8 Seconds 1994. New Line Cinema, New Line Home Video, Color, Aspect Ratio 2.35 : 1, 104 minutes, Rated PG-13 Release Date: February 25, 1994 8 Seconds is available at Amazon.com on DVD and VHS. Movie Synopsis: This film chronicles the life of Lane Frost (American rodeo legend and Bull Riding World Champion), his marriage, his friendships with fellow rodeo stars Tuff Hedeman (three-time World Champion) and Cody Lambert, and the events that lead to his death from a rodeo accident in 1989. Cast: Luke Perry, Stephen Baldwin, Red Mitchell, Cynthia Geary, Carrie Snodgress, James Rebhorn Director: John G. Avildsen Thoughts on the Movie: This is a very touching, yet, entertaining movie. True life stories have always intrigued me. In grade school I was always haunting our small library for a new biography, and that interest is something that has stayed with up to this day. I’m a sucker for bios. And this is an excellent one. 8 Seconds is such a warm story: if Lane Frost was anything like how he was portrayed here, what a great guy! I think Luke Perry was perfectly cast to play this amazing rodeo star, and he is 100% believable in the role. His two bullriding pals are perfect, too. This sweet, inviting film has everything: an intense true life story (with some romantic overtones), extensive travel on the rodeo circuit, and plenty of exciting bullriding action, which is what Lane Frost was all about. Over the years, I have recommended this movie to family and friends, because I know there’s no doubt they will love it as much as I do. 8 Seconds is not just a beautiful tribute to a special man, it is storytelling at its finest. ~Jean Location Site: Val Verde County Fairgrounds, Del Rio, Texas (see Map) The rodeo scenes for 8 Seconds were filmed at the Val Verde County Fairgrounds. The venue is located at 2001-2099 North Main Street, Del Rio, Texas. There is still plenty of rodeo action each year at the fairgrounds. In fact, during the 2011 rodeo season, about 80 Airmen and civilians from the Laughlin Air Force Base donated their time to help with duties such as checking tickets and working the concession stand, to give the military a chance to interact with the community of Del Rio. About Del Rio, Texas: Del Rio, Texas (population 4,286; elevation 1,007 feet; 29° 22’ 15” N, 100° 53’ 45” W) is located at the junction of I-277 and TX 95 in southwest Texas, less than 5 miles from the Mexico border. Del Rio is approximately 100 miles due west of San Antonio. Right: Real bullriding at the Val Verde County Fairgrounds in Del Rio, Texas. This was one of the locations for the bio-pic “8 Seconds.” Del Rio is the principal city of the Del Rio Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Val Verde County. Located across from Del Rio, in the Mexican state of Coahuila, is the city of Ciudad Acuna. Del Rio lies on the northwestern edges of the Tamaulipan mezquital, also called the south Texas brush country. It is also near the southwestern corner of the Edwards Plateau, which is the western fringe of the famous, oak savanna-covered Texas Hill Country. That area is dotted with numerous small springs; one of these is the San Felipe Springs, which provide a constant flow of water to San Felipe Creek. The creek supplied fresh water for drinking and irrigation to early settlers of Del Rio, and the springs are still the town’s water supply. Del Rio is also home to Laughlin Air Force Base, the busiest pilot training base in the United States Air Force. Local Attractions: George Paul Memorial Bullriding Superbull The George Paul Memorial Bullriding Superbull takes place in Del Rio every April. This is the largest bullriding event in the United States, drawing folks to participate from all over the country. The Superbull event is named in memory of George Paul, who was born and grew up in Del Rio. Sadly, he was killed in an airplane accident in 1970, at the age of 23, ending what many in pro rodeo believe could have been the greatest professional bull riding career of all time. The 2002 Superbull marked 25 years of George Paul Memorial Bullriding. Past champions have included Denny Flynn, Lane Frost, Cody Lambert, Tuff Hedeman, and Jerome Davis. The Paul family produces the Superbull each year at the Val Verde County Fairgrounds. Right: The rough and tumble desert scenery just west of Del Rio, Texas. A perfect spot to tell the “bullriding tale” of the life of rodeo star, Lane Frost. Bird Watching Bird watching is a major draw for the Del Rio area, especially in winter, when many species of birds migrate south and settle in Texas and Coahuila (Mexico). The Del Rio Chamber of Commerce, in cooperation with the Texas Department of Parks & Wildlife, maintains a checklist of the birds in the vicinity. There is also a bird watching tour once a month. Lodging & Dining: Villa Del Rio. 123 Hudson Drive, Del Rio, Texas One of the oldest mansions in West Texas (circa 1887), this hacienda-style villa, located near the Mexican border, features three guest rooms. Enjoy the shade of century-old trees on the fountain courtyard. A gourmet breakfast is served in the mornings. Lovely! Cripple Creek Saloon. US 90 West, Del Rio, Texas Outside the log cabin style building there’s a small animal farm to entertain the kids, while the kitchen serves entrees that include a variety of mesquite-grilled steaks, swordfish steaks, lobster, shrimp, king crab, catfish, frog legs, and quail. Right: Rodeo bullriding champion, Lane Frost, with his good friend, Tuff Hedeman. Movie Trivia: • 8 Seconds is also known as “8 Seconds to Glory” and “The Lane Frost Story.” • The title, “8 Seconds,” refers to how long the