Billy Jack

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This article is about the 1971 film. For the wrestler of a similar name, see Billy Jack Haynes.

Billy Jack
Theatrical release poster.
Directed by	T. C. Frank
Produced by	Mary Rose Solti
Written by	Frank Christina Theresa Christina
Starring	Tom Laughlin Delores Taylor Clark Howat Julie Webb David Roya Kenneth Tobey Howard Hesseman Bert Freed
Music by	Mundell Lowe
Cinematography	Fred Koenekamp John Stephens
Editing by	Larry Heath Marion Rothman
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date(s)	May 1, 1971
Running time	114 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$800,000 (estimated)
Preceded by	Born Losers
Followed by	The Trial of Billy Jack

Billy Jack is the second, and highest grossing, in a series of motion pictures centering on a fictional character of the same name, played by Tom Laughlin who also directed and co-wrote the script. Filming began in Prescott, Arizona, in fall 1969, but the movie was not completed until 1971. American International Pictures pulled out of the production, halting filming. Twentieth Century Fox came in and filming eventually resumed, but when that studio refused to distribute the film, Warner Bros. took over.

The film lacked distribution, so Laughlin took it to theatres himself in 1971. The film died at the box office in its initial run but took in more than $40 million in its 1973 re-release, which was supervised by Laughlin.

Contents 1 Plot 2 Box-office and critical reception 3 Influence 4 Films in the series 5 Billy Jack in popular culture 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Plot

Billy Jack is a "half-breed" American Cherokee Indian Green Beret Vietnam War veteran, hapkido master, and gunslinger. The character made his début in The Born Losers (1967), a so-called "biker film" about a motorcycle gang terrorizing a California town; Billy Jack rises to the occasion to defeat the gang by defending from their wrath a college student who has evidence against them for gang rapes. The first film was considered the typical drive-in theatre fare of the period, described by Entertainment Insiders reviewer Rusty White as "pure exploitation, but with something extra."^[1]

This changes with the second film, Billy Jack, in which the hero must defend the hippie-themed Freedom School (a thinly veiled reference to Prescott College) and its students from townspeople who do not understand or like the counterculture students. The school is organized by Jean Roberts, played by Laughlin's wife, Delores Taylor, who also appears in each subsequent film. Their 11-year-old daughter, Teresa, plays one of the students and sings two self-written songs. Susan Foster and several other supporting players from The Born Losers also appear in different roles. Many cast members, particularly the students, were non-actors who improvised most of their dialogue. The San Francisco-based improvisational comedy troupe The Committee, including Howard Hesseman, also posed as students and performed some of their satirical skits.

Although marketed as an action film, the story focuses on the plight of Native Americans during the civil rights movement. It attained a cult following among younger audiences due to its youth-oriented, anti-authority message combined with the then-novel martial arts fight scenes which predate the Bruce Lee/kung fu movie trend that soon followed. The centerpiece of the film features Billy Jack, enraged over the mistreatment of his Indian friends, fighting a gang of racist thugs using his hapkido karate-kicking technique.

Billy Jack helped raise the level of awareness regarding the discrimination against Native Americans at that time. This is exemplified in a key scene where some Indian children from the school go into town for ice cream and are refused service and then abused and humiliated by Bernard Posner and his gang. This prompts a violent outburst by Billy in an elaborately staged fight sequence. Later, Billy's girlfriend Jean is raped and one of the Indian students is murdered by Bernard (David Roya), the corrupt son of the county's most successful (and ruthless) businessman (Bert Freed). Billy confronts Bernard and sustains a gunshot wound before killing him with a karate strike to the throat. After a climactic shootout with the police, and much pleading from Jean, he surrenders to the authorities and is arrested. (In the original script, Billy is killed by a police sniper.) As he is being driven away, a large crowd of supporters raise their fists into the air as a show of defiance and support. (The plot continues in the sequel, The Trial of Billy Jack.)

[edit] Box-office and critical reception

This went on to become one of the highest grossing films of its time^{[citation needed]}, and remains among the top 100 when the list is adjusted for inflation. In his Movie and Video Guide, film critic Leonard Maltin writes: "Seen today, its politics are highly questionable, and its 'message' of peace looks ridiculous, considering the amount of violence in the film."

