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Butch and Sundance: The Early Days

February 15, 2024

Butch and Sundance: The Early Days is a 1979 American Western film and prequel to the 1969 film. It stars Tom Berenger as Butch Cassidy and William Katt as the Sundance Kid, with Jeff Corey reprising his role as Sheriff Bledsoe.

Butch and Sundance: The Early Days
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRichard Lester
Written byAllan Burns
Produced bySteven Bach
Jack B. Bernstein
William Goldman
Gabriel Katzka
StarringWilliam Katt
Tom Berenger
CinematographyLászló Kovács
Edited byGeorge Trirogoff
Music byPatrick Williams
Production
companies
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release date
June 15, 1979
Running time
111 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$9 million[1]
Box office$5,136,913[2]

It was directed by Richard Lester and written by Allan Burns. It generally received mixed reviews but was nominated for an Oscar for Best Costume Design.[3]

Plot edit

In Wyoming, wannabe outlaw Butch Cassidy joins forces with sharpshooter Harry Longabaugh (who renames himself the Sundance Kid) and they carry out a series of robberies. However, Butch is stalked by a member of his former gang, O.C. Hanks, who believes he betrayed the gang. The two spend the winter in Telluride until they hear O.C. is in town, then rush away to deliver diphtheria serum to snowbound farms and become heroes. O.C. ambushes them and wounds Sundance by mistake. He recovers in Butch's home, tended by Butch's wife Mary and their two sons, who don't know their father's real job (he takes up butchery to earn money). O.C. turns up for a showdown and Sundance unintentionally kills him. Returning to crime, the pair rob a bank and then decide to rob a money train guarded by cavalry, not knowing Butch has been promised an amnesty if he gives up crime. They get the money, free the cavalry horses to prevent pursuit, and ride away dreaming of being famous outlaws.

Cast edit

Production edit

Allan Burns worked on the script with William Goldman, who was on board as executive producer; Goldman added some scenes and moments he wanted to introduce in the first movie but the bulk of the script was Burns'.[4][5]

William Katt had recently made First Love and was being called "a young Robert Redford"[by whom?] so ended up being cast as Sundance. Tom Berenger was cast after the studio were impressed by his performance in Looking for Mr. Goodbar.[6]

Jeff Corey, portraying Sheriff Bledsoe, was the only actor to reprise his role from the original 1969 film.

Director Richard Lester stated he had never seen the first movie.[4]

Reception edit

Critical response edit

Roger Ebert gave the film 2.5 stars out of 4 and said it was "technically fine ... But as we listen to the freewheeling dialog, as we watch young Butch and the Kid blunder through their first adventures and finesse their later ones, there's a nagging question bouncing about in the backs of our heads: Why are we in this theater at this time? Did we want to know about the early days? Now that we're here, does the movie make us care? Not really."[7] Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune also gave it 2.5 stars, writing that "Fox succeeded in getting the actors but failed to provide them with a really fine script. Which is not to say that 'Butch and Sundance: The Early Days' is a bad picture. On the contrary, it's pleasant enough, but that's about all."[8] Vincent Canby of The New York Times called the film "so lifeless it's almost creepy ... You can't believe that Mr. Lester was in the same continent when it was made." Of the two leads Canby said, "There's nothing remarkably wrong about their performances but, for one reason or another, there's absolutely no rapport between them."[9]

Variety wrote, "Tom Berenger and William Katt acquit themselves admirably, but simply can't compete with the ghosts of two superstars ... There are some patented Lester hijinks in the first half-hour of the prequel, but these peter out surprisingly soon. What's left is a mishmash of effective stuntwork and visuals, and a story line that moseys along with little suspense or excitement."[10] Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called the film "pleasant though slight."[11] Gary Arnold of The Washington Post declared it "the first attractive Western to mosey across the screen in several years. Not a great or even rousing Western, but at least a pleasant, warmly evocative one, beautifully visualized and incidentally enjoyable for its settings, texture, droll tone and sometimes amusing interplay of characters."[12]

The film reportedly lost $4 million. "It was a terrible movie", said a retired Fox executive. "It was a parody of a satire and it was filmed by talentless people. Naturally it bombed.... It takes a lot of money to produce a western. It has to be shot on location. You need horses, a period town, costumes and other paraphernalia that a contemporary film such as 'Kramer vs. Kramer' doesn't require. That's why studios are reluctant to finance them."[13]

Butch and Sundance: The Early Years holds a 33% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on six reviews.[14]

Release edit

A DVD of the film was released by Anchor Bay Entertainment in February 2005.[15] However, Anchor Bay has since lost distribution rights to the film and the DVD was forced to go out of print.

