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White Lightning is a 1973 American action film from United Artists about Robert "Gator" McKlusky. The film is the uncredited film debut of six-year-old Laura Dern. A sequel, Gator, was released in 1976 and is Burt Reynolds directorial debut.
An ex-con teams up with federal agents to help them with breaking up a moonshine ring.
After his release from prison, notorious ex-con and moonshine distiller Gator McKlusky moves in with his father in a cabin in the Okefenokee Swamp. His bootlegging plans are cut short, however, when a federal agent tells McKlusky that he will lose custody of his 9-year-old daughter unless he helps bring down local crime lord Bama McCall. McKlusky enlists the help of reporter Aggie Maybank and a few local eccentrics to bring down McCall's empire.