Dirty Little Billy
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.
| Dirty Little Billy | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Directed by | Stan Dragoti |
| Produced by | Jack L. Warner |
| Screenplay by | Charles Moss Stan Dragoti |
| Story by | Charles Moss Stan Dragoti |
| Starring | Michael J. Pollard Richard Evans Charles Aidman Lee Purcell |
| Music by | Sascha Burland |
| Cinematography | Ralph Woolsey |
| Edited by | David Wages |
| Color process | Eastmancolor |
Production company | WRG/Dragoti Productions Ltd. |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 92 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
A tough and violent portrait of a psychopathic, yet fresh-faced youth--the infamous Billy the Kid in his grimy early days.
Cast
- Michael J. Pollard as Billy Bonney
- Richard Evans as Goldie
- Lee Purcell as Berle
- Charles Aidman as Ben Antrim
- Dran Hamilton as Catherine McCarty
- Willard Sage as Henry McCarty
- Mills Watson as Ed
- Alex Wilson as Len
- Ronny Graham as Charles Nile
- Josip Elic as Jawbone
- Richard Stahl as Earl Lovitt
- Gary Busey as Basil Crabtree
- Dick Van Patten as Berle's Customer
- Scott Walker as Stormy
- Rosary Nix as Louisiana
- Frank Welker as Young punk
- Craig Bovia as Buffalo hunter
- Severn Darden as Big Jim McDaniel
- Henry Proach as Lloyd
- Len Lesser as Slits
- Ed Lauter as Tyler
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 no 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
References
- Dirty Little Billy at the American Film Institute Catalog
- "Col Hires Collegians To Plug 'Billy' On Campus". Variety. October 11, 1972. p. 6.
- Puchalski, Steven (1996). "DIRTY LITTLE BILLY (1972)". Shock Cinema. Shock Cinema Magazine.
External links
- Dirty Little Billy at the American Film Institute Catalog
- Dirty Little Billy at IMDb
- Dirty Little Billy at the TCM Movie Database
- Dirty Little Billy at Rotten Tomatoes
