Did You Know?
Two actresses associated with this film went on to commit suicide: Elizabeth Hartman jumped from the 5th floor of a Pittsburgh apartment building in June 1987; Brenda Benet took her life in April 1982. She had been married to Bill Bixby.
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Many residents of McNairy County were upset and turned their back on Sheriff Buford Pusser when the movie was shot in neighboring Chester County, shutting them out of the money being spent by the production. Pusser subsequently lost re-election for Sheriff.
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Sheriff Buford Pusser was the technical consultant for this movie. On its sequels, Walking Tall Part II and Final Chapter: Walking Tall, his father Carl Pusser was the technical consultant.
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Opened 6/15/73 in Seattle, Washington, at the 5th Avenue Theatre. Its ad campaign, whose slogan was "When was the last time you stood up and applauded a movie?", was one of the most successful in Hollywood's history.
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The elected officials of McNairy County, Tennessee, the setting of the movie, were so embarrassed by the national attention brought to the corrupt county that they refused to allow the movie to be shot there. It was consequently shot in neighboring Chester County. The short-sighted officials didn't realize the amount of money it would bring into McNairy County, one of the poorest counties in Tennessee. However, when the remake, Walking Tall was announced, the county aggressively "courted" the filmmakers, trying to get the movie made in McNairy County. It was to no avail, as the remake was shot in Vancouver, BC.
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According to a biography of Buford Pusser written by Dwana Pusser (his daughter), the real Buford Pusser never carried a wooden post, though was known to pick one up whenever it was needed.
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When the sequel to the original movie was announced, the title was to be "Buford" and the real Buford Pusser was supposed to play himself. However, the death of Buford Pusser convinced the producers to change the title to "Walking Tall Part 2" and to hire Bo Svenson in Buford Pusser's stead.
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