rider has to stay on the bull in order not to be disqualifed. In order to be scored, the rider has to stay on for eight seconds. Lane Frost, did this many times, becoming the best bull rider in history. • Red Rock is the bull that had thrown off more than 309 cowboys, including Lane Frost. Yet, Lane eventually set a world record by riding Red Rock for the full eight seconds, being the only cowboy to do so. Lane was not hurt by Red Rock. As a matter-of-fact, Red Rock was well-liked by the bull riders because he went out of the way to make sure he didn’t step on a fallen rider; one time falling over sideways to avoid stepping on one. Red Rock was not mean. • After Lane was killed, John Growney, the owner of Red Rock, decided to never let another bull rider sit on Red Rock’s back, in honor of Lane and the “Challenge of the Champions.” In the early 1990s, he was approached by a few people that wanted to set up another “challenge” between Red Rock and Ty Murray. But John respectfully declined. Red Rock died on June 8, 1994, on the Growney Ranch in Red Bluff, California. He was 18, and apparently suffered a stroke and died while the vet was attending to him. Right: Lane Frost (Luke Perry) celebrates a win during one of the many rodeo scenes in “8 Seconds.” • At the time of filming, a bronze memorial statue of Lane Frost riding a bull was dedicated at the Frontier Days Park in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Luke Perry attended the dedication, as did Frost’s parents and widow. • Lane Frost was killed on July 30, 1989, after successfully riding his bull, “Takin’ Care of Business,” at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo, one of the largest in the country. The bull charged him, and broke his ribs, which severed an artery. In reality, neither Lane’s wife, nor his parents, were in attendence at the time of the accident. The bull was not destroyed, sold or retired after it killed Lane. The bull’s name was later changed, and was ridden in the 1989 and 1990 National Rodeo Finals. The bull was then retired from the rodeo circuit in the mid-1990s, and died in 1999, almost 10 years to the day of Lane’s death. • The poem that Cody Lambert (Red Mitchell) reads on the way to Cheyenne, is actually a shortened collection of stanzas from a poem called “Legacy of a Rodeo Man” by Baxter Black. • When Lane’s parents were first contacted about doing a movie about his life, the first person they contacted was George Michael, a popular sportscaster, and a man that had followed and reported on Lane’s rodeo career. He served as a mediator between the Frosts and the movie makers. The script that was finally chosen for the movie was not the one that the Frosts liked the best. And they had been given four scripts to review. Luke Perry portrayed Lane as best as he could in respect for Lane’s parents, who attended most of the shooting of the movie. Right: Luke Perry stars as rodeo bullriding champion, Lane Frost, in the dramatic bio-pic “8 Seconds.” • Clyde Frost, Lane’s father, is not like the father in the movie. According to one of Lane’s friends, “If there was anyone proud of Lane, it was Clyde. Lane didn't have to prove himself to Clyde, he had his approval from the start.” The misrepresentation of Clyde Frost bothers Luke Perry to this day. Says Perry: “The portrayal of my character’s father in that film, and it was a true life story, it portrayed him as being much harsher in his relationship with his son than ever he truly was. And somehow through all of the small day-to-day battles that one has on a movie set, with the creative powers that be on some level, that got by me. And I feel that in that film we misrepresented to the world the depth of the emotion, and the love and compassion of a man named Clyde Frost. And when you drop the ball, as I feel we dropped the ball there, it doesn’t go away.” • Luke Perry dislocated his shoulder during the filming of 8 Seconds. • Tuff Hedeman’s real name is Richard Hedeman. He got the nickname “Tuff” when he was little, because he and got his finger slammed in a car door and he didn’t cry. • The final scene of the film shows Tuff Hedeman, later in the same year of Lane’s death, at the National Finals Rodeo, riding for the world championship. After the eight second bell sounds, Hedeman continues to ride and stays on an additional eight seconds as a tribute to his fallen best friend. And this actually did happen. • Frost family friend, George Michael, said of Lane Frost: “It’s very hard to take a person like Lane and make it into a movie, because to tell you the truth, nobody would believe if we told you the whole story. So let me just say that he was one of the greatest bull riders I ever met, and he was one of the most likable guys I ever met.” Right: A romantic scene featuring Cynthia Geary and Luke Perry in “8 Seconds,” the 1994 film biography of rodeo bullriding champion, Lane Frost. • 8 Seconds was Cynthia Geary’s first theatrical film. She is best known, however, for her portrayal of Shelly Tambo on the hit television series, Northern Exposure. • Director John G. Avildsen also directed Rocky and The Karate Kid. • At the end of 8 Seconds, there is seven minutes of footage of the real Lane Frost, during the credits and the ending song. • Other films shot in Del Rio, Texas, include: The Alamo (1959), Two Rode Together (1960), The Sugarland Express (1974), Lonesome Dove (1988), Bad Girls (1993), Like Water for Chocolate (1993), and From Dusk Till Dawn (1996). Character Quote: “Bulls don’t want nuthin’ to do with ya. They just wanna buck you off and get on with their business.” ~Lane Frost (Luke Perry)