As for directors whose work took time to be appreciated............Ridley Scott had that, to a certain extent. It took time for The Duellists to be appreciated, such as it is and Blade Runner was another that took home video and cable. Alien got him a ton of notice; but, he was still pretty much considered a visual stylist, for a long time.

Sam Fuller is possibly another. His films took time to be appreciated in this country, though he was acclaimed in Europe. Big Red One took quite a while to find the audience and even some of his earlier ones, like Steel Helmet, took time. Clint Eastwood took time to be appreciated as a director, even when he directed hits. I think he kind of had to leave behind the Dirty Harry and western stuff to be taken seriously as a director.

Everybody jumped on the period adventure bandwagon, after Raiders of the Lost Ark was a big hit. Most were crap (apart from Tom Selelck's and Romancing the Stone); but, there was one little gem that was missed by most, in this country. Around most of the world, it was known as Gunbus; here, it was called Sky Bandits....



A pair of cowboys, who prove poor bank robbers, go on the lam and end up in the Army, in France, in 1917. They shoot down a plane, with a pistol and end up in pilot training, where they will fly the Gunbus, the Vickers VB5. This was the first designed specifically fighter airplane, with a pilot and forward observer station, with a machine gun. It was a pusher plane (propeller in the rear), and a decent plane, until the Germans introduced far better planes and turned them into deathtraps. A German super zeppelin comes along and threatens to annihilate everyone and the two cowboys are assigned to bring it down.

Make no mistake; this isn't a great film. It's not a bad one, though. The two leads, Scott McGinnis and Jeff Osterhage are pretty bland and are, essentially a (very) poor man's Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. They meet two French girls, who become lovers and stand around waiting for them, without much personality, either. The British flying squadron is daft and the planes are killers....for the pilots. However, there is a loopy charm to the whole thing, as they end up assembling a squadron of strange aircraft (including a car with wings) to destroy the zeppelin. You get to see a Gotha bomber so big that is has a spiral staircase to the bridge, which features a ship's wheel, for steering (the plane is closer in concept to the Zeppelin-Staaken bomber....



The movie is stupid fun, mainly appearing to kids or the kid inside every adult who wanted to shoot down the Red Baron and attack zeppelins, or carry out commando raids on Nazi fortresses (in other words....me). It won't win any awards; but, it is goofy fun. It was directed by Zoran Perisic, who was a special effects man, who conceived and executed the flying sequences in Superman. He only ever directed two films: this one and Phoenix and the Magic Carpet, in 1995). Perhaps that is why the film looks really good and the acting is so bad (but in a cheesy MST3K kind of way).

That leads me to another film about a Zeppelin; but a really good one; a spy thriller about a super zeppelin raid on Great Britain, in an attempt to capture or destroy British national treasures, relocated to a Scottish castle, due to the zeppelin bomber attacks. The name, of course, is Zeppelin....



Michael York stars as Geoffrey Richter-Douglas, an officer in the British Army (a Scotsman, but with German blood and relatives). The film starts out with a zeppelin bombing raid over London and hysteria at the War Office. Richter-Douglas is assigned to get close to a female German spy, to become a turncoat and go to Germany and link up with Prof Altschul, an old friend, who has developed a new type of zeppelin. The professor's wife (Elke Sommer) does not trust him. German military intelligence debriefs him (played by Anton Differing and Peter Carsten) and are satisfied and he is brought into an operation to use the new zeppelin for an attack on Scotland. Richter-Douglas makes contact with a British agent, but, is unable to pass on information later. He is brought on board to observe the airship's test flight, then the Army major reveals that the ship will continue on the England for the raid, first stopping over the North Sea to rendezvous with a ship, to load the assault team, fuel and weaponry. They continue on, with Richter-Douglas needed to identify the proper coastline area and lead them to the castle. Richter-Douglas is able to distract a radio operator and send a message, but the operator returns to the radio room and hears the reply come in and realizes R-D sent the message. He is killed in a fight and R-D covers. During the raid, he must work to alert the British authorities and stop the zeppelin. once alerted, the British send Sopwith Camels, armed with new incendiary rounds, to attack the zeppelin.

York is good as the spy and gets to romance both the German spy, at the beginning, and Elke Sommer, to a point. He fakes an embrace to cover when the military intelligence man comes around, to hide his handiwork. Sommer has uncovered what he is doing, but is disgusted with how the Germans are using their airship (the bombings and the perversion of science, for killing). She ends up not betraying R-D, but also doesn't fully aid him. R-D is still on board the ship when they are fleeing the British attacks and his survival is tied to the survival of the airship.

Belgian director Etiene Perier helmed the film, a co-production of Warner Bros and GMF Picture Corp. The cast is excellent and the intrigue is fairly good. The real star is the zeppelin model, based on a British R-33 class, which was based on a captured German zeppelin. It was one of the first times I saw an airship on screen and I fell in love with them and the thought of ships cruising through the sky, not just zooming along like airplanes. Ironically, Richter-Douglas suffers from acrophobia, as do I. he has to overcome it, in the film (I mostly conquered mine, in the Navy, though I don't like open heights).

Here is a scene of the zeppelin being introduced to Richter-Douglas...



That leads me to one more movie, one of the later disaster films, The Hindenburg.



Wow, they sure gave away the ending!

