FILM 1216: BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE
SUNDANCE KID
TRIVIA: Lula Parker Betenson,
sister of the real Butch Cassidy,
often visited the set, and her presence was welcome to the cast and crew.
During lulls in shooting she would tell stories about her famous brother's
escapades, and was amazed at how accurately the script and Paul Newman portrayed him.
Before the film was released, the studio found out about her visits and tried
to convince her to endorse the movie in a series of ads to be shown in theatres
across the country. She said that she would, but only if she saw the film first
and truly stood behind it. The studio refused, saying that allowing her to see
the film before its release could harm its reputation. Finally, at Robert Redford's
suggestion, she agreed to do the endorsements - for a small "fee."
The more commonly used name for Butch Cassidy and Sundance
Kid's gang was The Wild Bunch. However, when the Sam Peckinpah film, The Wild Bunch (1969), was
released a few months earlier, the name of the gang was changed to the Hole in
the Wall Gang to avoid confusion with Peckinpah's film.
Katharine Ross enjoyed
shooting the silent, bicycle riding sequence best, because it was handled by
the film crew's second unit rather than the director. She said, "Any day
away from George Roy Hill was a good
one." (This was after she had been scolded and banned from the set for
operating a camera.)
According to screenwriter William Goldman, his
screenplay originally was entitled "The Sundance Kid and Butch Cassidy." Both Steve McQueen and Paul Newman read the
script at approximately the same time, and agreed to do it, with McQueen
playing the Sundance Kid. When McQueen dropped out, the names reversed in the
title, as Newman was a superstar.
'Butch Cassidy' (Robert Leroy
Parker) was so nick-named because he once worked in a butcher's shop whilst
'The Sundance Kid' (Harry Alonzo Longabaugh) was nick-named this because he
once was arrested in the Wyoming town of Sundance.
Dustin Hoffman was
considered for the role of Butch Cassidy.
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