Billy Jack Goes to Washington

Billy Jack Goes to Washington is a 1977 film starring Tom Laughlin, the fourth film in the Billy Jack series, and although the earlier films saw enormous success, this film did not.^[1] The film only had limited screenings upon its release and never saw a general theatrical release, but has since become widely available on DVD. The film is a loose remake of the 1939 Frank Capra film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

Plot

The film largely follows the story of the Frank Capra film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Billy Jack (Tom Laughlin) is appointed a United States Senator to fill out the remaining term of another Senator. It is hoped that he will quietly vote the party line, but his term in the Senate runs into trouble when he proposes a bill to fund a national youth camp which happens to be on the property where a nuclear power plant is also being proposed. His fellow Senator Joseph Paine (E. G. Marshall) claims to oppose nuclear power but is secretly taking graft to influence his votes in favor, and moves to try to keep Billy Jack out of the way when the bill is being debated.

Seeking to keep Billy out of the Senate on a day when a controversial energy bill is being voted on, Senator Paine suggests he meet with a grassroots group that day instead. The group is working to pass a national initiative and Billy Jack becomes convinced of their cause.

Billy is invited to meet with a group of lobbyists attempting to offer him bribes and other perks if he will vote their way, and threatening him with ruining his political career if he doesn't. Billy responds with anger at their threat, and the next day in the Senate he tries to speak on the floor in opposition to the nuclear power plant. Paine responds by proposing to expel Billy from the Senate as unfit for office. Billy's assistant quits after the murder of a lobbyist, fearing for her own safety, but returns later in the film after Billy Jack is about to be expelled from the Senate, to help him learn Senate procedure in order to filibuster. Billy Jack ends up by filibustering in the Senate giving a long speech supporting a national initiative.

Cast and credits

As with the two previous films in the series, Laughlin's wife Delores Taylor and daughter Teresa Laughlin reprise their former roles. Julie Webb and several other supporting actors from Billy Jack and The Trial of Billy Jack return as well. Author and political journalist Joe Klein appears briefly as a reporter in the opening scene. (Klein became friends with Laughlin after interviewing him for Rolling Stone in 1975.)

Played over the closing credits is a new version of the song "One Tin Soldier" (the original theme for Billy Jack) sung by Teresa Laughlin.

References

External links

• Billy Jack, Laughlin's official Billy Jack web site
• Billy Jack Goes to Washington at the Internet Movie Database
• Billy Jack Goes to Washington at the TCM Movie Database
• Billy Jack Goes to Washington at AllRovi