Action U.S.A. (1989)

Wissenswertes

Action U.S.A. is a 1989 American action film directed by John Stewart and starring Barri Murphy, Gregory Scott Cummins, William Hubbard Knight, Hoke Howell, William Smith, Cameron Mitchell and Ross Hagen. The directorial debut of veteran stunt coordinator Stewart, it had a modest release in 1989, but was rediscovered by a broader audience during a 2020 theatrical revival.

Production

Stunt coordinator John Stewart had sizeable experience as a second unit director, but was struggling to raise money for his true directorial debut. When he mentioned the problem to his neighbor, Porsche dealer Wolfram Berger, the latter offered to finance it. Additional funds came from fellow members of the stunt community.

Waco, Texas, was selected as the main location in December 1987 when it was recommended by cinematographer Thomas Callaway, a former city resident. He contacted Alan and Susan Stewart (no relation to John) of Stewart Production Services, for whom he had shot the horror western Ghost Riders.

The three original leads were brought in from Los Angeles. However, on the first day of filming, the lead actress walked off to pursue a bigger TV role. Alan Stewart threatened to sue, but his tight budget forced him to move on quickly, and she was replaced by Texas-based Barri Murphy. Modeling agency Everett-Asbury, a fixture of local press and TV, placed seventeen of its clients in the film, most of them as Frankie Navarro's girls.

Principal photography spanned a twenty-two-day period between March 7 and March 28, 1988. According to Stewart, there were eighteen days of actual filming. It took place in Waco and nearby Robinson, as well as in the Lake Whitney area. The border was represented by a bridge on the Bosque River. The high fall was supposed to be filmed at the ALICO Building, Waco's tallest, but no airbag could be found to secure the 246-feet drop.

While there were a few complaints about filming-related disruptions, the majority of the community was highly supportive, which helped beef up production values beyond the film's budget. The mayor personally helped the crew to clear downtown streets for the helicopter fly-by. Several cars and even a gas station were given by the locals to blow up for free.

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