Billy: The Early Years

{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2012}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Billy: The Early Years
| image          = BillyV1.jpg

| caption        =
| director       = [[Robby Benson]]
| producer       = Lawrence Mortorff <br> Martin Shiel <br> William Paul McKay
| writer         =  William Paul McKay <br> Jana Lyn Rutledge
| starring       = [[Armie Hammer]]<br> Stefanie Butler <br>[[Kristoffer Polaha]]<br> Cliff Bemis
| music          = Anastasia Brown (music supervisor)<br> Scott Brasher (composer: [[Film score|score]])
| cinematography = [[David Rudd]]
| editing        = Ryan Folsey
| distributor    = [[Rocky Mountain Pictures]]
| released       = October 10, 2008
| runtime        = 98 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $3.6 million
| gross          = $347,328
}}
'''''Billy: The Early Years''''' is a 2008 American [[biographical film]] directed by [[Robby Benson]]. The film tells the story of the early life of  evangelist [[Billy Graham]], played by [[Armie Hammer]]. After almost a year and a half of delays, the film was released on DVD on March 16, 2010.

[[World Wide Pictures]], the film distribution and production company that was created by the [[Billy Graham Evangelistic Association]], did not work on the film's production.

==Plot==
A reporter ([[Jennifer O'Neill]]) is interviewing [[Charles Templeton]] on his deathbed. Told through the eyes of Templeton, the film shows Billy Graham’s life as a teenager during the [[Great Depression]] living at the family dairy farm in North Carolina. During this time, Graham becomes a Christian at a [[tent revival]] meeting. Later, Graham goes to [[Bob Jones University|Bob Jones College]], then transfers to [[Florida Bible Institute]] after being identified as a failure by [[Bob Jones, Sr.]] Following his time at Florida Bible Institute, Graham goes to Wheaton College where he falls in love with classmate Ruth Bell, whom he ultimately marries. In the 1940s, Templeton and Graham become close until Templeton's [[scientific skepticism]] causes him to lose his faith and his friendship with Graham. The film finishes with Graham inviting his listeners to accept Christ as their personal savior in his [[Los Angeles Crusade (1949)|Los Angeles crusade]] of 1949.

==Cast==
{{div col}}
*[[Armie Hammer]] as [[Billy Graham]]
* Stefanie Butler as [[Ruth Graham|Ruth Bell Graham]]
*[[Kristoffer Polaha]] as young [[Charles Templeton]]
*[[Martin Landau]] as older [[Charles Templeton]]
*[[Lindsay Wagner]] as Morrow Graham
*[[Josh Turner]] as [[George Beverly Shea]]
*[[Jennifer O'Neill]] as Reporter
{{div col end}}

==Production==

===Casting===
Screenwriter-producer William Paul McKay and producer Lawrence Mortorff originally wanted [[John Hagee]] to portray [[Mordecai Ham]] but director [[Robby Benson]], concerned that Hagee's controversial public persona would cause a distraction, cast Cliff Bemis instead.<ref name="LATimes"/>

To find the lead actor, producers held talent searches in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco.<ref name="tn.gov">{{cite news |url=http://news.tennesseeanytime.org/node/371 |title='''Billy: The Early Years''' Opens Nationwide Today |date=October 13, 2008 |publisher=tn.gov |access-date=2009-08-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090820045740/http://news.tennesseeanytime.org/node/371 |archive-date=August 20, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Filming===
The film was shot in [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]] and [[Watertown, Tennessee]]<ref name="TCP1">{{cite journal| last=Riley| first=Jennifer |title =Film on Billy Graham's Life in Production |journal =[[The Christian Post]]| date=May 7, 2008|url= http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080507/film-on-billy-graham-146-s-life-in-production/index.html| access-date = July 31, 2009}}</ref> with a production budget of $3.6 million.<ref name="LATimes">{{cite journal|last =Roston | first =Tom | title =An Odd Career Twist for a Former Screen Heartthrob | journal =[[Los Angeles Times]] | date=October 12, 2008|url =http://articles.latimes.com/2008/oct/12/entertainment/ca-benson12. | access-date =January 11, 2009}}</ref>

==Release==

===Marketing===
Advance screenings were held throughout the [[Bible Belt]] in Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, Missouri, Tennessee, Florida, Kentucky, Virginia and Arkansas.<ref>{{cite journal| last =Kimball | first =Josh | title =Billy Graham Taps Bible Belt for Grassroots Support| journal =[[The Christian Post]] | date=August 12, 2008|url =http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080812/billy-graham-movie-taps-bible-belt-for-grassroots-support/index.html | access-date =August 8, 2009 }}</ref> [[Thomas Nelson (publisher)|Thomas Nelson]] published a novelization, ''Billy: The Untold Story of a Young Billy Graham and the Test of Faith that Almost Changed Everything'', written by McKay and Ken Abraham.

