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Billy Two Hats

Play trailer Poster for Billy Two Hats PG Released Mar 20, 1974 1h 39m Western Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 2 Reviews 44% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
After a bank robbery goes wrong, outlaw Billy Two Hats (Desi Arnaz Jr.) is captured by Sheriff Gifford (Jack Warden). Billy's partner, Arch Deans (Gregory Peck), rescues him, but during the escape Deans gets shot in the leg. The wound leaves Deans unable to ride a horse, but Billy refuses to leave him behind. Instead, he builds a horse-drawn cot for him, and they continue together. The apparatus slows them down, however, making them even more vulnerable to capture from the pursuing sheriff.
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Billy Two Hats

Critics Reviews

View All (2) Critics Reviews
Matt Brunson Creative Loafing With In the Heat of the Night director Norman Jewison serving as a producer, it's no surprise that the movie attempts to deal with matters of racism, but good intentions aren't enough to distinguish this ordinary oater. Rated: 2/4 Sep 26, 2015 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews The first American Western to be filmed in Israel. Rated: B- Jan 3, 2010 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Steve D I am not sure why I should care about any of it. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 01/26/24 Full Review Audience Member this is an exceptional Western. Kind of Hidden gem. Great performances all around great locations pretty darn good costuming and some scary bad Apache guys highly recommend . Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Audience Member I loved Gregory in this with his Scottish accent being mostly Irish with a smidgen of other dialects :) Overall I found it entertaining, and am going to watch it again and take more notice of Israel now that I know where it is Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Audience Member I worked on the crew of this movie while living in Israel. (Got Gregory Peck's autograph for my mother.) This was a nice experience for me at the time as I aspired to be an actor back then. Chatted a good bit with Jack Warden between takes. I had a few jobs. I was in charge of cleaning the portable toilet. (One of the minor actors in the movie liked to say to anyone within earshot that I was a real trouper for starting at the bottom.) I also was in charge of cleaning out Desi Arnaz' trailer every day. One morning I knocked on the trailer door and announced I was there to sweep, and Desi's voice beckoned me to come in. He was sitting there with Liza Minnelli, who he was dating at the time. She had come to the set to visit him. They lifted their feet as I swept under them. John Pearce stayed in my flat in Jerusalem overnight en route out of the country. Even though he was in my place no more than 12 hours, he managed to drink two unopened bottles of single malt scotch I had brought back with me from Scotland, two unopened bottles of Israeli wine, my mouthwash, and my after shave lotion. I think he may have had a drinking problem. I learned a lot about how movies are made from this experience. We could spend an entire day reshooting the same scene 26 times. Each time, the actors had to summon the same intense emotions for the scene (anger, rage, fear, crying.) This experience cured me of wanting to be an actor. But I have nothing but admiration and respect for the remarkable professionalism and studied patience and perseverance of the actors. Gregory Peck impressed me as being much like his screen persona, dignified, circumspect, measured but also amiable, courteous, and competent. Jack Warden was pleasant and conversational, in stark contrast to the character he played! The lovely and talented Sian Barbara Allen appears to have opted out of show biz not long after this. It's nice to see that quite a few people thought well of this movie. It was tedious to make, as I suspect many, if not most movies are. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/18/23 Full Review Audience Member Subdued western with a grittiness from the barren and lonely desert that is depicted. it does little to enhance the genre in the post Wild Bunch era. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member Good Western filmed in Israel of all places. Peck is amusing as he goes for his character`s Scottish accent. Jack Warden plays a hardened lawman. Perfect Casting if you ask me. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/15/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Billy Two Hats

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Movie Info

Synopsis After a bank robbery goes wrong, outlaw Billy Two Hats (Desi Arnaz Jr.) is captured by Sheriff Gifford (Jack Warden). Billy's partner, Arch Deans (Gregory Peck), rescues him, but during the escape Deans gets shot in the leg. The wound leaves Deans unable to ride a horse, but Billy refuses to leave him behind. Instead, he builds a horse-drawn cot for him, and they continue together. The apparatus slows them down, however, making them even more vulnerable to capture from the pursuing sheriff.
Director
Ted Kotcheff
Producer
Norman Jewison, Patrick J. Palmer
Screenwriter
Alan Sharp
Production Co
Algonquin
Rating
PG
Genre
Western
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 20, 1974, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 10, 2017
Runtime
1h 39m
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