49 Fun Facts About Urban Cowboy

Which director, fresh from The China Syndrome, made Urban Cowboy and co-wrote its script?

James Bridges filmed inside the real Gilley's rather than on a set, and the film's end credits thank the club for the use of its wide open indoor spaces.

John Travolta's Urban Cowboy character goes by Bud, but what is his given first name?

Buford 'Bud' Davis took real practice: Travolta had a mechanical bull installed at his Santa Barbara home and rode it for weeks before filming began.

Who plays Sissy, the wife of Travolta's Bud, in Urban Cowboy?

Debra Winger won the part in a toss-up with one other unknown, after both flew to Texas to dance with Travolta and ride the mechanical bull at Gilley's.

In which Texas city stood Gilley's, the vast honky-tonk at the heart of Urban Cowboy?

Pasadena was home to a club that took the name Gilley's over Mickey Gilley's own objection: his business partner insisted, because Gilley was the headline act.

In Urban Cowboy, where does Bud find work after leaving his small hometown?

An oil refinery is the point of the title: the magazine story behind the film found Texas's modern cowboys clocking in at chemical plants and riding a mechanical bull, not the range.

In Urban Cowboy, what is the name of Bud's West Texas hometown, where he hopes to buy land?

Spur is a real town, and the birthplace of the film's co-writer, who gave his hero the same roots.

In Urban Cowboy, where do Bud and Sissy live after their wedding?

A mobile home is where the newlyweds settle, and where Bud throws Sissy out after she rides the mechanical bull better than he does.

After Urban Cowboy opened in 1980, sales of what boomed across the United States?

Western wear became a costume for a night out, and the craze travelled: mechanical bulls turned up in bars as far away as Belgium, Sweden and South Africa.

What is Wes Hightower when Gilley's hires him to run its mechanical bull?

A convict out on parole, Wes was the star rider of a prison rodeo, which is why he outshines Bud on the machine until the final contest.

Which actor, later Jack Crawford in The Silence of the Lambs, plays Wes Hightower in Urban Cowboy?

Scott Glenn learned the mechanical bull well enough to do his own riding on camera, as did both of the film's leads.

How does Bud break his arm in Urban Cowboy?

Wes swings the mechanical bull around hard while Bud is trying to top Sissy's ride; with his arm in a cast Bud cannot work, which is why he enters the club's contest.

In Urban Cowboy, who is Pam, the woman Bud takes up with after throwing Sissy out?

A rich oilman's daughter, Pam is the one who finally sends Bud back to his wife: after the contest she sees he still loves Sissy and tells him to go to her.

In Urban Cowboy, what does Pam do with the note Sissy leaves for Bud at their home?

Throws it away: Pam also takes the credit for the cleaning Sissy did, so Bud only learns his wife wanted to make up when Pam confesses after the contest.

In Urban Cowboy, where does Wes plan to start a new life with the bull-riding prize money?

Mexico is where Wes means to start over once he wins, but Bud narrowly beats him to the prize, and Wes is caught before he can leave the club.

In Urban Cowboy, which former rodeo champion trains Bud for the bull-riding contest at Gilley's?

Uncle Bob urges Bud to swallow his pride and win Sissy back, then dies in an accident at work, leaving Bud to ride in his memory.

In Urban Cowboy's climax, what is Wes doing while Sissy waits in the car?

Robbing Gilley's office at gunpoint is Wes's answer to losing the contest: he takes the prize money anyway, but it spills from his jacket when Bud tackles him.

Urban Cowboy was adapted from a 1978 cover story in which magazine?

Esquire ran the story in September 1978, and within two months a music manager had bought the film rights and a director was attached.

Which Texas-born actor was the filmmakers' first choice to play Bud in Urban Cowboy?

Dennis Quaid was the first name in mind for Bud, but the part went to John Travolta once he had dropped out of American Gigolo.

Which Travolta hit did critics call Urban Cowboy a country version of?

Saturday Night Fever shares its origin too: both films grew out of magazine articles about a local nightlife scene, with Travolta as a young man who lives for the club.

Whose mother choreographed Urban Cowboy, launching her film career?

Patrick Swayze's mother, Patsy, ran a Texas dance school and taught Travolta the film's dances herself.

Travolta turned down American Gigolo before making Urban Cowboy; which actor took that role instead?

Richard Gere had been here before: his part in Days of Heaven was also one Travolta had been cast in and could not take.

Which Johnny Lee song from the Urban Cowboy soundtrack topped the country chart and reached No. 5 on the Hot 100?

Lookin' for Love went to Lee because he was a house act at the real Gilley's, and it became the film's theme, the song Bud and Sissy two-step to.

Which soul classic did Mickey Gilley take to No. 1 on the country chart thanks to Urban Cowboy?

Stand by Me, Ben E. King's 1961 hit, also carried Gilley into the pop top 30, as the film pushed country singles onto the Hot 100.

Which Anne Murray ballad from the Urban Cowboy soundtrack became a country No. 1 in 1980?

Could I Have This Dance reached the director while he was still filming, so it plays inside the story rather than over it, and it won Murray a Grammy.

Which 1979 Charlie Daniels Band hit was reused on the Urban Cowboy soundtrack?

The Devil Went Down to Georgia is played on screen by the band itself: Charlie Daniels and his group appear in the film as themselves.