The film features a conspiracy theory-laden tale of the Hindenburg's last voyage. It was based upon the book, The Hindenburghm by MMichael McDonald Mooney, based heavily on the sabotage theories of of AA Hoehling, who named rigger Eric Spehl as the saboteur (he conveniently died in the fire). The film follows Luftwaffe Oberst Franz Ritter (George C Scott), who is assigned by Josef Goebbels as security on the flight, working in conjunction with Gestapo agent Martin Vogel (Roy Thinnes), trying to root out a potential saboteur. The chief suspect is Karl Boerth (William Atherton, the sh@#theel reporter, in Die Hard) a rigger, whose girlfriend has ties to alleged subversives. Flying on the voyage are the Countess Ursula von Reugen, going to see her daughter in America, who is attending a school for the deaf (and whose family lands were confiscated for the German rocket program). Also on board are American entertainers Reed and Bess Channing, acrobat and comic Joe Spah, medical supply salesman Albert Breslau, con artists Emilio Pajetta (Burgess Meredith) and Maj Napier (Rene Auberjonois), advertising exec Edward Douglas (Gig Young), Ernst Lehman (former zeppelin captain and chief captain of the Zeppelin company, who flew the Graf Zeppelin on over 100 flights; played by Richard Dysart).

The film starts in Germany, though it also features FBI men interviewing an alleged psychic who had been inundating the authorities with tales of sabotage to the Hindenburg.
We meet the passengers and Ritter and Vogel begin their investigation, with multiple suspects. Spah is caught making drawing of the inner structure, in an area prohibited to passengers, which turn out to be for an idea for a stage show. he tries to pitch the idea to the Channings, who are traveling by airship, because Bess is prone to seasickness and is pregnant. Captain Max Pruss (Charles Durning) is an ardent Nazi and when he invites thReed Channing to provide entertainment, he and Spah come up with a satire of the Nazis, which angers Pruss, who storms off (though Ritter quietly chuckles, which is noticed by Boerth). Boerth is the saboteuur and has a bomb hidden inside the hilt of his knife. He attempts to place it and dislodges the blade, which gets stuck in the rigging and is found. At one point, a tar is made in the hull of the fabric and Boerth and another rigger (Ted Gehring) must go outside the ship and sew a patch over the tear, and Boerth nearly slides off as the ship has to maneuver. These were real activities...



The film is a decent thriller, under the able direction of Oscar-winner Robert Wise. However, once it turns into a disaster picture, it kind fo falls apart. The footage mixes re-enactment with newsreel footage of the Hindenburg bursting into flame and crashing at NAS Lakehrust, in New Jersey. It also re-enacts the description by WLS reporter Herbert Morrison, and finishes with the actual audio of the event.

The marketing of the film (and the general belief of most who have seen the images) suggests that all on board were killed; but, the reality is that of the 97 passengers and crew, 62 survived. The loss of life was well below the British R101 Disaster, which had only 6 survivors of the 54 on board. The sabotage theory and other conspiracy theories have been easily debunked, but there is still no consensus on what actually happened. Leading theories include static spark igniting the hydrogen (though the Zeppelin had been struck by lightning without explosion, let alone St Elmo's Fire, as seen in the film), to lightning, and engine sparking. The high speed of the flame has been blamed on hydrogen, the surface paint coating of the skin of the ship, to leaking fuel.

The film uses sabotage and only sabotage, for the thriller aspect. Of course, you go into the film knowing the ship will go down; the intrigue is how, though they telegraph their idea from the moment they show you Boerth's bomb.

The film is well done (great model work) with a few exceptions. Ted Gehring is supposed to be a German, but his Arizona accent is prevalent throughout the film, which is bizarre. The list of suspects is pretty weak and the idea of coordinated resistance to the Nazis, who get a bomb on board, is a bit hard to take. There were elements who opposed Hitler; but, it took the war to really fuel such things, especially when the tide had turned. Also, the disaster movie trappings, in the finale, are rather over the top, though Wise doesn't get gratuitous. It was also a bit strange to see the original (well, first season) Rudy Wells, Alan Oppenheimer, in the film. It's more fun when you realize he was the voice of Skeletor, on He-Man (and Ming the Merciless, on Flash Gordon).

Next up, the film that spawned a whole genre in Italy and the inspiration for a comic book team of supervillains. Come on back for The Dirty Dozen.

When it comes to action/adventure thrillers, one name comes to mind: Alistair McLean. McLean wrote thrillers that were hard hitting and cinematic in nature. So, of course, Hollywood came calling.

McLean had several novels adapted into films, but were other modest hits or disappointments. We are going to focus on his big ones, starting with the one that really sold a ton of books for him, for years to come, The Guns of Navarone...



