The Ballad of Andy Crocker

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The Ballad of Andy Crocker is the title of a 1969 American made-for-television film which was first broadcast by ABC.

The film tells the story of a young man's struggle to reclaim his life after fighting in the Vietnam War. Written by actor Stuart Margolin, the film is notable as being one of the very first films to deal with the subject matter of Vietnam veterans "coming home". It is also noted for its unusual casting, which placed a number of noted musical artists in key acting roles.

[edit] Plot summary

Lee Majors, in his first lead acting role, stars as Andy Crocker, a soldier who is wounded in a gun battle in Vietnam. Awarded the Purple Heart, Crocker is sent home to Dallas, Texas where he reunites with his parents (played by Pat Hingle and Claudia Bryar). Crocker says that all that kept him going during the trials of Vietnam was his dreams of running a motorcycle racing track and marrying his sweetheart, Lisa (Joey Heatherton).

Crocker, however, soon discovers that his friends and loved ones have moved on while he was in Vietnam. Lisa has married another man (her "Dear John" letter to Andy apparently never received), and a friend entrusted to take care of the motorcycle track business (Mack, played by Jimmy Dean) has made arrangements to sell it out from under Andy. An attempt at rekindling his relationship with Lisa ends in disaster.

Ultimately, Andy finds himself running afoul of Lisa's family (particularly her rich mother, played by Agnes Moorehead, who offers Andy a loan to help save the racetrack as long as he leaves town), and the law after he punches Mack for betraying him. Fleeing from the Dallas area, Andy eventually finds himself in San Francisco where be briefly reunites with his old army friend David (played by Marvin Gaye). Afterwards, realizing he has nowhere else to go, he sits down in front of a U.S. Army Recruiting Office and waits for the doors to open.

Also appearing in the film is Bobby Hatfield of The Righteous Brothers as a restaurant owner.

The title of the film refers to a song (co-written by Margolin) that recurs throughout the film as "Greek chorus" to the events unfolding.

The Ballad of Andy Crocker has fallen into the public domain in North America, and is widely available on DVD. According to the All Movie Guide, the film was intended as a pilot for a potential weekly series, but no series eventuated.^[1]