Dirty Little Billy

Dirty Little Billy is a 1972 American revisionist western film co-written and directed by Stan Dragoti and starring Michael J. Pollard and Richard Evans. Set in Coffeyville, Kansas, the film was influenced by the darker, more sinister style of Spaghetti Westerns and offered a unique insight into the beginnings of the titular notorious outlaw. It is notable for Nick Nolte's film debut, along with a background appearance for experimental filmmaker/artist William Ault.

Dirty Little Billy
Promotional poster
Directed by	Stan Dragoti
Screenplay by	Charles Moss Stan Dragoti
Story by	Charles Moss Stan Dragoti
Produced by	Jack L. Warner
Starring	Michael J. Pollard Richard Evans Charles Aidman Lee Purcell
Cinematography	Ralph Woolsey
Edited by	David Wages
Music by	Sascha Burland
Color process	Eastmancolor
Production company	WRG/Dragoti Productions Ltd.
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release dates	October 20, 1972 (1972-10-20) (Premiere[1]) October 25, 1972 (1972-10-25) (San Francisco) [2]
Running time	92 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Plot

A tough and violent portrait of a psychopathic, yet fresh-faced youth—the infamous Billy the Kid in his grimy early days.

Cast

• Michael J. Pollard as Billy Bonney
• Richard Evans as "Goldie"
• Lee Purcell as Berle
• Charles Aidman as Ben Antrim
• Dran Hamilton as Catherine McCarty
• Willard Sage as Henry McCarty
• Mills Watson as Ed
• Alex Wilson as Len
• Ronny Graham as Charles Nile
• Josip Elic as "Jawbone"
• Richard Stahl as Earl Lovitt
• Gary Busey as Basil Crabtree
• Dick Van Patten as Berle's Customer
• Scott Walker as "Stormy"
• Rosary Nix as "Louisiana"
• Frank Welker as Young Punk
• Craig Bovia as Buffalo Hunter
• Severn Darden as Jim "Big Jim" McDaniel
• Henry Proach as Lloyd
• Len Lesser as "Slits"
• Ed Lauter as Tyler
• Nick Nolte as Town Gang Leader (Uncredited)

Release

The film premiered at the San Francisco Film Festival on October 20, 1972 before opening at the Vogue Theatre in San Francisco five days later.^[1][2]

Reception

Steven Puchalski wrote in Shock Cinema magazine:

This is not typical, Tinseltown western though. It's more like The Making of a Sociopath, with Michael J. Pollard starring as displaced, 17-year-old Billy Bonney, in the days leading up to his evolution into the notorious Billy the Kid ... this is the perfect role for Pollard. And though a little old to play a teenager (he was 33), he hands us a Billy who's perpetually victimized by bad luck, until he finally blows a gasket at the very end and sparks his future.^[3]

See also

• List of American films of 1972