Gregory Peck leads a top notch cast, including David Niven, Anthony Quinn, Anthony Quayle, Stanley Baker, James Darren, Irene Pappas, Gia Scala, Walter Gottell and even a young Richard Harris, playing an Australian with a terrible accent. Also playing one of the Germans is a young Wolf Kahler. A team of commandos is tasked to go onto Navarone, an island in the Aegean Sea, to knock out radar-controlled guns which control the approach to the island of Kiros, where British soldiers are trapped. They have a limited time to do it, before a destroyer fleet arrives to evacuate the troops. They sail a Greek fishing boat to the island, scale a sheer cliff to get ashore in an unwatched area, link up with Greek partisans, and destroy the guns. The team is led by Capt. Keith Mallory, a noted climber (a New Zealander, in the novel), whose partner, Andre, is a Greek colonel, who fought with Mallory on Crete, but has sworn to kill him for allowing a wounded German patrol to live, later resulting in the deaths of Andre's family. David Niven is Miller (an American, in the novel), the explosives expert. He has to hobble the guns. Anthony Quayle in the major in charge of the operation, who ends up injured in the climb. James Darren is a Greek, who is a born killer. Stanley Baker is a knife expert, who served in the International Brigade, in the Spanish Civil War and suffers PTSD from it. Their mission is blown from the start and they find traitors within the resistance. Can they beat the clock to destroy the guns>?

J Lee Thompson directs and both captures the stark beauty of the Greek island, but also the tension of the scenes and handles the action well. The focus is on the actors and they do a terrific job, mixing both meditations on morality in war and the need to get the job done, even the dirty ones. This isn't a romantic exploit, as these men have done bad things and would do so again, to stop the Germans. It's filled with iconic scenes, like the confrontation between Miller and Mallory over a traitor, plus a similar scene over the fate of Quayle's character, who is a liability to them.

The film was a massive hit, which led to a thirst for more from McLean. The Satan Bug followed in 1965, based on a novel he wrote under a pseudonym, with sci-fi trappings (related to bioweapons). It wasn't a major success, which wouldn't come until 1968, when a pair of McLean films did big business. The first is another WW2 actioner, Where Eagles Dare...



The film stars Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood, with Mary Ure, Michael Hordem, Patrick Wymark, Anton Differing, and Derren Nesbitt. A special operations team flies in a capture Junkers transport plane and parachutes into Germany to infiltrate a mountain castle and rescue or kill an American general who was captured by the Germans ad who was involved in the D-Day planning. However, there is a traitor among the team and somewhere in London. Eastwood is an American Ranger lieutennant, there because he is definitely not conencted to potential traitors, and because it is an American general. Unknown to anyone but Burton, a woman was secreted on the plane, who follows them down and goes into the castle as a new domestic servant, with the help of a local agent. There, she encounters a young SS officer, who went to school where she is allegedly from and grows suspicious of her. he is called Gestapo, but is in SS pre-war dress uniform (black) instead of the usual grey, same as the Wehrmacht. The team is blown in the town and Burton and Eastwood improvise a plan. Eventually, we get into a very confusing twist as to who is really a traitor and who isn't and what the mission's main goal is. The climax of the film involves what one critic said is Burton and Eastwood killing half the German army.

The film is directed by Brian Hutton, who would also direct Eastwood in Kelly's Heroes and direct Tom Selleck in High Road to China. He keeps things lively and moving. McLean wrote the film (there were rewrites by others) and turned the script into a novel, rather than the reverse. Burton did the film for Elizabeth Taylor's two sons, who wanted to see him in a film they could attend, where he survived. Eastwood was a hot property, following the Leone films, which led to rewrites to expand his part. Eastwood didn't think much of the script, feeling there was too much exposition and not enough action. he turned over some of his dialogue to Burton and picked up more of the physical action. The end result works very well, as Burton is better at the dramatic stuff and Eastwood at the physical. Scenes on top of the cable car that goes up to the castle were done using front projection, which was a new technique.

The film is great mayhem and intrigue, though the plot is more than a bit ludicrous, if you stop to think about it. Luckily, the film rarely slows down enough to allow you to do that and mostly gets away with its faults.

Also appearing in 1968 was Ice Station Zebra...



The film stars Rock Hudson, Patrick McGoohan, Ernest Borgnine and Jim Brown. A weather station above the Arctic Circle is in danger and the scientists need to be rescued. The Us submarine, USS Tigerfish 3 is dispatched to get there, along with a british observer. In reality, a Russian spy satellite has landed in the area and the station is tasked to collect it. however, all contact has been lost. The British observer (McGoohan) is actually an intelligence officer, with a Russian aide (Brognine). Jim Brown leads the Marine contingent that is brought on board. Once they arrive at the station, they find all dead; getting to the area proves a chore, as sabotage nearly sinks the vessel, permanently. Once at the station, traitors are revealed and a confrontation with Russian soldiers, seeking the satellite, may lead to WW3.

Sturges is in his element, as he captures the tension and focuses on the actors, as we look for possible suspects. The film is a long one, clocking in at 148 minutes, split into two parts with an intermission (in what was know as a "roadshow" format, with longer films and a break in the middle, so everyone can race to the bathroom and, in those days, a smoke). The first part is the perilous journey to the station, while the second covers the intrigues there and the mystery of what occurred. It can be trying, if you aren't patient and it received mixed reviews. There is a lot of plot to take in and the clipped professional style of the military types may seem dull. The submarine operations are handled accurately, with Navy technical advisors and an actual US submarine used for exteriors. Patrick McGoohan had to rewrite a Prisoner episode, due to filming, titled "Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling," and the plot has Number 6's mind implanted in another body, to allow another actor to play the part from the bulk of filming, with McGoohan shooting bookend scenes. Laurence Harvey was supposed to play the Borgnine role; but, he dropped out and Borgnine was brought in.

