Lucas (1986)

David Seltzer wrote Lucas based on rough notes he'd made for a story fifteen years earlier. The story was based on his own life. He said he spent his spare time in his youth chasing down insects, and said "I was ridiculed by Jocks". He also had a crush on a girl, "somebody I adored who delivered a crushing blow by turning her back on me and informing me her friendship wasn't all that I interpreted it to be." -Thanks to logan5

During all locker room scenes, all actors and extras had to wear flesh colored speedos. It was freezing cold in the locker room (the air and water temperature) and the actors were not given anything to warm up with when not filming. Winona Ryder was very sweet because she went searching for towels to throw over our shoulders to keep us warm. -Thanks to Gerard Kaszubowski

Charlie Sheen was a complete professional during the shoot, he was gratious and patient with (girls mostly) autograph seekers and would stay until finished, unless called to set. He showed the best of 2nd generation movie star behaviour. Winona was also quite notably professional, quiet and petite, she didn't get a great deal of attention, but once you saw her perform, you got a sense of what was to come. Kerri was a little older than the others, and believe it or not, she was the established star at that point. She's much prettier in person and very concentrated about what she's doing and private. -Thanks to Julia

Corey Haim was 13 at the time (so was Winona, Noni people called her) and when he wasn't working, he acted it. I think that the troubles he got into later were starting then. Just wild kid stuff at that point, really, like getting kicked out of a hotel for riding his bicycle down the hall at night! When performing, that was a different thing. He was unreal, perfect and dead on. Go back and look at the assembly hall scene. That is 1 week, 5 or 6 days of filming to get that one sequence. He had to do the waving the hands around and clowning bit maybe 10 or more times a day every day. If you took all of those takes and overlaid them, I guarantee you they'd all mate up, movement and pacing, he was clockwork perfect. I feel bad that he's had such a hard time since then and I expect that somewhere inside him are other worthy performances, hopefully for him and for us, he'll get a chance again. -Thanks to Julia

The final scene (in which Lucas returns to school a "hero" and gets the letterman's jacket) was a reshoot. The original ending wasn't as rosy as what we saw in the theatres. 20th Century Fox came back to Glenbard West for one day to reshoot that entire sequence. It was supposed to take place in the fall, but they shot it around Christmas time and the temperature was around zero, yet they still had to present the image that it was fall like weather, so they had us (the extras) wear shorts and t-shirts. Due to the cold, the breath of the extras could be seen outside so the cinematographer had to put gels on the windows to obscure the visible breath. That entire final sequence; Lucas entering the building, going up the stairs and him opening his locker was shot in one long day. We had to be on set at 7AM and they didn't finish shooting until well after midnight. We were however paid overtime for our "efforts". The irony for me was that, despite working as a paid extra all summer in all the Glen Ellyn/Glenbard West scenes, the only time I can prominently see myself is in the freeze-frame at the end. -Thanks to Ken Sumka

The Homewood-Flossmoor H.S. Viking Choir was the High School choir in the movie. The choir actually made a recording that was supposed to be one of the main theme songs, but was dropped at the last minute. There were a number of choir scenes that were ultimately dropped, including a closing scene of the movie which included the choir and cast singing the song that the choir recorded. They ended up going with the jersey scene for the ending, which was a good call. The H-F choir can be seen in the choir room scene when everyone in the cast was admiring each other.

I attended Glenbard West in the 80’s and like most students there at that time, I was an extra in Lucas. After the principal tells Lucas he has to quit the team, Lucas bursts out a set of doors just as school lets out. I am the kid with the skateboard who walks by the camera. At the time I had no idea who Corey Haim was and let me tell you, he was a little monster on the set. In between takes he would take my skateboard and ride around the halls proclaiming that his skateboard in Canada was better and how in Canada he was a “huge star.” This went on all day from like 7am until 7pm. He would occasionally stop bragging long enough to make a rude remark to some random female extra, then back to my skateboard to teach me some tricks. I guess that’s to be expected when your 13 and the star of a movie, I might have acted the same way. Probably not. -Thanks to K R

Kirk Cameron was originally up for the role of Lucas. -Thanks to Shay

Ellen Degeneres was the other actress up for the part of Alise, which went to Courtney Thorne-Smith. -Thanks to Bill Reilly

The football uniforms and logo were old Palatine High School sports supplies. Palatine was the Pirates. The players on the football field were 90lenbard West Football players. J Carr kindly wrote in to say that "Scott Planz was Kevin Wickstat's double on the field and the "pass" that was caught by Lucas (Corey Haim) was thrown by one of three people ---none of whom claim credit for the awful spiral (me being one of them -but it probably was mine) The "rockford" team was "coached" by my head coach at the time Jim Covert and Freshman coach at the time Jim Cozzi. Dick Nordmeyer a beloved figure at the school was an assistant coach for the Pirates. The cheerleaders (not carrie greens squad) were all ex-honeybears from the Chicago Bears organization. The football scenes took one hot month in July to film and the plays were run at full speed. Most of the Rockford players were from Glenbards '83 State Champs. -Thanks to J Carr &Amp; David Beck

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