454:'," adding, "Worse than having an implausible story line, 'Buster and Billie' makes no attempt to justify it. I can understand why Buster might leave his steady girl — she's a clothes-conscious drip — but the matchup with the emotionally troubled Billie is never justified, except as a vehicle for wringing our hearts. Contributing to the film's failure, and leaving a bad taste in our mouths, is yet another cataclysmic movie conclusion in which various acts of cruelty are performed and people die. After wallowing in forced kindness, 'Buster and Billie' concludes with forced horror."
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Buster's friends are extremely jealous that they cannot have Billie for their own use anymore and corner her one day when they are drunk and find her out walking. When she refuses to submit to them, they rape and kill her in the heat of the moment. Buster eventually finds her dead, and is hysterical.
481:
wrote that the film started out as "a pungent and authentic story," but once it turns dark "takes a rather precipitous header, going the way of gratuitously violent exploitation. The change in direction is extremely unattractive and ill-advised, and it may ruin the film's initially strong chances of
305:
At first he sees Billie just for sex but eventually finds himself falling in love with her. He becomes, in fact, so taken with Billie that he breaks off his engagement with Margie and starts appearing in public with Billie, who finds a new lease on life with Buster. They are happy for the first time
460:
criticized the ending as "hysterical, synthetic and implausible melodrama which skirts meaningful resolution. Even so, Turbeville and Petrie nicely etch social behavior in post-World War II rural
America. The largely unknown cast performs with beguiling authenticity, and there are many incidental
313:
Enraged, Buster kills two of them, while injuring the other two. He is put into jail for this, but is released on bail the day after her funeral, which no one attends except his parents. He rips up a truckload of flowers from garden beds in the town, and takes these flowers to Billie's graveside.
297:
In a small
Georgia town in 1948, Buster Lane (Jan-Michael Vincent) is a handsome, popular high-school senior, who is engaged to be married to his pretty, popular high-school sweetheart Margie Hooks (Pamela Sue Martin). He is the 'big man on campus' and the leader of his group of friends.
29:
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Buster's friends often visit a girl from an underprivileged background named Billie-Jo
Truluck (Joan Goodfellow), who dourly gives them the sexual favors they want. Meanwhile, Buster becomes disenchanted with Margie's refusal to have sex with him, and begins seeing Billie in secret.
439:
stated that the film "is at once an alluring and fiercely disappointing movie that leaves one full of regret for what might have been," its chief flaw being that the characters were "types, observed keenly but unexplained, remote rather than real, remembered, but not revealed."
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said, in his three star (out of four) review, that it was "an uneven but perceptive film" and that, in the lead roles, Vincent played his role "with strength and charm" while
Goodfellow was "touching as the acquiescent town tramp."
428:
awarded the film three (out of four) stars and wrote, "The movie’s no masterpiece, but it’s an affecting story well told, it observes its teen-age characters with a fine insight, and it almost earns its tragic ending."
471:
called it "an assemblage of ingredients previously identified as crowd-pleasers" with "little life of its own—almost nothing of that feeling, which for all its craft '
565:
488:
gave the film a *1/2 score, and said that it was a "blubbery account of high school romance in 1948 rural
Georgia... can't overcome cliched premise."
281:
This film is also notable as one of the earliest
American mainstream movies to have male frontal nudity. Much of the movie was filmed in the towns of
289:, as well as in surrounding rural areas. Townspeople were excited the movie was being filmed and were unaware of the movie's risque plot or nudity.
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He then goes to the pool hall where his friends are, with the guilt evident on the faces of the main perpetrators of the crime.
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The film's title song "Billie's Theme" is sung over the opening and closing credits by
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223:. The film was of the tragic romance/revenge film genres. It was directed by
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gave the film two stars out of four and wrote that it "crudely imitates '
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Champlin, Charles (October 9, 1974). "A Drowning in a
Bloodbath".
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in their lives. Happiness for them, though, is short-lived.
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Siskel, Gene (August 5, 1974). "Buster and Billie".
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627:Arnold, Gary (June 15, 1974). "Buster and Billie".
268:, in his film debut, who later shot to fame in the
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461:observations that transcend facile nostalgia."
395:Bob Hannah as Bus Driver (as Robert E. Hannah)
278:, in a small role as Buster's friend, Whitey.
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564:Van Gelder, Lawrence Van (August 22, 1974).
505:. A re-recorded version appeared on Axton's
869:Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years
644:Leonard Maltin's Movie and Video Guide 1992
509:album the same year of the film's release.
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264:fame as Buster's girlfriend Margie, and
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227:, whose credits include films such as
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420:
597:"Film Reviews: Buster and Billie".
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1107:English-language crime drama films
1092:Films shot in Georgia (U.S. state)
1052:American coming-of-age drama films
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1118:
1087:Films set in Georgia (U.S. state)
665:
659:, Bamtam Books, New York. pg. 142
537:Ebert, Roger (August 21, 1974).
