Southern Movies: 1970s
Movies set in or about the South, and made in the '70s
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- DirectorWilliam WylerStarsLee J. CobbAnthony ZerbeRoscoe Lee BrowneA successful African American businessman has a quarrel with a white policeman, suspecting that he is having an affair with his wife. The policeman's colleagues are seeking to avoid publicity.
- DirectorRalph NelsonStarsJim BrownGeorge KennedyFredric MarchRacial tensions threaten to explode when a black man is elected Sheriff of a small, racially divided town in the deep south.
- DirectorJohn FrankenheimerStarsGregory PeckTuesday WeldEstelle ParsonsHenry Tawes, a middle-aged sheriff in a rural Tennessee town, is usually the first man to criticize others for their bad behavior. Miserable in his marriage, Henry falls in love with teenage Alma, who is the daughter of local criminal.
- DirectorStuart RosenbergStarsPaul NewmanJoanne WoodwardAnthony PerkinsA radio station in the Deep South becomes the focal point of a right-wing conspiracy.
- DirectorDon SiegelStarsClint EastwoodGeraldine PageElizabeth HartmanWhile recuperating in a Confederate girls' boarding school, a Union soldier cons his way into each of the lonely women's hearts, causing them to turn on each other, and eventually, on him.
- DirectorAlbert T. ViolaStarsAlbert T. ViolaIlene KristenAdam HessePhony backwoods preacher Amos T. Huxley stays in a small North Carolina town long enough to fleece his congregation, swindle the profits from a moonshine still, and seduce dumb blonde Mary Lou. Mary Lou's ex-boyfriend becomes suspicious of the preacher and gets the local police to investigate his actions.
- DirectorWilliam BayerStarsRobert Earl JonesJared MartinJ.A. PrestonA racially diverse acting troupe takes their stage play on the road, one which they hope will encourage voter registration. Under escalating internal tensions, the actors split into race groups and abandon the show.
- DirectorHerschell Gordon LewisStarsJeffrey AllenTim HoltGloria KingA redneck con artist sets himself up as a preacher in a small Deep South town to run his moonshine distillery and clashes with a number of locals and a federal agent bent on shutting his operation down.
- DirectorJohn BoormanStarsJon VoightBurt ReynoldsNed BeattyIntent on seeing the Cahulawassee River before it's dammed and turned into a lake, outdoor fanatic Lewis Medlock takes his friends on a canoeing trip they'll never forget into the dangerous American back-country.
- DirectorMartin RittStarsCicely TysonPaul WinfieldKevin HooksThe oldest son of a loving and strong family of black sharecroppers comes of age in the Depression-era South after his father is imprisoned for stealing food.
- DirectorCharles B. PierceStarsWillie E. SmithJohn P. HixonVern StiermanA documentary-style drama about the "Fouke Monster", a Bigfoot-type creature that has been sighted in and around Fouke, Arkansas since the 1950s.
- DirectorAnthony HarveyStarsKatharine HepburnSam WaterstonJoanna MilesAmanda Wingfield dominates her children with her faded gentility and exaggerated tales of her Southern belle past. Her son plans escape; her daughter withdraws into a dream world. When a "gentleman caller" appears, things move to crisis point.
- DirectorPhil KarlsonStarsJoe Don BakerElizabeth HartmanLeif GarrettBased on the life of Tennessee sheriff Buford Pusser, who almost single-handily cleaned up his small town of crime and corruption, but at a personal cost of his family life and nearly his own life.
- DirectorAlbert T. ViolaStarsAlbert T. ViolaMarian BrownBob Berg"Preacherman" Amos T. Huxley meets his match in five-time widow Alzena Suggs.
- DirectorJoseph SargentStarsBurt ReynoldsJennifer BillingsleyNed BeattyAn ex con teams up with federal agents to help them with breaking up a moonshine ring.
- DirectorRichard BlackburnStarsLesley TaplinCheryl SmithWilliam WhittonA young girl who returns to her hometown to see her dying father finds herself being drawn into a web of vampirism and witchcraft.
- DirectorBeverly SebastianFerd SebastianStarsClaudia JenningsSam GilmanDouglas DirksonDesiree lives deep in the swamp and supports herself and her siblings by poaching. Ben and deputy Billy hope to get a little sexual comfort from the "Cajun swamp rat" when they catch Desiree trapping 'gators, and give chase. Desiree outsmarts them but Billy accidentally shoots Ben and tells his sheriff dad that Desiree did it. Ben's dad and sons join them in the search party and quickly get out of control. Soon the hunters become the hunted as Desiree exacts her revenge for their violence against her family.
