# Billy Jack - Have you seen it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 26, 2011, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-jack-have-you-seen-it/583317 "2011-05-26T16:56:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-jack-have-you-seen-it/583317/41 "2011-05-26T19:21:21Z")
I’m 53. I don’t recall that I’ve seen the entire movie, but I have seen bits and pieces. I googled it [Billy Jack - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Jack) I must have just seen some fight clips. The rest of the movie is not coming to mind. Interesting story re the actor getting it distributed. > [@](#): > > Billy Jack is a 1971 action film. It is the second, and highest grossing, in a series of motion pictures centering on a 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.[2] 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. ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-jack-have-you-seen-it/583317/42 "2011-05-26T19:43:10Z")
BTW, Tom Laughlin seems to be a bit of a nutter. Check out his site [www.billyjack.com](http://www.billyjack.com/). You can get all your Billy Jack merchandise, and keep up on news for the sequel! > [@](#): > > _Billy Jack & Jean_ is two films in one, with Billy Jack and Jean being Obewon Kenobis passing down the mantle to a new Billy Jack and Jean. Soon to be released. Any day now. Just a little more work to be done. ---
**Author:** ![pohjonen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pohjonen/32/423_2.png) [@pohjonen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pohjonen)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-jack-have-you-seen-it/583317/43 "2011-05-26T19:48:23Z")
I am 61. I saw it at the drivein where I spent my youth. I watch it again when it comes to tv for the nostalgic value. It was no Cuckoos Nest, but I’ve certainly seen worse movies. Give me a minute, I’ll think of some. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-jack-have-you-seen-it/583317/44 "2011-05-26T19:50:19Z")
I’m 45 and saw it during its first run, which would have made me five or six. I think i saw it with my older brother, but there’s only five years difference in our ages so I guess some adult must have been with us. I remember liking it though I’m sure a great deal of it was lost on me. One thing I remember clearly is having a big old crush on Tom Laughlin. I don’t think I’ve seen it since, though I have such clear memories of some if it it seems likely I must have seen parts of it on tv somewhere along the line. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-jack-have-you-seen-it/583317/45 "2011-05-26T19:51:25Z")
Saw Billy Jack several times and still like it. I prefer the sequel, _The Born Losers_ Billy Jack kicks the crap out of some bikers that kidnap and rape a teen girl. trailer [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/4mlSyNZrmFY/hqdefault.jpg "Born Losers (1967) trailer") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mlSyNZrmFY) ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-jack-have-you-seen-it/583317/46 "2011-05-26T19:58:54Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > 44 and ditto. > > I didn’t see the movie in the theater but I saw it when it came on TV, this being back when movies coming on network TV was a big deal. > > Never saw BJGT-Washington but I’ve always wanted to because it promises to be a must-see. “We need to fill a Congressional seat… what’s the name of that Indian activist who got convicted of terrorism a while back? See if he’s available.” Supposedly Tom Laughlin spent a fortune on the sets to get the most realistic Senate chamber set in the biz; he later leased it to other movies. IIRC he lost the fortune he made on the first Billy Jack with the Washington pic. I’ve never seen it. But if it features him kicking the asses of corrupt congresscritters, it can’t be all bad. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-jack-have-you-seen-it/583317/47 "2011-05-26T20:04:50Z")
I, too, saw the \*Born Losers \*when it first came out and it wasn’t that bad a film. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-jack-have-you-seen-it/583317/48 "2011-05-26T20:06:01Z")
> [@ministryman](#): > > Well, then I am going to have to find a copy of The Master Gunfighter and see (or smell). Watch out for the Treacherous Rocks©. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-jack-have-you-seen-it/583317/49 "2011-05-26T20:13:35Z")
> [@JeffB](#): > > BTW, Tom Laughlin seems to be a bit of a nutter. Check out his site [www.billyjack.com](http://www.billyjack.com/). > > You can get all your Billy Jack merchandise, and keep up on news for the sequel! > Soon to be released. > Any day now. > Just a little more work to be done. Price for the that [replica BJ hat and the replica bead strip](http://www.billyjack.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=BERSERK&Category_Code=CAP) seem very reasonable. Replica Hat 585.00 Replica Bead Band 375.00 ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-jack-have-you-seen-it/583317/50 "2011-05-26T20:55:34Z")
