When one thinks of City Slickers, they probably picture Billy Crystal’s hilarious midlife-crisis cowboy adventure. But what if the man behind Crystal’s saddle skills never got the credit he deserved? Yes, it was Jack Lilley, the Hollywood stunt legend who not only worked on classics like Little House on the Prairie but also played a crucial role in training Crystal for his most successful comedy.
With City Slickers grossing $179 million, it’s safe to say Lilley’s expertise helped turn an ordinary city guy into a believable cowboy, and eventually a box office sensation.
The man behind Billy Crystal and his horse in City Slickers!
Billy Crystal’s City Slicker, the 1991 movie, was a massive box office success, bringing in around $179 million worldwide. But behind the scenes, much of its realness and authentic feel, and Crystal’s convincing cowboy transformation, can be credited to legendary stuntman and horse expert Jack Lilley.
Lilley, who spent decades in Hollywood, was instrumental in training Crystal to ride a horse for the film. Without his expertise, the comedic fish-out-of-water story might not have felt as believable, or as hilarious.
Lilley, who recently passed away at 91, was a Hollywood stunt legend, actor, and animal trainer. He became a very familiar face in Westerns, from Rawhide and Gunsmoke to The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and Young Guns, and he indeed was the real deal. Although Crystal wasn’t his only student, actress Melissa Gilbert in an Instagram tribute wrote,
He taught me how to ride a horse when I was just a wee little thing. He was so patient with me. He never said no when I would bound up to him squealing, ‘Can we go ride? Please, please, please?’
With a lifetime spent in the saddle, both on and off screen, he was thus the perfect choice to train Crystal for City Slickers. His company, Movin’ On Livestock, also provided the film’s horses!
Why people still love this 1991 comedy gem!
Although it’s a comedy and a beloved movie, for people revisiting it as adults, City Slickers now feels different. What starts as a fun cowboy adventure turns into a midlife crisis survival guide, slowly and steadily.
At the box office, it was a runaway hit, racking an impressive $179 million worldwide, a whopping $124 million domestically, and another $55 million internationally. And audiences still cant get over the movie and are still connected to its humor, heart, and relatable characters.
Billy Crystal’s character and his friends, though in a comedy, are well-written and feel real. They are flawed, relatable, and, most importantly, evolving, something that makes the movie hit differently when revisited in adulthood.
With its heartfelt moments, sharp dialogue, unforgettable performances, and a very young Jake Gyllenhaal (still years away from breaking Taylor Swift’s heart), City Slickers remains a film that’s both entertaining and surprisingly profound.
City Slickers is available on Apple TV.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
