On June 6, 1980, "Urban Cowboy" was released.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Sun Jun 14, 2020: On June 6, 1980, "Urban Cowboy" was released.

'Urban Cowboy' turns 40: Hats off to the movie that gave us John Travolta's first great comeback

Jim McKairnes Special for USA TODAY
Published 4:39 p.m. ET Jun. 4, 2020 | Updated 2:46 p.m. ET Jun. 6, 2020



John Travolta sidled up to the bar in a black hat and big buckle for 1980's "Urban Cowboy." PARAMOUNT/EVERETT COLLECTION

In a pop-culture year that’s offered one bronc after another, rein this one in: "Urban Cowboy," the honky-tonk-stirring, line-dancing, soundtrack-selling Western romance that teamed a post-"Grease" John Travolta with newcomer Debra Winger, turns 40 this Saturday.

And that’s no mechanical bull.

A quiet hit in a summer headlined by higher-profiles releases "The Shining," "The Empire Strikes Back" and "The Blues Brothers" – not to mention films targeting the same down-home audience, such as "Bronco Billy" and "Honeysuckle Rose" – "Urban Cowboy" rescued Travolta’s imperiled career, made a future three-time Oscar-nominated star of Winger, and launched a country-music crossover groundswell.

The drama is set against the backdrop of the Houston oil industry, focusing on Bud Davis (Travolta), a small-town newcomer to the big city, working refinery construction. But much of the action takes place inside Gilley’s Club, the rough-and-tumble local juke joint where he ends his long days and meets a feisty local named Sissy (Winger). The sparks that come from the combative coupling, along with the music that underscores it and the dance-floor moves that frame it, made the movie one of the summer's top films.

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Travolta trades in the dance floor for a mechanical bull in the 1980 film "Urban Cowboy." Paramount Pictures

It was considered 26-year-old Travolta’s comeback. Just two summers earlier, he was Hollywood’s biggest star after the back-to-back releases of "Saturday Night Fever" in December 1977 and "Grease" the following June. But his luster was tarnished by the Christmas 1978 release of "Moment by Moment," a box-office dud of a romance that teamed him with Lily Tomlin. The film was scorned and Travolta retreated in its wake.

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Urban Cowboy (7/9) Movie CLIP - Gilley's Rodeo Competition (1980) HD
446,584 views • Oct 6, 2011

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One more video clip:

Urban Cowboy (4/9) Movie CLIP - Sissy Rides the Bull (1980) HD
313,497 views • Oct 7, 2011

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Don't miss the HOTTEST NEW TRAILERS: http://bit.ly/1u2y6pr

Urban Cowboy



Theatrical release poster

Story by: Aaron Latham
Starring: John Travolta
Debra Winger
Scott Glenn
Madolyn Smith
Barry Corbin
Release date: June 6, 1980

Urban Cowboy is a 1980 American romantic western film directed by James Bridges. The plot concerns the love-hate relationship between Buford Uan "Bud" Davis (John Travolta) and Sissy (Debra Winger). The film captured the late 1970s/early 1980s popularity of country music. Much of the action centers around activities at Gilley's Club, a football-field-sized honky tonk in Pasadena, Texas.

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Scott Glenn was in the news recently, and I can't remember why.

Urban Cowboy on IMDb

[TexasBushwhacker]

1. UC trivia - the choreographer was Patsy Swayze

Mother of Patrick. She had a dance studio in Houston and was the go to choreographer for CW dance on films shot in Texas even before Patrick was famous. She was also the choreographer for "Hope Floats" starring Sandra Bullock and shot in Smithville, a small town about 40 miles SE of Austin.