Ode to Billy Joe (1976)

Billy Joe confesses his love to the lovely Bobbi Lee only to cover his growing fear that he may, in fact, be homosexual. One night, at a barn dance, he gets a little drunk and rather than ... See full summary »

Director:

Max Baer Jr.

Writer:

Herman Raucher

Stars:

Robby Benson, Glynnis O'Connor, Joan Hotchkis

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robby Benson	...	Billy Joe McAllister
Glynnis O'Connor	...	Bobbie Lee Hartley
Joan Hotchkis	...	Anna 'Mama' Hartley
Sandy McPeak	...	Glenn 'Papa' Hartley
James Best	...	Dewey Barksdale
Terence Goodman	...	James Hartley
Becky Bowen	...	Becky Thompson
Simpson Hemphill	...	Brother Taylor
Ed Shelnut	...	Coleman Stroud
Eddie Talr	...	Tom Hargitay
William Hallberg	...	Dan McAllister
Frannye Capelle	...	Belinda Wiggs
Rebecca Jernigan	...	Mrs. Thompson
Ann Martin	...	Mrs. Hunicutt
Will Long	...	Trooper Bosh

Storyline

Billy Joe confesses his love to the lovely Bobbi Lee only to cover his growing fear that he may, in fact, be homosexual. One night, at a barn dance, he gets a little drunk and rather than going with the hired whores, gives into his desires and sexual relations with an unnamed man. The guilt causes him to run away, hide in the woods and eventually confess everything to Bobbi Lee who doesn't want to believe him only because she was enjoying the forbidden nature of their love. In the end, he cannot accept his sexuality nor can he hide behind Bobbi Lee and that's why he throws himself off the Tallahachee bridge.

---

Plot Keywords:

homosexual | barn dance | bridge | mississippi | gay | 

---

Taglines:

What the song didn't tell you, the movie will.

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 June 1976 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Ponte do Desejo

Filming Locations:

Greenwood, Mississippi, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Directed by Max Baer, Jr., who portrayed "Jethro Bodine" in the long running comedy "The Beverly Hillbillies".

---

Goofs

At the dance, one of the band is playing an Ovation guitar. The movie is set in 1960, but the company Ovation Guitars was not founded until 1966.

---

Quotes

Billy Joe McAllister: HEY! I've been holding up this here bridge for over an hour so it wouldn't fall on you.
Bobbie Lee Hartley: Right Neiborhly of Mr.McAllister.

---

Connections

Referenced in Jeopardy!: Episode #22.32 (2005)

---

Soundtracks

"Ode to Billie Joe"
Written and Performed by Bobbie Gentry

User Reviews

"Nothing Ever Comes To No Good Up On Choctaw Ridge"

Yes, it's the film of That Song. No movie can ever hope to to justice to the enigmatic, doom-laden 1967 Bobbie Gentry hit, or come close to capturing the stifling Southern atmosphere that the song evokes so well, but as a film in its own right, this prettily-photographed tale is not at all bad. The locations are all genuine Mississippi, and cinematographer Michel Hugo has done an excellent job of evoking the exuberance of high summer.

And talking of the 1960's, remember Jethro Bodine and his sixth-grade education? Well the actor who created Jethro (and is also the son of the heavyweight boxing champion), Max Baer Jr., produced and directed this quirky little offering.

It is Mississippi in 1953, and the pretty adolescent girl Bobby Lee is having fantasies about boys. Billy Joe McAlister begins to court her, but as their mutual affection blossoms, darker currents are swirling beneath the Tallahatchee Bridge ...

A careful, almost literal rendering of the song, the film is a commendable effort which gets stronger and more assured as it goes along. If it is somewhat heavy with Deep South cliche (plenty of "ah dew declayer" and "raaaht neighbourly"), it really couldn't have been otherwise. The song itself is overloaded with similar stuff. I personally did not like Bobby Lee's poem, which struck me as to syrupy and too slow.

Bobby Benson is adequate as the haunted Billy Joe, but the film's real success is the performance of Glynnis O'Connor as Bobby Lee. She handles the range of emotions with aplomb, and virtually demands that the viewer identify with her. The final scene on the bridge confirms that Bobby Lee has grown as a person and has emerged from the tragedy stronger than the adults around her.

Bobby Lee's huffy soliloquy on the country road is very good, with its subtle edge of self-deprecating humour, and the long courting-scene which follows it is nicely-judged. The rueful interregnum after Billy Joe's disappearance is beautifully done, dominated by the delightful Michel Legrand piano score. The rag doll floating in the water is a striking symbol, both of Billy Joe and of the abandonment of childhood.

Verdict - If a film version of the Bobbie Gentry song is going to be done, this is probably the best way to do it.