Movie Review: The Ballad of Andy Crocker (1969) directed by George McCowan
Corporal Andy Crocker (Lee Majors) is a hero. At least that’s what the medal he won for bravery and getting wounded in action in Vietnam says. But his draft obligation is finally over, and Andy is flying back to the States with his best friend from his platoon, David Owens (Marvin Gaye). He dreams of his home near Dallas, Texas, returning to the loving arms of his sweetheart Lisa (Joey Heatherton) and taking up his old business, a motorcycle shop and racing track.
But even as he gets praise from other travelers, we learn there may be trouble on the horizon. Lisa sent Andy a letter a few months back suggesting they should try dating other people. The semi-literate Andy (he dropped out after third grade, though he’s actually good at business math) didn’t get around to writing her back, figuring he’d make his case in person.
Landing in Los Angeles, and the next bus to Texas not being until morning, Andy decides to go out on the town. There’s some indication that the civilians are fed up with the draft, and there’s not much he’s interested in until Andy meets hippie girl Karen (Jill Haworth) who invites him to a party. She’s interested in the handsome stranger, and listens to his story. Unfortunately, when the men arrive with the “party supplies”, they aren’t happy with Andy being there. (They’re afraid the clean-cut soldier boy will narc on them for doing drugs.)
The main male hippie makes it clear that Andy isn’t wanted, and insults him. Corporal Crocker leaves, but takes the hippie’s motorcycle with him. Andy starts riding east, apparently just leaving his rucksack wherever he’d stowed it, and shows up in Texas a couple of days later, not even having changed out of his uniform.
Andy’s parents Earl (Pat Hingle) and Emily Crocker (Claudia Bryar) are thrilled to see him alive and home at last, their joy papering over the family quarrels that had been building up before their son was drafted.
Things start going downhill from there. Andy discovers that his business partner Mack (Jimmy Dean) has run their motorcycle shop into the ground; his other motorcycle racing buddy Joe Bob (Bobby Hatfield) had married for money (only to find out all the money was in his wife’s name), and no one came to the track races anymore, so the track was sold for development. All the money Andy sent home from his Army pay just barely kept the doors open. However Mack does have a potential buyer that will turn the motorcycle shop into a used car dealership and the money from the sale would be a decent nest egg. Pity that Andy doesn’t want to sell; he’s convinced he can turn the place around.
And Lisa? Well, she’s married now. Has been, ever since she sent that letter. Her mother (Agnes Moorehead) introduced her to an up-and-coming executive. We don’t get the whole backstory but it’s clear Lisa is still fond of Andy. But she has her reasons why she has to stick with her husband.
This 1969 TV movie was one of the first to address the issues facing returning veterans from the Vietnam War. The mood of the country had turned against the war. and there was a distinct lack of support for the returnees and their problems. The later cliche of the “crazed Vietnam vet” was not a thing yet, but it’s clear that Andy has unresolved issues. Yes, things have gone sour for his homecoming, but he’s offered several ways of at least scraping by. No, he has to have the life he was taken from by the war, and this sends him into a tailspin.
The stolen motorcycle, Lisa’s mother putting out an arrest warrant for Andy, and Mack tricking him into signing away the shop combine to snap Andy’s temper, and he punches out his former friend. Then there’s a motorcycle chase with the cops. Andy manages to evade them, but runs out of gas and just discards the bike.
In Oakland, Andy connects with David, who has a night shift factory job, barely. David’s willing to put up his buddy for a day or two, but his wife fears that Andy won’t be able to get back on his feet and become a long term guest in their tiny apartment. Andy winds up huddling on the steps of the local Army recruiting office in the early morning, there not being anywhere else for him to go.
The “ballad” part of the title comes from the sung narration that plays every so often over montages, going from optimistic to despairing as the movie goes on. Bizarrely, it’s not done by any of the three music stars that are in the movie. Some reviewers found it set their teeth on edge. I just found it mediocre.
This is a bleak movie, and is mostly interesting for being the first of its kind; there have been much better movies about Vietnam veterans returning home. Recommended to Lee Majors fans.
