The night of September 23, 1969 arrived on the Chinese Theatre.
Duke stepped out of his car and into the roar of the Butch Cassidy premiere.
It was a physical wave of sound, screaming teenagers, the shouting of photographers.
Tonight was the world premiere of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
As Duke walked the red carpet, he saw them.
Steve McQueen stood near the entrance. He was wearing a tuxedo that fit him perfectly. He was smoking a cigarette, his blue eyes scanning the crowd.
Next to him, Robert Redford was smiling, waving to the crowd with a natural, easy grace.
"Duke!"
The voice cut through the noise. Robert Evans, the head of Paramount, materialized at Duke's side.
"Look at this!" Evans shouted, gesturing to the crowd that was threatening to break the barricades. "They're going to tear the doors down! Mcqueen was a great cast. It seems you once again did it."
"We did it, Bob," Duke corrected.
"Let's get inside," Duke said. "Before the crowd goes wild and people break in."
Inside the theater darkness, the massive screen flickered to life.
The film introduces us to the dying days of the Old West. Butch Cassidy is the idea mans, a charming, talkative outlaw who prefers planning to shooting.
His partner, the Sundance Kid, in contrast is the muscle, a man of fewer words and a legendary quick draw.
After Butch survives a leadership challenge from a gang member named Harvey Logan by kicking him in the groin, the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang decides to rob the Union Pacific train twice.
The first job is easy, meanwhile the second is a disaster.
Butch uses way too much dynamite, blowing the baggage car and the money. But the real problem isn't the explosion, it's the second train that pulls up right behind them.
From that second train emerges a posse, six elite lawmen hired by the railroad tycoon E.H. Harriman. They don't eat, they don't sleep, and they don't lose the trail.
This leads to one of the most famous pursuit sequences in cinema history.
No matter how many miles Butch and Sundance cover, or how many rivers they cross, they look back and see the same six riders on the horizon.
Realizing they can't outrun the law in America, they find themselves cornered at the edge of a massive cliff.
In a moment of high-stakes comedy, Sundance admits he can't swim.
Butch laughs it off and they take a literal leap of faith into the river below.
Accompanied by Sundance's girlfriend, Etta Place, the duo flees to Bolivia.
Butch is convinced it's a robber's paradise, but the reality is much bleaker.
After a brief attempt at holding honest jobs as mining guards where Butch is forced to kill for the first time, the duo realizes and accepts they are who they are.
They go back to robbing banks as Los Bandidos Yanquis.
But the world is shrinking. Etta, seeing the writing on the wall, leaves them to return to the States, refusing to stay and watch them die.
The end comes in a dusty Bolivian village.
After being spotted with a branded mule, Butch and Sundance are pinned down in a small room by the local police and the entire Bolivian Army.
Even as they bleed out from multiple wounds, the banter never stops. Butch starts planning their next move to Australia, still clinging to the dream of the next big score.
In the final, legendary shot, the two outlaws charge out into the sunlight, guns drawn, facing hundreds of soldiers.
The film freezes on their defiant charge as the sound of a massive volley of gunfire plays out.
The lights came up and the applause sounded around him.
He looked over at Robert Evans, who was basking in the applause, shaking hands, looking like the king of the world.
The after-party was held at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Waiters moved through the crowd with trays of champagne and shrimp cocktails.
In the corner, Warren Beatty was talking with Julie Christie.
Jack Nicholson, fresh off the success of Easy Rider, was laughing maniacally at something Dennis Hopper was telling.
Duke stood on the balcony, looking out over the palm trees.
"There's the man of the hour," a voice said.
Duke turned. It was Lew Wasserman.
The head of MCA/Universal was the most terrifying man in Hollywood. He wore thick black-rimmed glasses and a suit. He was smiling.
"Just enjoying the view, Mr. Wasserman," Duke said.
"It's a good view," Wasserman said, stepping up beside him. He didn't look at the party. He looked at the city lights. "Paramount is going to make fifty million dollars on this picture. Maybe more."
"Maybe," Duke allowed.
"Evans is lucky to have you," Wasserman said. His voice was flat, devoid of flattery. It was just data. "But luck runs out. I hear your deal is up after the war movie."
Duke took a sip of his drink. "News travels fast."
"I don't rely on news. I rely on contacts," Wasserman said.
"Paramount is a boutique, Duke. They make pretty movies but they won't let you do what you want."
Wasserman leaned in slightly.
"I hear you have a factory in Santa Clara. Making... electronic amusements."
Duke froze internally.
"It's a side project," Duke said.
"Nothing you do is a side project, when you're making this much money." Wasserman countered.
"I see the future, Duke. I want to get into theme parks. I want to grow Universal even more and we could use a man like you."
He placed a card on the railing. It was blank, except for a phone number and a name.
