View source for Urban Cowboy

{{short description|1980 film by James Bridges}}
{{For|the Broadway musical of the same name|Urban Cowboy (musical)}}
{{distinguish|Midnight Cowboy}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| name        = Urban Cowboy
| image       = Urban cowboy Poster.jpg
| caption     = Theatrical release poster
| alt         =
| director    = [[James Bridges]]
| screenplay  = James Bridges<br />[[Aaron Latham]]
| story       = Aaron Latham
| starring    =
{{plainlist|
* [[John Travolta]]
* [[Debra Winger]]
* [[Scott Glenn]]
* [[Madolyn Smith]]
* [[Barry Corbin]]
}}
| music       = [[Ralph Burns]]
| cinematography = [[Reynaldo Villalobos]]
| editing     = David Rawlins
| producer    = [[Irving Azoff]]<br />[[Robert Evans (producer)|Robert Evans]]<br />[[C. O. Erickson]] (executive producer)
| distributor = [[Paramount Pictures]]
| released    = {{Film date|1980|6|6}}
| runtime     = 135 minutes
| country     = United States
| language    = English
| gross       = $53.3 million
| budget      = $10 million<ref>Theater Owners Blame Box Office Blues This Summer on Lower Quality of Movies Wall Street Journal 8 July 1980: 15.</ref>
}}
'''''Urban Cowboy''''' is a 1980 American [[romance film|romantic]] [[Western film]] directed by [[James Bridges]]. The plot concerns the love-hate relationship between Buford "Bud" Davis ([[John Travolta]]) and Sissy ([[Debra Winger]]). The film's success was credited for spurring a [[Country music#Neocountry|mainstream revival of country music]].<ref name=AP>{{cite web |url=https://www.nbcdfw.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/country-music-hall-of-famer-charlie-daniels-dies-at-83/2401521/ |title=Country Rocker and Fiddler Charlie Daniels Dies at Age 83|agency=Associated Press |date=July 6, 2020  |publisher=NBC |access-date=2022-12-17}}</ref> Much of the action revolves around activities at [[Gilley's Club]], a football-field-sized [[honky tonk]] in [[Pasadena, Texas]].

==Plot==
Buford "Bud" Davis moves to [[Pasadena, Texas]] for an [[oil refinery]] job where his uncle, Bob Davis, works. Bud wants to earn enough money to buy land near his hometown of [[Spur, Texas|Spur]]. While staying with Bob and his family, Bud embraces the local nightlife, including [[Sherwood Cryer|Gilley's]], a popular Pasadena bar and nightclub.

There, Bud meets fellow Gilley's patron, Sissy. They marry soon after and buy a mobile home, settling into a routine of working during the day and socializing at Gilley's at night. Bud enjoys riding the [[mechanical bull]], but when Sissy wants to try, Bud forbids it.

Wes Hightower, a recently paroled convict and [[Texas Prison Rodeo|prison rodeo champion]], is hired to operate Gilley's mechanical bull. One evening, a drunken Bud becomes enraged when Wes flirtatiously tips his hat at Sissy. A fist fight ensues, with Wes besting Bud. Wanting to impress Bud, Sissy secretly spends time at Gilley's where Wes teaches her how to ride the mechanical bull. When Sissy successfully rides the bull, Bud is angry that she defied him. During Bud's ride, Wes intentionally swings the bull around hard, breaking Bud's arm. At home, Bud and Sissy argue. She claims that Bud is jealous because she rides the bull better than him, causing Bud to slap Sissy and throw her out of their mobile home. Some nights later, Bud sees Sissy at Gilley's and gives her a smile, but she ignores him. Bud angrily retaliates by dancing with Pam, the daughter of a rich oilman. Bud makes sure that Sissy sees them leaving together. Sissy moves in with Wes, who lives in a run-down trailer behind Gilley's.

Bud, unable to work while wearing an arm cast, wants to compete in Gilley's upcoming mechanical bull riding rodeo contest for the $5,000 prize. While Bud is training with his uncle, a former rodeo champion, Sissy stops by the mobile home to collect her belongings. While there, she cleans and leaves Bud a note saying she hopes they can get back together. Pam arrives as Sissy is leaving. She finds Sissy's note and throws it away. Bud arrives and thinks Pam did the cleaning. Sissy returns to Wes's trailer and catches him with Marshalene, who works at Gilley's. After Marshalene leaves, an angry Sissy throws a cigarette carton at him. Wes slaps Sissy and forces her to fix him a meal.

