MYSTERY OF THE TEXAS TWOSTEP

CHAPTER THIRTY:

DUMB LUCK

Written by Rick Archer 

The restrooms were dirty.  The parking lot was full of potholes.  There was a pervasive odor of sweat and spilled beer.  The heat was terrible.  Even Mickey Gilley admitted the place was a dive. "It was filthy," he said. "When it rained, there was water in there. Try dancing in mud puddles.  When it got cold, it was cold in there.  When it got hot, it was hot in there. Sherwood Cryer made the club bigger, but he didn't make it better."

Gilley's was a very rough place. This rundown club was known for plenty of fighting.   It was no surprise the clientele preferred the 'Outlaw Country' sound because there were a lot of angry people who considered this place their personal fighting ring.  On any given Saturday, you might see more brawls than your average ice hockey match.  One regular said, "With all the lowlifes who come in and drink themselves silly, if they don't get into at least one scrap, they think their weekend is wasted."

Sherwood Cryer was once asked about the BIGGEST free-for-all he ever witnessed at his place.  One time a teacher's convention had come to Houston.  On a Saturday night a busload of men and women from all parts of the country had shown up to take in the Gilley's experience.  Like everyone else, the teachers were curious as the club's fame was beginning to soar. They all went to sit in one of the corners of the cavernous club.  Thanks to those bratty kids, teachers must have a lot of frustration to let go of. Pretty soon they began to have too much fun.  These teachers got liquored up and began to fight, first with each other, then they took on the regulars!  Uh oh.

The wizard goes to work

Starting the night Clay Felker visited Gilley's in June 1978, he waved his magic wand and said, "Let there be Country-Western Dancing in Houston, Texas!"  Nor do he stop there.  Before Felker was through, the entire country plus Russia and Mars knew Urban Cowboy was on its way. 

Why was this Gilley's story so urgent to Clay Felker?  If we recall, Felker called Aaron Latham at 3 am in the morning urging him to take the first flight to Houston.  I mean, really now, what's the hurry?  Couldn't it have waited a day or two?  Gilley's wasn't goin' anywhere.  Felker's reason is now apparent.  He had just discovered the opening he needed to make the next Saturday Night Fever.  This is what Felker had been waiting for.  Felker was about to make his score.  He didn't want to waste a single second.

Aaron Latham, writer:

"Felker knew exactly what he was doing.  Soon after the tale was published, sure enough, Hollywood came calling for the rights, which eventually went to Paramount Pictures. 

So many people wanted to buy it that I was able to get first crack at writing the script. Before long, I was taking transcontinental flights to that cruel city (Hollywood) that had abused the talents of Fitzgerald and Faulkner (but was nice to me).

Paramount couldn't wait.  They fast-tracked it.  Work on the movie began in December 1978, just two months after my story was published in Esquire."

So why did the Paramount moguls bite so fast?  They were on board from the moment 'Ready Set Go'.  The easy answer, of course, would be John Travolta.  But that would be incorrect.  From what I gather, Clay Felker sold the movie rights to Aaron Latham's Esquire story BEFORE John Travolta entered the picture.  How Felker managed to pull that off is beyond me.  Wish I could have been there to hear the sales pitch.  In my opinion, Felker's Herculean accomplishment alone justifies calling him 'The Wizard of Oz'. 
 

Personally, I was humbled by the man's star power.  A lot of my dance student friends told me they would not dream of going to see this movie if Travolta had not been in it.  However, now their curiosity was out of control.  Thanks to the media buzz, the entire city of Houston anticipated Travolta would do the same thing for Western dancing that he had done for Disco. 

Talk about charisma!  Well before the movie was released, Travolta was already selling clothes and soundtrack albums like crazy.  Nightclub businessmen throughout Houston were gambling small fortunes on the potential of a Travolta-inspired Western craze.  Nor was Travolta's effect limited to Houston.  Travolta inspired a change in 1980.  Not just a change in country music, but rather a change in the culture of the nation. 

As if by magic, cowboy hats and cowboy boots were showing up on Wall Street, in Times Square, on yachts at Cape Cod, in BMW's speeding down Sunset Boulevard.  In Manhattan three piece suits were replaced with Wrangler Jeans and open collar cowboy shirts.  No businessman worth his salt would dare appear in public without his new boots.  The chic martini set put aside their gin and ordered themselves a Lone Star beer just to prove they were Real Kickers at heart.  Yee haw, yippee-eye-yo, ride em', Cowboy! 

