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…
Tag Archive: trial of billy jack
Billy Jack Southern California Box Office Results
Delores’ Parents Visit Trial of Billy Jack
Trial of Billy Jack Snapshots
Billy Jack #65 of All Time! (Trial #123)
If you’ve heard of Billy Jack, you likely know it was a huge success. But even people inside the industry don’t know exactly how big it was (HINT: it was WAY bigger than you ever thought). Two websites provide some perspective: BoxOfficeReport.com and a more obscure MROB.com. BoxOfficeReport.com correctly pegs the initial release of Billy Jack at $32,500,000, beating every other film that year - The French Connection, Summer of ’42, Dirty Harry, Clockwork Orange - except for …
Tom Laughlin Stuns Film Biz Pros
The re-release of ‘Billy Jack’ in 1973 was ground breaking. Never had a film been re-released so soon after it had played in theaters… and been such a success. ‘Billy Jack’ earned $32,000,000 in 1971. (For comparison: ‘The French Connection’ $26M; ‘Dirty Harry’ $18M; ‘The Last Picture Show’ $13M; ‘Shaft’ $7M.) But that was nothing…
Trial of Billy Jack Location Scouting in Monument Valley
Grandpa and Wrangler in Monument Valley
Tweet Jack Stanley (Grandpa) and a wrangler take a break during filming of ‘Trial of Billy Jack’ on top of a butte in Monument Valley, AZ.
Scoring ‘Trial’
Tweet An interoffice memo re the scheduling change for the 1974 scoring session (music recording) for the ‘Trial of Billy Jack’ with Academy Award-winning composer Elmer Bernstein. The session was held on the Warner Brothers lot and was clearly rescheduled to September 19th, according to Tom.
Dennis Banks Visits ‘Trial’ Shoot
Tweet Dennis Banks knocks back a couple of Sugar-Free Dr. Peppers and Shasta sodas with Tom Laughlin in his trailer during the shooting of ‘Trial of Billy Jack’ in Arizona. (Historical Fun: Notice the old-style pull-tab soda cans, with tabs that actually pulled off the much-thicker-than-today, rolled cans of yesteryear.)
