Remember this movie? (The Trial of Billy Jack)

[RandySF]

[c-rational]

1. Yes. Great movie.

[DFW]

2. My college years

The Billy Jack films came out then. EVERYBODY saw those films in those days. A friend of my parents even played the bad guy in the first one.

[chowder66]

7. You just triggered a memory for me

I think my mom knew someone who played a biker in the first Billy Jack movie. I'm going to have to ask her.

I loved those movies when I was a kid. My brother took me to the drive-in with his friends to see them since he was stuck babysitting me most of the time.
The first ones I saw was a double feature of Billy Jack and The Trial of Billy Jack. I think I was around 8 years old.

[chowder66]

11. Update: Wrong film, my moms friend was in Clint Eastwood movies.

Almost had it right.

[DFW]

14. Quite a step up

My parents' friend was named Bert Freed. He used to have a lot of minor parts in TV series, and I met him when he was in a stage show that played in Philadelphia when I was in college there. After the show, the cast got together at an upscale bar because one of the cast was paid so low that they arranged for him to play piano and sing after the show at the bar. Bert played a nasty police detective, and measured his success by how much the audience hissed and booed when he came on stage. My roomies and I were invited to see the show and hang with the cast afterward. It was kind of cool for us, because Strother Martin and Henry Fonda were in it. Not the kind of people you usually get to hang with in the middle of you college studies.

When my parents were setting this up, I was with them one night during some break, watching TV together, and I asked them what Bert looked like. They said that was difficult to explain because he wasn't very distinguished-looking. I said that didn't help me much. They started fumbling around for a verbal description, when they suddenly shouted in unison, "BERT FREED!" He had some small part in the TV show we were watching, and he came on-screen at that very moment. So, I then knew exactly whom to look for. Bert was the first (I think) evil "Posner" character in the first Billy Jack film. He and Tom Loughlin had some scene where they both said "really" back and forth to each other before Tom knocked Bert's character to the ground.

[chowder66]

15. What a great story!

I found out it was John Quade who unlike Bert Freed, had a very distinguishable face and that is what got him into the movies.

My mom met him at a bar called The Castaways in Kansas City, MO (which was before my time on earth, never heard of it until yesterday).
He was friends with the bartender there. My mom was a local folk singer at the time.
She said he was a very nice person, tough as nails, but a teddy bear.

You will probably recognize his mug. I remembered him from the movies as soon as I looked him up.

[DFW]

16. I looked him up

I recognized him instantly, of course. I don't know HOW many bad guys he has played, but it's a LOT of them!

Bert didn't always play the bad guy, but when he did, he was really convincing!

[chowder66]

17. I think I recognize Bert

from my childhood. But I could be mixing him up with other faces. I ordered the Billy Jack DVD Complete set so I'll look out for him.

Makes me wonder if these two knew each other or were each others competitors in the biz.

[SamKnause]

3. Yes, I have seen all the Billy Jack movies numerous times.

He was awesome !!!!!!!!!!

[Dial H For Hero]

4. One of the films selected for the 1978 book, "The Fifty Worst Films of All Time".

Although I'm a bit of a film buff, I've never seen any of the "Billy Jack" movies.

[Recursion]

6. The original one is kind of interesting

Although you have to just run with the idea that when the racist townspeople talk about "that Indian" they mean the white dude in the hat.

[Nevilledog]

12. *snort*

[Recursion]

5. Oh my God what a bad movie. I had repressed that.

The original one had a certain charm that overcame its flaws. This one... not so much

[DFW]

8. The story and script-wriiting were not exactly the stuff of which Oscars are made

And the dialogue was sometimes painful to listen to. But seeing nasty right-wing guys get their comeuppance in the age of Nixon was always gratifying.

[Recursion]

9. That's what I liked about the first one

This one didn't even give you much of that, and it spends the middle third lost in a weird subplot about a lie detector that ends up not going anywhere.

[love_katz]

10. I loved these films.

I know that they are very 1970's, and that some of the dialog and premises can seem a little cringe worthy, but I really loved them. It seems to me that the 1970's was the last time when many of us still felt that there was hope for a better future and a more just and earth friendly society. I have added these films to my want list. Sending love and hugs for this generous share.

[blitzen]

13. And let's not forget "Pigs vs. Freaks," starring Tony Randall...

wherein the hippies and the cops settle their score on the gridiron.