The Resurrection of Broncho Billy

"The Resurrection of Broncho Billy" is a film which was awarded the Oscar for Best Live Action Short. While this category as very competitive in the 1930s-50s, as Hollywood made thousands of short films, by 1970 the genre was different...and most shorts were made by young filmmakers and not big studios. The same trend has continued since then...as the category is more a showcase for young wannabe filmmakers.

The people making this film were able to get the services of Johnny Crawford...which is a good thing. Crawford had starred in the TV western "The Rifleman" and made a name for himself in westerns. Sadly, Crawford died a few months ago.

The film was made on the streets of Los Angeles and it's set in the present day. However, despite this, the film is mostly in sepia tones and stars a young guy (Crawford) who dresses like a cowboy and is in many ways a bit of a weirdo.

The film won the Oscar. However, according to IMDB it earned the film students a grade of B in their class! I can actually understand this, as some of the camera work and editing were poor (such as when the old man is talking to Crawford about the old west) and the film technically could have been a lot better. But as I alluded to above, the number and quality of shorts has diminished by 1970 and so a highly flawed film was still able to take the golden statue. Mildly interesting overall...but probably a lot more interesting to those who love old westerns.

Johnny Crawford is the eponymous young man who is living in early 1970s urban America but longs for the days of the wild west. His home is a virtual shrine to all things Gary Cooper and Jimmy Stewart. He's behind with his rent and when his laconic attitude costs him his job, things don't look so great - he can't even get a drink! He decides to go and chat up a girl who has done a drawing of a cowboy - but his enthusiastic regaling of the styles of hat worn by John Wayne doesn't quite cut her mustard. It's quite quirky for about five minutes, and anyone who's a fan of the western genre might be able to appreciate just how "Billy" could have become subsumed - he even walks like the "Duke" while chewing on his toothpick. The thing about this is that once those five minutes have established the premiss the story just doesn't really go anywhere. He yearns for his fantasy world that cannot come true - or can it? It's an interesting fish-out-of-water story for a while, but I though it rather petered out.

"The Resurrection of Broncho Billy" will probably be of interest to people nowadays for its Oscar win and the participation of future horror director John Carpenter. As for me, I interpreted as meaning that there will be no more cowboys. The titular character has his ambitions and fantasies, but that's what they remain. The common image of the Old West can only exist in movies and will not return.

Anyway, it's an interesting short. Worth seeing.

*** Spoilers*** Caught this one when PBS ran a series in the late '70's focusing on Academy Award-winning shorts. THE RESURRECTION OF BRONCO BILLY paints a poignant portrait of a lonely young man whose wistful daydreams slam head-on into harsh reality. His room is wall-papered with western posters; he imagines himself (while standing on a street corner waiting for a light to change) facing off against another gunslinger (they walk toward one another when the light changes, in classic gunfighter fashion- and then abruptly brush past each other); in the final scene, he is soundly beaten by bullies... but has a final fade-out fantasy of himself as a gallant horseman sweeping a beautiful damsel off her feet. Outstanding even among an entire series of Academy Award-winners, THE RESURRECTION OF BRONCO BILLY is the kind of short aspiring filmmakers should seek out and study.

Hi, Everyone,

I have been walking on Hollywood Blvd. for many years. I have talked with Wild Bill Tucker and many other Hollywood characters. This movie shows them as they really were.

Johnny Crawford is a lovable character himself here even though he was barely 20 when this came out. If you want to know about Hollywood watch this film. The characters have changed over the years but there are still many oddball types who frequent the famous attractions.

A really good movie.

Tom Willett