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headed to her house to confess to her father and clear her name. She advises him against doing so, noting that revealing the truth would forever tarnish Billy Joe's reputation. He initially holds fast to his desire to confess, but Bobbie Lee calmly stresses that the news would further devastate Billy Joe's family and leave
Barksdale himself subject to criminal prosecution. She also assures him that she does not mind her fate and then adds, "Oh, I'll be back before long; I'm only 15. What do I know of the world?" Finally agreeing with the girl's logic, he offers Bobbie Lee a ride to the bus station, which she graciously accepts. The film ends with the two of them walking across the bridge together.
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He admits to Bobbie Lee that he has been with a man, and when she tries to reason that he was drunk, so maybe didn't have complete control of himself and didn't really know what was going on, he confesses that he knew what he was doing, knew it was a sin, and did it anyway because he wanted to. Tearfully, he bids her an enigmatic goodbye, and subsequently kills himself by jumping off the bridge spanning the
277:. The local preacher, who saw Billy Joe and Bobbie Lee together, and other townsfolk spread the false story that Billy Joe committed suicide because he learned he had impregnated Bobbie Lee out of wedlock. For the sake of the family, Bobbie Lee's brother insists that she either quietly pursue an abortion or, if she insists upon having the baby, leave town.
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Knowing that no one will ever believe that she and Billy Joe did not have sex and that she was never pregnant, Bobbie Lee decides to leave home. Very early one morning, with suitcase in hand, she walks to town to get a bus. On the way she meets
Barksdale on the bridge, where he tells her that he is
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After his intimate encounter with
Barksdale, Billy Joe disappears for several days. He then returns, and Bobbie Lee finally submits to her passions at a secluded spot near the bridge and encourages him to make love to her. Owing to his guilt, however, Billy Joe cannot consummate their relationship.
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announced the completion of a $ 3.5 million deal between Max Baer, Jr. and Warner Bros. Pictures for a film based on Bobbie Gentry's hit song, “Ode To Billie Joe.” Baer offered Gentry and her publisher a large percentage of the film's receipts, and paid Herman
Raucher $ 250,000 and a share of the
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Set in 1953, the film explores the budding relationship between teenagers Billy Joe McAllister (Benson) and Bobbie Lee
Hartley (O'Connor) (who corresponds to the unnamed narrator of the original song), despite resistance from Hartley's family, who contend she is too young to date. One night at a
252:. When Gentry discussed the screenplay with Raucher, she explained she did not know why the real person who inspired the character of Billie Joe had killed himself. Raucher thus had a free hand to pick a reason. His novelization of the story, published the year of the film's release as a
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jamboree, McAllister gets drunk and seems nauseated and confused when entering a makeshift brothel behind the gathering. It turns out that in his inebriated state, he had sex with another man, later revealed to be his sawmill boss, Dewey
Barksdale (
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Made for $ 1.1 million, the film grossed $ 27 million at the box office, plus earnings in excess of $ 2.65 million in the foreign market, $ 4.75 million from television, and $ 2.5 million from video. However, reviews were mostly negative.
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421:. In honor of Gentry being the first woman to be inducted into the Mississippi Hall of Fame, and the film's release in 550 theaters across the Southern United States, June 3, 1976, was declared "Billy Joe Day" by Mississippi Governor
601:," for the film, with the spelling of the name changed to "Billy." Gentry stated that the original spelling had been a typographical error; this is corroborated by her original handwritten lyrics of the song.
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Mayor Leland Ayers dedicated a 16-foot (5 m)-long replica of the
Tallahatchie Bridge, constructed 25 feet (8 m) above Olive Avenue. Director Max Baer, Jr. attended the event.
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In the film, as in the novel, the object thrown from the bridge is Bobbie Lee's ragdoll, symbolizing throwing away her childhood and innocence and becoming an adult.
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429:. The celebration was attended by stars Robby Benson and Glynnis O’Connor and producer Roger Camras. On the same day, a similar event was held in
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Rock on The Wild Side: gay male images in popular music of the rock era
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Gentry's song recounts the day when Billie Joe McAllister committed
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Ode to Billy Joe (Sound Track from Max Baer's Motion Picture)
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Ode to Billy Joe (Sound Track from Max Baer's Motion Picture)
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Ode to Billy Joe (Sound Track from Max Baer's Motion Picture)
882:"'Billy Joe' Leaps From Southern Romance to Dirge: The Cast"
955:"Ode to Billy Joe movie review (1976) | Roger Ebert"
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983:Men Like That: A Southern Queer History
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338:William Hallberg as Dan McAllister
329:Simpson Hemphill as Brother Taylor
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930:"Ode to Billy Joe (1976) - IMDb"
341:Rebecca Jernigan as Mrs Thompson
323:Terence Goodman as James Hartley
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754:"There'll Be Time (Love Theme)"
562:"Ode to Billy Joe - Main Title"
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427:Rising Sun, Mississippi
314:as Glenn 'Papa' Hartley
296:as Billy Joe McAllister
1240:1970s teen drama films
793:"Magnolia Turn-Around"
605:Commercial performance
456:holds a 43% rating on
388:Greenwood, Mississippi
353:The Hollywood Reporter
308:as Anna 'Mama' Hartley
146:June 4, 1976
1300:Southern Gothic films
1068:33.44251°N 90.23093°W
901:Wayne Studer (1994).
302:as Bobbie Lee Hartley
1310:1970s American films
1270:Films based on songs
807:"Rattle Snake Daddy"
586:Warner Bros. Records
565:Released: April 1976
415:Jackson, Mississippi
1265:Films about suicide
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244:by jumping off the
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959:www.rogerebert.com
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132:Warner Bros.
90:Robby Benson
81:Max Baer Jr.
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1101:5 September
1071: /
1035:5 September
796:Thurman Box
431:Los Angeles
423:Cliff Finch
399:Yazoo River
250:Mississippi
104:Michel Hugo
78:Produced by
39:Directed by
1220:1976 films
1214:Categories
1059:90°13′51″W
1056:33°26′33″N
912:0943595460
865:References
464:Soundtrack
435:California
346:Production
318:James Best
267:James Best
229:, titled "
211:screenplay
203:drama film
150:1976-06-04
1141:Billboard
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782:Writer(s)
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448:Reception
209:, with a
110:Edited by
68:1967 song
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1004:28 March
769:Side two
635:Side one
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179:Language
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59:Based on
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964:May 17,
935:May 17,
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729:Legrand
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712:"Night"
701:Legrand
618:chart.
616:Hot 100
547:Singles
439:Burbank
383:Variety
242:suicide
182:English
171:Country
166:105 min
148: (
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1148:2020
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233:."
213:by
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