The Trial of Billy Jack (1974)

Director:

Tom Laughlin

Writers:

Tom Laughlin (screenplay) &
Delores Taylor (screenplay)

Release Date:

13 November 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Music | Thriller

Tagline:

It takes up where Billy Jack left off

Plot:

After Billy Jack in sentenced to four years in prison for the "involuntary manslaughter" of the first film...

Plot Keywords:

School | Student | Yoga | Governor | Native American

Cast

Tom Laughlin	...	Billy Jack
Delores Taylor	...	Jean Roberts
Victor Izay	...	Doc
Teresa Kelly	...	Carol (as Teresa Laughlin)
Sara Lane	...	Russell (as Russell Lane)
Sara Lane	...	Russell
Geo Anne Sosa	...	Joanne
Lynn Baker	...	Lynn
Riley Hill	...	Posner
Sparky Watt	...	Sheriff Cole
Gus Greymountain	...	Blue Elk
Sacheen Littlefeather	...	Patsy Littlejohn
Michael Bolland	...	Danny
Jack Stanley	...	Grandfather
Bong Soo Han	...	Master Han
Rolling Thunder	...	Thunder Mountain
William Wellman Jr.	...	National Guardsman
Michelle Wilson	...	Michelle
Jason Clark	...	Cowboy #1
Sandra Ego	...	Indian Maiden
Johnny West	...	Turning Water
Trinidad Hopkins	...	Vision Maiden
Buffalo Horse	...	Little Bear
Teda Bracci	...	Teda
Dennis O'Flaherty	...	Defense Attorney
Jean Newburn	...	Militant Indian Lawyer
George Aguilar	...	Elk's Shadow
Marianne Hall	...	Alicia
Pepper Rogers	...	Third Trooper
Debbie Hill	...	Debbie
Michael J. Shigezane	...	Karate Expert
Diane Webber	...	Belly-Dance Instructor
Ken Tealor	...	Ken
Oshannah Fastwolf	...	Oshannah
Evans Thornton	...	Prosecuting Attorney
Kathy Cronkite	...	Kristen
Jack White	...	Bugger
DeLaura Henry	...	Liz
Ron Nix	...	Cowboy #2
Susan Sosa	...	Sunshine
Hosea Barnett
Patricia McCulloch	...	Girl
David Scott Clark	...	Town Boy
Alexandra Nicholson	...	Abby
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ralph Anderson	...	National Guardsman
Fred Ashley	...	The Judge
Franklin 'Pepper' Rodgers	...	Sheriff
Mel Todd	...	Campaign Contributor at Hunting Party

Directed by
Tom Laughlin		(as Frank Laughlin)

Writing credits
Tom Laughlin		(screenplay) (as Frank Christina) &
Delores Taylor		(screenplay) (as Teresa Christina)

Produced by
Joe Cramer	....	producer
Robert E. Schultz	....	associate producer (as Robert Schultz)
Beverly Walker	....	associate producer
Tom Laughlin	....	executive producer (uncredited)
Delores Taylor	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Elmer Bernstein

Cinematography by
Jack A. Marta		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Michael Economou
George Grenville
Michael Karr
Jules Nayfack
Tom Rolf

Casting by
Lee Schaff Guardino		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
George Troast		(as George W. Troast)

Set Decoration by
George Tuers		(as George Tuers II)

Costume Design by
Moss Mabry

Makeup Department
Loren Cosand	....	makeup artist (as Loren D. Cosand)
Virginia Jones	....	hair stylist

Production Management
William Beaudine Jr.	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Tom Connors	....	assistant director (as Thomas J. Connors III)
Jack N. Reddish	....	assistant director (as Jack Reddish)
Floyd Joyer	....	first assistant director (uncredited)
Roger Slager	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Robert J. Visciglia Sr.	....	property master (as Robert Visciglia)
Nick Antista	....	assistant props (uncredited)
Frank L. Brown	....	leadman (uncredited)

Sound Department
Frank E. Warner	....	sound effects editor
Bill Edmondson	....	sound mixer (uncredited)
Phil Mitchell Jr.	....	boom operator (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Milt Rice	....	special effects
Lawrence J. Cavanaugh	....	special effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Phil Adams	....	stunts
Regina Parton	....	stunts
Lightning Bear	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jim Burk	....	stunts (uncredited)
Gary Combs	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jim Connors	....	stunts (uncredited)
Louie Elias	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Hicks	....	stunts (uncredited)
Ron Nix	....	stunts (uncredited)
Glenn R. Wilder	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Dick Johnson	....	camera operator (as Richard Johnson)
Sherman Kunkel	....	camera operator (as Sherman L. Kunkel)
Drain M. Marshall	....	gaffer (as Drain Marshall)
Robert Marta	....	assistant camera
Rexford L. Metz	....	aerial photographer
Frank Redmond	....	assistant camera (as Francis C. Redmond)
Carl Reed	....	best boy
Bob West	....	key grip (as Robert West)
Michael Gershwin	....	assistant camera: Tyler mount (uncredited)
Wynn Hammer	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Bill Kahlo	....	dolly grip (uncredited)
Phillip Marlett	....	best boy (uncredited)
David Marta	....	second assistant camera (uncredited)
Terry Oates	....	electrician (uncredited)
Allen J. Pettebone	....	electrician (uncredited)
Ed Santoro	....	crane grip (uncredited)
Donald Schmitz	....	dolly grip (uncredited)

