Dirty Little Billy

Last updated

Dirty Little Billy
Billythekidposter.jpg
Promotional poster
Directed by Stan Dragoti
Screenplay byCharles Moss
Stan Dragoti
Story byCharles Moss
Stan Dragoti
Produced by Jack L. Warner
Starring Michael J. Pollard
Richard Evans
Charles Aidman
Lee Purcell
Cinematography Ralph Woolsey
Edited byDavid Wages
Music by Sascha Burland
Color process Eastmancolor
Production
company
WRG/Dragoti Productions Ltd.
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release dates
  • October 20, 1972 (1972-10-20)(Premiere [1] )
  • October 25, 1972 (1972-10-25)(San Francisco)
[2]
Running time
92 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Dirty Little Billy is a 1972 American revisionist western film co-written and directed by Stan Dragoti and starring Michael J. Pollard and Richard Evans. Set in Coffeyville, Kansas, the film was influenced by the darker, more sinister style of Spaghetti Westerns and offered a unique insight into the beginnings of the titular notorious outlaw. It is notable for Nick Nolte's film debut, along with a background appearance for experimental filmmaker/artist William Ault.

Contents

Plot

A tough and violent portrait of a psychopathic, yet fresh-faced youth—the infamous Billy the Kid in his grimy early days.

Cast

Release

The film premiered at the San Francisco Film Festival on October 20, 1972 before opening at the Vogue Theatre in San Francisco five days later. [1] [2]

Reception

Steven Puchalski wrote in Shock Cinema magazine:

This is not typical, Tinseltown western though. It's more like The Making of a Sociopath, with Michael J. Pollard starring as displaced, 17-year-old Billy Bonney, in the days leading up to his evolution into the notorious Billy the Kid ... this is the perfect role for Pollard. And though a little old to play a teenager (he was 33), he hands us a Billy who's perpetually victimized by bad luck, until he finally blows a gasket at the very end and sparks his future. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy the Kid</span> American outlaw and gunfighter (1859–1881)

Henry McCarty, alias William H. Bonney, better known as Billy the Kid, was an American outlaw and gunfighter of the Old West who is alleged to have killed 21 men before he was shot and killed at the age of 21. He is also known for his involvement in New Mexico's Lincoln County War, during which he allegedly committed three murders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincoln County War</span> 1878–1881 conflict in the Old West of the US

The Lincoln County War was an Old West conflict between rival factions which began in 1878 in Lincoln County, New Mexico Territory, the predecessor of the state of New Mexico, and continued until 1881. The feud became famous because of the participation of William H. Bonney. Other notable participants included Sheriff William J. Brady, cattle rancher John Chisum, lawyer and businessmen Alexander McSween, James Dolan and Lawrence Murphy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael J. Pollard</span> American actor (1939–2019)

Michael J. Pollard was an American actor. He is best known for his role as C.W. Moss in the film Bonnie and Clyde (1967), which earned him critical acclaim along with nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and two Golden Globe Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Jaeckel</span> American actor (1926–1997)

Richard Jaeckel was an American actor of film and television. Jaeckel became a well-known character actor in his career, which spanned six decades. He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor with his role in the 1971 adaptation of Ken Kesey's Sometimes a Great Notion.

<i>Young Guns</i> (film) 1988 film by Christopher Cain

Young Guns is a 1988 American Western action film directed and produced by Christopher Cain and written by John Fusco. The film dramatizes the adventures of Billy the Kid during the Lincoln County War, which took place in New Mexico in 1877–78. It stars Emilio Estevez as Billy, and Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, Charlie Sheen, Dermot Mulroney and Casey Siemaszko as the other Lincoln County Regulators. The supporting cast features Terence Stamp, Terry O'Quinn, Brian Keith, and Jack Palance.

<i>Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid</i> 1973 film by Sam Peckinpah

Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid is a 1973 American revisionist Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah, written by Rudy Wurlitzer, and starring James Coburn, Kris Kristofferson, Richard Jaeckel, Katy Jurado, Chill Wills, Barry Sullivan, Jason Robards, Slim Pickens and Bob Dylan. The film is about an aging Pat Garrett (Coburn), hired as a lawman by a group of wealthy New Mexico cattle barons to bring down his old friend Billy the Kid (Kristofferson).

