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The Legend of Billie Jean
Synopsis
With their father dead and their mother busy trying to land a steady beau, pretty teen Billy Jean Davy (Helen Slater) and her younger brother, Binx (Christian Slater), spend their time riding Binx's moped and dreaming of life in Vermont -- several climate zones away from the humid, omnipresent heat of their Texas town. One day, on their way from their trailer park home to a swimming hole, the Davy kids run afoul of rich boy Hubie Pyatt (Barry Tubb) and his cronies, who steal -- and later trash -- the scooter Binx bought with his father's paltry life insurance benefits. Demanding payment from Hubie and his merchant dad (Richard Bradford) for the damage that's been inflicted on both the bike and her brother's face, Billie Jean narrowly escapes being raped by the elder Pyatt. In the ensuing scuffle, Binx accidentally shoots Mr. Pyatt, sending himself, Billie Jean, and their friends, Ophelia (Martha Gehman) and Putter (Yeardley Smith), on the lam. When the Billie Jean Gang becomes a media sensation, Pyatt capitalizes on their notoriety by selling T-shirts and bric-a-brac, while policeman Ringwald (Peter Coyote), who feels guilty for having refused to help Billie Jean, tries to bring the kids in without anyone getting hurt. However, when the gang mock-kidnaps rich amateur filmmaker Lloyd (Keith Gordon), unaware that he's the district attorney's son, the situation spins out of control. Soon, Lloyd's videotape of the suddenly crop-topped, Joan of Arc-emulating, eminently telegenic Billie Jean elevates a local headline into a national sensation, and even Lloyd's attraction to Billie Jean can't protect her from the media lightning rod she's become. The Legend of Billie Jean marks the screen debut of Christian Slater, who is no relation to co-star Helen Slater. Actor Gordon, who made his debut as a screenwriter with Mark Romanek's Static the year Billie Jean came out, would go on to direct a number of critically acclaimed films.~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
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Full Credits
  • Director:
    Matthew Robbins,
  • Writer:
    Walter Bernstein, Mark Rosenthal, Lawrence Konner,
  • Producer:
    Peter Guber, Jon Peters, Rob Cohen,
  • Cinematographer:
    Jeffrey L. Kimball,
  • Editor:
    Cynthia Scheider,
  • Executive Producer:
    Peter Guber, Jon Peters,
  • Cast:
    Richard Bradford, Martha Gehman, Helen Slater, Keith Gordon, Yeardley Smith, Peter Coyote, Christian Slater,
  • Assistant Editor:
    David Dresher, Rick Derby,
  • First Assistant Director:
    Thomas J. Mack,
  • Second Assistant Director:
    Mark Radcliffe,
  • Second Second Assistant Director:
    J. Tom Archuleta,
  • Co-Producer:
    Lawrence Konner, Mark Rosenthal,
  • Supervising Sound Editor:
    Jay Boekelheide,
  • Camera Operator:
    James R. Connell, Richard Walden,
  • Script Supervisor:
    Louise Jaffe,
  • Boom Operator:
    William Gocke,
  • Construction Coordinator:
    William Maldonado,
  • First Assistant Camera:
    Kristin R. Glover,
  • Location Manager:
    John Panzarella,
  • Production Coordinator:
    Sheila A. Warner,
  • Property Master:
    Steven Westlund,
  • Sound Effects Editor:
    Ken Fischer,
  • Grip:
    Larry Sweet,
  • Set Decoration:
    R. Chris Westlund,
  • Electrician:
    Stanley L. Gonsales,
  • Set Designer:
    William J. Durrell Jr.,
  • Location Casting:
    Pat Orseth,
  • Best Boy Electric:
    Kevin Kelley,
  • Dialogue Editor:
    Marilyn McCoppen,
  • Makeup Designer:
    Alan Friedman,
  • Makeup Supervisor:
    Alan Friedman,
  • Hairstylist:
    Lynn Del Kail, Kim Samson,
  • Stunt Coordinator:
    Bobby Bass,
  • Second Unit Director:
    Rob Cohen,
  • Post Production Supervisor:
    Robin Forman,
  • Casting:
    Paula Herold,
  • Sound Re-Recording Mixer:
    Mark Berger, Gary Summers,
  • Costumer:
    Rosalie Wallace, Alfred N. Martin Jr.,
  • Supervising Dialogue Editor:
    John Nutt,
  • Music Supervisor:
    Jolene Cherry,
  • Still Photographer:
    Larry Barbier,
  • Original Music Composer:
    Craig Safan,
  • Leadman:
    Cheryl Carasik,
  • Foley Editor:
    Diana Pellegrini,
  • ADR Editor:
    Karen Spangenberg, Vivien Hillgrove Gilliam,
  • Foley Artist:
    Dennie Thorpe,
  • Gaffer:
    Lee Phillips,
  • Dolly Grip:
    J. Michael Popovich,
  • Key Grip:
    Thomas Prophet,
  • Production Manager:
    Tony Wade,
  • Transportation Coordinator:
    Gary Hellerstein,
  • Special Effects:
    Michael Arbogast,
  • Production Design:
    Ted Haworth,
  • Special Effects Coordinator:
    Ken Pepiot,
  • Sound Mixer:
    Charles M. Wilborn,
  • Costume Design:
    Donna Linson,
  • Second Assistant Camera:
    Dennis J. Laine,
  • Music Editor:
    Ken Johnson,
  • Location Assistant:
    George Parra,

Technical specifications

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