Did Blondie know Tuco before they met?
In The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Blondie and Tuco meet when Tuco is saved from three bounty hunters/bandits by Blondie.
Tuco is then worth 2000 dollars, and Blondie gets 1000 from their first scam and all three thousand from the second one.
So, did they know each other before and had been doing this a long time or were they new partners? I'm asking because:
It made no sense for Blondie to ditch Tuco just after two times. (In terms of money)
They both knew Angel Eyes and Angel Eyes was also familiar with Blondie (he says "would you talk").
Best Answer
It doesn't seem Blondie knew Tuco before they met, early in the movie, when Blondie kills the 3 bounty hunters who just captured Tuco.
At this moment, Tuco thanks Blondie but he seems surprised. Then Blondie arrests him and ties him up. Tuco is really upset.
Tuco acts like he doesn't know what does or want Blondie.
As for the point 1., after the first time Blondie frees Tuco from the hanging rope, Blondie shares the bounty with him, half and half. Tuco says
There are two kinds of people in the world my friend. Those with a rope on their neck and people who have the job of doing the cutting. Listen, the neck at the end of the rope is mine, I run the risk, so the next time I want more than half.
Blondie answers that "cutting his percentage might interfere with his aim", to which Tuco replies
But if you miss you better miss very well. Whoever double-crosses me and leaves me alive doesn't know anything about Tuco.
And it happens that the next time... Blondie's first shot is a miss. Tuco hangs from the rope for a few seconds, and he's eventually saved by Blondie. Tuco is angry about the miss, and won't stop complaining. Blondie seems really pissed, stops his horse and says
The way I figure, there is not much future between us.
And Blondie ditches him. This doesn't seem awkward. (Also, maybe there was more than 2 "cutting" episodes that we don't know).
As for 2., I don't recall exactly, but Angel Eyes appears to be well connected and is likely be known by many people.
Pictures about "Did Blondie know Tuco before they met?"
Why did Blondie abandon Tuco?
Blondie takes Tuco out into the desert, their apparently usual de-briefing spot, and decides to let him go, because their partnership isn't ever going to be worth much money. And then Blondie begins to ride off, leaving Tuco to die.Why did Tuco shoot Angel Eyes?
It was also clear that Tuco was going to shoot Angel Eyes because of his prior affiliation with Blondie.Who did Tuco try to shoot?
Tuco eventually descended into a life of severe drug abuse and, over time, gradually became mentally unstable whenever high on meth. In 1998 he personally killed Dog Paulson, one of his dealers, for no apparent reason other than suspected thievery, by shooting him in the face with a sawed-off shotgun in front of Nacho.Tuco and Blondie bounty partnership - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
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Images: SHVETS production, Nurlan Tortbayev, Monstera, SHVETS production