Synopsis
June 3, 1953. Another sleepy, dusty delta day in the South. Until Billy Joe McAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge -- sparking a legend in story and song. This heartwarming family film about the tumult of teen romance is set in rural Mississippi and stars Robby Benson and Glynnis O'Connor as youngsters caught up in the dizzy beauty of first love. Directed by Max Baer (Macon County Line) from a script by Herman Raucher (Summer of '42), the film was shot near the Tennessee backwoods of singer Bobbie Gentry's childhood. She newly recorded her ballad to augment a flavorful score by Academy Award winner* Michel Legrand. Ode to Billy Joe is tender and touching, set in a world where things don't always work out for young lovers, but where tragedy can nonetheless bring about a bittersweet triumph.