Clyde connection). From ferrying assassination files across the country in a U-Haul to surviving an awkward dinner with Oliver Stone, Farris proves truth is stranger (and often funnier) than film.
Together, the crew unpacks what happens when Texas history collides with cinematic mythmaking — and why Garland’s Plaza Theatre might just be the best place on earth to argue about it.
Pull up a chair, pour a drink, and prepare for a ride where the stories are as big as Texas — and sometimes just as unbelievable.
Chapters
0:00 – Festival Lights Up Garland
3:20 – Plaza Theatre, Small Town, Big Screen
12:43 – Growing Up with Bonnie & Clyde
17:56 – From Curious Kid to FBI Analyst
21:41 – Dinner with Oliver Stone
26:51 – A U-Haul Full of Secrets
40:11 – Family Trees and Texas Lore
45:50 – Dallas, Ground Zero for Breaking News
54:02 – Preserving Stories, Screening Truths
1:03:02 – Wrapping with a Lone Star Verdict

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