Bob urges Bud to reconcile with Sissy, citing how he nearly ruined his own marriage. Soon after, Bob is killed in a refinery explosion, devastating Bud. At the funeral, Sissy tells Bud that Wes was fired from Gilley's, and they are leaving for Mexico after Wes wins the contest.

Bud plans to skip the contest but changes his mind after his Aunt Corene insists that Bob would want him to compete. Bud out-scores Wes to win, but he is disappointed that Sissy is not there to see his victory. Pam realizes that Bud still loves Sissy and admits that it was Sissy who cleaned the mobile home and left him a note. Pam urges Bud to reconcile with Sissy before it is too late. As Sissy waits in her car, Wes sneaks into Gilley's main office armed with a pistol to steal the prize money. Bud finds Sissy in the parking lot and says that he loves her and apologizes for being stubborn and hitting her. After they reunite, Bud sees Sissy's bruised face. Furious, he goes after Wes. A fight ensues outside the bar. Wes drops his gun, and the stolen money falls from his jacket. Wes is apprehended while Sissy swears she knew nothing about Wes robbing the bar. She and Bud go home together.

==Cast==
{{div col}}
* [[John Travolta]] as Buford Uan "Bud" Davis
* [[Debra Winger]] as Sissy
* [[Scott Glenn]] as Wes Hightower
* [[Madolyn Smith]] as Pam
* [[Barry Corbin]] as Bob Davis
* Brooke Alderson as Corene Davis
* [[Cooper Huckabee]] as Marshall
* [[James Gammon]] as Steve Strange
* [[Mickey Gilley]] as himself
* [[Johnny Lee (singer)|Johnny Lee]] as himself
* [[Bonnie Raitt]] as herself
* [[Charlie Daniels]] as himself
* Ellen March as Becky
* Jessie La Rive as Jessie
* Connie Hanson as Marshalene
* [[Tamara Champlin]] as Gilley Background Vocalist
* Becky Conway as Gilley Background Vocalist
* [[Jerry Hall]] as Sexy Sister
* Cyndy Hall as Sexy Sister
* Howard Henson as himself
{{div col end}}

==Historical background and production==
The film's screenplay was adapted by [[Aaron Latham]] and [[James Bridges]] from an article by the same name in ''Esquire'' written by Latham. The original ''Esquire'' article centered on the romance between two of Gilley's regulars named Dew Westbrook and Betty Helmer. Westbrook and Helmer's relationship became the inspiration for the romance between John Travolta's and Debra Winger's characters "Bud" and "Sissy".<ref>{{cite journal| title=Dew Westbrook: The original Urban Cowboy is still looking for love| url=http://www.texasmonthly.com/story/dew-westbrook| journal=[[Texas Monthly]]| date=September 2001| access-date=2017-08-09| archive-date=2015-06-18| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150618022000/http://www.texasmonthly.com/story/dew-westbrook| url-status=live}}</ref> The movie was directed by Bridges. Some film critics referred to the movie as a country music version of ''[[Saturday Night Fever]]''. The film grossed almost $47 million in the United States alone and represented a temporary recovery for Travolta from 1978's poorly received ''[[Moment by Moment]]'', but the film was not nearly as successful as either ''Saturday Night Fever'' ($94 million) or ''[[Grease (film)|Grease]]'' ($188 million). While filming ''Urban Cowboy'', Travolta had a private corner at the [[Westheimer Road]] location of the [[Ninfa's]] restaurant chain in [[Houston]].<ref name="Huynh">{{cite news| last=Huynh| first=Dai| url=https://www.chron.com/news/houston-deaths/article/Restaurateur-Mama-Ninfa-dies-2018351.php| title=Restaurateur Mama Ninfa dies| work=[[Houston Chronicle]]| date=June 18, 2001| page=A1| access-date=2017-08-09| archive-date=2017-08-10| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810090852/http://www.chron.com/news/houston-deaths/article/Restaurateur-Mama-Ninfa-dies-2018351.php| url-status=live}}</ref> ''Urban Cowboy'' was the first motion picture to be choreographed by [[Patsy Swayze]], which launched her career as a film choreographer.<ref name=latimes>{{cite news| first=Devin| last=Kelly| title=Patsy Swayze, mother of Patrick Swayze, dies at 86| url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-patsy-swayze-dies-20130918,0,4641419.story| work=[[Los Angeles Times]]| date=September 18, 2013| access-date=2017-08-09| archive-date=2014-04-24| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140424193754/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-patsy-swayze-dies-20130918,0,4641419.story| url-status=live}}</ref>

