Distinctly Montana Magazine

56 D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 2 3 - 2 4 H OLLYWOOD IN THE 1970S WAS AN ERA CHARACTER- IZED BY A VOGUE FOR GRITTY REALISM, JACKED-UP REBELLION (OFTEN UNSUCCESSFUL), FAST CARS, AND CLINT EASTWOOD. Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, released in 1974, has all of it, and Montana. Fittingly for a picture styling itself as a "contemporary" Western, it was shot entirely on location in the Treasure State, specifically in Great Falls and the surrounding region. In commercial terms it was a modest though not spectac- ular success (something Eastwood blamed on the ad campaign from United Artists), but in the years since its release it has achieved an appreciative cult following. The movie's appeal is three-fold: the buddy comedy chemistry between the two leads, the chaotically exciting car chase sequences, and the unique fla- vor granted by its authentic Western locations. On the fiftieth anniversary of its release, it's worthwhile to turn an eye toward said locations. The plot centers around two outlaws, Thunderbolt (Clint East- wood), an experienced bank robber turned occasional preacher, and Lightfoot (Jeff Bridges), a footloose young drifter who just can't fit into regular life (Bridges' role in Rancho Deluxe the fol- lowing year feels like a continuation of Lightfoot in many ways). They meet by accident during a car theft and find themselves teaming up largely due to convenience before taking a liking to each other's company. Thunderbolt is trying to escape from his former partners in crime, Red (George Kennedy) and Eddie (Geoffrey Lewis), but they want the hidden loot from a successful bank robbery he stashed but never claimed. Unable to simply go to the cache, a one-room schoolhouse that was subsequently relo- cated, a new bank job is offered. Will the job go off without a hitch and will Thunderbolt and Lightfoot ride off into the sunset? The setting for the new bank job is the fictional town of War- saw (subliminally designed to suggest "Wilsall," perhaps?). by KARI BOWLES MONTANA MEDIA THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THUNDERBOLT AND LIGHTFOOT

• Cover