1971 BILLY JACK

Billy Jack is a 1971 American independent action-drama film that became a major cult classic and a defining cultural artifact of its era. It stars Tom Laughlin as the titular character—a half-Native American ex-Green Beret and Hapkido expert who uses his martial arts skills to defend a progressive desert "Freedom School" from corrupt town officials and bigoted locals.
Release Date: May 1, 1971 (initial limited release); widely re-released in 1973.
Director: Tom Laughlin (credited as T.C. Frank).
Stars: Tom Laughlin and his real-life wife, Delores Taylor, who plays Jean Roberts, the school's founder.
Production: Filmed primarily in Prescott, Arizona, and areas around New Mexico starting in 1969.
Budget & Success: Produced for approximately $800,000, it eventually grossed over $50 million, becoming one of the most successful independent films of the 1970s.
The film centers on the conflict between the students of the "Freedom School," a sanctuary for runaways and minority students, and the nearby town's aggressive, prejudiced establishment.
Martial Arts: Billy Jack is credited with introducing authentic Hapkido to Western audiences through Master Han Bong-soo, who served as Laughlin's stunt double and martial arts choreographer.
Iconic Scene: The film is famous for a scene in which Billy Jack warns a bully that he will kick him in the face with his left foot, stating, "There ain't a damn thing you can do about it".
Soundtrack: The film's theme song, a cover of "One Tin Soldier" by the group Coven, became a major hit on the radio during the early 1970s.
Legacy: It was the second of four films featuring the character, following The Born Losers (1967) and followed by The Trial of Billy Jack (1974) and Billy Jack Goes to Washington (1977)