==Critical reception and legacy==
The film received generally positive reviews from critics. On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film received a 70% "Fresh" rating based on 23 reviews.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/urban_cowboy/ |title=Urban Cowboy |publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=2022-08-12 |archive-date=2017-11-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171128154253/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/urban_cowboy |url-status=live }}</ref> "''Urban Cowboy'' is not only most entertaining but also first-rate social criticism," said [[Vincent Canby]] of ''[[The New York Times]]''.<ref name=canby>{{cite news| url=http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=940DE0D81238F932A25755C0A966948260| work=[[The New York Times]]| date=June 11, 1980| author-link=Vincent Canby| first=Vincent| last=Canby| title=John Travolta, Urban Cowboy| access-date=May 29, 2012| archive-date=April 30, 2021| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210430234400/https://www.nytimes.com/reviews/movies| url-status=live}}</ref>  ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' wrote: "Director James Bridges has ably captured the atmosphere of one of the most famous chip-kicker hangouts of all: Gilley's Club on the outskirts of Houston."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117796057?refcatid=31/ |title=Review: Urban Cowboy |work=Variety |date=December 31, 1979 |access-date=2017-08-09}}</ref>

The film gave Pasadena and Houston a brief turn under the Hollywood spotlight. [[Andy Warhol]], [[Jerry Hall]] and many other celebrities attended the premiere in Houston.<ref name="houstonpress">{{cite web| url=http://www.houstonpress.com/arts/urban-cowboys-and-gilleys-nightclub-looking-back-35-years-7412997| title=A Look Back at How Gilley's and Urban Cowboy Affected the Houston Area| work=[[Houston Press]]| date=May 8, 2015| first=Chris| last=Lane| access-date=2017-08-09| archive-date=2017-08-10| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810091119/http://www.houstonpress.com/arts/urban-cowboys-and-gilleys-nightclub-looking-back-35-years-7412997| url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="chron">{{cite news| url=https://www.chron.com/entertainment/slideshow/Looking-back-on-the-Houston-premiere-Urban-110153/photo-8016991.php| work=Houston Chronicle| access-date=2017-08-09| title=Looking back on the Houston premiere "Urban Cowboy" 35 years later| date=May 20, 2015| first=Craig| last=Hlavaty| archive-date=2017-08-10| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810130513/http://www.chron.com/entertainment/slideshow/Looking-back-on-the-Houston-premiere-Urban-110153/photo-8016991.php| url-status=live}}</ref> [[Mickey Gilley]]'s career was revived after the film release, and the soundtrack started a music movement.<ref>{{cite magazine| url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/inside-country-musics-polarizing-urban-cowboy-movement-20150612| title=Inside Country Music's Polarizing 'Urban Cowboy' Movement| magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]| first=Marissa R.| last=Ross| date=June 12, 2015| access-date=September 17, 2017| archive-date=September 6, 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170906171021/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/inside-country-musics-polarizing-urban-cowboy-movement-20150612| url-status=live}}</ref>

As a result of the film's success, there was a [[Country music#Neocountry|mainstream revival of country music]].<ref name=AP/> The formal grid dancing style used in the film, adapted from square dancing to give a clear visual display of choreography to an audience, birthed the phenomenon of Line Dancing, which is now the defining term and method for teaching and categorising many dance styles which predated it, from country dance to swing.  The term "Urban Cowboy" was also used to describe the soft-core country music of the early 1980s epitomized by [[Kenny Rogers]], [[Dolly Parton]], [[Johnny Lee (singer)|Johnny Lee]], [[Mickey Gilley]], [[Janie Frickie]] and other vocalists whose trademarks were mellow sounds of the sort heard in the movie. This sound became a trademark in country music from the early to mid '80s, in which record sales for the genre soared. The ingenious impactful weaving of highly accessible country music into the film's dramatic soundtrack fabric was largely attributable to the skills of music industry impresario [[Irving Azoff]], who co-produced the film with [[Robert Evans]].