The film is infamous as Howard Hughes' favorite film. Hughes was a rabid anti-Communist and paranoid and the film is filled with Soviet duplicity and treason from within, from Soviet agents. Hughes screened the film again and again, feeding his own bizarre mindset and mental breakdown.

McLean's popularity waned in the 70s (alcoholism didn't help) and movies based on his books were lower budget affairs, usually with pretty mixed results, such as When Eight Bells Tolls. The last big budget McLean picture, which did a decent level of box office, was Force 10 From Navarone, based on a sequel to the original novel.



The film stars Robert Shaw, replacing Gregory Peck as Mallory, and Edward Fox taking over for David Niven. Harrison Ford was riding the success of Star Wars and this was one of several ill-fated movies he did, before he had another hit with Raiders of the Lost Ark. Carl Weathers is a medical corps soldier who blunders into their secret mission, while Franco Nero is a Yugoslav Partisan, believed to be a German agent. Michael Byrne is a German officer hunting for them (after first capturing them, with the help of Chetniks, led by Richard Kiel). Mallory is assigned to locate and assassinate a German agent, code name Nikolai, who blew their Navarone mission. Ford is part of an American OSS operation to blow a bridge, to halt a German move on the Partisans. Mallory and Miller are piggy-backed with them. The team breaks into an airfield, at night, in Italy, because previous missions had been blown before they left the ground. During the break-in, MPs come along, with Weathers, who is their prisoner. He knocks out a guard and helps take down the rest and then storms into the plane as they are about to leave. They take off and he is stuck with them. The team is attacked in the air and parachutes down, losing part of the team, then meets up with Partisans. they are brought to their camp, then reveal they are Chetniks, working with the Germans. The men are taken prisoner, but Mallory makes a bluff, claiming to be escaped criminals, with a consignment of penicillin, for the black market. They are ordered to lead the Germans to their stash, which is used as an opportunity to escape, with help of a Partisan agent. They link up with the real Partisans and then rescue Miller and the survivors. Miller tells them blowing the bridge is impractical, but jumps at the suggestion of blowing a dam to let nature do the job for them. meanwhile, Mallory confronts the suspect Nikolai, who the Partisans vouch for and tell them the real Nikolai was killed in the South. he aids the men on their mission, as they go into a German supply depot to steal the equipment they need.

The film is filled with trademark McLean twists and turns and a ton of action, ably shot by veteran Bond director Guy Hamilton. It does require some suspension of disbelief and is a bit over-complicated. However, the cast is great and the film zips along. Ford is the weak link in the cast, as he isn't as energetic as the other actors and seems to struggle with his character. Weathers is ridiculous but it works, somehow. Parts of the film had to be looped and you can hear the difference, especially in Robert Shaw. It was his last film and he died of a heart attack, before the release and it sounds like either he was in poor health when he dubbed his lines or someone else did some of them, or both. Ford is flat and complained his character had nothing to do and he had nothing to act (somewhat true), but, this was his first post-Star Wars film and Hamilton wasn't much of an actor's director, any more than Lucas (though he was a more seasoned director than Lucas).

There were a couple of made for cable McLean films, with Patrick Stewart involved; but they are mixed bags, in my eyes. Stick with these.

Next time, a look at redneck hero Buford Pusser and Walking Tall.

Say you are a minor Hollywood actor....

I'm a minor Hollywood actor.

That wasn't funny the first time you did that. Just listen.

Sorry.

Right; so, you're a minor Hollywood actor and you have this script about the mistreatment ....

I didn't mean to interrupt you. It won't happen again,

Fine.....can I continue?

Oh, sorry...please!

Thank you. You'reaminorHollywoodactorandyouhaveascriptaboutthemistreatmentof.....

I'll just sit here quietly....

SHUT UP!

(Hand across mouth in a zipper motion, thumbs up signal)

You're a minor Hollywood actor..........

(nods)

....and.....

(looks intently at the speaker, motions with hands to continue)

...you have a script about the mistreatment of the.....

....Native Americans. You haven't been able to raise the money to do it, because you aren't a star. What do you do?

(Crickets chirping)

WELL?

(points at self, puzzled)

YES!

Write a quickie script for a biker movie, since they are hot, and insert your hero into the story, get someone to finance that and when it makes money use that to do another film with the character and use your script?

No you......wait, no, that's correct!

Tom Laughlin was a minor Hollywood actor, who saw a production of A Streetcar Named Desire and wanted to be an actor. He did some small roles in films and television, including playing an American pilot, alongside another young actor, named Clint Eastwood, in a Tab Hunter film about the Lafayette Escadrille, but wasn't getting anywhere. He had written a script about a Native American who witnesses the abuse of his people and stands up for them, in 1954. No one wanted to make the film. He ended up leaving acting and working with a Montessori School. He came back to acting and when a couple of low budget biker movies became big hits, he dashed of a script for one and stuck his Native American character into the film, as the hero who stands up to the bikers. The character was a Vietnam War veteran (in 1967) and a member of Special Forces. He lives alone up in the mountains and comes down to town and witnesses some bikers beating up a man and intercedes, which gets him in trouble with both the law and the bikers. The character was called Billy Jack and the film was called The Born Losers...



No, you are not imagining things...that was Robert Tessier, aka Connie Shokner, from The Longest Yard, with hair.

