"If They Move...Kill 'Em!" "The Wild Bunch" Part 2 Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. During the opening credits, the Bunch rode by a group of children huddled together playing a game involving two species of desert wildlife. What kind of creatures were part of the game?

Answer: Ants and Scorpions

This scene, in which the ants and scorpions were eventually set on fire by the children was not in the original script. Emilio Fernandez (General Mapache) mentioned to Peckinpah of a childhood pastime in which a scorpion was dropped on an anthill and was literally swarmed by the attacking ants. According to the documentary "The Wild Bunch: An Album in Montage", Peckinpah immediately stopped filming, ordered as many ants and scorpions that could be found brought to the set, and re-wrote the script on the spot to accommodate the new sequence.

He has been quoted many times over as saying that the way he began to view the film and its underlying themes from that point forward were a direct result of this scene

2. Before making the unfortunate discovery that the money bags taken from the robbery were filled with useless steel washers, which two members of the Bunch began to complain about the division of the loot?

Answer: Lyle and Tector

Lyle and Tector made it clear that they were not pleased with the fact that Angel and Freddie were getting equal shares, as Angel was "just startin' out" and "a share to that old goat (Freddie) for watchin' them horses is damn sure a share too much." However, Bishop (with Dutch backing him up) was able to put down this minor rebellion with a bit of bravado and brow-beating " I don't know a damn thing, except I either lead this bunch, or end it right now." Of course, once the money-bags were opened, the conversation rapidly changed direction.

3. There was a subtle hint of a relationship between two of Deke Thornton's posse members, T.C. and Coffer. The idea of this relationship was actually developed by which two actors playing these characters?

Answer: Strother Martin and L.Q. Jones

Martin (1919-1980) and Jones (b. Justin McQueen, 1927), both very highly respected actors in the industry, as well as close friends in real life, approached Peckinpah with this suggestion in order to add depth and texture to their respective characters. Strother Martin, probably best known for his role in "Cool Hand Luke" ("What we've got here is.. failure..to communicate.") also had a fairly small but impressive role in "Butch Cassidy" that same year, and would go on to team up again with Jones and Peckinpah in "The Ballad of Cable Hogue". L.Q. Jones was certainly no stranger to Peckinpah, having been directed by him in "Ride the High Country" (1962) and "Major Dundee" (1965). Peckinpah would list Jones as one of his favorite actors, directing him twice more in "Hogue" (1970) and "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid" (1973). For all of you cult sci-fi fans out there, Jones directed a very young Don Johnson in the classic flick, "A Boy and His Dog" (1975).

4. During the first meeting with Mapache, Bishop and the men were introduced to Commander Frederick Mohr and his aide, Ernst, Mapache's foreign military advisors. What army did Mohr claim that he and Ernst represented?

Answer: The Imperial German Army

As good as the film is, one should not view "The Wild Bunch" and expect to receive a completely accurate historical lesson of the time period (1914), as there are quite a few errors regarding actual events and facts. While Commander Mohr did introduce himself and Ernst as "officers of the Imperial German Army", the fact was that there was no such thing as a united "German Army" in 1914, but rather a unification of the armies of the four Germanic kingdoms (Wurttemberg, Saxony, Bavaria, and Prussia).

As Prussia had the largest army of the four, the Prussian Army became the nucleus of the "Army of the German Empire" entering World War I. The more traditional format of the Army was not developed until 1921, when the Army of the Weimar Republic (or "Reichswehr") was formed.

5. After stealing the rifle shipment from the train, the Bunch planned to make their escape back into Mexico by crossing the Rio Grande river and then blowing up the bridge behind them, which was already rigged with dynamite. What happened on the bridge which delayed the crossing?

Answer: One of the wagon wheels got stuck.

Due to the weight of the rifle cases, one of the front wheels of the wagon broke through the bridge planking, which caused a rear wheel to fall through completely. While under fire from Thornton and the posse, Dutch and Lyle struggled to push the wagon free.

At about this time, the army rode in, and promptly came under fire from the posse as well, much to Thornton's disgust. The wagon was finally pushed free, and the Bunch crossed the bridge without casualties, with the posse in pursuit. The scene ended with the bridge exploding, dumping the posse into the river.