This scene was especially well coordinated here in Houston.  Men and women took leave of their senses and paraded around the city with unabashed pride in their outlandish country costumes.  Some of the weirdest outfits I have ever seen appeared with startling regularity in random places such as grocery stores, movie theaters and restaurants. 

Convinced that getting Travolta to star was a stroke of genius, I had to tip my hat to the Wizard on a daily basis.  However, the mystery of Travolta's presence continued to nag at me.  As I watched the hysteria reach fever pitch, I was desperate to understand how this unknown Wizard had persuaded John Travolta to star in this movie in the first place.  Considering Travolta's participation went totally against his image, I could not imagine what the actor's motivation had been to appear.  Yes, thanks to one brilliant move after another, Houston anticipated the coming Country Trend with supreme confidence.  But who was behind all of this?  These developments convinced me that signing John Travolta to do this movie was an act of sheer genius!   This opinion remained unchanged for 40 years. 

And then one day I learned the truth.  John Travolta had to BEG to be in this movie.

After Paramount agreed to film the movie, they never bothered to approach Travolta.  Why not?  The reason is obvious... Travolta was wrong for the part.  Another reason Paramount never approached Travolta is they probably assumed he would not be interested due to the Reverse Typecasting issue. 

According 'Urban Cowboy Turns 35', an article in Texas Monthly (June 2015, John Spong), the producers ruled Travolta out.

•  Jack Larson, Producer: "Director Jim Bridges hadn’t even thought of John; his first thought was Dennis Quaid."

•  Aaron Latham, Writer: "I thought it was crazy, a big mistake."

•  Dew Westbrook, Gilley's Romeo: "I told Jim Bridges and Paramount Pictures I didn’t think Travolta oughta play me.  Too Disco."

JOHN TRAVOLTA'S DARKEST DAY

It is 1976.  Robert Stigwood owns the movie rights to Grease.  He sees John Travolta in the TV show 'Welcome Back, Kotter' and immediately recognizes the young man is perfect for the lead in Grease.  Known for decisive action, Stigwood moves swiftly to secure Travolta to a three-movie million dollar contact. 

In the great Rollercoaster of life, Robert Stigwood enters his Brightest Day and takes his young protégé John Travolta along with him.  Together they take the best joy ride of their life, Saturday Night Fever and Grease.  However, as the Wheel of Fortune turns, they are both due for their Darkest Day to kick in (and so it does).  It all went back to the contract Travolta had signed with Robert Stigwood.  The contract called for Travolta to do three movies.  Saturday Night Fever, Grease, and, uh, yeah, that third Stigwood blockbuster.

Okay, Reader, can you name John Travolta's third Stigwood movie?   If you are stumped, don't feel bad.  I drew a compete blank and I bet you will too.  The odds of getting it right are slim and none.  But if you happen to know the answer off the top of your head, then I definitely want you on my Movie Trivia team. 

The main reason no one remembers Travolta's third Stigwood movie is because apparently no one ever saw it.  Well, maybe a few people saw it, but they won't admit it.  I've seen a couple clips and I don't blame them.  Okay, enough.  Either you've finished looking it up on Google or you're waiting for me to tell you.  So let's get to it. 

Moment by Moment (1978) with Lily Tomlin was Travolta's third Stigwood movie.  The movie was an unmitigated flop. 

"The only thing they have in common is each other."

What utter nonsense.  They had NOTHING IN COMMON.  Any two people off the street reading lines from the script would have been more effective.  Cast as a 'May-December' romance, Tomlin and Travolta were mismatched stars from the start.  They had the worst chemistry in cinematic history.  Tomlin did not click at all as Travolta's cougar girlfriend.  No sizzle, just fizzle.

However, the thing that catapulted this flick from mere flop to catastrophic failure was an unanticipated bad break.  Lily Tomlin bore an uncanny resemblance to Travolta in both facial structure and body type.  Making matters worse, their matching hair styles made the weird resemblance impossible to miss. 