===Reception===
''Billy: The Early Years'' opened on October 10, 2008, less than a month before Graham's 90th birthday, grossing $192,042 in 282 theaters during its opening weekend. The film would eventually gross a total of $347,328.<ref>{{cite web | url =http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=billyearlyyears.htm | title = Billy: The Early Years of Billy Graham | work = [[Box Office Mojo]] | access-date = 2009-08-04}}</ref> In response to the film's box office reception, Mortorff said that ''[[Fireproof (film)|Fireproof]]'', an evangelical film which had been released around the same time, might have unintentionally hurt the film.<ref name="CTI">{{cite journal| last =Chattaway | first =Peter T.|author2=Moring, Mark | title ='Fireproof' Is Hot | journal =[[Christianity Today]] | date=November 11, 2008|url =http://www.ctlibrary.com/ct/2008/december/1.20.html | access-date =September 17, 2009}}</ref> Mortorff also said that his team was planning a "second wave" of theatrical releases and looking forward to recovering its losses through DVD sales and TV deals.<ref name="CTI"/>

Although Billy Graham's son, [[Franklin Graham]], criticized the film, Gigi Graham, eldest daughter of Billy Graham, supported the film, saying that the film has the "Gospel of Jesus in there" and is "positive toward my parents and their ministry."<ref>{{cite journal| last =Moring | first =Mark | title =Franklin Graham Criticizes Film About His Dad | journal =[[Christianity Today]] | date=August 21, 2008|url =http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/augustweb-only/134-41.0.html?start=3 | access-date =December 25, 2008}}</ref> In a review of the film, critic Roger Moore commented that a "bland leading man in a movie without much of a biographical spark to it makes for a dull sermon indeed."<ref>[http://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/movies/orl-movie-review-billy-early-years-100808-story.html Movie review: 'Billy: The Early Years' -- 2 of 5 stars]</ref>

A [[Christian Broadcasting Network|CBN]] review said the film had "a simple and unassuming charm about it, much like the man it honors."<ref>Elliott, Belinda. "''Billy: The Early Years'': Movie Review". [[Christian Broadcasting Network]]. 2008-12-25 http://www.cbn.com/entertainment/screen/ElliottB_Billy-Early-Years.aspx.</ref>

==Award nominations==
At the Epiphany Awards, Hammer's performance received a Grace Award nomination for most inspiring performance in movies & TV.<ref>{{cite news|last=Kimball|first=Josh|title='Epiphany Prize' Nominees for Most Inspiring Movie, TV Program Announced|url=https://christianpost.com/article/20090206/-epiphany-prize-nominees-for-most-inspiring-movie-tv-program-announced/|access-date=December 3, 2010|newspaper=The Christian Post|date=February 6, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181205103254/https://www.christianpost.com//article/20090206/-epiphany-prize-nominees-for-most-inspiring-movie-tv-program-announced/|archive-date=December 5, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Billy: The Early Years (soundtrack)|''Billy: The Early Years'' soundtrack]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
*[http://www.billytheearlyyears.com/ Official website]
*{{IMDb title|id=1213672|title=Billy: The Early Years}}
*{{AllMovie title|468228}}
*{{Mojo title|billyearlyyears}}
*[http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/billy?q=Billy:%20The%20Early%20Years/ ''Billy: The Early Years'']{{Dead link|date=October 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} at [[Metacritic]]
*{{Rotten Tomatoes|id=billy_the_early_years|title=Billy: The Early Years}}
*[https://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810003889/info/ ''Billy: The Early Years''] at [[Yahoo Movies]]

{{Billy Graham}}

[[Category:2008 films]]
[[Category:Films about evangelicalism]]
[[Category:2000s biographical films]]
[[Category:Films set in the 1930s]]
[[Category:Films set in the 1940s]]
[[Category:American films based on actual events]]
[[Category:American biographical films]]
[[Category:Billy Graham]]
[[Category:Films directed by Robby Benson]]
[[Category:2000s English-language films]]
[[Category:2000s American films]]
[[Category:English-language biographical films]]