Billy Jack Goes to Washington (1977)

After a senator suddenly dies after completing (and sealing) an investigation into the nuclear power industry, the remaining senator and the state governor must decide on a person who will ... See full summary »

Director:

Tom Laughlin

Writers:

Tom Laughlin, Delores Taylor,

Stars:

Tom Laughlin, Delores Taylor, E.G. Marshall

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Laughlin	...	Billy Jack
Delores Taylor	...	Jean Roberts
E.G. Marshall	...	Sen. Joseph Paine
Teresa Kelly	...	Carol (as Teresa Laughlin)
Sam Wanamaker	...	Bailey
Richard Gautier	...	Gov. Hubert Hopper
Michael Irving	...	McGhan
J. Diana Lewis
Peter Donat	...	Ralph Butler
Kent Smith	...	Senator Joe Foley
Kathy Cronkite
Dennis O'Flaherty
Julie Webb
Carla Borelli
Sara Lane	...	(as Russell Lane)

Storyline

After a senator suddenly dies after completing (and sealing) an investigation into the nuclear power industry, the remaining senator and the state governor must decide on a person who will play along with their shady deals and not cause any problems. They decide on Billy Jack, currently sitting in prison after being sent to jail at the end of his previous film, as they don't expect him to be capable of much, and they think he will attract young voters to the party. Billy is pardoned, released and nominated, after which he begins his duties. He soon notices that things aren't right, and starts trying to find out just what is going on.

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Plot Keywords:

senator | one man army | death | u.s. capitol building | box office flop | 

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Taglines:

The most dangerous Billy Jack of all!

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Billy Jack Online

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 April 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

Billy Jack, i astrapi tou karate

Filming Locations:

Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Billy Jack Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

155 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Senate had to be recreated because the film crew was denied the right to film in the real Senate chambers. As filming progressed, Laughlin found it increasingly difficult to film in Washington, D.C. They were wrongly accused of desecrating grave-sites in Arlington Cemetery.

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Quotes

Jean Roberts: You did it... no matter what anybody says about you now, you did it. And you didn't have to even once take off your boots!

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Connections

References Roots (1977)

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Soundtracks

"One Tin Soldier"
Performed by Theresa Laughlin

User Reviews

The Billy Jack Franchise Pursues the Wrong Idea

I remember, as a kid, running into a bit of advance promotion on "Billy Jack Goes to Washington" in one of my teen magazines and readying myself for its release. It never came to my town, though it did surface elsewhere and quickly died; for myself, I would have to wait something like 23 years to see it, and then on a gray market VHS video version which did contain the complete film. It is an almost fully literal remake of "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" made in full cooperation with Frank Capra, with Laughlin in his Billy Jack character taking the place of James Stewart. The budget on this project was miserly compared to what was needed, and it consists mainly of long and medium distance master shots in long takes; it isn't visually very interesting and cannot help but be boring. The excellent cast plays the property professionally, but invariably the piece comes off like a sub-TV Movie of the Week affair, and way too long. I haven't seen the re-edited version for DVD, but I would think that reducing the film's length would reduce comprehension of the story as well. Nevertheless, it is to be preferred over the bathetic and ridiculous "The Trial of Billy Jack," which can be seen as reflecting the screeching halt of the 60s counterculture; "Billy Jack Goes to Washington" may likewise reflect their attempt as reintegration into the system, but that's a bit of a stretch. The 70s were not the 30s; with the Watergate matter, Americans -- for the first time -- tasted widespread contempt of the full U.S. government including the executive branch. The Laughlins failed to take advantage of that, retelling the 1930s tale as it was, with little embellishment or updating. The Billy Jack character was a significant cultural component to the era in which he thrived; it's a shame that, past a certain point, the Laughlins were unable to find the right venue for Billy Jack to continue in, having lost sight of his pioneering martial arts appeal and his roots in the Western. If they needed to remake a classic, it should have been something like "The Tin Star."