The Electric Horseman (1979)

Director:

Sydney Pollack

Writers:

Shelly Burton (story)
Paul Gaer (story)

Release Date:

13 March 1980 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy | Western | Drama | Romance

Plot:

Sonny Steele used to be a rodeo star, but his next appearance is to be on a Las Vegas stage, wearing a suit covered in lights...

Plot Keywords:

Horse | Las Vegas Nevada | Blockbuster | Reference To Albert Schweitzer

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win

Cast

Robert Redford	...	Norman 'Sonny' Steele
Jane Fonda	...	Alice 'Hallie' Martin
Valerie Perrine	...	Charlotta Steele
Willie Nelson	...	Wendell Hickson
John Saxon	...	Hunt Sears
Nicolas Coster	...	Fitzgerald
Allan Arbus	...	Danny Miles
Wilford Brimley	...	Farmer
Will Hare	...	Gus Atwater
Basil Hoffman	...	Toland
Timothy Scott	...	Leroy
James Sikking	...	Dietrich (as James B. Sikking)
James Kline	...	Tommy
Frank Speiser	...	Bernie
Quinn K. Redeker	...	Bud Broderick (as Quinn Rdeker)

Also Known As:

Electric (USA) (trailer title)

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo

Certification:

Australia:PG | Iceland:L | South Korea:12 | Argentina:Atp | Chile:TE | Finland:S | USA:PG | Singapore:PG | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Caesar's Palace - 3570 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

When Gus responds to Hallie Martin's query about Sonny's whereabouts, the lines "like a flutterin' bird... like a mist... and blocks out the sun" are actually taken from Ovid's Metamorphoses: they are spoken by the Dawn, who laments her son's death on the plains of Troy.

Goofs:

Continuity: The video footage shown on television of Sonny Steele's speech about the horse doesn't match what Alice would have actually shot. The camera movement, lighting and direction of where Steele was facing while talking is completely different.

Quotes:

Ampco Industries PR Man: Grace, why don't you stand in front of that poster with Sonny, and Steve can take your picture to bring home.
Sonny Steele: Oh, no, why don't you just take a picture of Grace in front of that picture of me with that box with the picture of me on the box holding the picture of me with the picture of me? Then you've got Grace, and you've got a whole bunch of pictures of me.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Leonard Nimoy Demonstrates the Magnavision Videodisc Player (1981) (V)

Soundtrack:

Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys

Redford And Fonda, Together Again!

Saddle up! for this Excellent romantic-comedy, Robert Redford stars as Sonny Steele who once was a world class Rodeo star, but is now a washed up drunkard reduced to advertising breakfast cereal on TV for the shady AMPCO corporation,whose latest Publicity campaign features prize winning race horse Rising Star,

AMPCO's next junket takes place at Las Vegas where Redford is to Launch the campaign ,Behind a backdrop of glamor and corporate greed, Redford discovers that the horse has been drugged with an abundance of steroids,Redford saddles up and literally takes off with the horse in protest,

Jane Fonda plays Hallie, a news reporter who might just get an exclusive, follows Redford on his quest to release Rising Star into the wild to roam free.

Sydney Pollack, always with a great eye for casting, even has country and western favorite Willie Nelson, Valerie Perrine has an appearance as An old flame of Redford's, Wilford Brimley has a small role as kindly farmer who helps Redford on his way, Usual Pollack regular Composer, Dave Grusin Contribute's Greatly,