6. The defining scene of the film, for many, was the Long Walk (or Last Walk), in which Bishop, Dutch, Lyle, and Tector, armed to the teeth, walked through town to rescue Angel from Mapache. What was unique about this sequence compared to most of the others in the film?

Answer: It was improvised on the spot, and choreographed as it was being shot

Along with the ants and scorpions sequence and the train robbery, this was an unscripted and improvised scene. After the men made the decision to rescue Angel, the original script called for a cut directly to the showdown with Mapache. While the crew was preparing for the scene, Peckinpah decided on the spot that he wanted to do, in his own words, a "walk thing".

He immediately had four extras do an initial run-through to set up camera angles, then lined up the Bunch to start the scene. During the walk, extras were layered into the foreground, background, and on the sides of the sequence, most having absolutely no idea what was going on (the looks of confusion are evident, but fit perfectly with the build-up of the scene). Peckinpah also shot the sequence using wide-angle lenses, which enabled the entire scene (the men and the surrounding flow of extras) to remain in sharp focus leading up to the final confrontation.

7. In the scenes preceding the Long Walk, Bishop made the decision to lay everything on the line by confronting Mapache in order to rescue Angel. What very simple, two-word line of dialogue did Bishop use to convey his plan to the rest of the Bunch?

Answer: Let's go

Bishop actually said this short but powerful line to Lyle and Tector, who at the time were arguing with one of Mapache's prostitutes regarding payment arrangements made the night before. After a short pause, Lyle responded with an equally simple "Why not?". Stepping outside, Bishop gave Dutch a smile, which was returned by Dutch with complete understanding and agreement.

The four then proceeded to check and load their weapons, preparing for the confrontation. The original script called for the next scene to cut directly to the Bunch facing off with Mapache, but, as explained before, Peckinpah then devised the "walk thing" on the spot.

8. During the final gun-battle, the Bunch used a variety of weapons against Mapache's soldiers, which included automatic handguns, rifles, shotguns, and even Mapache's own machine gun. What other fairly modern day weapon(s) (for that time period) was used during this scene?

Answer: Hand Grenades

Dutch was shown tossing hand grenades against the soldiers on at least three separate occasions during the battle. The other weapons used were Colt M1911 automatic pistols, Winchester M1897 pump shotguns, Springfield M1903 rifles, and the Browning M1917 water-cooled machine gun (which actually was another historical error, as this Browning model would not have yet existed in 1914).

While hand grenades have been in existence since the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), during WWI they were in short supply up until 1915, at which time the Mills bomb (the first modern fragmentation grenade) was manufactured. I was not able to find out what model of grenade was used during filming, but I assume it was a version of the Mills prototype.

9. The final, climatic shoot-out sequence, nicknamed the "Battle of Bloody Porch", took 12 days to film, contained approximately 325 edits during five minutes of action, and used about 10,000 simulated bullet hits (or squibs). Which department worked non-stop to keep up with the demands of the scene, due to product shortages?

Answer: Wardrobe

As there were not nearly enough uniforms for all of the extras and stunt people involved in the scene, the Wardrobe crew would take a uniform from an actor who had just been shot and make on-the-spot repairs. They would wash off the fake blood, tape and paint over the squib holes, dry the paint, and then send the uniform back out to be shot up all over again.

10. Why was Freddie not involved in the final gun-battle?

Answer: He was shot by the posse and left for dead.

Freddie was ambushed and wounded by the posse while he was leading several pack horses back to the camp the Bunch was using during the rifle exchange with Mapache. He was pursued by the posse, but was able to avoid being captured or killed. Later meeting up with Don Jose (the Elder of Angel's village), Freddie, Don Jose, and the rest of the village guerrillas rode into Mapache's headquarters after the shoot-out.

It was at this time that Freddie and Thornton exchanged the wonderful dialogue that ended the film. Thanks for playing, and please rate if you have the time.

Source: Author doorsfan58

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Nannanut before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Here is Part Two of my tribute to "The Wild Bunch". The questions regarding "behind-the scenes" information can be reviewed by viewing the documentary "The Wild Bunch: An Album in Montage". Thanks for playing!

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