On screen, Tomlin looked more like Travolta's mother than his girlfriend.  It did not help that Tomlin was 16 years older, thus making the mother-son connection a biological possibility. 

The moment their icky hot tub scene screamed 'Incest!', everyone in the theater got a bad case of the heebie-jeebies.  The movie was so creepy, droves of people got up and left.

The moment you look at the pictures and think 'Mother and Son', it is virtually impossible to see them as lovers without that incest thing screaming in your brain.  Like a bad odor, you cannot ignore it, you cannot put it out of your mind.  The Travolta-Tomlin resemblance was so painfully obvious, one would think the Director or someone would have noticed during the filming.  More likely everyone had the sense to look the other way, sort of like the 'Emperor's New Clothes'.  For crying out loud, will someone give Travolta a crew cut or stick a blonde wig on Tomlin?  Just the thought that Travolta was seducing his mother was enough to make the sex scenes unbearable to watch. 

The bad news was that no one went to see this movie.  The good news was that no one went to see this movie.  The movie was pulled from theaters as fast as humanly possible, but the ensuing criticism drove Travolta to madness.  Although his star power survived intact due to the movie's total anonymity, his tender ego was seriously damaged by the withering negativity. 

During the filming of Urban Cowboy, Rolling Stone writer Timothy White asked Travolta to comment on the Moment by Moment fiasco. 
(Rolling Stone, JULY 1980, John Travolta: True-Grit Tenderfoot)

Timothy White Interview Question: 

"John, Saturday Night Fever turned you into a cultural icon.  What was your reaction to the impact of Moment by Moment?”

Travolta:

"I think with Fever, people were evaluating my impact more than they were my acting.  As for Moment by Moment, my God, you would have thought I had committed murder or something!  It was serious trouble. 

And the weird thing was that everything in my life up to that point, well, I don’t know of a career that had gone more smoothly and successfully than mine.  Welcome Back Kotter, Carrie, Boy in the Plastic Bubble, Saturday Night Fever and Grease - they were five major strokes that were 100 percent all right. 

Unfortunately, at the very peak, when the lights were on full and everybody was watching and waiting, here comes Moment by Moment.  Boom.  Failure!  And not just ordinary failure, but gut-wrenching, horrible failure.  I cringe every time I think about it."

I don't know about you, but it sounds to me like Travolta was describing in stark detail what it is like to enter your Darkest Day.  The major characteristic of one's Darkest Day is that the Talent and Experience that got you to success in the first place suddenly stops working.  No matter how talented you are or how hard you work, nothing seems to work anymore.

So what happened next?  After Moment by Moment, one assumes Travolta licked his wounds, dusted himself off and got ready to begin filming Urban Cowboy.  Such was not the case.  His next film was American Gigolo.   

American Gigolo?  You mean the Richard Gere movie?  Yes.  It turns out that John Travolta was obligated to film American Gigolo. 

AMERICAN GIGOLO AND URBAN COWBOY

Barry Diller became the CEO and Chairman of Paramount Pictures after Robert Evans stepped down from his role as head of production.  While serving as head of production at Paramount from 1967 to 1974, Evans had been responsible for several very famous movies such as Love Story,  Rosemary's Baby, Godfather, and Chinatown.  After stepping down, Evans transitioned to an independent producing role while remaining associated with the studio.  As an example, Robert Evans was the man who produced Urban Cowboy.

When Barry Diller was given control by Gulf+Western, Paramount's parent company at the time, he was told to address the studio's financial struggles.  Diller focused on developing 'high concept' films, leading to blockbusters like Saturday Night Fever and Grease.  As chief executive officer, Diller was closely involved with the filming of Urban Cowboy. 

According to an article in Hollywood Reporter (May 2025, McKinley Franklin), Diller acted as right-hand man to Paramount president Michael Eisner.  For this reason, Diller was present when Travolta asked Eisner to release him from his contractual obligation to do American Gigolo.  This is how Diller knew the inside story behind Travolta's cold feet.

According to Diller, Travolta told Eisner his reason to quit was the recent passing of his mother as well as the death of his girlfriend Diana Hyland due to cancer.  However, Diller suspected the more likely reason was the "somewhat gay subtext" in American Gigolo. 

