Too long ago to remember details. My brain kind of stops at Robbie Benson and will go no further.
It’s been years since I’ve seen it, and even though I liked it quite a bit as a kid, I don’t remember all the plot points. I believe it took place in rural Mississippi, and Glynnis O’connor and Robby Benson were two teens who fell in love. She lived on a farm and he was the new kid in town. I don’t believe they ever actually had sex, and as I recall Bobby Lee’s parents thought Billy Joe somewhat of a loser. Gee, I’m clearing things right up, aren’t I :dubious: Anyway, the thing she threw off the bridge was her beloved ragdoll, Benjamin (how I remember it’s name, I couldn’t say). Bobby Lee also had an older brother and I think he stirred up trouble, either by witnessing or guessing about Billy Joe’s sexual orientation. Now that I’m thinking about it, I think Billy Joe actually confessed about the encounter with the man. Oh! Now I’m getting all nostalgic! I hope someone else can fill in more details. (and no, before someone suggests it, I REALLY don’t want to go to IMDB )
Alls I know is that Robby Benson turned in the worst fake Southern accent in the history of cinema.
I assumed sheer thespian humiliation sent him off the bridge.
And that, of course, was the inspiration behind Only the Good Die Young.
Well, maybe, but remember the girl was living with her family. Obtuse as they were, I think they would have noticed that.
Personally, I doubt that Gentry had anything more in mind than setting a mood.
BTW, here’s a link to one of the previous threads about this, which in turn links to several more.
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=276903&highlight=bridge+billy
He was born in Texas.
Which makes the horrible fake accent all the more unforgiveable. You really can’t blame him for jumping. The shame must have been unbearable.
10-4! How many Southerners who know how to talk true Southern have been coached by non-Southerners to speak in some godawful mishmash accent?
There are still a few who refuse to do a yankeefied Southern accent, but it’s one of the most demeaning things I can imagine to have somebody betray their heritage for the sake of the perception by the “larger audience.”
Colbert said it best, “I didn’t want to be perceived as stupid, so I dropped the Southern accent.”
My dad played that song every Saturday morning it seemed for years - I was very dissappointed in seeing the movie - not at all the same feeling the song gave me.
I sang this song last Tuesday night at my local bar for Karaoke night. Pepper’s is a primarily African American joint - I had a ball!
Know what else I found out about Bobbie Gentry? She married the guy who owns Harrah’s, the casino. Not too shabby for a folkie from the Delta.
I honestly can’t remember exactly what they sounded like, but not having been exposed to many southerners at the time, it didn’t make any difference to me. Should it? What I mean by that is, is it more noticeable to you because you’re a native Southerner? Why do you find it offensive? I live in the south now and I hear a whole range of different accents (not that I can pinpoint what area the speakers are from), including what I remember as the way the characters in this movie sounded (again, recollection is vague). I do remember that the dialogue was cornier than a bag of Pop Secret though; especially when Robby Benson is talking to Glynnis O’ Connor. That wouldmake any accent sound bad. Oy.
"Seems like nothin’ ever comes to no good up on Choctaw Ridge…”
Lemme tell ya ‘bout Choctaw Ridge:
Before daylight one mornin’ me and this old dude Grover left out of Notasulga, Alabama headin’ to Mexico, Missouri in a livestock haulin’ truck to pick up two boar hogs.
Long about middle of the mornin’, we come to Choctaw Ridge and the bridge over the Tallahatchie River in Mississippi.
Thinkin’ to check out Grover’s pop-culture skills, I says says I: "Hey Grover! We’re crossin’ the bridge where Billy Joe jumped off.”
Grover, he says he don’t know any Billy Joe.
Later on in the day, we come to the bridge over the Great River at Memphis and Chuck Berry’s song took to runnin’ through my head, so I says says I: “Hey Grover! Marie’s house is just about a half-mile down that-a-ways.”
Grover, he says he don’t know any Marie.
Stopped for the night in Saint Louis, and instead of checkin’ out a good restaurant ‘cross the street from our motel, Grover insists we should buy a loaf of white-bread and some potted meat at a Zippy Mart and eat in the motel room.
So then I says says I: “Hey Grover! The Cardinals are in town, lets go see a ballgame.”
Grover, he says he don’t want to see no ballgame.
So then I says says I: “Hey Grover! There was a likely lookin’ honkey-tonk ‘bout two miles back the way we came. What say we run down there, get a beer or two and see if any of the ladies in there would appreciate a dance?"
Grover, he says he ain’t goin to no honkey-tonk in no hog-haulin’ truck. Since Grover was older then me, he had been given the keys to the truck, so that was that.
Next mornin’ we got up before daylight, went and picked up the two boar hogs and headed back south.
Comin’ home, I didn’t mention Choctaw Ridge, Memphis or the Tallahatchie bridge, but I didn’t take no more road trips with Grover either.
Me, If Bobbie Gentry had been my girlfriend, I wouldn’t a jumped off no bridge, at least not one where the jumpin’ was gonna kill me.
Oh, yeah: The OP:
I always imagined the girl and Billy Joe were going steady and he’d given her his school ring, or else they were engaged. Then a break-up came and they went to the bridge and threw the ring in the river. Later, Billy Joe got to thinkin’ that life without her wasn’t gonna be very nice, so he went back to the bridge and jumped off. That, however, is my imagination and is not verified by the song.
As for the disappointing movie, all I remember about it is that it was disappointing.
Absoluteley. As you say, if you weren’t very familiar with Southern accents it probably wouldn’t bother you.
Probably because it takes me out of the movie. There I am, ready to suspend disbelief and immerse myself in a movie when one of the lead characters starts slapping me across the ears with a godawful fake accent that is found nowhere in nature. And now I can’t believe the movie any more. I can’t feel sympathy for the characters, I can’t buy into the story. I am completely distracted by the horrible accent.
There are busloads of Southern actors in Hollywood. There are busloads more who aren’t from the South but who can at least approximate the accent closely enough not to destroy a movie. Would it be so hard to hire one of them? Or maybe before hiring an actor running the actor’s fake accent past an actual Southerner to see if it passes muster?
The problem is not unique to Southerners, by the way. I have heard Irish folk lodge similar complaints about godawful fake Irish accents in Hollywood films.
IIRC, and it’s been years since I saw the movie, everyone thought she was pregnant, and she did leave town without correcting the impression. Maybe to preserve Bobby Joe’s memory? I dunno. I thought it sucked. Love the song, though.