Tom Laughlin stars and also directs, under the name TC Frank. The script is credited to actress Elizabeth James, who plays Vicky Barrington, who is abducted by the gang. Laughlin co-wrote the script with James, while wife Delores Taylor and his children appear as onlookers in the opening fight. Jeremy Slate, who appeared in a few Elvis movies and The Devil's Brigade, is the leader of the bikers. Billy Jack is arrested for using a rifle to hold off the bikers and the witnesses are intimidated from testifying against the bikers. The bikers go free and commit rape on 4 girls. One of the girls that Billy Jack rescued recants her testimony. They abduct Vicky and Billy Jack, beating him badly. Vicky tries to seduce the gang, and Billy escapes, gets no help from the police and goes back in after Vicky, which leads to a stand-off against the bikers, before help finally comes.

Jane Russell brought her 18-Hour bra along as she portrays the rather repulsive mother of one of the rape victims. Laughlin ran out of money during production; but, distributor American International Pictures liked what they saw and bought out his investors and gave him $300,000 to finish the film. The final cost was $400,000 and it went on to earn $36 million, making it AIP's most successful film, until The Amityville Horror.

The film is nothing to write home about; pretty much standard exploitation fare, not particularly cleverly shot or anything; but, there was something about the Billy Jack character that resonated with audiences. He was an outcast from society, a soldier who did his duty in a dirty little war, for a country that had a long history of poor treatment of his people, so why should Vietnam be different? However, when everyone else cowered and wished someone else would do something, he did. It was a character that appealed on either side of the political spectrum, though the film isn't overtly political. He takes the law into his own hands, as in the typical vigilante film that became favorites on the Right; yet, he was also an oppressed minority, which appealed to those on the Left, who worked for social change. He was someone who tried t live in peace, until people wouldn't let him. That appealed to the youth audience, who demonstrated and spoke for peace, yet also those who adored the westerns about heroes who stood up against the outlaws of the world.

Having made AIP a truckload of money, Laughlin was able to go make his film, though it took time. It would not get released until 1971, but it would feature his Native American hero, addressing the men who abused his people. It would present a message of nonviolent confrontation, but would show that old fashion ass-kicking would still be needed to solve the problem. It was a film with a split personality that wasn't about mental health. It was about an Indian kicking the crap out of racist rednecks, rescuing a bunch of hippies. It was called Billy Jack...



Laughlin stars, with wife Delores Taylor as Jean Roberts, who runs the Freedom School on Reservation land, a school for kids of all colors and creeds, who come together in progressive education (based heavily on the Montessori model), who are targets of bigotry by the local townspeople, particularly Bernard Posner (David Roya), son of the rancher and political power Stuart Posner (Bert Freed). After Bernard abuses some of the kids when they come into a local ice cream parlor, Billy Jack kicks the crap out of Bernard and his buddies. Then papa gets involved and Billy lays him out and some of his goons, before numbers get him. Bernard becomes obsessed with revenge against Billy Jack and the school. Meanwhile, Jean makes overtures to the community to show what goes on at the school to try to bring people together and a group comes out to see and participate. Howard Hessman plays one of the people at the school, performing improvisational theater to look at various social encounters from different perspectives. Comedian and character actor Richard Stahl (leader of the protesters in the pilot for WKRP in Cincinnati) is chairman of the town council who agrees to come to the school and participates in improvisations. Bernard murders a young Native man and comes across Jean swimming in a river, naked and holds her prisoner and rapes her. Jean hides it from Billy Jack, but one of the students, who found her and freed her (Bernard had her staked to the ground) lets it slip and Billy Jack goes hunting for Bernard. He finds him in a motel room, having sex with a 13 year-old girl. Bernard tries to shoot Billy and he kills Bernard with a chop to the throat that shatters his windpipe. Billy ends up cornered at the school, and is eventually persuaded by Jean to give himself up to the authorities.

The film is a strange one and probably one of the most unique films you will ever find. It has a message at the center, that treating people with love and respect creates a better community and that to do that you need to understand the world through their eyes. It says there is more to education that regurgitating facts and figures, completing math problems and deconstructing sentences. It shows that discovery is a very strong element of learning. It shows how prejudice destroys the victims and the perpetrators. It shows that violence begets violence. But, it showed that violence solved the problems with Bernard and that violence was really cool and that it made for exciting action. It said the pacifists need a warrior to protect them from getting their ass kicked, so people will learn from them. It said all of this through the mouth of a white actor portraying a half-breed Native, from a fictional tribe.

The film was mostly marketed as a martial arts exploitation film and it found a big audience, through the action scenes, with Hapkido master Bong-Soo Han doubling Laughlin for the big fight scenes. As such, it created a martial arts hero who was white, for a white audience. More people went to see it as an action film, than as a political movie. That was probably shrewd, as the audience sat through a lot of message, in between the cool whoopin's. However, most of the message got lost. Still, it got some good reviews, as it had a compelling hero and some excellent humor, though some of it was unintentional. Many felt the message was poorly delivered, rending it mostly null, while others felt it sent the opposite message. It could be argued that Billy Jack was unable to fully escape the violence that surrounded his life, yet that is what he strove to do. he just wanted to live in peace, but something always prevented it. That was something that Vietnam-era audiences could also relate to; the idea that they didn't seek war; but couldn't seem to leave it behind. In many ways, the film captured the Ideal of America vs the Reality of America.