All Travolta could think about was his Moment by Moment failure, the first black mark on his career.  Embarrassed to have his masculinity questioned, Travolta experienced tremendous self-doubt.  The script for American Gigolo reminded him too much of the passive, effeminate pretty boy role he had played subservient to a domineering Lily Tomlin.  Fearing American Gigolo was not 'manly' enough, Travolta wanted out.

Preferring to seek a more masculine role, Travolta let the part go to Richard Gere instead.  Given that the ultra-confident Richard Gere was perfect for the Gigolo role, I think Travolta made the right decision.  Given the depths of his insecurity at this point in his life, I think he would have bombed in that role.  Travolta was hardly astounding in Urban Cowboy, but from what I gather he enjoyed being in the film and regained his confidence in the process.

Regarding American Gigolo, as a compromise, Michael Eisner said Travolta could withdraw if he wanted to, but he had to agree to make two films instead of one.  Eisner told Travolta to study some of the other films in production and see which one he liked.  By coincidence, Paramount Pictures was producing both Urban Cowboy and American Gigolo.  Travolta had no idea Urban Cowboy even existed.  Nor did he know he had been overlooked for the part.  In fact Travolta learned about the movie mere seconds before the train left the station.

At the time, Paramount was casting for  Urban Cowboy, but no one had given any thought to asking Travolta if he was interested.  Why should they?  Aaron Latham had written the script with Houston-born actor Dennis Quaid in mind.  As a result, Quaid was already lined up ready to play the role of Bud.  However, Quaid had not signed yet, so technically the role was still open.  I imagine Dennis Quaid would have been good in this role.  Unlike pretty boy John, Quaid had a rugged 'chip on his shoulder' look that suggested he had actually thrown a punch or two at some point in his life. 

Through the grapevine, Travolta heard Urban Cowboy had dancing and fighting, so he asked a friend for a copy of the script.  After reading the script, Travolta wanted to do the movie.  In Travolta's own words:

"Shortly after Moment by Moment, I read the script for Urban Cowboy.  I wanted to check out Gilley's and the mechanical bull.  It seemed like something new to me, with a rough element that made it exciting.  The bull riding, the dancing, the dangerous atmosphere, it had all the right elements.  It was a one-shot project and I made my own decision, took my own risk."

In hindsight, given the details of his Moment by Moment failure, Travolta's decision to chase this script makes sense.  Following the intense criticism for appearing weak and girly in his previous role, Travolta was understandably drawn to the macho image of playing a tough Texas cowboy.  Obviously the dancing interested Travolta.  As the star of the two most popular dance movies since the days of Fred Astaire, Travolta was no doubt drawn to a familiar situation that promised to restore his damaged confidence.

So Travolta took the unusual step of calling director Jim Bridges to lobby for the part.  We assume Bridges was ecstatic.  Wrong.  Director Bridges was totally locked into Dennis Quaid, so he was not at all encouraging.  However, Bridges did at least tell Travolta he would talk it over with writer Aaron Latham and the producers to see what they thought.  Apparently the group universally rejected the idea.  They thought hiring Travolta was ridiculous.  As for Clay Felker, he was not in the picture at the moment.  Once he sold the movie to Paramount, Felker took a back seat until it was time to crank up the publicity machine.  Otherwise I imagine Felker would have stood up for Travolta in a flash.

At any rate, Jim Bridges got back on the phone and told Travolta not to bother, adding that Dennis Quaid had already been promised the spot.  Undeterred, Travolta insisted on an audition.  Bridges didn't know what to say.  He had not anticipated Travolta would push this hard.  So Bridges ran the idea past the Muckamucks again.  And again the brain trust were all of one mind.  They were convinced that Dennis Quaid, the rawboned native Texan, was right for the role and equally convinced that Travolta, the Jersey kid with the thick East Coast accent, was a big mistake.  So the Moguls told him no again.  But they said it politely enough to leave the door ajar.

So picture this.  Thanks to Saturday Night Fever and Grease, John Travolta occupied the Center of Cinematic Universe.  Nevertheless, when Travolta inquired, they said no.  Then they said no again.  After being told twice he was wrong for the part, Travolta was stunned.  But he did not quit.  Not only did he insist a third time, he said he would buy his own ticket to Texas.  At this point, they gave in.  Out of professional courtesy the Moguls finally relented and said Travolta could have an audition if it was that important.  Desperate and looking for redemption after Moment by Moment, Travolta agreed to their demands.