==Soundtrack==
{{Main|Urban Cowboy (soundtrack)}}
The film featured a hit soundtrack album spawning numerous [[Hot Country Songs|Top 10 ''Billboard'' Country Singles]], such as #1 "[[Lookin' for Love]]" by [[Johnny Lee (singer)|Johnny Lee]], #1 "[[Stand by Me (Ben E. King song)|Stand by Me]]" by [[Mickey Gilley]], #3 ([[Adult Contemporary (chart)|AC chart]]) "[[Look What You've Done to Me]]" by [[Boz Scaggs]], #1 "[[Could I Have This Dance]]" by [[Anne Murray]] and #4 "[[Love the World Away]]" by [[Kenny Rogers]]. It also included songs that were hits from earlier years such as #1 "[[The Devil Went Down to Georgia]]" by the [[Charlie Daniels|Charlie Daniels Band]] and "[[Lyin' Eyes]]" by the [[Eagles (band)|Eagles]].  The film is said to have started the 1980s boom in pop-country music known as the "Urban Cowboy Movement", also known as Neo-Country or Hill Boogie. In December 2018, the soundtrack was certified triple platinum by the RIAA for sales of three million copies.<ref name=riaa>{{cite web|access-date=January 9, 2019|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&se=urban+cowboy#search_section|title=RIAA – Searchable Database: Urban Cowboy| website=[[Recording Industry Association of America]] |archive-date=September 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924112012/https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&se=urban+cowboy#search_section|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Proposed TV series adaptation==
On May 28, 2015, it was announced that [[20th Century Fox Television]] had teamed with [[Paramount Television]] to adapt ''Urban Cowboy'' into a television series, and set [[Craig Brewer]] to write and direct the pilot, as well as to executive produce the whole series.<ref name=May2015Variety>{{cite news| last1=Littleton| first1=Cynthia| title=Fox Developing 'Urban Cowboy' TV Remake with Craig Brewer, Paramount TV (Exclusive)| url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/urban-cowboy-tv-craig-brewer-fox-1201507267/| access-date=2017-08-09| work=Variety| date=May 28, 2015| archive-date=2017-06-27| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170627034302/http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/urban-cowboy-tv-craig-brewer-fox-1201507267/| url-status=live}}</ref> Chris Levinson was set as the showrunner and would also executive produce the series, along with [[Robert Evans (producer)|Robert Evans]] and [[Sue Naegle]]. In December, Fox cancelled the pilot.<ref>{{cite journal| title='Urban Cowboy' Pilot Not Going Forward At Fox| first=Nellie| last=Andreeva| date=December 11, 2015| url=https://deadline.com/2015/12/urban-cowboy-pilot-dead-fox-1201665654/| website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]| access-date=2017-08-09| archive-date=2017-09-06| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170906065346/http://deadline.com/2015/12/urban-cowboy-pilot-dead-fox-1201665654/| url-status=live}}</ref> On February 1, 2022, it was announced that a television adaptation was in development at [[Paramount+]], with [[James Ponsoldt]] serving as director and co-writer alongside [[Benjamin Percy]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=White|first1=Peter|title='Urban Cowboy' Series Adaptation In The Works At Paramount+|url=https://deadline.com/2022/02/urban-cowboy-series-adaptation-paramount-1234923977/|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|access-date=February 1, 2022|date=February 1, 2022}}</ref> There has been no new information since then.

==See also==
{{Portal|Texas|Film}}
* [[Country music]]
{{Clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote|Urban Cowboy}}
* {{IMDb title|id=0081696|title=Urban Cowboy}}
* {{ibdb show|id=11165|show=Urban Cowboy}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|id=urban_cowboy|title=Urban Cowboy}}
* {{Mojo title|urbancowboy}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070310225121/http://www.americantheatrewing.org/seminars/detail/urban_cowboy_04_03 Production: Urban Cowboy] – ''Working in the Theatre Seminar'' video at [[American Theatre Wing]].org, April 2003

{{James Bridges}}

[[Category:1980 films]]
[[Category:1980 romantic drama films]]
[[Category:American romantic drama films]]
[[Category:Country music films]]
[[Category:1980s English-language films]]
[[Category:Films directed by James Bridges]]
[[Category:Films set in Houston]]
[[Category:Films shot in Houston]]
[[Category:Paramount Pictures films]]
[[Category:Films based on newspaper and magazine articles]]
[[Category:Films about domestic violence]]
[[Category:Films produced by Robert Evans]]
[[Category:Films scored by Ralph Burns]]
[[Category:Rodeo in film]]<!--Mechanical bull riding is based on rodeos-->
[[Category:1980s American films]]
[[Category:English-language romantic drama films]]