New Mexico Film Remembers ‘Butch & Sundance: The Early Days’… Filmed Across the Land of Enchantment

According to the New Mexico Film Office, the production made extensive use of locations throughout the state, filming in Abiquiú (Plaza Blanca), Chama and the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, Cochiti Pueblo (Tent Rocks), Eaves Movie Ranch, El Rancho de las Golondrinas, Jemez Springs, San Ildefonso Pueblo, Santa Ana Pueblo, Tesuque Pueblo, Valles Caldera National Preserve (then known as the Baca Ranch) and Zia Pueblo.

Source: New Mexico Film (via Facebook)
Images Courtesy 20th Century Fox

SANTA FE – The New Mexico Film Office is looking back at another production that helped showcase the state’s landscapes to movie audiences, highlighting the 1979 film “Butch & Sundance: The Early Days.”

Directed by Richard Lester, the 20th Century Fox film served as a prequel to the Academy Award-winning “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” exploring the lives of the two legendary outlaws before the events of the 1969 classic. The cast included Tom Berenger, William Katt, Brian Dennehy, Christopher Lloyd, Jill Eikenberry, Jeff Corey, Vincent Schiavelli and Ben Zeller.

According to the New Mexico Film Office, the production made extensive use of locations throughout the state, filming in Abiquiú (Plaza Blanca), Chama and the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, Cochiti Pueblo (Tent Rocks), Eaves Movie Ranch, El Rancho de las Golondrinas, Jemez Springs, San Ildefonso Pueblo, Santa Ana Pueblo, Tesuque Pueblo, Valles Caldera National Preserve (then known as the Baca Ranch) and Zia Pueblo.

One lasting reminder of the production remains at El Rancho de las Golondrinas, where a structure built specifically for the film was preserved by the museum and can still be seen by visitors today.

The Film Office regularly highlights productions from New Mexico’s long filmmaking history, recognizing the state’s decades-long role as a backdrop for feature films and television productions well before the modern film industry’s expansion.