Facts About the Movie, "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid"

What it may have lacked in historical accuracy, it made up for in entertainment value.

Butch, Sundance and EttaPhoto byCreative Commons: Apuch

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a great example of a movie that critics didn’t care for, but moviegoers loved. For example, Roger Ebert wasn’t a particular fan of the movie. It seems that Ebert felt the production values were overblown and detracted from the film, plus the dialogue between Butch and Sundance was too contemporary. The idea of a movie just trying to be entertaining appears to have eluded Roger’s grasp.

And that’s just what this movie was meant to be, entertaining. And the general consensus is that it was. So, here are some things you didn’t know about Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

1: Paul Newman was pretty much a lock for Butch Cassidy, but the role of the Sundance Kid was a bit more problematic.

Various actors were considered, including Jack Lemon, Steve McQueen and Marlon Brando. Ultimately, Newman, and others lobbied for Redford and won. Hey, it seems like Butch Cassidy ought to be able to pick his own gang.

2: McQueen dropped out of the project because he wanted top billing. What was offered was McQueen would get top billing on half the prints, and Newman top billing on thew other half.

That was deemed unacceptable by McQueen or his management. It does seem like McQueen was acting like a Kid.

3: There was a problem when the movie got to editing.

It was too funny. Some of the humorous lines were cut so the movie wouldn’t be considered a straight out comedic western. I believe comedic lines were also cut out from Pauly Shore movies, as well as the Police Academy franchise.

4: Initially, the movie was going to called “The Sundance Kid and Butch Cassidy.”

But that’s when Paul Newman thought he was going to play Sundance. Actually, director Geoge Hill wanted Newman to play Butch Cassidy, which was fine with Newman. And, since he was the bigger box office draw at the time, his character got top billing. If Sundance wanted top billing, he should have formed his own gang.

5: Newman did his own bicycle riding since his stuntman couldn’t.

That seems a bit odd for a stuntman, but since it wouldn’t have looked right for Butch Cassidy to ride a bike with training wheels, Paul Newman handled it.

6: Newman was upset with Redford about some of the stunts he did.

It seems that Redford actually jumped from train car to train car in the movie, with angered Newman. Redford recalled Newman saying something to the effect he didn’t want to lose a co-star. If that had happened, it might have meant going back and negotiating with Steve McQueen.

7: Can you copyright the name of a gang?

Actually, in real life, Cassidy’s gang had been known as The Wild Bunch, but Sam Peckinpah was working on a movie by that name, so Cassidy’s gang was called, The Hole in the Wall Gang. That does sound better than The Really Unruly Gang.

8: Katherine Ross didn’t enjoy the shoot. She was banished from the set by director George Roy Hill after operating a camera without his consent.

Maybe that’s why she left Butch and Sundance.

9: The film’s producers tried to get Bob Dylan to sing. “Rain Drops Keep Falling on My Head.”

Personally, I’m glad B. J. Thomas sang the song. I could understand the lyrics and the song was half as along.

10: It was the top grossing film of 1969.

Which shows Butch and Sundance made more money making movies than robbing banks.

11: Strother Marin was great as Percy Garris. Garris is the guy who hired Butch and Sundance as payroll guards in Bolivia.

At one point Martin/Garris utters one of my favorite lines in the movie: “Morons. I’ve got morons on my team.” I’ve had many bosses of mine say that.

12: Ted Cassidy, as Harvey Logan, is the recipient of one of the greatest kicks to the groin in movie history.

I hope he had a stunt double.

13: Sam Elliott, who went on to marry Katherine Ross, had a small part in the movie. Sam was billed as Card Player #2.

With hard work and determination, he eventually worked his way up to Card Player #1.

14: The film contains elements of historical events.

Of course, depending on who you believe, it might be trace elements.