History Trivia / TheWildBunch

** In his autobiography, Borgnine intimated that some of the crew were often annoyed with Jaime Sánchez:

* FakeNationality: Jaime Sánchez, from Puerto Rico, as Angel, but otherwise the Mexican characters are actually played by Mexicans.

** Creator/LeeMarvin was Creator/SamPeckinpah's original choice for Pike Bishop, but he turned the role down because of its similarities to ''Film/TheProfessionals''. He chose to star in ''Film/PaintYourWagon'' because it paid more. Creator/SterlingHayden, Creator/CharltonHeston[[note]]He'd already worked with Peckinpah on ''Film/MajorDundee'' and didn't care to repeat the experience[[/note]], Creator/BurtLancaster, Creator/RobertMitchum[[note]] He turned it down in favour of ''Five Card Stud'', arguing that "They were both westerns"[[/note]], Creator/GregoryPeck and Creator/JamesStewart also passed on it.

* DuelingMovies: With ''Film/ButchCassidyAndTheSundanceKid''. Strother Martin was in both movies.

* CompletelyDifferentTitle: In Portugal, the film was released as ''You Will Inherit My Hatred''.

* WrittenInInfirmity: Creator/ErnestBorgnine's limp wasn't acting. He broke his foot while filming ''Film/TheSplit'' and had to wear a cast throughout the Mexican location shoot.

** Creator/LeeMarvin was Creator/SamPeckinpah's original choice for Pike Bishop, but he turned the role down because of its similarities to ''Film/TheProfessionals''. He chose to star in ''Film/PaintYourWagon'' because it paid more. Creator/RichardBoone, Creator/SterlingHayden, Creator/CharltonHeston[[note]]He'd already worked with Peckinpah on ''Film/MajorDundee'' and didn't care to repeat the experience[[/note]], Creator/BurtLancaster, Creator/RobertMitchum[[note]] He turned it down in favour of ''Five Card Stud'', arguing that "They were both westerns"[[/note]], Creator/GregoryPeck and Creator/JamesStewart also passed on it.
** Among those considered to play Dutch Engstrom were Creator/CharlesBronson, Creator/JimBrown, Creator/AlexCord, Creator/RobertCulp, Creator/SammyDavisJr, Creator/RichardJaeckel, Creator/SteveMcQueenActor, and Creator/GeorgePeppard.
** Creator/SamPeckinpah's first two choices for the role of Deke Thornton were Creator/RichardHarris (who had co-starred in ''Film/MajorDundee'') and Creator/BrianKeith (who had worked with Peckinpah on ''Film/TheWesterner'' and ''Film/TheDeadlyCompanions''. Harris was never formally approached, but Keith was, and turned the part down. Other actors considered for the role were Creator/HenryFonda, Creator/GlennFord, Creator/VanHeflin, Creator/BenJohnson (later cast as Tector Gorch), and Creator/ArthurKennedy.

* ThrowItIn: The train robbery itself was not in the script. All scenes were improvised on the spot, the same day. Same thing with "the walk" for the bunch to help Angel.

** Creator/BurtLancaster, Creator/RobertMitchum, Creator/JamesStewart, Creator/RichardBoone, Creator/SterlingHayden, Creator/LeeMarvin, Creator/GregoryPeck, and Creator/CharltonHeston were all considered for the role of Pike before Creator/WilliamHolden was finally cast. Heston had previously starred in Peckinpah's ''Film/MajorDundee'' as the lead character, and after that very TroubledProduction Heston apparently decided that working with Peckinpah once was enough. Marvin was Peckinpah's choice, but turned the role down because of its similarities to ''Film/TheProfessionals''. He chose to star in ''Film/PaintYourWagon'' because it paid more.

* ActorInspiredElement: According to L.Q. Jones, he and Strother Martin approached Creator/SamPeckinpah with an idea to add more depth to their characters (T.C. and Coffer). The idea was to add a hint of a homosexual relationship between their characters. Peckinpah liked the idea and the footage made it into the final release version.

** Among those considered to play Dutch Engstrom were Creator/CharlesBronson, Creator/JimBrown, Creator/AlexCord, Creator/RobertCulp, Creator/SammyDavisJr, Creator/RichardJaeckel, Creator/SteveMcQueen, and Creator/GeorgePeppard.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Creator/BurtLancaster, Creator/RobertMitchum, Creator/JamesStewart, Creator/RichardBoone, Creator/SterlingHayden, Creator/LeeMarvin, Creator/GregoryPeck, and Creator/CharltonHeston were all considered for the role of Pike before Creator/WilliamHolden was finally cast. Heston had previously starred in Peckinpah's ''Film/MajorDundee'' as the lead character, and after that very TroubledProduction Heston apparently decided that working with Peckinpah once was enough. Marvin was Peckinpah's choice, but turned the role down because of its similarities to ''Film/TheProfessionals''. He chose to star in ''Film/PaintYourWagon'' because it paid more.

