Is this a campy collection of movies as Epinions describes? I think of The Rocky Horror Picture Show or the 1974 Paul Williams movie, Phantom at the Paradise or something like that to be campy, but not The Billy Jack Collection. There may be Native Americans and 70s hippies, but not one scarred phantom or transvestite in the bunch.
Some people call Tom Laughlin, who plays “half-breed” Vietnam veteran Billy Jack, a weirdo, a radical political troublemaker and a preachy bastard, but after watching on DVD all four of his Independent films that his wife Delores Taylor and he starred in, produced, directed and mostly wrote, I’m very glad I decided to make up my own mind. From his website, billyjack.com, I found out that he has advanced tongue cancer as well as advanced heart disease and so this review now of his legacy is even more crucial for me and for fans yet to be. And I think many of you will be fans after watching 1967’s BORN LOSERS, 1971’s BILLY JACK, 1974’s TRIAL OF BILLY JACK and 1977’s BILLY JACK GOES TO WASHINGTON.
I first fell in love with BILLY JACK on video with my biker sweetie and we lost little time finding The Billy Jack Collection on DVD, released just last year with running commentary by Tom and Delores. I was completely delighted with what I learned about the making of Born Losers, such as all but one actor were amateurs at the time and unpaid and even the legendary Jane Russel decided to put in two wonderfully charged scenes for nothing, I think.
Also, a few of the Devil’s Advocates motorcycle gang acted as naturally as the rest of them and the Hell’s Angels were interviewed for more authenticity as well. The movie was based on their real-life raping of girls and intimidation of them and their parents so none would testify. I haven’t had the time to listen to the other movies’ commentaries besides watch the almost two-hour movies, with Trial of Billy Jack almost three hours, but they will probably be almost as interesting.
BORN LOSERS (1967)
Shot mostly on the spot with crowds gathering in downtown Seal Beach, California, in a bar nearby, on the beach and in the woods, in the Laughlin’s apartment made to look like a girl’s dormitory room and around and in Rudolph Valentino’s old mansion, all with no fees paid for the right to be there.
We are introduced to Billy Jack who white people seem to fear, although he looks white, but maybe it’s the hat with the Indian design he wears or the karate moves in his barefeet. We soon learn that he has an uncontrollable temper when he sees injustice being committed and he has to pay for it until he’s broke and without transportation while the motorcycle gang gets off lightly. There’s a lot of female skin enticing male viewers in this flick, a little physical violence, but mostly a lot of honest dialogue that kept my interest throughout.
BILLY JACK (1971, re-released by the Laughlins in 1974)
I commented on this movie recently in my movie review of The Last Temptation of Christ. Here is where we meet Delores, who plays Jean, the founder of the Freedom School on a reservation for troubled children and teens from different races. Billy is a hero to them for he protects their land and rights, from using a gun to scare officers away from shooting stallions to using karate against a dozen townspeople in ultimate defeat to forcing a statement from the governor for the safety of the school and Jean’s position.
Gradually we see that in each movie Billy struggles to understand how to fight injustice through less violent means and sometimes, like here, he actually wins the battle before the last movie.
TRIAL OF BILLY JACK (1974)
At times very disturbing, as when in flashback Billy Jack and his quadroon in Mylai, Vietnam are coldly ordered to slaughter a ditch full of Vietnamese women, children and seniors, and Billy Jack refuses, or towards the end when the Freedom School becomes militant against the National Guard and lives are lost or dozens wounded. Fortunately there are also bright spots to cherish, such as the coming of the tribal nations with torches to reclaim their land that resulted in most of the National Guard tossing their rifles to join them, the teaching of a wise man, gorgeous footage of the Grand Canyon and spontaneous, natural acting by more amateurs.
It ends with a moving chorus by Jean and Carol (Teresa Laughlin, daughter that grows up in the movies) in wheelchairs with the rest of the wounded in a church, of the Beatles’ tune of “All we saying is...give peace a chance.” The Kent State and other campus shootings along with hatred of politicians in the aftermath of Watergate inspired it.
BILLY JACK GOES TO WASHINGTON (1977)
Arizona’s governor decides to pardon the hiding-out Billy Jack and appoint him as a senator in order to gain public support, but Billy is a lot more trouble than they expected. He’s not a stupid “half-breed” and when the whole body of frightened senators, led by a powerful, rich man of the corporations, go all out to frame and crucify Senator Jack, the newcomer pulls a heart-wrenching filabuster Jimmy Stewart-style from the 40s Frank Capra film, (producer here, too) Mr. Smith Goes To Washington.
A little bit of karate from both Billy and Jean, Luci Arnaz (daughter of Lucille Ball) in her movie debut, no skin shows that I noticed, lots of political intrigue balanced with Billy’s patriotic visits to D.C. statues, the loss of his respect for the other senator from his state (E.G. Marshall in a riveting performance) and, of course, the drawn-out, climactic filabuster where he refused to yield the Senate floor for a couple of days until finally collapsing. Pat O'Brien was an enjoyable President of the Senate who rooted subtlely for Billy.
My biker waits most impatiently for the DVDs so he can watch them at home this weekend with relatives, but when I told him about this movie he grinned and said that that’s the way it should be...and I agree. I’ve seen the Jimmy Stewart movie, but he didn’t have the lesson Billy had in using his intelligence and heart instead of his feet. I loved it.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I really don’t have a clear favorite of the four, much like many never had a favorite Beatle, I guess, and I wish you would just see all of them in this Billy Jack Collection with the detailed and enlightening commentaries, about fifty dollars from Best Buy. Laughlin was a pioneer in Independent filmmaking and a creative dynamo with the guts to say what he saw happening in the United States and the heart to want to give peace a chance.
I’m not going to say the movies were all perfectly edited (the third movie was too long with some bad voice overs) and without some 70s kind of touchy-feeliness to them, especially in the activities around the Freedom School, but they were mostly done well and it was the way of the times. You must try to come from that perspective in order to realize how controversial and brave it was for them to make and distribute the movies.
My appreciation for a husband/wife team that goes to such lengths for us, the public, knows no bounds. Yes, critics have panned the movies, but they have a cult following still and if you haven't made Independent films yourself, how can you belittle their efforts? Frankly I have been dreaming the last few days of following in their footsteps with my own, very gifted biker buddy, especially since hearing the news of Tom’s diseases. The “one tin soldier” that rode away, as sung at the end of the second and fourth movies, may not be able to share his values of integrity, honor and peace for all in a fifth…and we desperately need more people like the Laughlins in the world.
Thanks for reading and have a lovely Thanksgiving holiday!
Note to my Readers: I'll be on vacation through the weekend, but hopefully I've found a way to speed up my Road Runner experience by turning off the cable box for ten seconds and will be finally able to read reviews again.
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