Shout! Factory acquired the rights to the film and released it on DVD as a double billing with Death Hunt on February 1, 2011.[16]

It is currently available on Blu-ray through Timeless Media Group.[17]

References edit

  1. ^ Solomon, Aubrey (1988). Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History. Scarecrow Press. p. 259. ISBN 978-0810842441.
  2. ^ "Butch and Sundance: The Early Days". Box Office Mojo.
  3. ^ "1980 Academy Awards". oscars.org. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Lee, Grant (April 23, 1978). "'Sundance': Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch". Los Angeles Times. p. M40.
  5. ^ Davidson, Bill (May 29, 1977). "The 'Hyphenate'". The New York Times. p. 47. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  6. ^ Kilday, Gregg (November 16, 1977). "FILM CLIPS: Dyan Cannon's Shooting Star". Los Angeles Times. p. G19.
  7. ^ Ebert, Roger (June 18, 1979). "Butch and Sundance: The Early Days". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  8. ^ Siskel, Gene (June 20, 1979). "Butch, Sundance 'prequel' is too cute to cut it". Section 3. Chicago Tribune. p. 7.
  9. ^ Canby, Vincent (June 15, 1979). "Film: 'Butch and Sundance' Goes Off the Trail". The New York Times. p. C10. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  10. ^ "Butch and Sundance – The Early Days". Variety. December 31, 1978. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  11. ^ Thomas, Kevin (June 15, 1979). "A Prequel to Butch, Sundance". Part IV. Los Angeles Times. p. 1.
  12. ^ Arnold, Gary (June 15, 1979). "Two for the Comeback Trail". The Washington Post. p. B1.
  13. ^ Blowen, Michael (June 29, 1980). "Why They're Slow On The Draw". The Boston Globe. p. 1.
  14. ^ "Butch and Sundance: The Early Days". Rotten Tomatoes.
  15. ^ "Butch And Sundance: The Early Days DVD". Blu-ray.com. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  16. ^ Jane, Ian (January 22, 2011). "Death Hunt / Butch & Sundance: The Early Days". DVD Talk. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  17. ^ "Butch & Sundance: The Early Days Blu-ray". Blu-ray.com. Retrieved March 23, 2023.

External links edit

  • Butch and Sundance: The Early Days at IMDb  
  • Butch and Sundance: The Early Days at AllMovie
  • Butch and Sundance: The Early Days at Rotten Tomatoes

