"People Just Liked Him"

In Adventures in the Screen Trade, screenwriter William Goldman devotes an entire section to my favorite Paul Newman movie, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. At one point, he discusses some of the information he uncovered during his research for the screenplay:

Now, The Wild Bunch consisted of some of the most murderous figures in Western history. Arrogant, brutal men. And yet here running things was Cassidy. Why? The answer is incredible but true--people just liked him

There's a reason why, when it came time to cast the part of Butch Cassidy, that Goldman and director George Roy Hill went for Paul Newman.

People just liked him.

R.I.P.

P.S. The Verdict and Mr. & Mrs. Bridge are also favorites.