Ace Bonner returns to Arizona several years after he abandoned his family, Junior Bonner is a wild young man. Against the typical rodeo championship, family drama erupts.
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Title: Junior Bonner (1972)
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2 nominations.
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Steve McQueen | ... | Junior Bonner | |
| Robert Preston | ... | Ace Bonner | |
| Ida Lupino | ... | Elvira Bonner | |
| Ben Johnson | ... | Buck Roan | |
| Joe Don Baker | ... | Curly Bonner | |
| Barbara Leigh | ... | Charmagne | |
| Mary Murphy | ... | Ruth Bonner | |
| Bill McKinney | ... | Red Terwiliger (as William McKinney) | |
| Dub Taylor | ... | Del | |
 |
Sandra Deel | ... | Nurse Arlis |
| Don 'Red' Barry | ... | Homer Rutledge (as Donald Barry) | |
| Charles H. Gray | ... | Burt (as Charles Gray) | |
|
|
Matthew Peckinpah | ... | Tim Bonner |
|
|
Sundown Spencer | ... | Nick Bonner |
|
|
Rita Garrison | ... | Flashie |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
A week with Junior Bonner, a rodeo pro on the wrong side of 40, broke, bruised, and headed into Prescott, his home town, for the annual 4th of July Frontier Days. His dad, Ace, is a dissolute dreamer fixed on finding gold in Australia; his mom is resigned to Ace's roving; his brother Curly is tearing up the countryside to make a million in real estate. Junior just wants to stay on a bucking Brahma for eight seconds, hang out with Ace, find a way to spend time with a beautiful woman whose eyes catch his, and earn enough to get to next week's rodeo. As the old West and its code give way to progress, Junior is lonesome, laconic, and on the road - just where he wants to be. Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>
Plot Keywords:
neo western | father son relationship | accordionist | card game | cowbell |Taglines:
Steve McQueen going down his own road, tougher than ever, as "Junior Bonner" See more »Parents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
20 July 1972 (UK) See more »Also Known As:
Junior Bonner See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$3,200,000 (estimated)Company Credits
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IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1
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Ace Bonner: Well, they're both down under.
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Opening credits: All characters and events are fictional and any similarity to real persons is coincidental. See more »Goofs
During Junior's last bull ride, one of the shots shows him riding a different (smaller) bull. See more »Quotes
Elvira Bonner: As far as I'm concerned, you can go to hell or Australia, but not with me!Ace Bonner: Well, they're both down under.
See more »
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How much you enjoy the film overall depends on your interest or affection for the rodeo but there are some really fine performances. McQueen is excellent, a bruised thoughtful performance, but Robert Preston and Ida Lupino really take acting honors as his parents. The scene between them on the stairs is an example of what great actors can do to make characters live on the screen. Something that helps sell the story is that the two of them really look like they could be Steve's parents. Junior's a rambler who is happy to go his own way but finds the modern world getting in the way. A subtle drama of the kind that is rarely made today.