For the film Dirty Little Billy, director Stan Dragoti focused on Billy the Kid’s childhood in a fictitious manner.

The film premiered at the San Francisco film festival on October 20th 1972, just five days before the official release date. The movie casts Michael J Pollard as Billy the Kid, Dran Hamilton as Catherine McCarty and Gary Busey as Mr. Crabtree.

After his family moves to Kansas City, teenager Billy Bonney finds he has no interest in farming and runs away. Billy joins up with local outlaw Goldie, and a prostitute named Berle. The trio begins menacing the locals until the town collectively decides to run the troublemakers out. Billy Bonney escapes and begins his life of crime.