- DirectorTerence YoungStarsLee MarvinRichard BurtonCameron MitchellA local Sheriff tries to keep the peace as racial strife hits his small Alabama town as tensions boil over when a black man is accused of raping a white woman.
- DirectorDaniel PetrieSidney SheldonStarsJan-Michael VincentJoan GoodfellowPamela Sue MartinIn a rural 1940s southern town, a socially awkward high school girl is taken advantage of by the boys, because it's the only way she knows to relate to boys.
- DirectorRichard ComptonStarsAlan VintCheryl WatersMax Baer Jr.A vengeful Southern sheriff is out for blood after his wife is brutally killed by a pair of drifters.
- DirectorMartin RittStarsJon VoightPaul WinfieldMadge SinclairThe true story of Pat Conroy, a handsome, idealistic Caucasian who is an elementary-school instructor for a group of poor Black children in an isolated school.
- DirectorWill ZensStarsSherry RobinsonDon JonesTonia BryanA city cop is sent out to the country to go undercover and bust up a ring of moonshiners run by a woman and her three hot teenage daughters.
- DirectorDavid WorthRichard RobinsonStarsLeslie UggamsShelley WintersMichael ChristianA wrong turn on a jazz singer's road trip results in her car breaking down near an isolated lodge run by a faded starlet and a young, homicidal Elvis impersonator.
- DirectorJohn G. AvildsenStarsBurt ReynoldsArt CarneyConny Van DykeW. Bright (Burt Reynolds) is a robber with a heart of gold who travels the South knocking off banks and gas stations owned by a corrupt businessman. When he hijacks a car, he meets an aspiring country band, the Dixie Dancekings, led by Dixie (Conny Van Dyke). The two sides eventually take a liking to one another, especially after the Dancekings realize the size of Bright's thefts. Trailed by religious zealot cop Deacon Gore (Art Carney), Bright helps the band make it big while on the run.
- DirectorWalter HillStarsCharles BronsonJames CoburnJill IrelandThe saga of a drifter who turns to illicit bare-knuckle boxing in Depression-era New Orleans.
- DirectorJohn C. BroderickStarsGary LockwoodCarol LynleyRoyal DanoNew York City woman inherits a moonshine farm in the South.
- DirectorArthur MarksStarsFred WilliamsonPam GrierThalmus RasulalaAfter being hassled by The Man in a southern town, a cool operator asks some violent friends for help. After all, if you can't trust another brother, who can you trust?
- DirectorBob KelljanStarsJesse VintKaren CarlsonAlbert SalmiAn average Joe is pitted against a crooked sheriff and unscrupulous land grabbers in this tale of small town corruption and revenge.
- DirectorPeter KaresStarsHetty GalenRobert NicholsDoug HaleA rollicking account of a bungling, unsuccessful criminal who plots the perfect "caper" against illegal establishments and his first stop is Big Bertha's Massage Emporium.
- DirectorWill ZensStarsMichael HawkinsMary CannonDoodles WeaverA young man takes up truck-driving to investigate his trucker father's suspicious death.
- DirectorGy WaldronStarsJames MitchumKiel MartinArthur HunnicuttGrady and Bobby Lee run moonshine for Uncle Jesse, who prides himself on his old-school moonshining methods, and refuses to buckle in to the 'big business moonshine' of Jake, who controls these parts for New York mobsters.
- DirectorRichard ComptonStarsNick NolteDon JohnsonRobin MattsonTwo young men in a fast car travel through Georgia in the summer of 1958 en route to enter the National Championship drag races in California. In Macon County they pick up a wild girl who brings trouble and attract the ire of a local cop.
- DirectorBurt ReynoldsStarsBurt ReynoldsJack WestonLauren HuttonAgents force a former con man to help them nab a corrupt politician.
- DirectorJamaa FanakaStarsJerri HayesErnest Williams IICharles D. Brooks IIIA Naive Country Girl from Mississippi comes to town with an aunt to the Big City. She takes up with her family and goes out with them and meets a guy. A loser, pill-popping head nothing who is involved with the local street gang. She Falls in love with him, but he gets arrested and goes to jail. With the $5K bail over his head, she tries a couple of ways both good and bad to raise money to get him out only to learn he really is a loser and doesn't love her. She proves for a Country Girl she is smart and resourceful.
- DirectorCharles B. PierceStarsBen JohnsonAndrew PrineDawn WellsThe story of a hooded, berserk killer who terrorized the border town of Texarkana, Arkansas in 1946--leaving no fewer than five murder victims in his wake. He was never caught. Based on one of America's most baffling murder cases.
- DirectorMax Baer Jr.StarsRobby BensonGlynnis O'ConnorJoan HotchkisIn 1950s Mississippi, teenager Bobbie Lee Hartley navigates her blossoming hormones as she is courted by Billy Joe McAllister, who is headed for tragedy.