[edit] Influence

Billy Jack's wardrobe (black T-shirt, blue denim jacket, blue jeans, and a black hat with a beadwork band) would become nearly as iconic as the character. The film's theme song, "One Tin Soldier" by Coven, became a Top 40 hit in 1971, and featured the chorus:

[edit] Films in the series

• The Born Losers (1967)
• Billy Jack (1971)
• The Trial of Billy Jack (1974)
• Billy Jack Goes to Washington (1977)

Billy Jack was the first movie to be marketed with the "BlockBuster" technique:^{[citation needed]} to release a movie at a great many theatres on the same day in the same market. Before Billy Jack, movies would test the market at a few theatres and blossom to more if the reaction proved positive. Blockbusters would get a much stronger reaction and result in a more popular acceptance. This marketing got Billy Jack its top grossing credit. Today, virtually all major releases open in thousands of theatres at the same time.

Laughlin plans to make a fifth film, Billy Jack for President, which was supposed to be released in 2007^[2] or 2008^[3] but was not finished.

[edit] Billy Jack in popular culture

• In 1976 musician Paul Simon played "Billy Paul" (a parody of Billy Jack) in a sketch on the second season of the NBC comedy show Saturday Night Live, after the film Billy Jack aired earlier that same evening on NBC.
• In the series Mystery Science Theater 3000, at least two episodes make reference to Billy Jack: on the episode Werewolf, after a fight breaks out between a racist dig supervisor and his Indian help, Tom Servo says, "This is where Billy Jack should come riding up."; on the episode Track of the Moon Beast, after the Native American professor finishes telling a story, Crow says, "Uh huh...do you know Billy Jack?"
• In an episode of The Simpsons ("Bart of War"), Bart joins a Boy Scouts of America-like group called the "Pre-Teen Braves", and they engage in a rivalry with "the Cavalry Kids". A montage of the two groups fighting each other is set to Coven's version of One Tin Soldier.
• Billy Jack is also referenced in an episode of Gilmore Girls ("Red Light on the Wedding Night") while Lorelai and Rory are watching the movie in their living room. At the line "Billy Jack, I'm gonna kill you if it's the last thing I do!", Lorelai responds, "Ugh, he so jinxed himself with that one." Rory replies, "Yeah, he should've said 'Billy Jack, I'm gonna kill you or buy myself a lovely chenille sweater."
• Upon first meeting serial killer Cary Stayner—then considered a possible material witness to a 1999 murder in Yosemite National Park—FBI Agent Jeff Rinek asked if Stayner had ever seen the movie Billy Jack, noting Stayner's close resemblance to the film's hero. Initially, Stayner denied ever seeing the movie.^[4] However, 90 minutes later, after building a rapport during the drive to the FBI headquarters in Sacramento from the nudist resort where he had been picked up, Stayner surprised Rinek by reciting several of Billy Jack's lines.^[5]
• In season three of the television series Sabrina The Teenage Witch, the school principal Mr. Kraft reveals that Billy Jack is his favourite film.
• Billy Jack was referenced by Jim Carrey in Yes Man.
• Metal band Goblin Cock have a song entitled "Ode to Billy Jack" on their 2009 album "Come With Me if You Want to Live" which is a tribute to him.
• In the movie Drillbit Taylor actor Owen Wilson references Billy Jack by saying to another cast mate "I am gonna Billy Jack your ass."
• In the episode of the animated show Pinky and the Brain, titled "Brainy Jack," Brain assumes the role of the titular Brainy Jack to trick a commune of hippies into helping him take over the world. Brain's wardrobe is a direct reference to Billy Jack, especially the hat with a beaded hat-band. Likewise, the song that Pinky sings in the episode is a parody of "One Tin Soldier."

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Billy Jack, Laughlin's official Billy Jack web site
• Billy Jack at the Internet Movie Database
• The Man Who Made Billy Jack Go Berserk: A Conversation with David Roya Interview with Billy Jack co-star David "Bernard Posner" Roya
• DVD review of the Billy Jack series and production history

v • d • e The Billy Jack films Tom Laughlin • Delores Taylor Released films The Born Losers (1967) • Billy Jack (1971) • The Trial of Billy Jack (1974) • Billy Jack Goes to Washington (1977) Unfinished films The Return of Billy Jack (1986) • Billy Jack for President (2008)