250:as Billie. In supporting roles,
1077:Films directed by Daniel Petrie
1037:1970s coming-of-age drama films
236:In the title roles were future
657:Movies on TV and Videocassette
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636:
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576:
558:
530:
519:List of American films of 1974
353:Jessie Lee Fulton as Mrs. Lane
1:
1062:American romantic drama films
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416:The Sagedusters as Themselves
404:Joyce Woodrum as Mrs. Trulove
1097:1970s English-language films
401:Quincy O. Waters as Minister
383:Lewell Akins as Photographer
7:
646:, Signet, New York. pg. 161
512:
219:motion picture released by
10:
1123:
1057:American crime drama films
655:Scheuer, Steven H. (1990)
386:Mentoria Sills as Hat Lady
374:Doris Pearce as Mrs. Hooks
33:Theatrical release poster.
16:1974 film by Daniel Petrie
1067:American teen drama films
1047:1974 romantic drama films
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407:Jim Shirah as Mr. Trulove
377:Carl Reddick as Mr. Hooks
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165:August 23, 1974
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789:The Spy with a Cold Nose
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398:Aaron Swain as Principal
362:Mark Pendergraft as Mole
1072:Columbia Pictures films
642:Maltin, Leonard (1991)
413:Claude Casey as himself
392:John Chappell as Deputy
389:Bruce Atkins as Sheriff
371:Vernon Beatty as Arland
365:David Paul Dean as Phil
359:Dell C. Payne as Warren
356:J.B. Joiner as Mr. Lane
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292:
271:Nightmare on Elm Street
1042:1974 crime drama films
893:Fort Apache, The Bronx
821:The Gun and the Pulpit
797:A Howling in the Woods
368:David Little as Smitty
230:Fort Apache, The Bronx
452:The Last Picture Show
1102:1970s American films
845:Eleanor and Franklin
603:. June 12, 1974. 18.
410:Slim Mims as himself
380:Dale Pearce as Sally
971:Kissinger and Nixon
765:The Main Attraction
757:A Raisin in the Sun
630:The Washington Post
588:. Section 2, p. 15.
539:"Buster and Billie"
478:The Washington Post
431:Lawrence Van Gelder
324:Jan-Michael Vincent
244:Jan-Michael Vincent
212:is a 1974 American
81:Jan-Michael Vincent
955:My Name Is Bill W.
947:Cocoon: The Return
813:The Neptune Factor
735:Films directed by
700:TCM Movie Database
570:The New York Times
436:The New York Times
421:Critical reception
141:Black Creek Billie
1082:Films set in 1948
1019:
1018:
829:Buster and Billie
695:Buster and Billie
684:Buster and Billie
673:Buster and Billie
618:. Part IV, p. 11.
615:Los Angeles Times
473:American Graffiti
468:Los Angeles Times
330:Pamela Sue Martin
287:Register, Georgia
256:Pamela Sue Martin
252:Buster and Billie
221:Columbia Pictures
209:Buster and Billie
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151:Columbia Pictures
85:Pamela Sue Martin
22:Buster and Billie
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1002:Walter and Henry
987:Inherit the Wind
939:Rocket Gibraltar
805:Moon of the Wolf
749:The Bramble Bush
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348:Joan Goodfellow
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507:Life Machine
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181:Running time
158:Release date
117:Michael Kahn
917:The Bay Boy
442:Gene Siskel
426:Roger Ebert
185:100 minutes
67:Produced by
62:Ron Bartron
39:Directed by
1032:1974 films
1026:Categories
525:References
503:Hoyt Axton
217:crime film
169:1974-08-23
134:Production
127:Al De Lory
107:Mario Tosi
1009:Wild Iris
877:The Betsy
853:Lifeguard
550:April 30,
350:as Billie
344:as Whitey
113:Edited by
901:Six Pack
781:The Idol
513:See also
233:(1981).
214:neo noir
198:Language
123:Music by
77:Starring
57:Story by
698:at the
600:Variety
465:of the
457:Variety
444:of the
338:as Jake
261:Dynasty
239:Airwolf
201:English
190:Country
167: (
136:company
1012:(2001)
1004:(2001)
998:(1999)
990:(1999)
982:(1998)
974:(1995)
966:(1994)
963:Lassie
958:(1989)
950:(1988)
942:(1988)
934:(1987)
926:(1986)
920:(1984)
912:(1984)
904:(1982)
896:(1981)
888:(1980)
880:(1978)
872:(1977)
864:(1976)
856:(1976)
848:(1976)
840:(1974)
837:Mousey
832:(1974)
824:(1974)
816:(1973)
808:(1973)
800:(1971)
792:(1966)
784:(1966)
776:(1963)
768:(1962)
760:(1961)
752:(1960)
283:Metter
861:Sybil
633:. B7.
573:. 28.
497:Music
242:star
678:IMDb
552:2019
318:Cast
293:Plot
285:and
687:at
676:at
433:of
258:of
1028::
541:.
728:e
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714:v
554:.
171:)
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