"Call me after the war picture, I would like it if we could have a conversation."
Wasserman walked away, disappearing into the crowd.
Duke stared at the card for a second. Universal.
"Who was that? The Undertaker?"
Duke turned again. Ted Ashley, the new head of Warner Bros., was standing there. He was younger, hipper, wearing a velvet jacket.
Warner Bros was currently rebranding itself as the "Director's Studio."
"Just an old friend," Duke said, pocketing Wasserman's card.
"Look," Ashley said, cutting straight to the chase. "I saw Midnight Cowboy. I just saw Butch. You have a great eye, Duke."
"I like the stories, but thanks for the compliment," Duke said.
"Warner should be the home for your films," Ashley said. "We're clearing out the old guard. No more musicals nor stuff like that, we want good films."
"And we also want you. We don't want to own you, Duke. Think about it, you bring us the movies, we put them in theaters, and we stay the hell out of your way." Ashley grinned.
He clapped Duke on the shoulder. "Think about it. We have a great distribution network in the world. And we have Clint Eastwood. Imagine what you could do with him."
Duke nodded.
As Ashley finally walked away, Duke felt a hand grip his arm.
It was Robert Evans.
"That man Ashley is nuts, he's a sellout and a hippie."
"Bob, relax," Duke said. "I haven't signed anything."
"But you're thinking about it," Evans said, his eyes pleading. "I can see it. You're looking at the exit sign. Listen to me. Hacksaw Ridge."
"We're going to push it for the Oscars. We're going to make you the youngest Best Picture winner in history."
"I know, Bob."
"I'll give you a new deal," Evans said, talking fast. "Your own label. Ithaca Pictures which could be totally autonomous."
There was a genuine desperation in Evans' voice that broke Duke's heart. Evans was a showman, but he was also a believer. A man who loved the movies more than the money.
"I have to finish Hacksaw first, Bob," Duke said gently. "Let's talk after it."
Evans stared at him, finally, he nodded, straightened his tie.
"After it," Evans said. "Right."
Duke left the party early. He needed to think.
He drove his car up Mulholland Drive, the cool night air clearing the air from his lungs. He pulled over at a scenic outlook, the grid of Los Angeles sprawling below him.
He had three offers on the table, implicit or explicit.
Universal, Warner Bros, or Paramount.
But Duke knew something they didn't.
He knew that the 1970s was about to be a bloodbath for the studios. The old system was collapsing and the conglomerates would moving in.
If he signed with Universal, he'd be an employee of MCA.
If he signed with Warner, he'd be an employee of Kinney National Services (The parking lot company that bought the studio).
If he stayed with Paramount, he'd be an employee of Gulf+Western.
But he didn't want to be an employee.
He was born to be a pure-breed capitalist.
He looked at the lights of the valley. Somewhere down there, in Santa Clara, the Atari assembly lines were churning out arcade cabinets.
The cash flow from that "side project" was about to become a tsunami soon.
With his plans, by 1970, Atari would be making millions a month in quarters and sales.
Duke finally accepted he didn't need their money. He didn't need Wasserman or Ashley.
He needed their distribution.
He would make Jaws with his own money. And then he would use a studio for putting it in theaters.
The next morning, the hangover of the premiere was replaced by the cold reality of logistics.
Duke sat in his office, the blinds drawn against the harsh California sun. On his desk lay the production bible for Hacksaw Ridge.
Duke opened the file.
The plan was to shoot in location in Hawaii. The muddy slopes of the island would serve for the steep cliff during the 1945 Battle of Okinawa.
Cast was Robert De Niro (Desmond Doss), Robert Shaw (Sgt. Howell), Katharine Ross (Dorothy).
And there was 2 Weeks to Principal Photography.
Duke picked up the phone and dialed the production office in Honolulu.
"How is it?" Duke asked when the line connected.
"It's wet, boss," came the voice of the line producer. "It's been raining for three days. The mud is knee-deep. The stunt guys are already complaining."
"Good," Duke said. "I want the mud. Doss needs to crawl through it."
"And the actors?"
"De Niro arrived yesterday," the producer said. His voice dropped to a whisper. "He's... weird, Duke. He hasn't spoken to anyone. He's sleeping in a tent near the set, not in the hotel."
"Let him," Duke said. "What about Shaw?"
"Shaw gets in tonight. He's already demanding alcohol."
Duke smiled grimly. "Give it to him."
He hung up.
Duke stood up.
He had a plane to catch.
He packed his bag. He threw in the script for Hacksaw. He threw in the manuscript for Big Fish.
He walked out of the office, leaving the phone ringing. It was probably Evans. Or Wasserman. Or Ashley.
Let them ring.
___
Watch Lurker(2025) in Tubi, it's basically Nightcrawler but more about social media