Did you know that both Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda went to their graves believing that they deserved sole screenwriting credit for Easy Rider and that Dennis even sued Peter over the matter? Easy Rider remains one of the most defining films of 1960s counter-culture cinema, having been released at the end of the decade in 1969. Dennis Hopper directed the film, and it featured him and Peter Fonda in the lead roles. According to the late Peter Fonda himself, the idea for the script came solely from him and his own experiences. However, Dennis would go to his grave claiming that he deserved sole screenwriting credit for the feature. This is just one small part of the greater feud that caused the two legends to hate each other until their dying days.
▬Contents of this video▬ 00:00 - Intro 00:36 - Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda Had a Lifelong Feud 02:03 - Who Deserved Screenwriting Credit for Easy Rider? 04:36 - Both Dennis and Peter Believed They Deserved Sole Credit 06:12 - Dennis Traumatized Peter During Easy Rider’s Filming 07:39 - Outro
The script for Easy Rider is credited to Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda, and Terry Southern. Peter Fonda, he came up with the script for Easy Rider himself while experimenting with drugs. He then allowed Dennis and Terry to make narrative contributions to the script in order for his ideas to translate better to the screen. This account is somewhat substantiated by the late Terry Southern, though he alleges that there was nothing written down when he was brought in to flesh out Peter and Dennis’ script concept.
Easy Rider went into production under the presumption that Terry Southern was going to receive sole screenwriting credit, as he was the most experienced of the three writers. However, Dennis and Peter ended up asking for credit due to the fact that they were very proud of the film. Decades after the film was released, Dennis tried to sue Peter to have the latter’s screenwriting credit removed. Join Facts Verse as we explore how Dennis Hopper went to his grave hating Peter Fonda.
Dennis Hopper Went to His Grave Hating Peter Fonda
By: Facts Verse Title: Dennis Hopper Went to His Grave Hating Peter Fonda Sourced From: www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgMtdVIMWWM
