Billie

Scrappy theatrical comedy filmed on a television budget, with Patty Duke putting the high school jocks to shame with her athletic abilities (seems sneaky Pat has been running track to a secret "beat" in her head!). Nothing memorable, but worth-watching for the always-good Jim Backus as Patty's politician father--who can't seem to decide where he stands on women's issues--and Patty herself is also very lively. Her short platinum 'do is a bit odd (and occasionally looks like a wig or a blonde mop-head), but she seems happier here than on her self-named TV series and does very well with her two song numbers (her voice is shaky and without focus, but extremely bright and appealing). **1/2 from ****

Bit of fluff about teenage Billie Carol (Patty Duke), tomboy (if in any doubt of that, the short-cropped boyish haircut tells you that fact) who joins the boys track team at her high school and faces the mild wrath of her father (Jim Backus) who is running for mayor (Billie wishes she were a boy - and so does dad - uh oh). Billie "hears the beat" when she runs and even helps the other boys on the team (none of whom can run as fast as spirited little Billie) learn the beat in a fun dance number. New boy in school, Mike, wants to become a track star so recruits Billie as his "teacher" - but can't keep his eyes off her when she dances. And meanwhile issues about "women's rights" are loosely brought into the film as Billie gets upset 'cause the boys treat her "like a girl and not an equal". A subplot involves big sister Jeannie who returns from college with a secret she only reveals to sis Billie.

This film is pretty light fare, nostalgic fun that reminded me so much of the 60s teenage films I liked as a kid - it's also a semi-musical with one good dance number, plus a few sort of catchy, a few not so catchy songs thrown in. As a fan of Patty Duke (one of my favorite old TV shows since childhood is the rarely seen "Patty Duke Show") it was great to see her in this fun, teenage role - she's very energetic, likable and cute in this (even though forced into appearing on screen in this rather ugly powder blue short set as well as a pretty hideous powder blue dress, amongst other things - and what's with that bleached blonde hairdo?!). 60s TV is also well-represented as this film is jam-packed with numerous familiar stars and character actors from popular 60s sitcoms - Bewitched, That Girl, Gilligan's Island, Leave it to Beaver - all represented here. Even well-loved character actor Charles Lane appears briefly in a few scenes as the track coach, and there's even a big "Shaggy Dog" in this. Nothing great- but enjoyable, light fun.

I remember my parents taking me to see BILLIE at the local drive-in when I was a kid. Patty Duke, pre-Valley of the Dolls, played this tomboyish teenage girl who could outrun all the boys in her school thanks to something in her head that she called "the beat", but boys don't like to go out with girls who run faster than they do, so Billie is pretty much alone until she compromises her feminist ideals, sings a corny song about becoming a woman, and purposely loses a race so that she can have the boy of her dreams, who I believe was played by Warren Berlinger. I think Jim Backus played her father, who was running for Mayor on a "Women belong in the home" platform while his daughter was out running track with the boys. This movie was kind of corny, but Patty played the role energetically and I liked her blonde, Mia Farrow haircut.

"Billie" was filmed during the hiatus between the second and third seasons of "The Patty Duke Show." This "Tomboy" comedy was based on a play, "Time Out For Ginger" which was filmed as a 1962 pilot starring Candy Moore, who would play Lucy's daughter in the early seasons of "The Lucy Show." This film, with it's innocent storyline about a teenage girl who can outrun any boy in the school could never be made today. Our jaded sensibilities would cry out "lesbian subtext" at the scenes where Billie, at an awkward stage, would wish she were a boy. A sentiment shared by her chauvinist father, played by Jim Backus. The cast is peppered with many familiar faces from 1960s TV, including Ted Bessell, Richard Deacon, Charles Lane, Dick Sargent and Billy De Wolfe. At this stage in Miss Duke's career the powers that be decided that she was to be a singing teen idol. She had a high-ranking song hit with "Don't Just Stand There" a few months before this film was released. Ms. Duke can't really sing. However, listening to her, there is something compelling in hearing her TRY. She is really doing her best, giving her small all to the pleasant, if dated songs in the picture. One more thing to mention in this film is the appearance of the marvelous Jane Greer as Billie's mother. The famous film-noir actress has some really good lines in this film, and she plays well with old-pro Jim Backus as her husband. It must have been a great temptation for the producers, the same ones who produced "The Patty Duke Show" to utilize William Schallert and Jean Byron, from the series, to play her parents. As it stands, "Billie" comes off almost as a pilot for a new Duke series to supplant "The Patty Duke Show."

Based on a decade old play Time Out For Ginger which was a one set comedy in the living room of the house of the protagonist Carol family, Billie was considerably expanded with many new characters introduced and the story takes us all over the small town where Jim Backus is trying to unseat Billy DeWolfe as mayor.

Expanded I say, but hardly updated. You would absolutely never know there was a counterculture revolution of the Sixties going on in seeing this film. It could have been and maybe should have been made in the Fifties.

Patty Duke plays the title role and the film property is produced by John Ross who was her legal guardian and career Svengali at that point. He was taking Patty's American character from the Patty Duke Show on television and making her a track star as well.

A little bit of Annie Get Your Gun is also tossed into the mix as Duke who damages a lot of the male egos on the track team has some problems landing the boy of her dreams. Warren Berlinger initially gets some pointers from Duke and she helps him make the team. But later the male dominant ego gets the better of him.

Berlinger is way too old for his part and looks it. He was 28 when he was doing Billie. Robert Diamond late of Fury was also having trouble transitioning to teen roles. He was 22 and also looks it. Diamond plays another track team member and Billy DeWolfe's son. Patty was 18 doing this, but her small build makes her look younger.

There's a subplot involving Patty's older sister Susan Seaforth who is married to Ted Bessell, but hasn't broken the news to Backus and mother Jane Greer. Why escapes me, but Backus tries to fix her up with his campaign manager Dick Sargent, this being while Seaforth is a little bit married and a little bit pregnant.

Billie's secret of her success on the track field is that she has the 'beat'. A certain innate natural rhythm that star athletes have, we all have whether we know it or not. Find your beat and ratchet it up and you too can be a star. Bearing that in mind there is a whole lot dancing in Billie and the choreography was nicely done.

Billie is a nice film that was way out of step with the times when it was released.