The film also features the hit song "One Tin Soldier (The Legend of Billy Jack).

Make no mistake, the lion's share of performances are pretty bad....like high school play bad. Many of the actors were amateurs or kids, with no formal training. There are a few seasoned character actors peppered in it (Bert Freed, Robert Stahl) and talented newcomers (Howard Hessman); but, Delores Taylor was not good, in any sense (though she got nominated for a Golden Globe, for most promising newcomer). Tom Laughlin performs some cultural; appropriation (both of the Native Americans and Vietnam veterans) to rather hamfistedly deliver a message of peace, wrapped in a buttload of violence. The film made money, earning $32 million against a budget of $800,000. So, more would come.



The film finds Billy Jack facing a manslaughter charge, after the events of the first film. It also opens with scenes of an event in Vietnam, rather like My Lai, though Billy Jack is shown with regular army soldiers, not Green Berets. He is found guilty and sentenced to prison. While he is away, the school rebuilds and starts a tv station and newspaper, which starts getting involved in investigative journalism, raising the ire of local businessmen, who find themselves targets of consumer affairs pieces, as well as political opponents. When Billy Jack is released from prison, he goes on a vision quest, to connect with his tribal traditions (remember, a fictional tribe). The school faces confrontations from townspeople, including a mob that threatens to burn them in their bus. Billy Jack and Master Han, who teaches Hapkido to the school, confront redneck bullies at a town dance. Meanwhile, a radical group on the reservation is acting to stop land developers from using political influence to get the tribe's recognition revoked, to remove Federal protection of the land. After a mysterious explosion knocks out the transmitter at the school, a state of emergency is declared and the National Guard are called out. The Guardsman receive orders to open fire on the students and Jean is hit. the story is related by her from her hospital bed.





The sequel is generally rated far below the original (meaning Billy Jack, not The Born Losers) and it is easy to see why. Billy Jack disappear from the film for long stretches, leaving us the less compelling story of the school and lots of amateur actors. It picks up during the scenes of violence, particularly the fight between Billy Jack and Master Han and the rednecks. Once again, the message is peace, but violence is what saves the day. The vision quest stuff is made worse by being filtered through a white actor, with beliefs cobbled together from different groups, but as interpreted by Laughlin. The humor of the first film is mostly absent and what we end up with is a rather poor meditation on Kent State and the American Indian Movement. It does have moments, though, if you are willing to look past the amateur production involved.

The film had a bigger budget and earned $89 million, so a third was financed, with the basic story swiped from Frank Capra.



Okay, not swiped; just a rather bizarre remake. Billy Jack is tapped to replace a senator and fill out his term, with the belief that he will vote the party line (somebody has been smoking something funny in the peace pipe) and vote for a bill that puts power in the hands of a nuclear power lobby. A senate aide schools Billy in procedure to help him create a filibuster to block the vote. In between, powerful people frame Billy and manipulate him, and both he and Kean kick some ass. Yep, first she took Hapkido lessons in Trial, now she's kicking ass!

The film at least has professionals in it, as Lucie Arnaz plays the senate aide, while EG Marshall is the front for the nuclear lobby, in the senate, who "befriends" Billy, to manipulate him. Pat O'Brien narrates and plays the Vice President, while Sam Wannamaker is the political broker, Bailey, who wields influence. Also in this is Richard Saunders, who is part of the conspiracy. That's right, Les Nessman is opposing Billy Jack. He must smell a Communist Conspiracy that would affect the hog futures of the world!

Laughlin actually had the nerve to approach Jimmy Stewart about playing a role in the film; but he declined, stating his poor hearing made it difficult, which was possibly a cover for the fact that he was opposed politically (maybe not). Suzanne Somers has a small role in the film.

This one didn't make money, in part due to issues with the distributor; but likely more that people were tired of Billy Jack and this kind of stuff. The film was released in April of 1977 and the world was about to embrace a film about a war in the stars.

Laughlin had intended to do a further film, The Return of Billy Jack, but was never able to finish the project. It featured Billy Jack taking on child pornographers, in New York and was filmed in the mid-80s, with scenes shot in Central Park. During filming, Laughlin was hit by a breakaway bottle that did not break and was badly injured. Money was depleted by the time he recovered and filming never resumed. Efforts to sell the film to a major studio failed. He periodically tried again, then attempted to sell other Billy Jack film concepts, including Billy Jack's Crusade to End the War in Iraq and Restore America to Its Moral Purpose.

Hate to be the guy who had to put up that marquee!

Laughlin ran for office a few times, in 1992, as a Democrat (then advising the Perot campaign, which had to be a hilarious meeting) and again in 2004, as a Republican, in opposition to George W Bush and the Iraq War, and in 2008 as a Democrat, again. He also campaigned for the creation of a viable Third Party, to break up the stranglehold of the current system. Maybe the Buttkicking Pacifists.

Laughlin died in 2013, at the age of 82, from pneumonia, while battling cancer. Delores Taylor died in 2018, at age 85, suffering from complications related to dementia.

