- Billy Redden
Billy Redden (born
1956 inRabun County, Georgia ) is an Americanactor best known for his role as Lonnie—the "banjo kid"—in the 1972 movie "Deliverance ".Redden, then sixteen, earned his role in "Deliverance" during a casting call at Clayton Elementary School in
Clayton, Georgia . To add authenticity and humor to the film, the filmmakers found Redden to fit the look of theinbred andmentally retarded banjo boy called for by the book, although Redden himself is neither. The scene depicts Redden playing the instrumental "Dueling Banjos " opposite actorRonny Cox on guitar. Because Redden could not really play the banjo, another young banjo player knelt behind him and reached around his chest to reach the banjo, with Redden wearing a specially made shirt that made the man's arms appear to be his own. Additionally, the shot was filmed from angles that made it impossible to see the musician behind Redden on the porch.At the end of the scene, the script called for Redden to harden his expression towards Drew Ballinger, Cox's character; however, Redden was unable to fake dislike for Cox. To solve the problem they gotNed Beatty (whom Redden truly disliked) to step towards Redden at the close of the shot. As Beatty approached, Redden hardened his expression and looked away exactly as intended.Fact|date=November 2007Jon Voight claimed Redden "was a boy who had a genetic imbalance – a product of his mother and his brother, I think. He was quite amazing, a very talkative fellow." ["http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/film_reviews/article2483299.ece]Redden also appeared in
Tim Burton 's 2003 film "Big Fish ". Burton was intent on getting Redden, who hadn't appeared in a film since "Deliverance", to play the role of a banjo-playing welcomer in the utopian town of Spectre. Burton eventually found him in Clayton, Georgia, where Redden works as a cook, dishwasher and part-owner of the Cookie Jar Café.In 2004, Redden made a guest appearance on "
Blue Collar TV " playing an inbred car repairman named Ray in a "Redneck Dictionary" skit, for the word "raisin bread"(Ray's-Inbred) . When he was shown, he was playing a banjo.Notes
External links
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* cite news
url = http://www.theclaytontribune.com/articles/2004/10/07/news/news02.txt
title = Another celebrity appearance for Rabun star
date = Thursday, October 7, 2004
author = Blake Spurney (News Editor)
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