IMDb > Ode to Billy Joe (1976)

Ode to Billy Joe (1976) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

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5.8/10   562 votes
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Director:
Writer:
Herman Raucher (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for Ode to Billy Joe on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
4 June 1976 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
What the song didn't tell you, the movie will.
Plot:
Billy Joe confesses his love to the lovely Bobbi Lee only to cover his growing fear that he may, in fact... more | add synopsis
User Reviews:
A sweet and tragic rural romance. more (28 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Robby Benson ... Billy Joe McAllister

Glynnis O'Connor ... Bobbie Lee Hartley
Joan Hotchkis ... Anna 'Mama' Hartley
Sandy McPeak ... Glenn 'Papa' Hartley

James Best ... Dewey Barksdale
Terence Goodman ... James Hartley
Becky Bowen ... Becky Thompson
Simpson Hemphill ... Brother Taylor
Ed Shelnut ... Coleman Stroud, Bus Driver
Eddie Talr ... Tom Hargitay
William Hallberg ... Dan McAllister
Frannye Capelle ... Belinda Wiggs
Rebecca Jernigan ... Mrs. Thompson
Ann Martin ... Mrs. Hunicutt
Will Long ... Trooper Bosh
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Additional Details

Runtime:
105 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:

Fun Stuff

Goofs:
Anachronisms: At the dance, one of the band is playing an Ovation guitar. The movie is set in 1960, but the company Ovation Guitars was not founded until 1966. more
Quotes:
Billy Joe McAllister: HEY! I've been holding up this here bridge for over an hour so it wouldn't fall on you.
Bobbie Lee Hartley: Right Neiborhly of Mr.McAllister.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Jeopardy!: (#22.32)" (2005) more
Soundtrack:
Ode to Billie Joe more

FAQ

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15 out of 15 people found the following review useful.
A sweet and tragic rural romance., 9 March 2003
10/10
Author: DEREKFLINT from BROOMALL, PA.

ODE TO BILLY JOE is a humerous and touching tale of events leading up to why "Billy Joe McAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge", as related in the Bobbie Gentry hit. Director Max Baer Jr. (who would have thought "Jethro" had this kind of talent?) skillfully re-creates an atmosphere of 1950's rural Mississippi. and breathes life into characters only hinted at in the song. Scripted by Herman Raucher, with the same feeling of nostalgia he gave SUMMER OF '42, and beautifully scored by Michel Legrand, ODE TO BILLY JOE is a sweet and touching story of the awkwardness of teenage love, and the consequences of an unfortunate event, which, in today's politically correct times, would probably be scorned or laughed at. Glynnis O'Connor and Robby Benson, are re-teamed after their excellent debut in JEREMY. Another treasured film on VHS, that I hope will someday come out on DVD.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Ode to Billy Joe (1976)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
coming to dvd on 2/10/09 jemglamgirl
Everyone on this board is watching an edited version of this movie!! billybudd-2
SEQUEL?????? londa-zack
If the times were so sexually innocent ... Pearl_Jade
It was a baby they threw and here is why... darkmoonlady2002
The whole homosexuality issue bigtwang
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