On the podcast this week, Steven and Sean are making our escape to Bolivia after fouling things up with some powerful rich dude in the 1969 film from George Roy Hill, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
Has there ever been a more iconic duo than Butch and Sundance? I mean, I guess you’ve got peanut butter and jelly. There’s mac and cheese. Ketchup and French fries (unless you’re some sort of weird Dutch person who revels in slathering your pommes frites with mayonnaise). But Butch and Sundance aren’t food. They’re people!
Maybe I’m just hungry. Note to all of you, don’t ever write podcast notes before lunch. You’re just going to end up with a rumbling stomach and bunch of words that don’t make much sense.
This pair of bank robbing pals are quite the couple of bandits, and we’d ride with them any day of the week. Sometimes they need all the help they can get. Maybe you’ve got a relentless group of hunters on your tail because you just stole a great amount of money from them twice. Perhaps you need someone to dissuade you from going to Bolivia then you don’t know Spanish. We want to have you covered. Would it have saved them from the fate that ultimately befell them? Maybe not, but hey, who doesn’t want to take on what looks like the entire Bolivian army in a desperate shoot-out? Wouldn’t that be cinematic?
Oh sorry, spoiler alert!
This is the first of two collaborations between Paul Newman and Robert Redford. The other film being The Sting (and make sure to listen to our previous episode about that film). It’s clear from the outset that this is a magical pairing. Newman and Redford light up the screen in every scene they’re in, and lucky for us, they’re in just about every one.
With this film, you not only get a rousing, fun, and tense western, but you get to witness two fine actors at the long peak of their games. It’s a blast from start to end, and we’re not just talking about that train car Butch and Sundance exploded. Although, Sundance would be very happy to tell you he warned Butch about using too much dynamite.
(Recorded on March 22, 2021)
Links to Stuff We Mentioned:
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - IMDb
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid trailer - YouTube
The Jerry Springer Show - IMDb
Mesothelioma commercial - YouTube
8 of the Most Iconic Old West Revolvers Ever Carried - Personal Defense World