Casting Department
Frank Kennedy	....	extras casting: locations (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
June Flemington	....	wardrobe: ladies (uncredited)
Kent James	....	wardrobe: men (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Jacqueline Cambas	....	post-production coordinator
David Gill	....	assistant film editor (uncredited)
Bill Todd	....	assistant film editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Robert Tracy	....	music editor (as Robert N. Tracy)
Sheryl Levine	....	assistant music editor (uncredited)
Tommy Tedesco	....	musician: guitar (uncredited)
Dan Wallin	....	score mixer (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Kenneth G. Bilbee	....	cinemobile (uncredited)
Gregg Briles	....	driver: fuel truck (uncredited)
Jerry Courian	....	driver: crane (uncredited)
Lonnie Gray	....	transportation gaffer (uncredited)
Dick Norwood	....	driver (uncredited)

Other crew
James W. Gavin	....	photo pilot: helicopter (as James Gavin)
Miklos Gyulai	....	special production coordinator
Hazel W. Hall	....	script supervisor (as Hazel Hall)
Bong Soo Han	....	karate advisor
Susan Haymer	....	production assistant
Barbara Hodous	....	production assistant
John Longenecker	....	dialogue coach
Clay Wright	....	photo pilot: helicopter (as Clayton Wright)
Lucille Baumann	....	location auditor (uncredited)
Scottie Cummings	....	production secretary (uncredited)
Al Ebner	....	production coordinator (uncredited)
Karen Gordon	....	controller (uncredited)
Susan Haymer	....	secretary to executive producer (uncredited)
Don Immerman	....	first aid (uncredited)
Michael Kennedy	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Richard Liebegott	....	assistant to associate producer (uncredited)
Jeff McClure	....	helicopter pilot (uncredited)
Malcolm Natale	....	helicopter pilot (uncredited)
John Naulin	....	consultant: Indian ceremonies (uncredited)
Paul Souza	....	helicopter mechanic (uncredited)
Berl Zillman	....	helicopter pilot (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Taylor-Laughlin Productions

Distributors

• Taylor-Laughlin (1974) (USA) (theatrical)
• Billy Jack Rights (2010) (worldwide) (all media)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1980) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)

Other Companies

• Cinemobile  production services (uncredited)
• Havasupai Nation, The  special thanks to: for their cooperation in the filming of this motion picture
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)  titles and opticals (as MGM)
• Navajo Nation, The  special thanks to: for their cooperation in the filming of this motion picture
• Papago Nation, The  special thanks to: for their cooperation in the filming of this motion picture
• Phoenix Film Office  special thanks (uncredited)
• Pima Nation, The  special thanks to: for their cooperation in the filming of this motion picture
• State of Arizona  special thanks to: for their cooperation in the filming of this motion picture (as The State of Arizona)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

170 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | 4-Track Stereo

Certification:

Sweden:15 | USA:PG | South Africa:(Banned) | Norway:16

Filming Locations:

Bandelier National Monument - 15 Entrance Road, Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA

Company:

Taylor-Laughlin Productions

Trivia:

A few months before the release of the film, a potential disaster threatened the success of the release. In "Variety", director/star/writer Laughlin read the news that the executives in charge of the film's distribution, Lou Marx (who was once a top executive at MGM during the studio's golden days) and Roger Reese (who was almost single-handedly responsible for the original film's financial success) had suddenly quit, and they had done it during a press conference at the National Association of Theater Owners convention in Atlanta, the biggest event of the year for the nation's theater owners. The reason they had quit, they announced, was that Laughlin had changed the deal and was now refusing to give distributors the picture without a cash advance. Laughlin regarded it as an outright lie. With this development, Laughlin and wife Delores Taylor knew that their film would be denied exhibition in each of the 1,200 theaters that agreed to show it. The problem was resolved and the film went on to become one of the top money-makers of 1974.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: There is a scene in which the Freedom School kids are watching a Freedom School TV interview with Posner on a television atop a tower of equipment. The interview footage had been grafted onto the larger image. In one shot, when the camera pans, the grafted interview footage moves completely off of the TV set and into another part of the shot, then back onto the (originally white-noised) TV screen.

Quotes:

Billy Jack:[surrounded by an angry mob] If there is absolutely no way you can get out of taking a terrible beating, the only sensible thing to do is, get in the first lick!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Dusk to Dawn Drive-In Trash-o-Rama Show Vol. 4 (1997) (V)

Soundtrack:

Dreaming and Hoping

Fetid and overblown tripe

Omaha, Nebraska, had the dubious honour of being the city Tom Laughlin chose to have the world premiere for "Trial of Billy Jack". I wish he'd given the honour to any other city but mine. I can't think of a film that was harder to sit through than this one; it seemed to never end. I had seen "Born Losers" and like it immensely. I'd seen the first Billy Jack, and it was okay. These are the only reasons I went to "Trial", and at 17 I guess you don't need any others; I was there on opening night in 1974.

The memory of the unending torment I endured while watching this film still sits in my brain, like a compost heap that never fully decomposes. Words can't express the boredom and agony of seeing this movie; 45 hours of labor with my first child was not as difficult. I should have walked out of the theater, and in fact, while the girl in the wheelchair was giving testimony, I did, leaving my fiance there to suffer by himself. I spent as much time as I could in the restroom, but knew I had to go back and face the rest of the film, if only for his sake. Run, don't walk, away from this piece of torture, if you're ever in the vicinity of a Billy Jack Retrospective, or find it while channel surfing. Your memory center will be glad you did.