So, I’m in my semi-monthly “holy crap, I’m old” mood, and I mention the movie Billy Jack (1971). It seems that only guys 50 and up remember this.
But to add insult to injury, the “youngsters” have heard of and have seen The Sting (1973) and The Godfather (1972).
So I ask my fellow dopers: have you seen this movie, and how old are you?
Yep. And I’m 46. Saw it at the drive-in when I was a kid.
No. I’m 58. Though I have seen The Master Gunfighter.
Everything indicated to me at the time that Billy Jack was a steaming hunk of rotted crap. From The Master Gunfighter, I have no reason to doubt that assessment.
Yes, 45. I think it’s a great hunk of cheesiness.
Yes. Saw it when it was in the theater as first run, 71 or 72. I’m now 69 and have not changed my opinion of the movie at all: it was and is stupid and poorly acted and laughable as a “dramatic” effort. Campy.
Back then I thought the kicking was cool and relatively new in the “martial arts” genre, enough so that I wasn’t jaded yet toward those types of films.
I liked Laughlin’s hat.
I was going to answer yes, but then Googled it and the answer is no.
I was thinking of “Walking Tall” with Joe Don Baker.
I’ll be 49 this year, but I don’t really watch a lot of movies…
Well, then I am going to have to find a copy of The Master Gunfighter and see (or smell).
Yes I’ve seen it (because I’m over 50). So what? It was crap. It was well marketed at a time when there were few movies being produced that weren’t crap, and movie marketing was in the dark ages. But it was still crap.
Only this one.
Good one. FTW!
I’m 47 and I think I saw it when I was a kid. But it’s possible I’m just remembering the Mad magazine parody, Billy Jerk. As I recall, the spoof made fun of how he kept talking about how peaceful he was, but still kicked the crap out of everybody.
I’m 46. I never saw it (I was too young when it was in the theaters), but I definitely remember Billy Jerk in Mad. 
I am 47. I saw it on TV some number of years after it came out. I remember that horrible “One Tin Soldier” theme song that was a radio hit as well.
At the time I thought that it was a cheesy piece of shit. I’d probably like it even less now.
Yep. In fact, I saw all the Billy Jack movies in first run. It is a puzzlement which one is the worst.
Now here’s a question: How many of you saw Jory which is from the same era? It stands out in my memory for having Linda Purl’s naked butt in it. Nobody ever remembers this movie, not even my brother who I distinctly remember saw it at the theater with me.
I am 67 and I saw all the Billy Jack movies. They were very big back then. The theme song was even pretty big.
Exactly
Didn’t they also do a parody of it on “Saturday Night Live” back in the early days, with Paul Simon as “Billy Paul”?
I saw it during the 1973 re-release in theatre. I was four years old. My dad let me watch anything, God bless him.
I’m in my 30s. I had never heard of “Billy Jack” until an older guy at work kept pestering me to borrow his DVD copy.
It was so bad, it was bad. I couldn’t even get any ironic enjoyment out of it. I was deeply ashamed that mankind descended from the trees to make this.
The guy at work wanted me to borrow the rest of the Billy Jack movies (he had them all) but I would only agree to watch parts of “Billy Jack Goes to Washington” for sheer camp value. “C’mon,” he kept saying, “it has Lucille Ball’s daughter in it.” Thank god I fast-forwarded. The movie is two and a half hours long!
Jesus, people were stupid in the 70s.