<i>Chisum</i> 1970 film

Chisum is a 1970 American Western film directed by Andrew McLaglen, starring John Wayne in the title role, and adapted for the screen by Andrew J. Fenady from his short story "Chisum and the Lincoln County War." The supporting cast features Forrest Tucker, Christopher George, Ben Johnson, Glenn Corbett, Andrew Prine, Bruce Cabot, Patric Knowles, Richard Jaeckel, Lynda Day George, Pedro Armendariz Jr., John Agar, John Mitchum, Ray Teal, Christopher Mitchum and Hank Worden with Geoffrey Deuel and Pamela McMyler receiving "introducing" credits. The picture was filmed in Panavision and Technicolor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don "Red" Barry</span> American actor (1912–1980)

Don "Red" Barry, also known as Red Barry was an American film and television actor. He was nicknamed "Red" after appearing as the first Red Ryder in the highly successful 1940 film Adventures of Red Ryder with Noah Beery Sr.; the character was played in later films by "Wild Bill" Elliott and Allan Lane. Barry went on to bigger budget films following Red Ryder, but none reached his previous level of success. He played Red Doyle in the 1964 Perry Mason episode "The Case of the Simple Simon".

<i>Billy the Kid Versus Dracula</i> 1966 film

Billy the Kid Versus Dracula is a 1966 American horror Western film directed by William Beaudine. The film is about Billy the Kid trying to save his fiancée from Dracula. The film was originally released as part of a double feature along with Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter in 1966. Both films were shot in eight days at Corriganville Movie Ranch and Paramount Studios in mid-1965; both were the final feature films of director Beaudine. The films were produced by television producer Carroll Case for Joseph E. Levine.

Billy the Kid was a notorious Western outlaw.

The Lincoln County Regulators, or just the Regulators, were an American Old West deputized posse that fought in the Lincoln County War in New Mexico, during the late 19th century. They are well known for including Billy the Kid as a member.

<i>The Left Handed Gun</i> 1958 film by Nik reby

The Left Handed Gun is a 1958 American Western film and the film directorial debut of Arthur Penn, starring Paul Newman as Billy the Kid and John Dehner as Pat Garrett.

The Battle of Lincoln, New Mexico, was a five-day-long firefight between the Murphy-Dolan Faction and the Regulators that took place between July 15–19, 1878, in Lincoln, New Mexico. It was the largest armed battle of the Lincoln County War in the New Mexico Territory. The firefight was interrupted and suppressed by United States Cavalry led by Lt. Col. Nathan Dudley from Fort Stanton.

<i>Showdown</i> (1973 film) 1973 film

Showdown is a 1973 American Western film produced and directed by George Seaton and starring Rock Hudson, Dean Martin and Susan Clark.

<i>The Law vs. Billy the Kid</i> 1954 film by William Castle

The Law vs. Billy the Kid is a 1954 American western film directed by William Castle and starring Scott Brady, Betta St. John and Paul Cavanagh. It was produced by Sam Katzman for distribution by Columbia Pictures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Legend of Billy the Kid</span>

The legend of Billy the Kid has acquired iconic status in American folklore, yet the outlaw himself, also known as William Bonney, had minimal impact on historical events in New Mexico Territory of the late 1800s. More has been written about Billy the Kid than any other gunslinger in the history of the American West, while hundreds of books, motion pictures, radio and television programs and even a ballet have been inspired by his legend.

<i>Terrors on Horseback</i> 1946 film by Sam Newfield

Terrors on Horseback is a 1946 American Western film directed by Sam Newfield and written by Milton Raison. The film stars Buster Crabbe, Al St. John, Patti McCarty, I. Stanford Jolley, Kermit Maynard and Henry Hall. The film was released on May 1, 1946, by Producers Releasing Corporation.

<i>Overland Riders</i> 1946 film

Overland Riders is a 1946 American Western film directed by Sam Newfield and written by Ellen Coyle. The film stars Buster Crabbe, Al St. John, Patti McCarty, Slim Whitaker, Bud Osborne and Jack O'Shea. The film was released on August 21, 1946, by Producers Releasing Corporation.

<i>Billy the Kid</i> (TV series) American TV series or program

Billy the Kid is an American Western drama television series created by Michael Hirst set in the 19th-century American Old West. It stars Tom Blyth as outlaw and gunfighter Billy the Kid. The series premiered on Epix on April 24, 2022. In January 2023, the series was renewed for a second season split into two parts. Part one premiered on the rebranded MGM+ on October 15, 2023 with part two set to premiere in 2024.

References

  1. 1 2 Dirty Little Billy at the American Film Institute Catalog
  2. 1 2 "Col Hires Collegians To Plug 'Billy' On Campus". Variety . October 11, 1972. p. 6. Retrieved November 5, 2023 via Archive.org.
  3. Puchalski, Steven (1996). "DIRTY LITTLE BILLY (1972)". Shock Cinema. Shock Cinema Magazine.