Butch and Sundance: the Early Years

Butch and Sundance: The Early Years hat do you do when you have a for Burns’s quirky script for Butch and work so well is the great score by smash hit film that becomes an Sundance: The Early Years . Patrick Williams, one of two happy col - Winstant classic, that breaks box- laborations with Richard Lester, both office records, and that audiences flock The casting of the film proved inspired. from 1979, the other being his wonder - to see? Easy – you do a sequel, of For Butch it was the young actor, Tom ful score to Lester’s Cuba . Patrick course. However, doing a sequel be - Berenger, who’d just gotten a lot of at - Williams, born in 1939, began scoring comes a little problematic if your two tention for Looking for Mr. Goodbar . films in 1968 with How Sweet It Is. Over leading characters are dead at the end While he wasn’t an exact dead ringer for the years he’s written some truly superb of the film. That was the problem faced Paul Newman, there was definitely an scores, such as The One and Only, by Twentieth Century-Fox in 1969 with uncanny resemblance. For The Sun - Casey’s Shadow, The Cheap Detective, their monster hit, Butch Cassidy and dance Kid it was another young up-and- Hero at Large, Used Cars, Breaking The Sundance Kid , written by William comer, William Katt, who’d had a big Away (Oscar nomination), Some Kind of Goldman, directed by George Roy Hill, success in the Brian de Palma block - Hero, The Toy, The Buddy System , and and starring Paul Newman and Robert buster, Carrie , followed by an excellent many, many others, along with scores Redford in what some would say were performance in the John Milius film, Big for such television classics as The the most iconic roles of their long and Wednesday . Katt’s resemblance to Streets of San Francisco, The Magician, illustrious careers. So, nothing hap - Robert Redford was even more un - Cannon, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, pened because what could happen? canny, and he and Berenger had terrific The Bob Newhart Show, Lou Grant , and But a decade later, in 1979 someone fi - chemistry. Rounding out the cast were on and on. For his television work he nally came up with a way to bring back such terrific supporting players as has been awarded four Emmys and Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid Michael C. Gwynne, John Shuck, been nominated a whopping twenty- – not in a sequel, put a prequel. Back in Christopher Lloyd, Peter Weller, and three times. He has also arranged and 1979 prequels were a rarity – in fact, Brian Dennehy. conducted for any number of great some folks say that Butch and Sun - singers, including the two Frank Sinatra dance: The Early Years was the first film The resulting film wasn’t a hit. Many crit - duets albums. to actually use the term prequel. ics felt the film was simply unnecessary, Whether that’s true or legend, there cer - while begrudgingly admitting that they For Butch and Sundance: The Early tainly weren’t many true prequels prior were entertained by it. If one reads the Days , Williams wrote an eclectic score to it. reviews of the film from 1979, it’s almost – playful, beautiful, filled with adventure like the reviewers were unwilling to cut and bravado, tenderness, and gorgeous While the screenplay was by Allan the film some slack and review it on its melodic themes. It works perfectly in the Burns, original screenwriter, William own merits. Audiences stayed away film, complementing the visuals, the Goldman, was on hand as the executive and the film disappeared, although, in - comedy, and the drama, a real old-fash - producer of the film, and he contributed terestingly, it actually received one ioned honest-to-goodness film score. certain elements to the script. Allan Academy Award nomination, for Best Burns had had a big career in television, Costume Design. But, over the years, Almost the entire score for Butch and starting with the Rocky and Bullwinkle thanks to home video and cable, the Sundance: The Early Days was Show . He co-created The Munsters , film has developed a real cult following recorded twice. Some cues remained and The Mary Tyler Moore Show , and and deservedly so. Because watching it exactly the same in both orchestration that show’s spin-offs, Rhoda and Lou today, without all the baggage it had and writing, while other cues had slight Grant . But it wasn’t until 1979 that he back in 1979, it’s a wildly entertaining differences in orchestration and timing, made his big-screen debut as a screen - film with a wonderful screenplay and while other cues had quite a bit of dif - writer, with the huge hit film A Little Ro - great direction, along with colorful per - ferent material. We present the entire mance and then Butch and Sundance: formances. The dialogue sparkles and score as used in the film (along with an The Early Years . there are hints of running gags that had unused cue), and then, as a bonus we already appeared in Butch Cassidy and present the original versions of cues Richard Lester was hired to direct. The Sundance Kid . It has a real charm where they differed from the rerecorded Lester had already helmed such clas - about it and those who’ve found it over cues. sics as A Hard Day’s Night, Help!, A the years can look past the obvious: No, — Bruce Kimmel Funny Thing Happened on the Way to it’s not Butch Cassidy and The Sun - the Forum, Petulia, The Three Muske - dance Kid – it is its own film, with its own teers and The Four Musketeers , the style, and, for those who haven’t seen hugely underrated Juggernaut and it, one worth catching up with. Robin and Marian , and many others. His quirky style ended up being perfect One of the things that makes the film.

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