In the movie, the mystery of the title characters suicide is revealed as a part of the conflict between his love for bobbie lee hartley and a drunken homosexual experience. One night, at a barn dance, he gets a little drunk and rather than. Its a film rich with humor, nostalgia and mesmerizing performances. James falsely believes that his sister is pregnant by billy joe, as does almost everyone else in town, and is concerned that her reputation is ruined while billy joe becomes a folk hero. On the surface, the 1976 movie ode to billy joe seems like a simple teenage love story set in rural mississippi. A seventeenyearold boy is seduced into a homosexual act. Cast and crew credits for ode to billy joe, 1976, directed by max baer, with robby benson, james best, glynnis oconnor, at turner classic movies. Ode to billy joe 1976 movie robby benson glynnis oconnor tallahatchie bridge. Read the ode to billy joe movie synopsis, view the movie trailer, get cast and crew information, see movie photos, and more on. Bobbie gentry ode to billie joe lyrics songmeanings. Bobbie gentrys famous song is brought to life in a story about young love on the mississippi delta in the early 1950s, in which the longheld, mystifying secrets.
The neighbors have stopped speaking to bobbie lees mother, and glenns deaconship with the church has been terminated after 20 years. Glynnis o connor in ode to billy joe 1976 bobbie gentry in ode to billy joe 1976 ode to billy joe 1976. Ode to billy joe sound track from max baers motion picture is the soundtrack album to the 1976 film ode to billy joe. It was the third of june, another sleepy, dusty delta day i was out choppin cotton, and my brother was balin hay and at dinner time we stopped and walked back to. The song, and the later movie depict characters in chickasaw county, mississippi, and involve a young couples haunting but doomed. General commenti think the meaning of it has to do with the fact that billy joe was her boyfriend, but the family was clueless about that fact. It is, in the words of the national news syndicate, a mustsee movie. Records the album was issued on cd for the first time in 2017 by californiabased label kritzerland. The story revolves around a young boy and girl who are exploring their new passions. The movie is based on the hit song made famous by singer bobbie gentry.
That was obvious by the mom mentioning her being seen with billy joe, as if it was a surprise that she would have been with him. Now that i know why billy joe mcallister jumped off the tallahatchie bridge, i almost wish i didnt. People have been debating the meaning of ode to billie joe for over 40 years, but a recent new piece of evidence that got uncovered is a sheet from a yellow legal pad with bobbie gentrys original song lyrics for ode to billie joe. Based on the 1967 bobbie gentry song of the same name and directed by max baer, jr. Watch ode to billy joe online full movie from 1976 yidio. The spelling of billie is often used for girls and women. Set during the spring and summer of 1953 in rural mississippi, billy joe mcallister robby benson flirts with bobbie lee hartley glynnis oconnor as she crosses the tallahatchie bridge after the school bus lets her off as she walks on her way to her familys farm along a dirt road. In 1953, bobbie lee hartley glynnis oconnor is 15 years old and in love with 18yearold billy joe mcallister robbie benson. Why did billie joe mcallister jump off the tallahatchie. It was the third of june, another sleepy, dusty delta day i was out choppin cotton, and my brother was balin hay and at.
His death was seen as sad, and long ago, and unnecessary, and the singer recalled it as a key event in an unhappy time. Robby benson is excellent as billy joe mcallister, and glynnis oconnor is. When we were fourteen years old in 1976, my best friend and i went to our local movie theater to see ode to billy joe. Lee only to cover his growing fear that he may, in fact, be homosexual. Today it remains one of the most popular country songs of all time. Ode to billy joe is the 1976 film that takes its title from the classic song about a boy who committed suicide. Glynnis oconnor in ode to billy joe 1976 bobbie gentry in ode to billy joe 1976 ode to billy joe 1976. The movie promised that what the song didnt tell you, the movie will show you, but it took a surprisingly different turn and changed the spelling of. On a production budget of 1 million dollars, this film had a box office run of 50 million. In 1976, the song was adapted to a screenplay and made into the film ode to billy joe.
Even though people know the story is fake, people still insist on asking bobbie what was thrown off the bridge. Watch the full length movie of ode to billy joe online or on the fios mobile app. The song describes a family having dinner while the discussing the suicide of billie joe mcallister which occurred earlier that summer day. The story takes place in a small town located on the banks of the tallahatchie river.
At last, were given the answers to the questions raised by the haunting 1967 bobbie gentry song of the same title. Ode to billy joe 1976 movie robby benson glynnis oconnor. Based on bobby gentrys haunting 1967 song, this drama attempts to explain why 17yearold billy joe mcallister jumped off the talahatchie bridge. Ode to billie joe written and performed by bobbie gentry see more frequently asked questions. Could be cause she knew her father and brother didnt really. Just log on to your verizon account and watch the latest shows online.
