10 Stories About Evel Knievel You Won't Believe
6. He Once Held George Hamilton At Gunpoint Over A Script
Before his aforementioned Viva Knievel film, Knievel was the inspiration for an eponymous biographical film in 1971 starring George Hamilton. At the time the film received a lukewarm reception, receiving only 2 stars from famed reviewer Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times . However, the most interesting story from the film came from its pre-production.
During which, as Hamilton recalls, Knievel was so concerned about the film portraying him in a negative light that he forced Hamilton to read him the script at gunpoint. Hamilton quickly obliged and read the entire script aloud to a heavily intoxicated Knievel who, in the end, was satisfied by the way his story was being told.
Ultimately Knievel was left unimpressed by the finished film however, the script had such an impact on him that later in life he allegedly began to quote his film-self before his stunts.