Billy Jack

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

Billy Jack
File:9213.jpg Theatrical release poster.
Directed by	T. C. Frank
Written by	Frank Christina Theresa Christina
Produced by	Mary Rose Solti
Starring	Tom Laughlin Delores Taylor Clark Howat Julie Webb David Roya Kenneth Tobey Howard Hesseman Bert Freed
Cinematography	Fred Koenekamp John Stephens
Edited by	Larry Heath Marion Rothman
Music by	Mundell Lowe
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release dates	May 1, 1971
Running time	114 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$800,000 (estimated)

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. 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 theaters 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.

Plot

Billy Jack is a "half-breed" Native American 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 theater fare of the period, described by Entertainment Insiders reviewer Rusty White as "pure exploitation, but with something extra."

This changes with the second film, Billy Jack, in which the hero must defend the hippie-themed Freedom School 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.

The film focuses on the plight of Native Americans during the civil rights movement. It attained a cult following, due in part to the popular theme song "One Tin Soldier." The film found a potent formula with this message in 1971, and went on to become one of the highest grossing of its time, and remains among the top 100 when the list is adjusted for inflation.

Billy Jack helped raised the level of awareness regarding the plight and discrimination against Native Americans at that time. Billy Jack, the character, attempts to protect the individuals living on a reservation. The discrimination is exemplified when some of the children go into town for ice cream and are driven out by their white neighbors. Later, Jean (Taylor), Billy's girlfriend and teacher at the Freedom School, is raped by Bernard (David Roya), the corrupt son of the county's most successful (and ruthless) businessman (Bert Freed). Unable to protect his people or girlfriend, Billy turns himself into the authorities for killing Bernard and is arrested. (The plot continues in the sequel, The Trial of Billy Jack.)

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:

Go ahead and hate your neighbor; go ahead and cheat a friend.

Do it in the name of heaven; you can justify it in the end.

There won't be any trumpets blowin' come the judgment day

On the bloody morning after, one tin soldier rides away

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: To release a movie at a great many theaters on the same day in the same market. Before Billy Jack, movies would test the market at a few theaters 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 theaters at the same time.

Laughlin plans to make a fifth film, Billy Jack for President, to be released in 2007 or 2008.

Billy Jack in popular culture

• 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 the part where Billy Jack comes in"; 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-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.

Major Payne "I'm gonna take this right foot, and I'm gonna whop you on that side of your face..."

External links

• billyjack.com, Laughlin's official Web site
• Billy Jack at IMDb