History Trivia / MajorDundee

* DeletedRole: Jody [=McCrea=] was cast as Lieutenant Brannin, commander of the patrol massacred by Sierra Charriba, but all his scenes were cut. Production notes list character actor Dennis Patrick as a character named "Captain Dallace" who is also not present in the finished movie.

** When Dundee and his men depart the fort, Waller says that he hopes Dundee will "have the pleasure" of being brought before General Carleton, their departmental commander, before he's able to reach Mexico. The script features a subplot where Waller, rather than merely protesting Dundee's actions, sends an aide to Carleton demanding his arrest for disobeying orders. This comes to a head during the expedition's crossing into Mexico, when Dundee narrowly escapes a Union patrol sent to arrest him, who are in turn scared off by a large contingent of Confederate troops. All that remains of the latter scene is a brief shot of the Confederates while Tyreen debates whether to cross the river or escape.

* PrimaDonnaDirector: Creator/SamPeckinpah fired at least two dozen crew members in screaming fits of rage, drank all night and patronized local brothels, paid for out of the film's budget.
** At the end of principal photography, Creator/JamesCoburn said to Peckinpah, "Goodbye, you rotten motherfucker". And they were friends!

* DawsonCasting: Then 37-year old Warren Oates played O.W. Hadley, who is referred to as a "boy" despite the fact that he's clearly anything but (he was actually two years older than Richard Harris, who played his Confederate commanding officer). Borders on {{Narm}} when [[spoiler:he dies and everyone continually refers to him as a "boy" despite the fact that he was clearly in his late 30s.]]

* DuelingMovies: With ''The Glory Guys'', another cavalry Western which, oddly, also sported a Sam Peckinpah script and several of the same actors (Senta Berger, Slim Pickens, Michael Anderson Jr.).

** Teresa jokingly asks Dundee "Are you El Tigre, the tiger that prowls these mountains?" In the original script, Sierra Charibba gave a lengthy speech to the dying Lieutenant Brannin where he referred to himself as "the Tiger"; Teresa's line was meant to reinforce [[NotSoDifferent the connection Charibba and Dundee]].

* OrphanedReference: A couple from DeletedScenes that were either never shot or lost:

* DeletedRole: Jody [=McCrea=] was cast as Lieutenant Brannin, commander of the patrol massacred by Sierra Charriba, but all his scenes were cut.

* FakeNationality: Australian actor Michael Pate as Apache chief Sierra Charriba. The Swiss Mario Adorf plays the Mexican Sergeant Gomez.

** Originally started as an adaptation of Hoffman Birney's novel ''The Dice of God'', a heavily fictionalized telling of Custer's Last Stand, until Peckinpah scrapped it for a completely original story. Peckinpah's ''Dice of God'' script was ultimately made into the film ''The Glory Guys'' without his participation, [[DuelingMovies released the same year]] as ''Major Dundee''.

* FakeNationality: Australian actor Michael Pate as Apache chief Sierra Charriba.

** Creator/JohnFord was offered the chance to direct the film before Creator/SamPeckinpah got involved, but he was busy with ''Film/CheyenneAutumn'' and at any rate he just wasn't interested.[[note]]Ben Johnson, who plays Sgt. Chillum here, was also in ''Cheyenne Autumn''[[/note]]

** Creator/JohnFord was offered the chance to direct the film before Creator/SamPeckinpah got involved, but he was busy with ''Film/CheyenneAutumn'' and at any rate he just wasn't interested.

** Legendary Hollywood western director Creator/JohnFord was offered the chance to direct the film before Creator/SamPeckinpah got involved, but he was busy with other projects and at any rate he just wasn't interested.

* TroubledProduction: Creator/SamPeckinpah reworked Harry Julian Fink's script from a basic Western adventure story to a Moby-Dick-esque study of the title character, a US Cavalry officer who would do anything for glory. Everyone who read the final version thought he had another masterpiece in the pipeline—including Creator/CharltonHeston, who eagerly accepted the title role. With him attached, filming began in Mexico.

* AwesomeDearBoy: Creator/CharltonHeston was eager to work with Creator/SamPeckinpah, having been a big fan of his debut, ''Film/RideTheHighCountry''. Ironically, Heston came to dislike working with Peckinpah during filming, later citing him as "The only person I've ever physically threatened on a set." Heston would later decline Peckinpah's offers to work with him again on later films such as the more successful and iconic ''Film/TheWildBunch'' (Heston turned down the Creator/WilliamHolden role).

* CreatorBacklash: Creator/SamPeckinpah hated the score the studio added. A more tragic and bittersweet score was later composed for the re-release.

* ScrewedByTheNetwork: The film was taken out of Peckinpah's hands after a troubled shoot, before certain crucial scenes could be filmed, and released with a score he didn't like and missing what key character-focused footage had been shot. A 2005 recut of the film provided a new score and restored what lost footage could be found.

* TheDanza: One of the strangest examples: Creator/Charlto Heston (whose real name was John Charles Carter) shares a middle name with character, Major Amos Charles Dundee.

* RomanceOnTheSet: Creator/SamPeckinpah fell for actress Begoña Palacios and spent much of his time courting her rather than directing.

** The original treatment written by Harry Julian Fink contained a great deal of violence and profanity, including the uses of "shit" and "fuck", which would have been forbidden in any screenplay for a film made during the mid-'60s.