Urban Cowboy

19801980
PGPG
2h 12min

Urban Cowboy (1980)

Bud is a young man from the country who learns about life and love in a Houston bar.

Play trailer3:05

Drama Romance Western

Bud is a young man from the country who learns about life and love in a Houston bar.Bud is a young man from the country who learns about life and love in a Houston bar.Bud is a young man from the country who learns about life and love in a Houston bar.

Director
- James Bridges
Writers
- Aaron Latham(story "The Ballad of the Urban Cowboy")
- James Bridges(screenplay by)
Stars

See production, box office & company info

See production, box office & company info

Awards
- 6 nominations total

Videos1

Trailer

John Travolta at an event for Urban Cowboy (1980)

Urban Cowboy (1980)

1 sheet

Urban Cowboy (1980)

John Travolta in Urban Cowboy (1980)

John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever (1977)

John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever (1977)

Urban Cowboy (1980)

Urban Cowboy (1980)

Urban Cowboy (1980)

Urban Cowboy (1980)

Urban Cowboy (1980)

Director
- James Bridges
Writers
- Aaron Latham(story "The Ballad of the Urban Cowboy") (screenplay by)
- James Bridges(screenplay by)
All cast & crew

See production, box office, & company info

An Officer and a Gentleman

7.0

An Officer and a Gentleman

Saturday Night Fever

6.8

Saturday Night Fever

Urban Cowboy: The Rise and Fall of Gilley's

7.8

Urban Cowboy: The Rise and Fall of Gilley's

Staying Alive

4.7

The Boy in the Plastic Bubble

5.7

The Boy in the Plastic Bubble

Mike's Murder

5.7

Coal Miner's Daughter

7.5

Coal Miner's Daughter

Perfect

4.5

Terms of Endearment

7.4

Terms of Endearment

Moment by Moment

3.0

Moment by Moment

Two of a Kind

4.7

American Gigolo

6.2

American Gigolo

Bud Davis is a country boy who moves to the city to visit his uncle and his family. He starts hanging out at Gilley's, the popular nightclub owned by Mickey Gilley himself. He takes a job at the oil refinery where his uncle works, hoping to save enough money to buy some land. He also meets a cowgirl named Sissy, they dance together, fall in love and suddenly get married. And then their marriage is shattered when Bud sees Sissy allegedly seeing con man Wes, who teaches her how to ride the mechanical bull... and plans to rob Gilley's. When a bull-riding contest at Gilley's is announced, Bud decides to sign up. Can he win the contest and save his marriage to Sissy? —watzdabigdeal <watzdabigdeal@aol.com>

thin attractive woman hillbilly white trash hick trashy 67 more

Taglines
- Hard hat days and honky-tonk nights.
Genres
Certificate
- PG
Parents guide

Trivia
Robert Evans sent Debra Winger back from location because he did not think she was attractive enough for the lead; it was only at the insistence of Director James Bridges that she did the role.

Goofs
The terrain of Houston/Pasadena Texas is very flat, yet as Bud and other characters are seen driving down his street in the trailer park, a significant range of hills is easily noticed in the background. (These scenes were filmed in a trailer park in a suburb of Los Angeles called Pico Rivera, California, and the hills are the San Gabriel Mountains.)

Quotes
[Bud is upset that Sissy left before he got the rodeo prize]
Pam: You did it for her; didn't you?
Bud: What?
Pam: Practicing, winning, all that, didn't you?
Bud: What are you talkin' about?
Pam: Because you sure didn't do it for me.
Bud: Pam, this ain't no time to start this with me, what are you talking about?
Pam: Look, I'm a shit, but I'm not that big a shit. I have to tell you something, remember when you came home from ridding on the bull that first time and the trailer was all clean and flowers around; I didn't do that, Sissy did it, she was there. She left you a note asking you to phone her. I tore it up, cause I was sorta jealous. I wanted to keep my cowboy. You don't love me Bud, and I don't really love you, not like that. So you shouldn't let her get away. But I tell you what, if you ever wanna make her jealous you know where I am.
Bud: I gotta go.

Alternate versions
The conversation that Bud has with Uncle Bob right before Bud shaves off his beard was cut for the VHS release.

Connections
Edited into The Kid Stays in the Picture (2002)

Soundtracks
Hello Texas
Written by Brian Collins and Robby Campbell
Performed by Jimmy Buffett
Lively Music/New Chenaniah (BMI)

Top review

7/10

Vinnie Barbarino does the Texas 2 Step

I bellied up to the bar expecting this to be a hot beer on a sweltering Texas day but was pleasantly surprised. After suffering through "Saturday Night Foolishness" I had no desire to see a re-make in some south Texas barnyard....and I didn't. John Revolta was good as the jealous redneck, Scott Glenn was well cast as a thuggie ex-con, and Debra Winger was, as always, a delight. *Love that woman* Plus, the soundtrack was dynamite [and this comes from a guy that can't stand the sound of country music]. A fun film all the way.

helpful•18

9

helpless_dancer
Mar 27, 2002

Release date
- June 6, 1980 (United States)
Country of origin
- United States
Languages
- English
- Spanish
Also known as
- The Urban Cowboy
Filming locations
- Toppers Steakhouse, 2408 Spencer Highway, Pasadena, Texas, USA
Production companies
- Paramount Pictures
- Robert Evans Company
See more company credits at IMDbPro

Gross US & Canada
- $46,918,287
Gross worldwide
- $46,918,287

See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

Runtime
- 2h 12min
Color
- Color
Sound mix
- Mono
Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1

Bruce Willis & John Travolta To Reteam For First Time Since ‘Pulp Fiction’ In ‘Paradise City’; Praya Lundberg Also Stars

Bruce Willis & John Travolta To Reteam For First Time Since ‘Pulp Fiction’ In ‘Paradise City’; Praya Lundberg Also Stars

May 14Deadline Film + TV

Notebook Primer: Debra Winger

Notebook Primer: Debra Winger

More to explore

View list

The Best Shows Returning in 2021

See the full list

Image caption not available

Everything We Know About 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings'

Watch the video

Recently viewed

Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.