By Rob Hunter, Published on March 18th, 2024
Welcome to Commentary Commentary, where we sit and listen to filmmakers talk about their work, then share the most interesting parts. In this edition, Rob Hunter revisits Rowdy Herrington’s Road House commentary.
Rowdy Herrington‘s Road House hit theaters in the summer of 1989, and while it wasn’t a bomb, it wasn’t a hit either. It came, and it went, but the years have been very kind to it since with the film finding new fans who enjoy its simplicity, its quotability, and its sweaty, bloody fun. A remake is due to hit Prime this month, and you should prepare yourself now to start hearing people bash it deference to the original “classic.” As someone who very much enjoys Herrington’s film, I’m content calling it a B-movie blast with its lone hero who’s new to town, the big bad villain and his army of cronies, and its explosive, throat-ripping finale. The film is a home video mainstay, and it recently got the 4K UHD treatment from the folks at Vinegar Syndrome and a slick special edition from the Australian label, Imprint. Both releases are loaded with extras including an older commentary track from Herington. So of course, before sitting down next week to watch the remake, I decided to give the track a listen. Keep reading to see what I heard on the commentary track for…
Road House (1989)
Commentator: Rowdy Herrington (director)
- The neon sign that opens the film was created by the film’s art department specifically for this crane shot. The actual bar’s name is The Arsenal.
- “For this shot, I had asked the producer to find a girl who had great legs,” he says, regarding the woman who we see exit the Ferrari and then follow towards the club. They brought in an Italian model who specialized in stocking ads and such.
- He feels very fortunate to have gathered such a stellar cast here including Patrick Swayze who was hot off Dirty Dancing (1987), Kelly Lynch who was actually under contract with United Artists, Sam Elliott, Kevin Tighe, and many more.
- Herrington requested that all of the actors who get into fights here actually knew how to fight, and then the fifty-plus stunt performers and fight choreography by the great Benny Urquidez helped push the brawls over the top. The fight legend has a cameo during the monster truck scene at the car dealership.
- He sings the praises of legendary cinematographer Dean Cundey, and he loves that they shot it in Panavision anamorphic widescreen.
- There was some pushback when Herrington chose a Mercedes for Dalton’s (Swayze) fancy car. “It’s a rather expensive car to shoot over a wall and explode.” The beater car, by contrast, was chosen simply for its cool headlights.
- The Double Deuce bar, seen first at 7:35 from the outside, is actually just a facade. They built those two visible sides with lighting in the windows, but there’s nothing behind it. The interior of the bar was built on a soundstage. Red’s Auto Parts shop across the parking lot is also a two-walled facade.
- The script called for a blind guitarist who played the instrument in his lap, and it was a direct reference to Jeff Healey who writer David Lee Henry had seen perform in Canada. The film’s music supervisor actually brought in Healey to audition, and he obviously got the job.
- The mustachioed bartender, Pat, is played by John Doe of the band X.
- “Obviously, I didn’t write this scene,” he says as the sweaty prick offers the other sweaty jerk the chance to kiss his girl’s breasts for ten buck a pop.
…and more.