Billy Jack and Tom Laughlin would inspire the character of Cliff Booth in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a time in Hollywood. Of course, it was the fictional Billy Jack, not the actual Laughlin, or his stunt double Bong-Soo Han, which is not surprising, given his fantasy depiction of Bruce Lee, in that film.

I'm sure someone would like to remake Billy Jack; but, the s@#$storm that would erupt if it was a white guy, playing a Native, again, would likely kill it; so, I kind of doubt we will see its like again. Whether that's good or bad, I don't know. Probably good. Billy Jack was a product of its time and should probably remain there.

Next, a look at something a bit more fun, as we examine the Burt Reynolds favorite, The Longest Yard. See the cons play the guards and the audience root for "the bad guys!"

That's the bizarre thing about the film; it is wrapped in the peace movement, with positive portrayals of hippies and pacifists, while also embracing the American Indian Movement, fighting for their civil rights, land, and dignity, as well as the anti-war movement, with a veteran who saw and did horrible things and just wants to live quietly in the world. The problem is the script is structured around a traditional western and an exploitation film budget and marketing campaign. It's like the violence is there to give it more mass appeal and sucker audiences into seeing it, and bombarding them with the other messages. Problem is, much of that message falls flat when even your hero can't embrace it. Why should the audience? Billy proves that violence is the solution and that seemed to be more of the message that resonated with audiences than Montessori learning or peaceful protest, or freedom of expression, or experimental theater. I lived in a rural community and all anyone talked about was Billy Jack kicking the crap out of rednecks. The film was big on the drive-in circuit, and that seemed to be the consensus. How it played in cities, I don't know; but, given that martial arts magazines covered it more than news magazines, probably not much different.

I think you could do Billy Jack if you emphasized that he struggled with his violent past and reactions, while striving to embrace the non-violence; but, you cannot have it be a white actor, because of the cultural aspect, unless you completely remove that aspect. However, if you do that, you "whitewash" the character.

Funny enough, the connection to the Native American community in the films was Delores Taylor. She grew up in South Dakota, near a reservation, and her father was a postmaster, and she interacted with many of the people from the reservation, and saw how they were mistreated and hated by the townspeople. She opened Laughlin's eyes to this, which led to the script. I get the feeling that she was the soul of the Billy Jack; but, he was the violent response.

Confession time: I hate football. Can't stand to watch a game, not overly fond of playing it. My brother loves it and I grew having to hear him cheering Monday Night Football and my relatives watching Thnaksgiving football when I wanted to find a decent movie on tv. So, imagine my surprise that I actually love a football movie. However, it isn't just any football movie, it's a bit different....



Please note that Adam Sandler isn't anywhere to be seen in that. We are not talking crap remakes; we are talking the real deal.

Godfather producer Albert S ruddy had an idea for a fotball film and got Tracy Keenan Wynn, who had written a prison picture, to tackle the script. Robert Aldrich, of The Dirty Dozen directed and was similarly able to bring focus on a variety of colorful characters and balance a lot of action. The film was shot in Georgia State Prison, in Reidsville, GA, with the cooperation of Gov Jimmy Carter's office. There was prison unrest which held up shooting, though the actors were all treated well by inmates and staff.

Burt Reynolds is Paul "Wrecking" Crewe, a disgraced NFL player and college All-American. He was kicked out of football for point shaving and is little more than a jiggalo, for his wealthy girlfriend, Melissa (Anitra Ford, who played the Amazon Ahnjayla, in the Cathy Lee Crosby Wonder Woman pilot). He gets drunk (as does she) and have a big fight (with Paul getting rather physically violent) and he takes her Citroen SM (with a Maserati engine) and goes on a high speed ride, that quickly leads to a police chase and his eventual arrest, after drunkenly insulting the arresting officers. He finds himself sentenced to 18 months in prison. He is content to serve his time, quietly, and move on. The warden has other ideas. he is a footabll fanatic and has a semi-pro team, made up of the prison guards. He wants Crewe to coach the team to win a championship. Problem is, his chief guard, Capt. Knauer (Ed Lauter) knows this and has warned Crewe to turn it down or face Knauer's wrath. Crewe does as he is told, which angers the warden, who tells Knauer to ensure Crewe changes his mind. So begins harassment by the guards, which is matched by hatred from the cons, for having shaved points in a football game. He is befriended by Caretaker (James Hampton), who explains it to him; they don't care if you murdered your family, raped a convent, a shot up a bar; but shaving points off a football game is un-American! Even prisoners have standards! The other prisoner who takes a liking to Crewe is Pop, an old con who got an added sentence when he punched out a guard, who went on to become the current warden. Crewe is forced into worse and worse duty, harassed more and more, but won't crack, which earns a measure of respect. Finally, he gives in to the idea of leading a team of convicts, in a warm-up game, against the guards. Crewe sees it as a chance to give the warden what he wants and get back at the guards who are giving him hell. He and Caretaker are able to sell that idea to the cons, especially after a black prisoner, "Granny' (Harry Caesar) is seen to just smile as guards try to break him, when he joins the team, yet he never cracks. The guards back of when they can't provoke him and the other African-Americans, who had turned down Crewe, all join up. At the climactic game, the Warden tells Knauer he wants the prisoners broken, to suffer pain and humiliation, so that they know he is in control. He then blackmails Crewe into shaving points, again, or face further charges, after one of the prisoners, Unger (Charles Tyner), murders Caretaker (expecting his deathtrap to catch Crewe).

