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David Marshall Grant appears in this film under the name David Grant.  Eddie Merckx (cycle supremo) appears in a cameo role. Merckx was known as "The Cannibal" in his bike racing days. I found it odd that the name was applied to a character in the movie, but leave it to Hollywood to twist the lines of fact and logic! -Thanks to Joe HollandThe movie was filmed during the Coors Classic, ok, thats well known, but if you look closely, especially during the third stage you can see Coors Classic banners and one fan is holding a Coors Cycling cap. -Thanks to John AlfordJennifer Grey also cameos in one of her first screen appearances. Rae Dawn Chong, who plays Sarah in the movie, is the daughter of actor/comedian Tommy Chong from Cheech and Chong. -Thanks to Duane DiggsThe television stations and sponsors listed on the race buildings are all real. -Thanks to William KucharskiRobert Townsend also appears as Jerome, one of the members of the 7-Eleven team riding in support of Muzzin. -Thanks to John AlfordDavid's hitchhiker girl friend was played by Alexandra Paul. She later became famous as an actress in Baywatch. But what is really interesting is that she is the only actual actor in the film that is also a bike racer. She is not only a triathlete but an ironman triathlete. -Thanks to Keith KiblerShortly after Stage 3 of the race starts up Highway 103 toward Mt. Evans, there is a shot from a car of cyclists riding past a sign showing an elevation of 7,500 feet above sea level. This sign is actually a fake. The City of Idaho Springs, which is at the start of Highway 103, has an elevation of 7,526 feet above sea level. The movie makes reference to the race in 1984 "won by Olympians Connie Carpenter and Alexi Grewal." That is an actual fact. The Grand Junction Coors Classic that year was won by the two who, just one month later, won Gold in Los Angeles at the '84 Olympics. A lot of local media celebrities were borrowed for various scenes during the races. In addition to seeing the Channel 4, Denver news helicopter, and banners for KPBI Radio in Denver, two local Denver sports celebrities were used in the scene where Muzzin is ranting at the reporter after the first leg of the race. Also in that scene were Denver sports personalities Bobby Anderson, (a former Broncos running back) and Peter Boyles. -Thanks to Phillip« Click here to add some American Flyers trivia Rediscover your favorites! If you like American Flyers or 80's Sports classics, then be sure to check out this list: ..... Rad ..... Winners Take All .....[More] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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The movie was filmed on location in St Louis & Grand Junction, in late summer of 1984, just a few weeks after the Coors Classic race which the movie is largely based on. The opening sequence was in the downtown area of St. Louis, known as "Laclede's Landing" it is an area on the riverfront (Mississippi) just north of the Gateway Arch Grounds. The apartment building that David and his mother live in is I think called the "Jefferson Arms" which is also downtown. [Thanks to Ron] A number of other locations were used including McPherson, Kansas for the restaurant scene, Lindsborg, Kansas for the parade scene, Colorado National Monument, Colorado and Golden, Colorado. A number of the scenes that occur prior to the race are filmed on the campus of St Louis University. The medical center where Costner works and checks out his younger brother is shown from the outside and is just the exterior of the Rec Center at St Louis University. Another scene, where the two brothers are having a heart to heart talk outside, is shot from above and takes place near the quad next to one of the dorms at St Louis U. Another scene that I recall being able to identify is while the brothers are traveling in a car, they are on the outskirts of the SLU campus, heading east on Laclede Ave, headed toward the city, and the car makes a left hand turn onto a street that has since been covered over by athletic fields. A large building in the backround in this scene is Griesedick Hall, one of the main dorms on the campus of the university. [Thanks to Chris] "The Wall" A very long and steep hill used as part of the Coors Classic race, in the first round of "Hell of the West". It was known as a killer to cyclists. It was part of a circuit that was several miles long. Located south of Boulder and north of Golden just east of Highway 93, it is McCaslin Boulevard in Superior, Colorado as it approaches Colorado Highway 128. "The Wall" is known locally as the "Morgul Bismark" and it was open space during the filming of the movie and now has a lot of housing developments off McCaslin. The scene a bit further in of the flat tire is slightly further west on Highway 128 near where it meets Colorado Highway 93. The scenes of the bike pack from the helicopter are of the bikes racing down Colorado Highway 93. The loop was from McCaslin Boulevard to Colorado 128, west to Colorado 93, north to Colorado 170, east to McCaslin, and back up "The Wall." The second leg of the Hell of The West, or the leg known as "The Tour Of The Moon" was filmed at the Colorado National Monument, located just outside Grand Junction, Colorado. The hotel scene prior to that leg of the race was also filmed in Grand Junction at the former Rodeway Inn, now the Grande Vista Hotel A scene with teams playing basketball/hockey (I forgot what they called it) on bicycles was filmed at the basketball stadium on campus in Boulder. The scene did not make it into to movie. [Thanks to Christian Alieff] The area when they are racing on the open road, a two lane stretch without guard rails and steep drops looks like a stretch in Moab Utah. It also has mountains that are the rich orange/red color. [Thanks to Luann] In the final race scene -where the Russian gets dropped by Muzzin & Grant's character- is the road between Idaho Springs, CO and Mt. Evans, CO. The final sprint takes place at Echo Lake. Interestingly, where Muzzin tries to run Grant's character off of the road is on the climb to the top of Mt. Evans, PAST Echo Lake, on a dead end road. The filmmakers must have used this for the scenery. [Thanks to Robert Wells] Visible during one of the races, at the top of the hill on Hwy 93 near the intersection with Hwy 128 (the above-mentioned "Morgul Bismark") there can be seen a set of stones standing upright, looking like a "Boulder Stonehenge". These were actually the remains of a restaurant that burned down in the early 60s. It used to be a Boulder landmark, but no longer exists. Presumably it was removed for safety reasons, but I have never heard an actual reason. [Thanks to Ed] Grand Junction Colorado was one of the main locations for the film. All of the Red Rock Vistas where Stage 2 of the race was held are in or just outside of the Colorado National Monument. Most of the aerials were shot on the western side of the Monument near Fruita, while the closeups were mostly shot on the eastern side near Grand Junction. The finish area is halfway between downtown Grand Junction and the Eastern Entrance to the Monument. The Rodeway Inn (now Ramada Inn) is located on Horizon Drive just north of I-70 and the Bookcliffs to the north of Grand Junction are featured twice as beauty shots. [Thanks to Erik Swenson] Can you help? Do you know any of the (or any other) filming locations used for American Flyers? [Please send them in] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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The actual score was written by Lee Ritenour and Greg Mathieson and is an adrenalin-fuelled soundtrack that accompanies the featured race extremely well. Thanks to Al Duque, we can now show the track listing: 1. American Flyers performed by Glenn Shorrock 2. Traveling Music (Instr.) Lee Ritenour & Greg Mathieson 3. Brand New Day by Danny Hutton 4. Gone Ridin' by Chris Isaak 5. Bad Moon Rising by Creedence Clearwater Revival 6. Brothers' Theme (part 1) Instr. by Lee Ritensour & Greg Mathieson 7. The 'J' Factor (intr.) Lee Ritenour & Greg Mathieson 8. Theme From AMerican Flyers (Hell Of The West) Instr. by Lee Ritenour & Greg Mathieson 9. The Breakaway (Instr.) Lee Ritenour & Greg mathieson 10. Brothers' Theme (part 2) Lee Ritenour & Greg Mathieson 11. Treadmill (intr.) Lee Ritenour & Greg Mathieson 12. Epilogue (Third Race) Lee ritenour & Greg Mathieson « Click here to add new music trivia for American Flyers Soundtrack Available: Used Vinyl LP / Tape | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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