5 Questions: Road House
A word to the wise, when the best cooler in the business (Patrick Swayze) rolls into your town it is probably not a good idea to pick a fight with him. And it is definitely a bad idea to kill his friend and mentor (Sam Elliott), you are just asking for him to even the score.
This is a lesson that Brad Wesley (Ben Gazzara) learns the hard way in 1989’s Road House. This Swayze classic is a movie for guys who like movies. And there’s no doubt about it, I like Road House, but after a recent viewing I couldn’t help but ask myself a few questions…
1. How awesome was Patrick Swayze?
I’m not sure there is another actor in the world who could have accomplished what Patrick Swayze did during his career. Here is a guy who was able to star in total chick flicks like Dirty Dancing and Ghost, yet not lose an ounce of his action star credibility when he was in movies like Point Break and Road House. Some may say it was just a different time and if Swayze were to try to pull off such a feat in today’s social media influenced world he would get the Channing Tatum treatment. But I like to believe Swayze was just one of those once in a lifetime individuals and the only man who could pull it off no matter what the calendar said. Swayze is also a man the world lost much too soon.
2. How many tables did they go through?
Road House has to hold some sort of record for most tables broken in a single movie. There was broken wood everywhere. If you told me the table budget on Road House was in the 6 figures I would not be shocked.
3. Is there another movie with such an eclectic group of henchmen?
The rich and powerful Brad Wesley may have one of the most eclectic group of evil henchmen ever assembled in an action movie. You’ve got Jimmy played by Marshall R. Teague, an actor who is no stranger to the action genre. Teague has appeared on TV shows like The A-Team and Hunter and in movies like U.S. SEALS 2 and Fists of Iron… Then there’s John William Young who played Tinker. I remember him as the guy who pitched Melon Patch Kids to Rodney Dangerfield’s character Thornton Melon in the comedy classic, Back to School… WWE Hall of Famer Terry Funk, who also played a henchmen in Over the Top, plays Morgan a man unimpressed by Dalton (Patrick Swayze) and all around shit starter… And if that wasn’t enough Benny “The Jet” Urquidez, who served as the fight trainer on Road House, had a small uncredited role in the film. Action fans may recognize the legit martial artist from movies like Bloodmatch and Death Match. “The Jet” also has a pretty awesome fight scene with Jackie Chan in Wheels on Meals.
4. Was anybody else disappointed that Kathleen Wilhoitte’s character Carrie didn’t call anybody a “snot licking donkey fart”?
I will forever associate Wilhoitte with her character from the Charles Bronson film Murphy’s Law where she played the foul mouthed Arabella McGee. Wilhoitte may not have been able to use the colorful insults she did in Murphy’s Law, but her singing skills were on display in both Murphy’s Law and Road House. In Road House, Wilhoitte’s Carrie gets to sing along with The Jeff Healey Band at the Double Deuce. In Murphy’s Law, Wilhoitte recorded the movie’s theme song.
5. What exactly was Brad Wesley’s motivation?
I’ve never understood why Brad Wesley (Ben Gazzara) makes life so miserable for the people in the town other than the fact that he could. That’s the only way to explain his bully like behavior. Wesley seems to already have everything he needs to live an extremely comfortable lifestyle. If I were at a point in my life where I could travel to and from my palatial estate via helicopter, throw big pool parties for all my friends and drive in my convertible with no regard for the yellow lines while jamming to “Sh-Boom” by The Crew-Cuts, I think I would be pretty happy. I certainly wouldn’t be blowing up the local automotive parts store or causing trouble at the local watering hole. In fact, I’m not sure how after listening to “Sh-Boom” a person could even have such evil thoughts. Give it a try…