Horton Foote is the author and his daughter Hallie Foote the star of The Courtship. Set in 1915, this minimalist character piece details the courting customs in the small Texas town of Harrison. Hallie, the daughter of a prosperous small-town family, is sought after by travelling salesman William Converse-Roberts, who must prove himself worthy of her hand. The emphasis is on Hallie, who sees marriage as the most expedient means of escaping the tyranny of her father (Michael Higgins). The Courtship was the first five nostalgic Horton Foote plays which originally aired on the PBS American Playhouse series from April 4 to May 1, 1987, under the umbrella title Story of A Marriage.