Which Boz Scaggs ballad from Urban Cowboy reached No. 3 on the adult contemporary chart?

Look What You've Done to Me, co-written with David Foster, is the film's seduction ballad; Scaggs was a client of its co-producer, who put six of his own acts on the album.

Which Eagles guitarist had a solo hit with 'All Night Long' from the Urban Cowboy soundtrack?

Joe Walsh's hard-rock single reached No. 19 on the Hot 100; the album's producer wanted rock and pop names beside the country acts and kept hard-core country to a minimum.

In which Texas city did Urban Cowboy hold its June 1980 premiere before a party at Gilley's?

Houston's Gaylynn Theater hosted the screening, then the party moved to Gilley's itself, where the cast and studio executives joined the club's usual crowd.

Which music manager, then steering the Eagles, co-produced Urban Cowboy with Robert Evans?

Irving Azoff planned the soundtrack album before filming began, and it paid off: the double album reached No. 3 and spun off six top 40 singles.

The real Gilley's from Urban Cowboy sold its own brand of which drink?

Beer was only one line: the club's co-owner also put the Gilley's name on T-shirts, caps, belt buckles and even underwear.

What happened to the original Gilley's Club in 1990?

It burned to the ground after standing shut for a year: a jury had awarded Gilley $17 million in a feud with his business partner, and the club closed in 1989.

Mickey Gilley, the singer behind Gilley's, was a cousin of which two famous performers?

Jerry Lee Lewis and Jimmy Swaggart grew up alongside him in Louisiana; Gilley spent years in Lewis's shadow until the club and the film made his own name.

Which blues-rock singer appears as herself in Urban Cowboy?

Bonnie Raitt sings 'Don't It Make Ya Wanna Dance' on screen, and has two tracks on the soundtrack album.

Which model, then Mick Jagger's partner, plays one of the 'Sexy Sisters' in Urban Cowboy?

Jerry Hall was a genuine Texan among the Hollywood cast: the Paris catwalk star was born in Gonzales and went to high school near Dallas.

In what form did Urban Cowboy return in 2003, co-written by the film's original screenwriter?

A Broadway musical at the Broadhurst Theatre, it mixed songs from the film with new ones, drew poor reviews and closed after 60 performances.

What did the term 'Urban Cowboy' come to describe in early-1980s music?

Soft, pop-leaning country ruled for a few years, then provoked a reaction: the back-to-basics movement led by George Strait.

What drove the last days of the Urban Cowboy shoot off location and onto a studio soundstage?

Gunfire near the set in east Los Angeles, thought to come from a local gang, hurt nobody but shook Travolta, and the crew finished the film indoors.

In Urban Cowboy, what lands Sissy in the run-down trailer beside Gilley's?

She moves in with Wes after Bud throws her out and leaves the club with another woman, but later catches Wes with one of the Gilley's staff.

Which streaming service announced in 2022 that it was developing an Urban Cowboy TV series?

Paramount+ kept it in the family: the 1980 film was a Paramount release and the studio's TV arm was to produce; an earlier Fox pilot was dropped in 2015.

Which earlier Eagles hit was included on the Urban Cowboy soundtrack?

Lyin' Eyes, a 1975 hit, was an easy pick: the film's co-producer managed the Eagles, and the soundtrack came out on the band's own label, Asylum.

Which country superstar sang 'Love the World Away' on the Urban Cowboy soundtrack?

Kenny Rogers was the era's biggest crossover act: this single made the pop top 20 as well as No. 4 country, and 'Lady' followed it onto the Hot 100 months later.

Urban Cowboy was a comeback for Travolta after which poorly received 1978 film?

Moment by Moment, a romance with Lily Tomlin, flopped so badly that columnists were calling the 24-year-old Travolta a has-been.

What cushioned the floor around the mechanical bull at the real Gilley's?

Discarded mattresses, stacked two deep, ringed the bull, and the writer of the story behind the film landed on them himself when he tried a ride.

Which Texas businessman co-founded Gilley's with Mickey Gilley and installed its mechanical bull?

Sherwood Cryer, a former Shell welder, gave Gilley a diamond ring for every No. 1 record, yet the partners ended up in court and stopped speaking.

Which journalist wrote 'The Ballad of the Urban Cowboy' and then co-wrote the film it inspired?

Aaron Latham was put on the story by his editor, Clay Felker, and found his hook in a real couple: she could ride the club's mechanical bull better than he could.

Where did Urban Cowboy find most of the hundreds of extras for its club scenes?

Gilley's own regulars filled the dance floor, and some local workers changed their shifts or took holiday so they could appear in the background.

Which future Scarface star tested for the role of Sissy in Urban Cowboy but lost out?

Michelle Pfeiffer flew to Texas with one other finalist to dance with Travolta and ride the mechanical bull, but the part went to her rival.

Which instrument did Mickey Gilley play six nights a week as the house act at his namesake club?

Piano was his side of the bargain: his partner ran the business while Gilley, playing six nights a week from 1971, supplied the music.

Which singer opens the Urban Cowboy soundtrack album with a song called 'Hello Texas'?

Jimmy Buffett, the 'Margaritaville' singer, leads off a first side filled with names from the rock and pop charts; Gilley's own singers wait until side two.