|
Rumors
that the fictional town of Arlen, home of the characters on the Fox
TV show "King of the Hill," is inspired by or based on Temple have
been not exactly rampant, but they are at least persistent.
Conventional wisdom has it that Arlen is based on Garland, which not
only rhymes with Arlen but is also the hometown of series creator
Mike Judge. That the main character, Hank Hill, is a big fan of the
Dallas Cowboys boosts that notion, as does the name of the Tom Landry
Middle School where Hank's wife, Peggy Hill, is a substitute teacher
and son Bobby is a student.
But according to people who study such things (and there are more
than you might imagine) Arlen is four hours from the Dallas/Fort Worth
Metroplex. Or so one episode indicates.
Since the show is animated - a cartoon, for Pete's sake - the people
at Fox Broadcasting who produce the show can take as much artistic
license as they want. Creative types have always done this. Few readers
doubt that Larry McMurtry's Thalia is really his hometown of Archer
City in disguise, or that Thomas Wolfe's Altamont setting in "Look
Homeward, Angel" is a thinly disguised Asheville, North Carolina.
But this is a prime time cartoon, so the question of what Texas town
Arlen most resembles takes on either more or less significance, depending
on your point of view. |
For
those of you who have never watched the show, "King of the Hill" is
a satirical animated TV series created by Judge and set in the aforementioned
fictional town of Arlen. Hank Hill sells "propane and propane products."
Though it's a cartoon, the show bases its episodes on real life situations.
Thus, there is more debate than you might imagine about what town
actually inspired the town of Arlen, especially in Texas, where pride
can and is taken in matters both large and small.
The Wikepedia.com website lays out the case for Temple
being the inspiration for Arlen. |
|
"Much speculation
has noted that Arlen, Texas is probably Temple,
Texas, based on distances to Austin,
Dallas and Houston
listed in the show," the Wikepedia.com entry on Temple reads. "Temple
is the location of Scott and White Hospital. and, as such, it is noted
that Bobby drove to this hospital, arguably the most recognizable
in all Central Texas.
"Furthermore, with Bill {one of Hank's beer drinking buddies} working
on a large Army base, the location of Fort
Hood is right beside Temple/Killeen,
Texas."
Other clues also point to Temple.
One episode in which Dale's wife, a weather forecaster, reports live
from a wildfire points to a map that shows Arlen located just where
Temple is located on a Texas map.
Not mentioned on the website is an episode titled "What Makes Bobby
Run" in which Bobby, serving as Arlen's Longhorn mascot, attempts
to kidnap the armadillo mascot of Arlen's arch-rival. That arch rival?
Belton.
The show ends with Bobby getting the first ever "Belton beating" from
fans loyal to the armadillo and all it represents.
From a Temple
point of view, that should pretty much settle the matter. We can't
imagine someone in Garland getting a "Belton beating," not even in
a cartoon. |
|
|
HOME
