The character Burt
Who was he meant to be? A local hoodlum perhaps?
shareNo, he's a fake cowboy (note the Stetson and western suit) from Phoenix, probably a banker, up for the holiday. He's an older guy with bucks and he has a young girlfriend (bank employee) and he's very insecure about the relationship. He is in short, a perfect foil for Junior, who is the last of the cowboys, even if he is a "motel cowboy" a label given to him by Curly Bonner.
shareJunior seems kind of scared of him though, and he does act like he is a local tough guy....in the saloon and all.
shareGoing out of your way to avoid a useless confrontation with a blowhard doesn't necessarily mark you as being "scared" of him.
Junior stood up and took a seriously hard punch from his own younger, bigger brother -- knowing it was coming. He also rode bulls for a living (and even got into a pen alone with the film's primary bull, without an audience, to provoke it for his own satisfaction). So it's a misread to believe that Junior was the least bit afraid of "big shot" Burt.
Most great films deserve a more appreciative audience than they get.