Tom was one of the best friends newspapers (and radio and TV) ever had. He placed ads constantly… everywhere. But his favorites were the show business journals Hollywood Reporter and Variety. The combination of the overwhelming success of Billy Jack (and later the Trial of Billy Jack) and the lack of industry acknowledgment rankled him, so he took every opportunity to let the industry know the ‘numbers’ (box office grosses).
Below is an ad placed in Variety during the re-release of the film in which it went from the highest grossing films of 1971 to the highest grossing film of all time by 1973. There is also a teaser for the upcoming release of Trial of Billy Jack in November of 1974 that would shock the film world.
Variety Ad detailing the re-release performance of Billy Jack in Southern California
