Bronco Billy (1980)

An idealistic, modern-day cowboy struggles to keep his Wild West show afloat in the face of hard luck and waning interest.

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writer:

Dennis Hackin (as Dennis E. Hackin)

Stars:

Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Geoffrey Lewis

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Clint Eastwood	...	Bronco Billy
Sondra Locke	...	Antoinette Lily
Geoffrey Lewis	...	John Arlington
Scatman Crothers	...	Doc Lynch
Bill McKinney	...	Lefty LeBow
Sam Bottoms	...	Leonard James
Dan Vadis	...	Chief Big Eagle
Sierra Pecheur	...	Lorraine Running Water
Walter Barnes	...	Sheriff Dix
Woodrow Parfrey	...	Dr. Canterbury
Beverlee McKinsey	...	Irene Lily
Doug McGrath	...	Lt. Wiecker (as Douglas McGrath)
Hank Worden	...	Station Mechanic
William Prince	...	Edgar Lipton
Pam Abbas	...	Mother Superior

Storyline

"Bronco" Billy McCoy (Clint Eastwood) is the proud owner of a small travelling Wild West show. But the business isn't doing too well. For the past six months, he hasn't paid his employees. At a gas station he picks up Antoinette Lily (Sondra Locke), a stuck-up blonde from a rich family, who was left behind without a penny by her husband John Arlington (Geoffrey Lewis) on their wedding night. Billy likes her looks and hires her as his assistant. She seems to bring them bad luck and the business gets even worse. In these hard times, she loses her reluctance and starts to like her new way of life, and Bronco Billy.

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Plot Keywords:

cowboy | circus | title spoken by character | cult favorite | new york city new york | 

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Taglines:

The most outrageous of 'em all.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Romance | Western

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

When the gang goes out to kick up their heels, it shows them entering the "The Ranch Club" with the big horse in front. This is a real place, that's its real name, and it's still open in Boise, Idaho. However, the interior that is shown is another bar, about three miles away called "The Dutch Goose". It is also still open, and there is still the hole in the door where Lefty LeBow (Bill McKinney) gets his hook stuck.

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Goofs

The camera and camera crew can be clearly seen in one shot during the bar brawl.

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Quotes

Antoinette Lilly: [Sarcastically while driving in rural country] When do we get to the next VILLAGE?

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Connections

Referenced in Tatort: Märchenwald (2004)

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Soundtracks

Bronco Billy
Written by Milton Brown (as M. Brown), Steve Dorff (as S. Dorff) and Snuff Garrett (as S. Garrett)
Sung by Ronnie Milsap

User Reviews

Sweet little comedy.

This movie obviously wasn't made to break any box office records. It's just a sweet little comedy with great characters that deserves more recognition.

Maybe the biggest problem with "Bronco Billy" is that it tries to have too much story. I wouldn't had mind seeing the movie focusing on Clint and his gang alone, plenty of great characters for that! Instead we now have the movie mainly focusing on the love story.

This isn't really a comedy with "haha" moments. It more is a movie with a warm and fun feeling, which is mainly thanks to the great characters. I especially enjoyed Scatman Crothers in his role but also Clint Eastwood did a good job as a character that basically wanted to be like the western characters Eastwood previously played before.

Fun comedy by Eastwood! Give it a shot, you might end up liking it.

7/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 June 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bronco Billy

Filming Locations:

Boise, Idaho, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,708,710, 15 June 1980

Gross USA:

$24,265,659

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$24,265,659

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Second Street Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1