Urban Cowboy Trivia
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This Urban Cowboy trivia quiz has 50 free questions with answers and covers the 1980 film that put a mechanical bull in every honky-tonk: Bud Davis arriving in Pasadena, Texas, for a refinery job, meeting Sissy at Gilley's, the marriage, the bull, the ex-con Wes Hightower, Pam the oilman's daughter, Uncle Bob's death and the $5,000 rodeo contest. It also covers the Esquire article and real couple behind the story, director James Bridges, the cast including Scott Glenn, Madolyn Smith and Barry Corbin, the cameos by Mickey Gilley, Johnny Lee, Charlie Daniels and Bonnie Raitt, the triple-platinum soundtrack, Gilley's Club itself and the 'Urban Cowboy movement' that boomed country music and line dancing. Early questions suit anyone who has two-stepped to Lookin' for Love; later ones reward fans who know the choreographer, the Broadway musical and how Gilley's met its end. Every answer was checked against encyclopaedia entries before publishing. No lyrics are quoted.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Who directed Urban Cowboy?
James Bridges
He was a two-time Oscar nominee for writing The Paper Chase and The China Syndrome.
Q 02What is the full name of John Travolta's character?
Buford 'Bud' Davis
He moves to Pasadena, Texas, hoping to earn enough to buy land back home in Spur.
Q 03Who plays Sissy?
Debra Winger
The role earned her a BAFTA nomination and two Golden Globe nominations, including Best New Star.
Q 04In which Texas city is Gilley's, the honky-tonk at the heart of the film?
Pasadena
Just outside Houston; the club was the size of a football field.
Q 05Where does Bud get a job when he arrives in town?
An oil refinery
His uncle Bob works there; Bob is later killed in an explosion at the plant.
Q 06What is the name of Bud's hometown, where he wants to buy land?
Spur
He never quite makes it back there over the course of the film.
Q 07What do Bud and Sissy buy after marrying?
A mobile home
They settle into working by day and dancing at Gilley's by night.
Q 08What does Bud forbid Sissy from doing early in the marriage?
Riding the mechanical bull
She learns in secret from Wes and rides it better than he does.
Q 09Who is Wes Hightower?
A paroled convict hired to run the mechanical bull
Scott Glenn plays him with a menace that ends in a robbery attempt.
Q 10Which actor plays Wes Hightower?
Scott Glenn
He would go on to The Right Stuff and The Silence of the Lambs.
Q 11How does Bud break his arm?
Wes swings the mechanical bull around hard
He then cannot work, which is why the $5,000 bull-riding prize matters so much.
Q 12Who is Pam, the woman Bud takes up with after throwing Sissy out?
A rich oilman's daughter
Madolyn Smith plays her; she eventually tells Bud to go back to Sissy.
Q 13What does Pam do with the note Sissy leaves for Bud at the trailer?
Throws it away
Bud assumes Pam did the cleaning and the reconciliation is delayed.
Q 21Whose mother choreographed Urban Cowboy, launching her film career?
Patrick Swayze's
Patsy Swayze ran a Houston dance studio.
Q 22Which Houston restaurant chain gave Travolta a private corner during filming?
Ninfa's
He used the Westheimer Road location.
Q 23Which Johnny Lee song from the soundtrack hit No. 1 on the country chart and No. 5 on the Hot 100?
Lookin' for Love
Wanda Mallette, Bob Morrison and Patti Ryan wrote it; Lee even cut a Spanish version.
Q 24Which soul standard did Mickey Gilley take to No. 1 on the country chart thanks to the film?
Q 14How much is the prize in Gilley's mechanical-bull riding contest?
$5,000
Bud trains with his uncle, a former rodeo champion, despite his cast.
Q 15How does Bud's uncle Bob die?
A refinery explosion
Barry Corbin plays Bob; Aunt Corene insists Bud still compete in the contest.
Q 16What is Wes doing at the climax while Sissy waits in the car?
Robbing Gilley's office at gunpoint
The stolen money spills from his jacket during the fight with Bud.
Q 17The film was adapted from an article in which magazine?
Esquire
Aaron Latham wrote it about Gilley's regulars Dew Westbrook and Betty Helmer.
Q 18What were the names of the real Gilley's couple who inspired Bud and Sissy?
Dew Westbrook and Betty Helmer
Texas Monthly checked in on Westbrook again in 2001.
Q 19Roughly how much did Urban Cowboy gross in the United States?
$47 million
Far below Saturday Night Fever's $94 million and Grease's $188 million, but a recovery from Moment by Moment.
Q 20Which Travolta hit did critics call Urban Cowboy a country version of?
Saturday Night Fever
Both centre on a young man whose life revolves around a nightclub.
Stand by Me
The film revived Gilley's career after years in cousin Jerry Lee Lewis's shadow.
Q 25Which Anne Murray ballad from the soundtrack became her fifth country No. 1?
Could I Have This Dance
She later re-recorded it as a duet with Amy Grant.
Q 26Which Charlie Daniels Band hit from an earlier year was on the soundtrack?
The Devil Went Down to Georgia
The Eagles' 'Lyin' Eyes' was another older hit included.
Q 27Which Boz Scaggs song from the film reached No. 3 on the adult contemporary chart?
Look What You've Done to Me
Kenny Rogers' 'Love the World Away' reached No. 4 country.
Q 28What RIAA certification did the soundtrack reach in December 2018?
Triple platinum
Three million copies, nearly forty years after release.
Q 29Which dance craze is credited to the film's grid-style choreography?
Line dancing
The formal grid was adapted from square dancing so audiences could see the choreography clearly.
Q 30Which music impresario co-produced the film with Robert Evans and wove the soundtrack together?
Irving Azoff
He managed the Eagles at the time.