Tom saw the comedy of The Committee, a San Francisco-based comedy group, and incorporated a couple of their routines into ‘Billy Jack’. One was the marijuana skit, and the other was this skit about an inept thief being ‘directed’ in his performance as a robber by a bystander. Three of the gentlemen, including Howard Hessman (who was working under the name pseudo porn name Don Sturdy) were part of The Committee. Clark Howat (Sheriff Cole) got a quick rehearsal and jumped right in. The scene was shot in the town square of Santa Fe, New Mexico, in the spring of 1970. As you can see, the street was not blocked off from passers by that often stopped to watch the filming, which lent the feeling of a true impromptu performance.
I know. That’s four videos already this week. But don’t worry. I’m not a lottery winner spending all my treasure right out of the gate. And that should give you some idea how much there is left to come. 
