URBAN COWBOY | Bud's Ford F-250 The white Texas BUD License Plate is produced as seen in the back window of the black 1978 Ford F-250 driven by Bud Davis (played by John Travolta) in the 1980 romantic Western film directed by James Bridges, Urban Cowboy.
The first Ford truck ever produced was called the Ford Model TT, which was released in 1917. This laid the tracks for the first F-150s to come onto the scene. The Model TT was sold with only a chassis, and a factory body wasn't available until 1923.
The first compact pickup truck designed by Ford, the American-produced Ranger replaced the Mazda-produced Ford Courier. Produced across three generations using a single chassis architecture, the model line was marketed from the 1983 to the 2012 model years (ending retail sales after the 2011 model year).
How old was John Travolta in the movie Urban Cowboy?
In the summer of 1979, the Houston news and gossip circles were dominated by the presence of one John Travolta, who lived in the city while filming Urban Cowboy in nearby Pasadena. It was only the fourth leading role for the 25-year-old actor, but he was already arguably the world's biggest movie star.
Did John Travolta really ride the mechanical bull in Urban Cowboy?
John Travolta had a mechanical bull installed in his house two months before production began. He became so good that he was allowed to dismiss the stunt double and do the takes himself.
Though the club is no longer in operation there are three other Gilley's, in Las Vegas Nevada, Dallas Texas and Durant Oklahoma. The club was a phenomenon back in the day and spawned a movie called the Urban Cowboy featuring John Travolta and Debra Winger.
Now that you know the F-150 meaning, and that it simply classifies this full-size pickup as Ford's half-ton truck, it's time to get behind the wheel and experience its power! Contact River View Ford to schedule your test drive, and don't forget to browse our new Ford specials before you stop by.
Ford F-Series (fifth generation) (1967–1972) Successor. Ford F-Series (seventh generation) (1980–1986) The sixth generation marked several functional design changes and an expansion of the model line. For 1973, the regular cab F-350 became available with a wide "Styleside" bed for the first time.
No car in the history of the automobile industry is perfect, and the Ford F-150 is no exception. Some of the worst model years of the Ford F-150 (and the ones you should avoid buying) are 2004, 2005, and 2010.
The original Gilley's is featured in the 80's movie Urban Cowboy as the place where John Travolta's character Bud struggles to win and keep the heart of Sissy (played by Debra Winger).
Yes, the movie was filmed in the Houston area, much of it at Gilley's, a honky-tonk that had room for 6,000 people — and one very popular mechanical bull. The entrance to the original Gilley's nightclub in Pasadena. It was named after co-owner and country music star Mickey Gilley.
Scenes from Bud and Sissy's trailer home in “Urban Cowboy,” released in 1979, were shot at a Pico Rivera trailer park. A scene from the 1988 movie “Tequila Sunrise,” starring Mel Gibson, was shot in a riverbed in Pico Rivera. And a scene from “Collateral” in 2004 was shot in Pico Rivera.
Of course, having all this extra stuff required more space, and thus the vehicles sat quite a bit taller than their 2WD counterparts. This is believed to be the origin of the term highboy.
In 1975, Ford introduced the F-150. No one thought much of its release at the time. It made sense to have a pickup in between the F-100 and its beefier sibling the F-250, but the real reason for the release was to get around emissions standards at the time.
XLT means Extra Luxurious Trucks; this term helps to indicate that the model's lineup comes with better trim levels. This type goes back to 1970, when the higher trim level of the Ford Ranger for the year's model was called XLT. In 1973, the Ford-100 model also had the same designation.
Ford F-100: Discontinued in 1983 as Ford Shuffles their Truck Line-Up. The Ford F-100 was discontinued in 1983 (at least for the U.S. market) as it started to look a bit redundant next to the F-150 which offered everything its predecessor had, plus a bit more.
The first factory-built four-door crew cab appears in 1965 in F-250 trim and is sold as a special order. The top-level Ranger appears in 1966, offering carpeting, power brakes, power steering, and air conditioning.
But the mechanical bull tells visitors they're in the new version of Gilley's, the rowdy honky-tonk made famous by John Travolta's 1980 movie "Urban Cowboy" -- the saloon that made country cool. "People have never forgotten about Gilley's," said Doug Keller, the new club's general manager.
The dispute permanently closed Gilley's, ending an 18-year run that saw country music become mainstream in large part due to the club's widespread fame. On July 5, 1990, a fire quickly spread throughout the main building, destroying the club.
The hype ruined the club for Gilley's regulars and started a rift between Cryer and Gilley. The club closed after the two broke up their partnership and an arson fire later destroyed the huge structure in 1989.