Imagine that.  John Travolta, the hottest star on the planet, was being forced to BEG for an audition.  Tough crowd, huh?  The Sun God has just come knocking and this was the best they could do.  It is a well-known fact that A-list Hollywood Gods and Goddesses do not have to read for anything.  Their previous work speaks for itself.  Not this time.  Travolta was told he would need to sell himself for this role and he was humble enough to agree.  However, before flying down for the audition, Travolta did something clever.  He took speech lessons from a dialect coach and worked on his drawl.  Learning to 'Talk Texan' beforehand would pay off.  However, his most brilliant move involved the legendary mechanical bull.  Realizing the script called for 'El Toro' to play an important part of the movie, Travolta had a mechanical bull installed at his house to prepare for his role.  Practicing for two months before filming began, Travolta became so proficient he was able to replace his stunt double for the riding scenes.  Hmm.  Nice selling point.

Buying his own ticket, Travolta hopped on a plane and flew to Houston from California to chase the part. 

"Howdy, y'all!!  I'm right darn tootin' glad to be here tooo-day.  Got my boots on and I'm cowboyed up 'bout dancin' the Texas Twostep and kickin' some bad guy ass in this here movie!  Now y'all need to show me where this gall darn, bone-breakin' mechanical bull is hidin'! I got somethin' to show you."

Thanks to his mastery of El Toro, Travolta swept the producer, writer and director off their feet.  To begin with, apparently Travolta had more guts than people gave him credit for.  He was the best mechanical bull rider in the cast, something which required equal parts skill and courage (people get hurt riding these creatures).  As an added surprise, Travolta turned out to be a kicker at heart.  Little did they know Travolta had always fancied himself a cowboy.  Travolta wore boots wherever he went, drove a pickup truck and loved Westerns. 

In Travolta's own words (from Texas Monthly): 

"Right away I went to Texas to rub elbows with cowboys, real and urban, and it was a revelation.  I was used to New York and L.A., where people looked over each other's shoulders at parties for someone more interesting to talk to.  These Texans just wanted to have a beer, a whiskey, and a fantastic time.  I spent a good month hanging out with them, and another month training at my ranch in Santa Barbara, where I'd installed a mechanical bull and a dance floor."

Realizing just how serious Travolta was about this, the Muckamucks relented.  Who knows, maybe Clay Felker caught word and talked some sense into them.  Whatever the reason, the moguls thanked their Lucky Stars.  Once people began to compliment the Paramount Moguls for landing the hottest actor on the planet, no doubt they had the nerve to take credit for their 'brilliant' casting decision.  However, in their heart of hearts, they had to wonder how on earth they were lucky enough to land the hottest star on the planet after doing everything in their power to discourage him. 

Can you believe those dimwits made JOHN TRAVOLTA crawl for an audition!?!?!  It really makes you wonder.  It is always important to work hard.  And there is nothing wrong in wishing for good luck.  But it is another thing entirely to have a King Midas bonanza handed to you when you have done absolutely nothing to deserve it.  Indeed, this was such an astounding case of Dumb Luck, one might be tempted to ask if Fate was involved.  

Guess who was the happiest person on the planet?  Clay Felker.  Once he had Travolta lined up, it was off to the races.  From what I gather, Travolta was incredibly helpful with promotions.  He did interview after interview, wrote autographs, posed for photos, and was invariably nice to everyone he met in Houston.  When the Bee Gees came to town, Travolta showed up on stage unannounced and proceeded to dance a jig.  The crowd got so excited they nearly had a riot.

Riding Travolta's Star Power, the movie would rake in $50 million on a budget of $10 million.  Plus God knows how many weird western outfits and cowboy soundtrack albums were sold strictly because Travolta was involved.   Seriously, this story belongs in Ripley's Believe it or Not.  That's the thing about success.  Sometimes we succeed because we have talent and because we work hard.  And sometimes we succeed because it is better to be Lucky than Smart.  Just ask Clay Felker.  Indeed, Travolta seemed Heaven Sent. 

"Why shouldn't Truth be stranger than fiction?  Fiction, after all, has to make sense." -- Mark Twain.