February 15, 2024
butch, sundance, early, days, 1979, american, western, film, prequel, 1969, film, stars, berenger, butch, cassidy, william, katt, sundance, with, jeff, corey, reprising, role, sheriff, bledsoe, theatrical, release, posterdirected, byrichard, lesterwritten, bya. Butch and Sundance The Early Days is a 1979 American Western film and prequel to the 1969 film It stars Tom Berenger as Butch Cassidy and William Katt as the Sundance Kid with Jeff Corey reprising his role as Sheriff Bledsoe Butch and Sundance The Early DaysTheatrical release posterDirected byRichard LesterWritten byAllan BurnsProduced bySteven BachJack B BernsteinWilliam GoldmanGabriel KatzkaStarringWilliam KattTom BerengerCinematographyLaszlo KovacsEdited byGeorge TrirogoffMusic byPatrick WilliamsProductioncompaniesPantheonWilliam GoldmanDistributed by20th Century FoxRelease dateJune 15 1979Running time111 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishBudget 9 million 1 Box office 5 136 913 2 It was directed by Richard Lester and written by Allan Burns It generally received mixed reviews but was nominated for an Oscar for Best Costume Design 3 Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 4 Reception 4 1 Critical response 5 Release 6 References 7 External linksPlot editThis article needs an improved plot summary Please help improve the plot summary May 2015 Learn how and when to remove this template message In Wyoming wannabe outlaw Butch Cassidy joins forces with sharpshooter Harry Longabaugh who renames himself the Sundance Kid and they carry out a series of robberies However Butch is stalked by a member of his former gang O C Hanks who believes he betrayed the gang The two spend the winter in Telluride until they hear O C is in town then rush away to deliver diphtheria serum to snowbound farms and become heroes O C ambushes them and wounds Sundance by mistake He recovers in Butch s home tended by Butch s wife Mary and their two sons who don t know their father s real job he takes up butchery to earn money O C turns up for a showdown and Sundance unintentionally kills him Returning to crime the pair rob a bank and then decide to rob a money train guarded by cavalry not knowing Butch has been promised an amnesty if he gives up crime They get the money free the cavalry horses to prevent pursuit and ride away dreaming of being famous outlaws Cast editTom Berenger as Butch Cassidy Robert Leroy Parker William Katt as The Sundance Kid Harry Alonzo Longabaugh Jeff Corey as Sheriff Ray Bledsoe John Schuck as Kid Curry Harvey Logan Michael C Gwynne as Mike Cassidy Peter Weller as Joe LeFors Brian Dennehy as O C Hanks Christopher Lloyd as Bill Tod Carver billed as Chris Lloyd Jill Eikenberry as Mary Parker Joel Fluellen as Jack Regina Baff as Ruby Peter Brocco as Old Robber Vincent Schiavelli as Guard Hugh Gillin as Cyrus Antoon Sherril Lynn Rettino as Annie Elya Baskin as Book keeperProduction editAllan Burns worked on the script with William Goldman who was on board as executive producer Goldman added some scenes and moments he wanted to introduce in the first movie but the bulk of the script was Burns 4 5 William Katt had recently made First Love and was being called a young Robert Redford by whom so ended up being cast as Sundance Tom Berenger was cast after the studio were impressed by his performance in Looking for Mr Goodbar 6 Jeff Corey portraying Sheriff Bledsoe was the only actor to reprise his role from the original 1969 film Director Richard Lester stated he had never seen the first movie 4 Reception editCritical response edit Roger Ebert gave the film 2 5 stars out of 4 and said it was technically fine But as we listen to the freewheeling dialog as we watch young Butch and the Kid blunder through their first adventures and finesse their later ones there s a nagging question bouncing about in the backs of our heads Why are we in this theater at this time Did we want to know about the early days Now that we re here does the movie make us care Not really 7 Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune also gave it 2 5 stars writing that Fox succeeded in getting the actors but failed to provide them with a really fine script Which is not to say that Butch and Sundance The Early Days is a bad picture On the contrary it s pleasant enough but that s about all 8 Vincent Canby of The New York Times called the film so lifeless it s almost creepy You can t believe that Mr Lester was in the same continent when it was made Of the two leads Canby said There s nothing remarkably wrong about their performances but for one reason or another there s absolutely no rapport between them 9 Variety wrote Tom Berenger and William Katt acquit themselves admirably but simply can t compete with the ghosts of two superstars There are some patented Lester hijinks in the first half hour of the prequel but these peter out surprisingly soon What s left is a mishmash of effective stuntwork and visuals and a story line that moseys along with little suspense or excitement 10 Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called the film pleasant though slight 11 Gary Arnold of The Washington Post declared it the first attractive Western to mosey across the screen in several years Not a great or even rousing Western but at least a pleasant warmly evocative one beautifully visualized and incidentally enjoyable for its settings texture droll tone and sometimes amusing interplay of characters 12 The film reportedly lost 4 million It was a terrible movie said a retired Fox executive It was a parody of a satire and it was filmed by talentless people Naturally it bombed It takes a lot of money to produce a western It has to be shot on location You need horses a period town costumes and other paraphernalia that a contemporary film such as Kramer vs Kramer doesn t require That s why studios are reluctant to finance them 13 Butch and Sundance The Early Years holds a 33 rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on six reviews 14 Release editA DVD of the film was released by Anchor Bay Entertainment in February 2005 15 However Anchor Bay has since lost distribution rights to the film and the DVD was forced to go out of print Shout Factory acquired the rights to the film and released it on DVD as a double billing with Death Hunt on February 1 2011 16 It is currently available on Blu ray through Timeless Media Group 17 References edit Solomon Aubrey 1988 Twentieth Century Fox A Corporate and Financial History Scarecrow Press p 259 ISBN 978 0810842441 Butch and Sundance The Early Days Box Office Mojo 1980 Academy Awards oscars org Retrieved March 23 2023 a b Lee Grant April 23 1978 Sundance Meanwhile Back at the Ranch Los Angeles Times p M40 Davidson Bill May 29 1977 The Hyphenate The New York Times p 47 Retrieved March 23 2023 Kilday Gregg November 16 1977 FILM CLIPS Dyan Cannon s Shooting Star Los Angeles Times p G19 Ebert Roger June 18 1979 Butch and Sundance The Early Days RogerEbert com Retrieved April 22 2019 Siskel Gene June 20 1979 Butch Sundance prequel is too cute to cut it Section 3 Chicago Tribune p 7 Canby Vincent June 15 1979 Film Butch and Sundance Goes Off the Trail The New York Times p C10 Retrieved March 23 2023 Butch and Sundance The Early Days Variety December 31 1978 Retrieved March 23 2023 Thomas Kevin June 15 1979 A Prequel to Butch Sundance Part IV Los Angeles Times p 1 Arnold Gary June 15 1979 Two for the Comeback Trail The Washington Post p B1 Blowen Michael June 29 1980 Why They re Slow On The Draw The Boston Globe p 1 Butch and Sundance The Early Days Rotten Tomatoes Butch And Sundance The Early Days DVD Blu ray com Retrieved March 23 2023 Jane Ian January 22 2011 Death Hunt Butch amp Sundance The Early Days DVD Talk Retrieved March 23 2023 Butch amp Sundance The Early Days Blu ray Blu ray com Retrieved March 23 2023 External links editButch and Sundance The Early Days at IMDb nbsp Butch and Sundance The Early Days at AllMovie Butch and Sundance The Early Days at Rotten Tomatoes Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Butch and Sundance The Early Days amp oldid 1184928310, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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