- DirectorGus TrikonisStarsMonica GayleGlenn CorbettRoger DavisYoung girl finds the rough road to musical stardom.
- DirectorTobe HooperStarsNeville BrandMel FerrerCarolyn JonesA psychotic redneck, who owns a dilapidated hotel in rural East Texas, kills various people who upset him or his business, and he feeds their bodies to a large crocodile that he keeps as a pet in the swamp beside his hotel.
- DirectorArthur MarksStarsGlynn TurmanLouis Gossett Jr.Joan PringleMurdered on Bourbon Street in 1942 New Orleans, a gangster returns from the dead 34 years later possessing the body of a young, black law student in his quest for revenge.
- DirectorJohn ClaytonStarsGeoffrey LandSydney RubinSteve JonesDJ Miller is a Schlitz-swilling, hard-living early morning country music disc jockey in the Southern U.S. His motorcycle, a one-of-a-kind "chopper," is stolen by someone and used to steal a shipment of drugs from Supermac, a blaxploitation refugee usually aided by a hapless duo of criminals, including Preacher. Supermac sends his thugs to follow Miller, and Miller has a few run-ins with Preacher and his nameless sidekick. At first, Miller doesn't seem to take the threat seriously, although Miller's aggravation grows and he refuses to talk about what is happening with his live-in girlfriend (to her chagrin). While Miller enjoys a post-coital moment with Rachel, the wife of one of Miller's good friends, Supermac and his thugs burst in and take Rachel hostage. They threaten to rape Rachel as payback for Miller having sex with Supermac's girlfriend Pearl (Miller had sex with Pearl as "trade" for helping her fix a flat tire). Miller reveals that Rachel is not his girlfriend, and Supermac releases her when a struggle ensues. But he manages to take Miller's prized pick-up and chopper. Rachel demands to know whether Miller would have let them rape her, and Miller shrugs that he probably would have if it meant saving his own life. Miller confronts Supermac, and Supermac acknowledges the possibility that someone else may have stolen Miller's chopper to steal the drugs. But Supermac refuses to return the truck and chopper until Miller has gone out on the streets to find the person that has the shipment. Miller is suddenly intimidated by Supermac, so Miller borrows another DJ's car, and scours the streets. Meanwhile, Miller's girlfriend, who ostensibly has left the relationship with Miller because he doesn't tell her what is going on, has been investigating on her own based on her discovery of a zodiac medallion. She quickly suspects it belongs to Miller's chief rival, and her belief is confirmed. On the other side of town, Supermac is back in bed with Pearl, showing some vulnerability and insecurity in asking whether Pearl has any feelings for Miller since they had sex in trade for fixing a tire. Pearl reassures Supermac, and they make love. Still on the streets, and a little drunk from all the Schlitz, Miller soon learns that Preacher was involved in stealing the shipment, and he forces Preacher to reveal that Miller's rival was behind the whole thing. At the same time, Miller's rival is apparently raping Miller's (ex?-)girlfriend. He leaves just as Miller shows up. Miller chases the rival, and they have a knock-down, drag-out fight in a junkyard - even having a pocketknife fight at one point. Miller triumphs, and the rival confesses. Miller locks him in a trunk. During the fight, the rival insinuates that he has killed the girlfriend (saying, "Nothing can bring her back."). After the fight, Miller looks for the girlfriend, but she isn't to be found. He gets on the phone to Supermac and tells him where to find the shipment - demanding that his truck and chopper be returned "un-mo-lested!" Miller returns home, opens a Schlitz, and sinks into his couch. Suddenly, the girlfriend's arm reaches down from off-screen, and she looks completely unharmed and ready to renew life with Miller. A horn honks, and Miller looks outside to see Supermac waving and leaving the truck and chopper behind. The girlfriend suggests they go for a ride and the movie ends.
- DirectorJimmy HustonStarsEarl OwensbyMike AllenJoe ByarsA washed up stuntman is on a journey to regain the title of world champion driver.
- DirectorCharles B. PierceStarsPaul KosloDennis FimpleSlim PickensDetails the lives of two feuding families of bootleggers, the Pruitts and the Woodalls, in rural 1920s and 1930s Arkansas.
- DirectorMichael SchultzStarsRichard PryorBeau BridgesPam GrierThe true life story of Wendell Scott, the first black stock car racing driver to win an upper tier NASCAR race.
- DirectorGus TrikonisStarsJohn SaxonSusan HowardWilliam ConradWhen a hillbilly moonshiner is murdered by a powerful competitor, his tough three daughters discover a stash of prohibition whiskey and start undercutting their father's killer's business, with help from a local race car driver.
