Billy Jack Goes to Washington

Billy Jack Goes to Washington (1977)

The most dangerous Billy Jack of all!

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.

Date of release
1977-04-16
TMDB
6.5 / 10 (13)
Runtime
2h 35m
Genres
Drama, Thriller
Director
Tom Laughlin
Collection
Billy Jack Collection

Casting

Interesting facts

Billy Jack Goes to Washington is a 1977 American political drama film starring Tom Laughlin, the fourth film in the Billy Jack series, and although the earlier films saw enormous success, this film did not. The film only had limited screenings upon its release and never saw a general theatrical release, but has since become widely available on DVD. The film is a loose remake of the 1939 Frank Capra film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and is directed by Laughlin under the on-screen pseudonym "T.C. Frank".

Production

Following the failure of The Master Gunfighter, producer Frank Capra Jr. approached Laughlin about his longstanding desire to remake his father's film, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington as a Billy Jack film, after a previous attempt at adapting the film as a musical with John Denver as the lead fell through. Laughlin was receptive towards the idea feeling that venturing into mainstream politics was a natural step for the character of Billy Jack.

As with the two previous films in the series, Laughlin's wife Delores Taylor and daughter Teresa Laughlin reprise their roles. Julie Webb and several other supporting actors from Billy Jack and The Trial of Billy Jack return as well. Author and political journalist Joe Klein appears briefly as a reporter in the opening scene. (Klein became friends with Laughlin after interviewing him for Rolling Stone in 1975.)

A new version of the song "One Tin Soldier" (the original theme for Billy Jack) sung by Teresa Laughlin is played over the closing credits.

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