** Creator/SamPeckinpah's first two choices for the role of Deke Thornton were Creator/RichardHarris (who had co-starred in ''Film/MajorDundee'') and Creator/BrianKeith (who had worked with Peckinpah on ''Film/TheWesterner'' and ''Film/TheDeadlyCompanions''. Harris was never formally approached, but Keith was, and turned the part down. Other actors considered for the role were Creator/HenryFonda, Creator/GlennFord, Creator/Van Heflin, Creator/BenJohnson (later cast as Tector Gorch), and Creator/ArthurKennedy.

** AFIS100Years100Movies10ThAnniversaryEdition: #12

* PrimaDonnaDirector: Creator/SamPeckinpah would drive his crew so hard that it sometimes created friction and confrontations between him and certain cast members. Early in the shooting, Creator/WilliamHolden threatened to walk off the set if Peckinpah continued to verbally abuse the crew in his presence. Creator/RobertRyan threatened to punch the director after he made Ryan spend ten days in costume and makeup without filming any scenes or allowing him a few days off to campaign for Sen. Robert Kennedy. Creator/ErnestBorgnine also promised to "beat the shit out" of Peckinpah if the director didn't allow him some relief from the throat-clogging dust that was affecting the actor's breathing on location. In all, he fired 22 castmembers during the course of the shoot. Editor Lou Lombardo would later recall, "Over time, we became the Wild Bunch. I saw what Holden was doing. He was playing Sam. He was running the bunch like Sam ran the crew."
** A memorable incident occurred, to that end, as Peckinpah's crew were consulting him on the "gunfire" effects to be used in the film. Not satisfied with the results from the squibs his crew had brought for him, Peckinpah became exasperated; he finally hollered: "That's not what I want! That's not what I want!" He then grabbed a real revolver and fired it into a nearby wall. The gun empty, Peckinpah barked at his stunned crew: "THAT'S the effect I want!!"

* WrittenInInfirmity: Creator/ErnestBorgnine's limp wasn't acting. He broke his foot while filming ''Film/TheSplit and had to wear a cast throughout the Mexican location shoot.

** Creator/SamPeckinpah's first two choices for the role of Deke Thornton were Creator/RichardHarris (who had co-starred in ''Film/MajorDundee'') and Creator/BrianKeith (who had worked with Peckinpah on ''Film/The Westerner'' and ''Film/The Deadly Companions''. Harris was never formally approached, but Keith was, and turned the part down. Other actors considered for the role were Creator/HenryFonda, Creator/GlennFord, Creator/Van Heflin, Creator/BenJohnson (later cast as Tector Gorch), and Creator/ArthurKennedy.
** [spoiler:The bounty hunters' death scene was to be an elaborate shoot-out but producer Phil Feldman suggested killing them off-screen entirely. Creator/SamPeckinpah liked it so much he wrote him to thank him saying, ""Your idea of taking out the killing of the bounty hunters was absolutely correct."]

* ActorInspiredElement: According to L.Q. Jones, he and Strother Martin approached director Sam Peckinpah with an idea to add more depth to their characters (T.C. and Coffer). The idea was to add a hint of a homosexual relationship between their characters. Creator/SamPeckinpah liked the idea and the footage made it into the final release version.

** The image of the scorpion being dropped in the ant hill was suggested by Emilio Fernández because he and his friends used to do that as children. The image was not in the script.

** A memorable incident occurred, to that end, as Peckinpah's crew were consulting him on the "gunfire" effects to be used in the film. Not satisfied with the results from the squibs his crew had brought for him, Peckinpah became exasperated; he finally hollered: "That's not what I want! That's not what I want!" He then grabbed a real revolver and fired it into a nearby wall. The gun empty, Peckinpah barked at his stunned crew: "THAT'S the effect I want!!"

** The famous "Last Walk" was improvised by Sam Peckinpah during the shoot. Originally, the scene was to begin with the Bunch leaving the whorehouse and immediately cut to the confrontation with Mapache. Once the decision was made to lengthen the scene, many of the Mexican extras were choreographed by the assistant directors while the scene was filming.

** The image of the scorpion being dropped in the ant hill was suggested by Emilio Fernández because he and his friends used to do that as children. The image was not in the script.

** A memorable incident occurred, to that end, as Peckinpah's crew were consulting him on the "gunfire" effects to be used in the film. Not satisfied with the results from the squibs his crew had brought for him, Peckinpah became exasperated; he finally hollered: "That's not what I want! That's not what I want!" He then grabbed a real revolver and fired it into a nearby wall. The gun empty, Peckinpah barked at his stunned crew: "THAT'S the effect I want!!"
* RealLifeRelative: During the opening robbery sequence, two children are seen holding each other, and watching as one of the robbers rides by on horseback and scoops up a bag of money laying on the ground. The boy in that scene is Matthew Peckinpah, Creator/Sam Peckinpah's son.