The film is filled with great character performances, starting with warden, Eddy Albert. For those of us who grew up with him on Green Acres, it was shocking to see him play such an evil man, and he did it with relish. Ed Lauter, as Knauer is in his element, as a figure of abusive authority. James Hampton is a good old boy, a scrounger and a conniver, who befriends Crewe and eventually gets him to open up why he shaved points: for money to give his blind father a better life, but who died before he could give it to him. The team and Caretaker help him regain his self-respect and focus his anger at someone who deserves it.

This is the end of Vietnam and anti-authority films were all the rage; and, like The Dirty Dozen, this has it in spades. Authority is cruel and twisted, so you are willing to cheer, murderers and violent criminals. You come to sympathize with Crewe, even as you are introduced to him as a drunk, woman beater, who wrecklessly endangers people, flaunts authority, throws football games and doesn't seem to care about anything. Slowly, you get under the cracks and see the man inside and he starts to see what real life is about and life within these walls, for guys willing to stand with him. He is faced with the decision to throw the game, to make life easier for himself; but, he has come to care about his team and comes to a crucible, when the guards are brutalizing them and getting away with it.

The character of Unger, played by character actor Charles Tyner, is especially repulsive. he is a psychotic trustee, who torched a house full of people he didn't like. As a trustee, he is a snitch to the warden and the guards. He, at first mocks Crewe; but, when he sees the power that Crewe has developed, via the game, he tries to insinuate himself into his world. There is an implication that he is attracted to Crewe, depending on whether you interpret it as a sexual attraction or whether he just sees him as a patron for better living. He tries to snitch to the guards, but pushes his luck too far and gets a beating. As payback, he goes to who he believes is the source of his trouble, Crewe. He sneaks into his cell and uses a syringe to inject some kind of combustable liquid into a light bulb. When Crewe and Caretaker are studying material for the game, Caretaker goes into Crewe's cell to get some files and turns on the light, which explodes, drenching him in the burning liquid. As he screams in terror and pain, Unger slams the door shut, so no one can get to caretaker. Tyner is just a creepy little worm of a man, as Unger and you can't wait to see him get his just desserts (which we don't). He specialized in similar character roles, which probably kept a lot of people at arms length, if they recognized him.



Bernadette Peters has a fun role as the warden's secretary, with hair piled into a mound that looks like cotton candy has been dropped on her skull. She passes game films to caretaker, in exchange for sexual favors from Crewe, in a neat little scene that calls back a crack he makes at her, when he first arrives.



Another fun scene has the guards playing with Reynolds, when he arrives, as they shave off half his famous mustache, joking about how much he was paid to do it in a commercial.



The game is filled with classic moments, such as when Richard Kiel (Jaws, in the Bond films) clotheslines a guard and he says (in the tv version) "I think I broke his freaking neck!" which is parroted by an official, the announcer and Kiel again. He also has a great scene, in practice, as Robert Tessier, as Connie Shokner (biker killer and martial arts expert) hits Kiel in the face with a punch and breaks his nose. This huge 7 ft hulking man sounds like a child as he says Shokner did that on purpose and demands an apology. Reynolds, amazed, gets Shokner to apologize, like a scolded child. Kiel is happy with that, since he said he was sorry.

(Warning, a word other than "freaking" is used)


Several of the players and actors were either current or former NFL and collegiate players. Green Bay Packers player Ray Nitschke is Bogdanski, one of the guards. Actor Mike Henry is another guard and before entering acting (including the Green Berets, two films as Tarzan and Margaret's husband on MASH), Henry played in the NFL, including for the Steelers and the Rams. "The Walking Boss," played by Joe Kapp, was a quarterback for the Vikings. Sonny Sixkiller, one of the cons, played for the Univ of Washington and in the old WFL. Reynolds played for Florida State, before injuries ended his football career.

The film is a great character-driven comedy and study of redemption, leaving aside the sports aspect. It has a lot going for it at all levels, with memorable scenes, colorful characters, a great script (with numerous quotable lines) and is shot by an expert.

The film was eventually remade in the UK, as Mean Machine, with ex-footballer (soccer player) Vinnie Jones, of the Guy Ritchie films and X-Men: Last Stand...



Matthew Vaughn produced (which is why people like Jason Statham and Jason Flemyng are there) and features David Hemmings (Blow Up, Camelot, Barbarella and the Airwolf pilot) as the warden, with Ralph Brown (Alien 3)as the head of the guards. Reviews were mixed and it did little business in the US but did well in the UK and elsewhere. I haven't seen it, so I can't say whether it was anything about the quality or whether it is down to cultural differences. I have no issues with soccer, as I enjoyed watching the NASL games, as a kid and love the film Victory (Escape to Victory, outside the US).

A full on remake was done with man-child Adam Sandler and several pro wrestlers, including Bill Goldberg, Kevin Nash and Stone Cold Steve Austin. It also included ex-football player-turned-MMA fighter Bob Sapp, and ex-NFL character Brian Bosworth. Reynolds played Nate Scarborough (played by Michael Conrad, of Hill Street Blues, in the original), giving his blessing to the remake.



Yeah, okay...whatever. New generations. It made money, but is a pale shadow of the original.

ps..A more serious trailer for the film...