The Wild Bunch - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts

[discussimdb]

Fan of The Wild Bunch or just want to share your movie knowledge? This topic is dedicated to all trivia and questions related to The Wild Bunch

[carl]

According to Harrigan, Thornton is Pike's Judas goat. A Judas goat is an animal trained to lead others into a slaughterhouse. Its life is spared as it "betrays" its own kind.

[lynn]

The music composer Jerry Fielding worked day and night for the movie. He used to sleep one hour here, two hours there, but he loved every moment of this experience.

[jessica]

In his autobiography, Ernest Borgnine intimated that some of the crew were often annoyed with Jaime Sánchez: "He was barely 30 at the time and he was like a kid in a candy store. He just loved playing with his gun and he got to be a real fast draw. But it got to be irritating, having him constantly pull his six-shooter on us."

[camila]

The song "Polly Wolly Doodle" was prominently featured in Frank Capra's You Can't Take It with You (1938), where Dub Taylor (Rev. Wainscoat in this film) plays the song (several times) on a xylophone. "You Can't Take It with You" was Taylor's film debut. Sam Peckinpah's "Polly Wolly Doodle", presented in its sinister context, contrasts sharply with the carefree Capra rendition.

[melinda]

The bounty hunters' death scene was to be an elaborate shoot-out but producer Phil Feldman suggested killing them off-screen entirely. Sam Peckinpah liked it so much he wrote him to thank him saying, ""Your idea of taking out the killing of the bounty hunters was absolutely correct."

[miriam]

In an interview, Ben Johnson said that the Mexican women who "frolicked" with him and Warren Oates in the huge wine vats weren't actresses but prostitutes from a nearby brothel, who were hired by Sam Peckinpah so he could tell people that Warner Bros. paid for hookers for his cast.

[phyllis]

According to the film's editor, Lou Lombardo, Sam Peckinpah knew that Strother Martin was afraid of horses--so he gave him the tallest horse to ride, then made him mount it while facing downhill.

[javier]

Sam Peckinpah's first two choices for the role of Deke Thornton were Richard Harris (who had co-starred in Major Dundee (1965)) and Brian Keith (who had worked with Peckinpah on The Westerner (1960) and The Deadly Companions (1961)). Harris was never formally approached, but Keith was, and turned the part down.

[ruby]

Warner Bros. previewed the film and audience reactions were often negative and hostile. Some sample comments were "Do not release this film. The whole thing is sick," and ""The worst potpourri of vulgarity, violence, sex and bloodshed I've seen put together." The studio wired Sam Peckinpah expressing the desire to cut the film further to go for a more positive response. Peckinpah agreed but only to one print to be run in one theatre. The rest of the theatres would show his initial cut. The studio had Phil Feldman cut the required scenes and then released all prints this way. After such a productive relationship with Feldman for so long, Peckinpah felt betrayed. It influenced his outlook on producers from that point on.

[wesley]

The name "The Wild Bunch" was first applied by the press to a gang of outlaws active in Oklahoma and Indian Territories, headed by Bill Doolin. Every member of that gang eventually died violently. Later, the name "The Wild Bunch" was applied by the press to the Hole in the Wall Gang of Butch Cassidy.

[ella]

Henry Fonda, Glenn Ford, Van Heflin, Ben Johnson (later cast as Tector Gorch) and Arthur Kennedy were considered for Deke Thornton.

[morris]

WILHELM SCREAM: During the escape from the railroad office robbery in the beginning, when gang member Buck is shot in the face. And again a short time later when Pike grants Buck's request to "finish it." In the second instance, the Wilhem Scream is mostly masked by the sound of the horses reacting.

[albert]

Ben Johnson and Dub Taylor would appear in The Undefeated (1969) released the same year.

[jessica]

In perhaps the ultimate irony of the film, Pike - after a lifetime of successfully matching wits and fire power against railway barons, lawmen, the military and bounty hunters - is brought down by a little boy.

[bryan]

Sam Peckinpah was particularly suspicious of studio executives and didn't want them hanging around his sets. He warned editor Lou Lombardo, "Don't show anybody anything you cut until I see it. If Feldman [producer Phil Feldman] walks in, pull the plug on the moviola."

[lena]

The movie's line "If they move, kill 'em." was voted as the #72 of "The 100 Greatest Movie Lines" by Premiere in 2007.

[amber]

Seven identical costumes were made for each main actor. All of them were ruined during filming.

[marc]

The Wild Bunch would use 239 rifles, shotguns, revolvers and automatics and over 90 000 rounds of blank ammunition. "More than was used in the entire Mexican Revolution" Warner Bros publicity department would later claim.

[kyle]

The Bunch includes four Oscar winners out of the six members of the gang. William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Edmond O'Brien, and Ben Johnson all won acting Oscars during their career.