** The image of the scorpion being dropped in the ant hill was suggested by Emilio Fernández because he and his friends used to do that as children. The image was not in the script.

** A memorable incident occurred, to that end, as Peckinpah's crew were consulting him on the "gunfire" effects to be used in the film. Not satisfied with the results from the squibs his crew had brought for him, Peckinpah became exasperated; he finally hollered: "That's not what I want! That's not what I want!" He then grabbed a real revolver and fired it into a nearby wall. The gun empty, Peckinpah barked at his stunned crew: "THAT'S the effect I want!!"

** Among those considered to play Dutch Engstrom were Creator/CharlesBronson, Creator/JimBrown, Creator/AlexCord, Creator/RobertCulp, Creator/SammyDavisJr., Creator/RichardJaeckel, Creator/SteveMcQueen, and Creator/GeorgePeppard.

** The image of the scorpion being dropped in the ant hill was suggested by Emilio Fernández because he and his friends used to do that as children. The image was not in the script.

** A memorable incident occurred, to that end, as Peckinpah's crew were consulting him on the "gunfire" effects to be used in the film. Not satisfied with the results from the squibs his crew had brought for him, Peckinpah became exasperated; he finally hollered: "That's not what I want! That's not what I want!" He then grabbed a real revolver and fired it into a nearby wall. The gun empty, Peckinpah barked at his stunned crew: "THAT'S the effect I want!!"

** Among those considered to play Dutch Engstrom were Creator/CharlesBronson, Creator/JimBrown, Creator/AlexCord, Creator/RobertCulp, Creator/Sammy DavisJr, Creator/RichardJaeckel, Creator/SteveMcQueen, and Creator/GeorgePeppard.
** Creator/SamPeckinpah's first two choices for the role of Deke Thornton were Creator/RichardHarris (who had co-starred in ''Film/Major Dundee'') and Creator/BrianKeith (who had worked with Peckinpah on ''Film/The Westerner'' and ''Film/The Deadly Companions''. Harris was never formally approached, but Keith was, and turned the part down. Other actors considered for the role were Creator/HenryFonda, Creator/GlennFord, Creator/Van Heflin, Creator/BenJohnson (later cast as Tector Gorch), and Creator/ArthurKennedy.

* ExecutiveMeddling: Averted, unusually for a Peckinpah film. Peckinpah and producer Phil Feldman worked well together, and Peckinpah was grateful that Feldman defended the film's violence against objections from Warner Bros. (in marked contrast with ''Film/MajorDundee'', where Jerry Bresler reflexively sided with Columbia). Peckinpah did object when Feldman cut about 15 minutes of footage for its general release, but conceded the missing scenes didn't cripple the film.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Creator/BurtLancaster, Creator/RobertMitchum, Creator/JamesStewart, Richard Boone, Sterling Hayden, Creator/LeeMarvin, Creator/GregoryPeck, and Creator/CharltonHeston were all considered for the role of Pike before Creator/WilliamHolden was finally cast. Heston had previously starred in Peckinpah's ''Film/MajorDundee'' as the lead character, and after that very TroubledProduction Heston apparently decided that working with Peckinpah once was enough. Marvin was Peckinpah's choice, but turned the role down because of its similarities to ''Film/TheProfessionals''. He chose to star in ''Film/PaintYourWagon'' because it paid more.
** Among those considered to play Dutch Engstrom were Creator/CharlesBronson, Creator/JimBrown, Creator/AlexCord, Creator/RobertCulp, Creator/Sammy Davis, Jr., Creator/RichardJaeckel, Creator/SteveMcQueen, and Creator/GeorgePeppard.
** Creator/SamPeckinpah's first two choices for the role of Deke Thornton were Creator/RichardHarris (who had co-starred in ''Film/Major Dundee'') and Creator/BrianKeith (who had worked with Peckinpah on ''Film/The Westerner'' and ''Film/The Deadly Companions''. Harris was never formally approached, but Keith was, and turned the part down. Other actors considered for the role were Creator/HenryFonda, Creator/GlennFord, Creator/Van Heflin, Creator/BenJohnson (later cast as Tector Gorch), and Creator/ArthurKennedy.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Creator/BurtLancaster, Creator/RobertMitchum, Creator/JamesStewart, Richard Boone, Sterling Hayden, Creator/LeeMarvin, Creator/GregoryPeck, and Creator/CharltonHeston were all considered for the role of Pike before Creator/WilliamHolden was finally cast. Heston had previously starred in Peckinpah's ''Film/MajorDundee'' as the lead character, and after that very TroubledProduction Heston apparently decided that working with Peckinpah once was enough. Marvin was Peckinpah's choice, but turned the role down because of its similarities to ''Film/TheProfessionals''.