- DirectorLouis MalleStarsBrooke ShieldsKeith CarradineSusan SarandonA preteen girl lives as a prostitute in New Orleans in 1917.
- DirectorAlexander GrasshoffStarsJesse TurnerDennis FimpleSlim PickensJ.D. and The Salt Flat Kid have dreams of country-singer stardom and a habit of getting into trouble. After meeting a talent agent in a jail cell, the two buddies leave their small town and set off for Nashville, with hopes of making it to the Grand Ol' Opry on an adventure full of music, laughs, and crazy antics.
- DirectorHal NeedhamStarsBurt ReynoldsSally FieldJerry ReedThe Bandit is hired on to run a tractor-trailer full of beer over state lines, in hot pursuit by a pesky sheriff.
- DirectorJimmy HustonStarsEarl OwensbyDavid Allan CoeDon 'Red' BarryA part-Indian freedom fighter named Seabo is framed and put on a brutal Southern chain gang.
- DirectorDennis KaneStarsVirginia MayoBruce DavisonAlisha FontaineChronicles the life of a young New Orleans prostitute and her co-workers.
- StarsJerry ReedGeoffrey ScottRay StevensTwo down and out cowboys wind up in Nashville and are mistaken for detectives. They are hired by the sister of a missing singer. Failed pilot episode with lots of Nashville cameos. Campy comedy/mystery.
- DirectorMartin RittStarsSally FieldBeau BridgesRon LeibmanA young single mother and textile worker agrees to help unionize her mill despite the problems and dangers involved.
- DirectorJohn HustonStarsBrad DourifJohn HustonDan ShorFresh out of the army, Hazel Motes attempts to open the first Church Without Christ in the small town of Taulkinham.
- DirectorBethel BuckalewStarsDixie DonovanJohnny RoccoDebbie OsborneA southerner comforting his buxom stepdaughter, his young wife seducing a sheriff and getting sexually blackmailed by a banker, their sleeping daughters approached by drunk farmers. Just another standard day on a hillbilly farm.
- DirectorBethel BuckalewStarsJack RichesinJacob OftenJohn TullA beauty contest is staged in the barn of a dimwit called The Colonel. The beauty contest doesn't last too long as The Colonel and his buddies get down to business with the contestants.
- DirectorBethel BuckalewStarsRene BondJohn TullDebbie OsborneThe Peabodys are about to assemble everyone from the clan, including that snobby, well-off urbanite Cousin Prudence. The real fun begins when the merry family from the mountains actually pay Pru a visit.
- DirectorEdward BolesStarsMarsha JordanBarbara MillsGene DrewSweet Georgia is the sex-crazed nympho wife of the brutal rancher, Big T. Unfortunately, Big T is an ugly, abusive drunk, and Georgia looks for love elsewhere.
- DirectorLew GuinnStarsRene BondRic LutzeSandy DempseyPenniless and in pressing need of a gig, two struggling musicians will come across two ladies who seem to be stuck in the middle of the desert, unaware of the girls' little scheme behind their backs.
- DirectorBethel BuckalewStarsJohn TullNan CeeJack RichesinJunior comes from the country to Hollywood where he soon ends up living in a house full of prostitutes. As payment for his rent, Junior is assigned the task of driving the girls around in a van that doubles as a place to have sex.
- DirectorFielder CookStarsPaul BenjaminDiahann CarrollRuby DeeBased on writer Maya Angelou's childhood, this story is about a young girl in the South who is sent to live with her grandmother after her parents divorce.
- StarsLeVar BurtonRobert ReedJohn AmosA dramatization of author Alex Haley's family line from ancestor Kunta Kinte's enslavement to his descendants' liberation.
- CreatorErnest KinoyStarsDebbi MorganDorian HarewoodPaul KosloThe dramatization of Alex Haley's family line from post Civil War America to the writer's search for his roots.
- DirectorMario PinzautiStarsMalisa LongoAntonio GismondoRita MannaIn the pre-civil war American south, Emanuelle, a plantation owner's daughter, while outwardly a dainty southern belle, brutally abuses the slaves in her charge. When her fiance is bitten by a snake, he falls for Emanuelle's beautiful African-American maid who's kindness and skill saved his life. Insanely jealous, Emanuelle continues her sadistic behaviour towards her charges, and when her fiance announces he plans to wed the maid, Emanuelle "gives" her to her even more brutal hired men, and her fiance is powerless to stop them. Can Emanuelle learn an important lesson in love before it's too late for everyone?
- DirectorBob RafelsonStarsJeff BridgesSally FieldArnold SchwarzeneggerSo-called 'special agent' infiltrates into the gym, which is targeted by a dirty business fraud.