> [@JeffB](#): > > You can get all your Billy Jack merchandise, and keep up on news for the sequel! The sequel is called **BILLY JACK GOES TO REHAB**. When Billy Jack is denied his discount at McDonalds he tries to kick the clerk and has to have hip replacement. His Physical Therapy assistant is an illegal immigrant who is carrying the lovechild of a former governor (Arnold Schwarzeneggar) who eventually has to face off with Billy Jack in a hand-to-hand/foot-to-foot rumble. The fight sequence lasts 70 minutes though both stop for naps and they never actually touch each other. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-jack-have-you-seen-it/583317/51 "2011-05-26T21:02:38Z")
> [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](#): > > I, too, saw the \*Born Losers \*when it first came out and it wasn’t that bad a film. Born Losers was a better movie than Billy Jack. Not great, but pretty good for the time. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-jack-have-you-seen-it/583317/52 "2011-05-26T21:23:49Z")
I’m 49 and I’ve seen _Billy Jack_ several times. But not recently. It was one of those movies that seemed to be saying something important at the time but you look back on and realize it hasn’t aged well. Nowadays, even people looking to explore the genre are more likely to watch _Easy Rider_ or _Five Easy Pieces_ or _Vanishing Point_. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-jack-have-you-seen-it/583317/53 "2011-05-26T21:26:56Z")
I am sending my second to deliver the official challenge to a duel for ministryman for getting that _@##@(#_\* _One Tin Soldier_ stuck in my head all day. As the challenged he has choice of weapons. I propose we both wear Billy Jack hats. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-jack-have-you-seen-it/583317/54 "2011-05-26T21:32:46Z")
Just remember: If you do it in the name of heaven you can justify it in the end. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-jack-have-you-seen-it/583317/55 "2011-05-26T21:41:52Z")
I’m 42 and I know _of_ it, but I’ve never actually seen _Billy Jack_. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-jack-have-you-seen-it/583317/56 "2011-05-26T22:11:13Z")
53, male, saw it at the drive-in back in the day and rented it again about ten years ago. The female lead was pretty. That’s what I usually remember most about movies like that. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-jack-have-you-seen-it/583317/57 "2011-05-26T22:17:30Z")
I’m 43 and I’ve seen it. It was awesome when I was a kid (I was particularly drawn to the hippie stuff), but agree it hasn’t aged well. And did anyone see the prices for those boots? I’m thinking those are just Wal\*Mart wannabe Uggs that somebody _drew_ on. Really? ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-jack-have-you-seen-it/583317/58 "2011-05-26T22:47:20Z")
> [@River\_Hippie](#): > > 53, male, saw it at the drive-in back in the day and rented it again about ten years ago. > > The female lead was pretty. That’s what I usually remember most about movies like that. - Billy Jack\* really doesn’t have a “female lead.” I’ve seen the film at least a dozen times and love it to death. It’s hilarious as a sort of time capsule. During the fight scene in the park, if you pause the movie, you can very clearly see Billy Jack’s stunt-double: a very short and very obviously Asian man, wearing a perfect Billy Jack costume. The scene at the ice cream parlor is hilarious too. “Dinosaur, hand me some of that flour.” Why is there a huge tub of flour (with a scoop) just sitting right on the counter at an ice cream shop? ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-jack-have-you-seen-it/583317/59 "2011-05-26T22:51:21Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Price for the that [replica BJ hat and the replica bead strip](http://www.billyjack.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=BERSERK&Category_Code=CAP) seem very reasonable. > > Replica Hat 585.00 Replica Bead Band 375.00 I guess they subscribe to the “go ahead and hate your neighbor, go ahead and cheat a friend” philosophy. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-jack-have-you-seen-it/583317/60 "2011-05-26T22:54:20Z")
For anybody too young to remember, this is the song [One Tin Soldier](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTBx-hHf4BE) During the 1970s this song was freaking HUGE. It was on TV, the song was a hit and sold for years, it was added to church hymnals, I remember seeing it sung on the Sonny & Cher show, there was a cartoon, etc., and it was especially huge in the religious private school I attended and at many others. I remember my music teacher crying when it was sung and also praising the movie _Billy Jack_. The fact that a few years before (I learned this later) she’d been among the ones screaming at Freedom Riders and opposing integration was irrelevant, this was about fictional Indians. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-jack-have-you-seen-it/583317.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-jack-have-you-seen-it/583317.md?page=4)