A drunken encounter traumatizes teenage billy joe robby benson, who loves a girl glynnis oconnor in 1953. Bobbie gentrys famous song, on which ode to billy joe is based, found much of its haunting effect in its refusal to reveal why billy joe killed himself. The single, released on july 10, 1967, was a numberone hit in the us within three weeks of release and a big international seller. It was the third of june, another sleepy, dusty delta day i was out choppin cotton, and my brother was balin hay and at dinner time we stopped and walked back to the house to eat and mama hollered out the back door, yall, remember to wipe your feet and then she said, i got some news this mornin from choctaw ridge today, billy joe macallister jumped off the tallahatchie bridge and papa said. Ode to billie joe eventually found its way to a 1976 movie, directed by max baer, best known as jethro on the beverly hillbillies.
Based on bobby gentrys haunting 1967 song, this drama attempts to explain. His guilt over the incident drives him to commit suicide by jumping off the tallahatchie bridge, leaving his. If you watch this movie, i believe that you will find yourself lost in it. Eighteen yearold billy joe mcallister is in love with bobbie lee, but her father refuses to allow her to receive gentlemen callers before shes sixteen. Ode to billy joe certainly tells a very realistic story of the torment almost any teen feels when struggling with accepting they might be gay. This movie resulted some years after bobbie gentrys haunting and enormously popular song of the same name, popular in the. Ode to billy joe is a superbly sensitive period romantic tragedy, based on bobbie gentrys 1967 hit song lyric. Billy joe mcallister jumped off the bridge because he was struggling with the fact that he was in love with a young girl, but physically attracted to a man.
Its breezy bluegrass melody and catchy chorus made for an instant hit, and billie joe leapt to the top of the charts. Rent ode to billy joe 1976 starring robby benson and glynnis oconnor on dvd and bluray. Now that i know why billy joe mcallister jumped off the tallahatchie bridge, i. In the summer of 1967 country singer bobbie gentry b. Is bobbie gentrys ode to billie joe based on a true story. Why in fifty years of blogs has no one considered that billie joe was a girl, and that many culturally relevant reasons may cause young women to commit suicide. Released 1976, ode to billy joe stars robbybenson, glynnisoconnor, joanhotchkis, sandymcpeak the pg movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 46 min, and received a score of out of 100 on metacritic. Billy joe is in love with bobbie lee hartley, until he gets drunk one night and has an encounter that.
Rent ode to billy joe 1976 on dvd and bluray dvd netflix. Ode to billy joe certainly tells a very realistic story of the torment almost any teen feels when. A drunken encounter traumatizes teenage billy joe robby benson, who loves a girl glynnis oconnor in 1953 mississippi. J johnson from 92040 nowhere in the song, ode to billie joe, is billie joe referred to as he or him, or as a boy or as a male. In the song itself, written by bobbie gentry in 1967, there is never a clear.
What the song didnt tell you, the movie will billy joe confesses his love to the lovely bobbi lee only to cover his growing fear that he may, in fact, be homosexual. Bobbie gentry, michel legrand ode to billy joe sound. Ode to billie joe is a song written and recorded by bobbie gentry, a singersongwriter from chickasaw county, mississippi. He realized that he loved the girl but could not be with her in the way they both wanted him to be. Bobbie gentry ode to billie joe lyrics genius lyrics. Jul 27, 20 billy joe mcallister jumped off the bridge because he was struggling with the fact that he was in love with a young girl, but physically attracted to a man. Bobbie gentry, michel legrand ode to billy joe sound track. This video isnt an open invitation for homophobes to rant.
Ode to billy joe is a 1976 american drama film with a screenplay by herman raucher, inspired. Ode to billy joe is a 1976 american drama film with a screenplay by herman raucher, inspired by the 1967 hit song by bobbie gentry, titled ode to billie joe the film was directed and produced by max baer jr. Ode to billy joe 1976 official trailer robby benson, glynnis oconnor movie hd. In fact, each actor in the film was so wonderfully wellcast that the experience of watching them and hearing them, along with the eerily alluring mississippi location in which the movie was filmed, creates a dreamworld of magic. Review by richard conner posted on 5sep2007 this movie resulted some years after bobbie gentrys haunting and enormously popular song of the same name, popular in the late 1960s.
Bobbie gentrys hauntingly enigmatic 1967 hit single served as the inspiration of this story of unrequited teenage love. The girl obviously didnt want them to know, either. Ode to billy joe 1976 movie clip your dads in trouble. Watch ode to billy joe full movie idfialfan on dailymotion. His novelization of the story, published the year of the films release as a movie tiein, used the same rationale for the suicide. Lyrics for ode to billie joe by bobbie gentry songfacts. Ode to billy joe 1976 stream and watch online moviefone. Ode to billy joe 1976 official trailer robby benson, glynnis o. Once you select rent youll have 14 days to start watching the movie and 24 hours to finish it. Costarring mare winningham, the war will captivate all who fall under its spell. Today, billy joe mcallister jumped off the tallahachee briidge.
Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing ode to billy joe near you. One night, at a barn dance, he gets a little drunk and rather than going with the hired whores, gives into his desires and sexual relations with an unnamed. Ode to billy joe 1976 rotten tomatoes movie trailers. Billy jo struggles with his sexuality after a drunken encounter. In 1967 she became an overnight sensation with her release of ode to billie joe.