The Ballad of Billie Blue (Jailbreakin') is a Christian-themed film that stars
Jason Ledger,
Renny Roker,
Ray Danton
Ray Danton (born Raymond Caplan; September 19, 1931 – February 11, 1992) was a radio, film, stage, and television actor, director, and producer whose most famous roles were in the screen biographies ''The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond'' (1960 ...
, and
Sherry Bain
Sherry Bain was an actress from Angeles, California. She started her career in some exploitation films. She co-starred with Robert Fuller in ''The Hard Ride'' in 1971, '' Wild Riders'' in 1971, ''The Ballad of Billie Blue'' in 1972, an episode ...
. It also features
Erik Estrada. A country singer who has a problem with alcohol is sent to prison for a crime he didn't commit.
Story
A country music singer played by
Jason Ledger is wrongly convicted of a crime and as a result ends up being on a Southern chain gang.
Marty Allen in a serious role plays a reporter for a scandal newspaper who reports on the singer.
Background
Screenings
The film premiered in
Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...
,
Michigan in February, 1972.
The film opened Thursday April 20, 1972 at the Holland Theatre and was showing for a week.
It was scheduled for screening at the Peoria Christian Center on Saturday, July 19, 1975. The film was showing at the Grand Theatre in July 1976.
An organization called Christian Young People had the film showing at the Ottawa Technical High School at 8PM, April 26, 1979.
Awards
The film was nominated for two Image Awards.
Releases
The film was released on video with the title '' Jailbreakin. It has also been released as ''Star-Crossed Roads''. The video release is 78 minutes. A review by ''HR'' in 1972 running time as 107 minutes. Another source noted that a release of the film through Gateway Films had it 90 minutes.
Reviews
Hanko Herman of The Reformed Free Publishing Association referred to it as "a filthy piece of pornography" in his article "The Christian And Movies" that appeared in Issue: 11, 3/1/1972. This was due to some of the content in the film.
Cast
Johnny Green of Johnny Green and the Greenmen appears in the film. He band also contributed to the music.
['' Beloit Daily News'', February 15, 2007 ]
Famous band to play for Crime Stoppers fund-raiser in Beloit By Holly Myers
/ref>
Cast list (listed alphabetically)
* Marty Allen
Morton David Alpern (March 23, 1922 – February 12, 2018), better known as Marty Allen, was an American comedian, actor, and philanthropist. He worked as a comedy headliner in nightclubs, as a dramatic actor in television roles, and was once ca ...
... Harvey Trip
* Sherry Bain
Sherry Bain was an actress from Angeles, California. She started her career in some exploitation films. She co-starred with Robert Fuller in ''The Hard Ride'' in 1971, '' Wild Riders'' in 1971, ''The Ballad of Billie Blue'' in 1972, an episode ...
... Reba Stone
* Ray Danton
Ray Danton (born Raymond Caplan; September 19, 1931 – February 11, 1992) was a radio, film, stage, and television actor, director, and producer whose most famous roles were in the screen biographies ''The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond'' (1960 ...
... Carlton Jacobs
* Erik Estrada ... Justin
* Jason Ledger ... Billie Blue
* Sherry Miles ... May Blue
* Bob Plekker ...Preacher Bob
* Renny Roker ... Al
References
External links
Imdb: The Ballad of Billie Blue
TCM: The Ballad of Billie Blue
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ballad of Billie Blue, The
Films about evangelicalism
1972 films
1970s English-language films