of Waldo, and beneath it is a caption that reads, "Waldo Pepper. 1895–1931". Cast Robert Redford as Waldo Pepper Bo Svenson as Axel Olsson Bo Brundin as Ernst Kessler Susan Sarandon as Mary Beth Geoffrey Lewis as Newt Potts Edward Herrmann as Ezra Stiles Philip Bruns as Doc Dillhoefer Roderick Cook as Werfel Kelly Jean Peters as Patsy Margot Kidder as Maude Stiles Roderick Cook as Werfel Scott Newman as Duke James S. Appleby as Ace Patrick W. Henderson as Scooter James N. Harrell as the unnamed farmer (Scooter's father) Elma Aicklen as the unnamed farmer's wife (Scooter's mother) Deborah Knapp as the unnamed farmer's daughter (Scooter's sister) John A. Zee as the unnamed director of the Old West saloon set John Reilly as the unnamed star in the western movie Jack Manning as the unnamed director of the Spanish movie set Joe Billings as the unnamed policeman Robert W. Winn as the unnamed theater manager Lawrence P. Casey as the unnamed German actor portraying Kessler Greg Martin as the unnamed assistant director Frank Price as Kessler when flying Production The Great Waldo Pepper was a "passion project" for director George Roy Hill, who was himself a pilot. He and William Goldman had what Goldman described as "a huge falling out" during the middle of Goldman's writing the screenplay. Nevertheless, they managed to complete the project. Frank Tallman flew the air sequences using actual aircraft – not models. Waldo flew a Standard J-1 biplane. Many of the other aircraft in the film, including Axel's and those of Dillhoefer's, were Curtiss JN-4 biplanes. A number of de Havilland Tiger Moth biplanes, modified to look like Curtiss JN-4s, were used for the crash scenes. The Great Waldo Pepper was filmed in Elgin, Texas. Aerial sequences were filmed at Zuehl Airfield near San Antonio, which is not too far from Fort Sam Houston, where the pioneering silent aviation classic Wings was shot in 1926-27. Several aerial scenes were also filmed over the Sebring Regional Airport in Sebring, Florida. Hill, who flew as a U.S. Marine Corps cargo pilot in World War II, made sure stars Bo Svenson and Robert Redford did each sequence with no parachutes or safety harnesses. He wanted them to feel what it was like to fly vintage aircraft. Fortunately, no one was hurt during the air scenes. Reception Box office The film earned $9.4 million at the box office