Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is loosely based on the story of Robert LeRoy Parker, a.k.a Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman) and Harry ‘Sundance Kid’ Longabaugh (Robert Redford). Set in Wyoming in 1899, Cassidy leads The Hole in the Wall Gang of train robbers. They plan a grand scheme to hold up the Union Pacific Overland Flyer on both its east and westbound runs.
The first heist goes off without a hitch. Butch goes to a brothel in town. Sundance visits his sweetheart Etta Place (Katharine Ross). Butch joins them the next morning to give Etta that iconic bicycle ride. The second robbery comes up a cropper when Butch uses enough dynamite to truly - b l o w - the safe and the car it’s in. While the gang scrambles to recover a rain of cash blowing in the wind, a second train rolls up and discharges an all-star posse. The chase is on. The posse is led by ace railroad detective Joe Lefors aided by legendary Indian tracker Lord Baltimore. Try as they might, Butch and Sundance can’t shake their trail.
Butch convinces Sundance and Etta to leave the country bound for a criminal paradise in Bolivia. Bolivia comes up short of paradise, criminal or otherwise. After a run at bank robbery, Etta and the boys discover Joe Lefors back on their trail. They make a short-lived attempt to ‘go straight’, guarding a mine payroll shipment. Payroll proves a bigger temptation than promise of good behavior. Etta concludes a life of crime is not for her and returns to the U.S.
Butch and Sundance steal a payroll complete with the mules carrying it. They hide out in a small town where the mules’ brand is recognized. The police are called. Both boys are wounded in a shootout. Pinned down, the army moves in to support the police. Butch suggests they make a run for Australia. Escape ends in a guns-blazing dash into a torrent of bullets.
William Goldman wrote the story as a screen play because he didn’t want to do the research necessary to write a novel. As a novelist, I understand Goldman’s logic.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is listed in the Library of Congress National Film Registry. The American Film Institute lists the film in its top-ten as the 7th best western of all time.
Next Week: The Wild Bunch
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Ride easy,
Paul
The first heist goes off without a hitch. Butch goes to a brothel in town. Sundance visits his sweetheart Etta Place (Katharine Ross). Butch joins them the next morning to give Etta that iconic bicycle ride. The second robbery comes up a cropper when Butch uses enough dynamite to truly - b l o w - the safe and the car it’s in. While the gang scrambles to recover a rain of cash blowing in the wind, a second train rolls up and discharges an all-star posse. The chase is on. The posse is led by ace railroad detective Joe Lefors aided by legendary Indian tracker Lord Baltimore. Try as they might, Butch and Sundance can’t shake their trail.
Butch convinces Sundance and Etta to leave the country bound for a criminal paradise in Bolivia. Bolivia comes up short of paradise, criminal or otherwise. After a run at bank robbery, Etta and the boys discover Joe Lefors back on their trail. They make a short-lived attempt to ‘go straight’, guarding a mine payroll shipment. Payroll proves a bigger temptation than promise of good behavior. Etta concludes a life of crime is not for her and returns to the U.S.
Butch and Sundance steal a payroll complete with the mules carrying it. They hide out in a small town where the mules’ brand is recognized. The police are called. Both boys are wounded in a shootout. Pinned down, the army moves in to support the police. Butch suggests they make a run for Australia. Escape ends in a guns-blazing dash into a torrent of bullets.
William Goldman wrote the story as a screen play because he didn’t want to do the research necessary to write a novel. As a novelist, I understand Goldman’s logic.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is listed in the Library of Congress National Film Registry. The American Film Institute lists the film in its top-ten as the 7th best western of all time.
Next Week: The Wild Bunch
Return to Facebook to comment
Ride easy,
Paul
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