- 5 months ago
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00One small town, one bike race, and one of the weirdest sports movies of the 80s.
00:25Rad 1986, directed by Hal Needham, was supposed to cash in on the BMX craze of the decade.
00:32It bombed at the box office but became a beloved cult favorite thanks to home video and diehard
00:37fans.
00:38And behind the neon, stunts, and slow-motion dance scenes, the making of Rad was packed
00:44with weird trivia and surprising twists.
00:47Here are 20 weird facts you didn't know about Rad from 1986.
00:51We're here for the biggest and most important bicycle motocross event ever held, Helltrack.
00:57Number 1.
00:58Rad was funded by Toilet Paper Money
00:59Unlike most Hollywood films, Rad wasn't financed by a traditional studio.
01:05Instead, much of its budget came from Tohoku Shosha, a Japanese company best known for producing
01:10toilet paper.
01:12Director Hal Needham, a legendary stuntman-turned-filmmaker, pitched Rad as the next big youth craze,
01:18combining the thrills of BMX racing with the underdog spirit of sports classics like Rocky.
01:24The toilet paper money gave him surprising freedom to make the movie his way, but it
01:29also created hurdles.
01:30Without the marketing muscle of a major studio, Rad struggled to find an audience in theaters.
01:36Ironically, that oddball financing deal helped cement its cult status.
01:41The film might have bombed at the box office, but on VHS, it found the fans who kept it alive
01:46for decades.
01:48Number 2.
01:49The villain was played by an Olympic gold medalist.
01:52One of the strangest casting choices in Rad was Bart Conner as arrogant BMX champion Bart
01:57Taylor.
01:58Unlike most of the young cast, Conner wasn't an actor.
02:02He was a world-class gymnast.
02:04Just two years before filming, he had won two gold medals at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics,
02:09cementing his place in sports history.
02:11Director Hal Needham thought Conner's athleticism and charisma made him a perfect fit for the
02:17role of the cocky rival racer.
02:19While his line delivery sometimes gave away his lack of acting experience, his physical
02:24presence and natural confidence worked perfectly for the character.
02:28Casting a real Olympic champion as the film's villain added a quirky authenticity, and it
02:39remains one of the more bizarre bits of trivia that keeps Rad so memorable today.
02:44Los Angeles Olympics, where I had won a couple of gold medals, and when they were casting for
02:50the film, I got a call from Hal Needham.
02:53Number 3.
02:54Hal Needham brought his stunt crew along for the ride.
02:57Director Hal Needham was already a Hollywood legend when he took on Rad.
03:01Before directing, he had been one of the industry's top stuntmen, breaking bones and setting records
03:07in films like Smokey and The Bandit and Cannonball Run.
03:11Why do you drive like that, Hal?
03:13Why do I drive like that?
03:15Well, there's a couple reasons.
03:16Number one's money.
03:17For Rad, Needham leaned on that background, and brought many of his trusted stunt crew with
03:22him.
03:22These were professionals who had spent years flipping cars, crashing through windows, and
03:27performing death-defying gags.
03:30And now they were tasked with making BMX stunts look cinematic.
03:34Working closely with real riders, they blended professional stunt techniques with freestyle
03:39bike tricks, giving Rad its unique edge.
03:42The result was a movie that felt bigger and riskier than its modest budget suggested, proving
03:48Needham's crew could make BMX look like high-octane Hollywood action.
03:52Number 4.
03:53Crew Jones was inspired by a real BMX legend.
03:57The character of Crew Jones wasn't just a Hollywood invention.
04:01He was loosely inspired by real BMX writer Eddie Fiola.
04:05Known as the king of the skate parks, Fiola was one of the sport's biggest names during
04:09the 1980s, dominating competitions and helping to shape freestyle riding into a global phenomenon.
04:16I had a lot of fun.
04:18GT stopped making the performer, so I decided that I wanted to make a bike that looked...
04:23When it came time to shoot Rad, Fiola didn't just inspire the story.
04:27He literally became Crew on the bike.
04:29Bill Allen, who played Crew, wasn't a professional rider, so Fiola stepped in as his stunt double,
04:35performing the jaw-dropping BMX tricks that defined the movie.
04:39Every flip, jump, and race that wowed audiences came straight from Fiola's legendary skills.
04:45In many ways, Rad doubled as a showcase of Fiola's talent, cementing his place in BMX history.
04:51If you're enjoying this so far, hit that like button and subscribe for more awesome movie
04:55facts.
04:56And tell us in the comments, what movie brings you the most nostalgia, and which one should
05:02we cover next?
05:03Number 5.
05:04Rad was filmed in Canada, not Oregon.
05:07Although Rad is set in a fictional small town in Oregon, most of it was actually filmed
05:11in Alberta, Canada.
05:13The production used Cochran and Calgary as stand-ins for the American setting, transforming
05:17Canadian neighborhoods into the backdrop for Crew's story.
05:21The choice came down to logistics and cost.
05:23Shooting in Canada was cheaper and gave director Hal Needham access to wide-open landscapes
05:28perfect for BMX action.
05:31Locals were recruited as extras, and many remember the excitement of Hollywood taking over their
05:36quiet towns in the summer of 1985.
05:39Today, fans still make pilgrimages to Cochran to visit filming sites, with spots like the infamous
05:45Helltrack Hill remaining cult landmarks.
05:48It's a reminder that Rad's small-town Americana was actually a uniquely Canadian creation.
05:59Number 6.
06:01Rad became a cult hit on VHS.
06:04While Rad flopped in theaters, earning less than $2 million, its real legacy began on home
06:10video.
06:10VHS rentals turned the film into a word-of-mouth sensation, especially among kids who were obsessed
06:16with BMX, but too young to have seen it on the big screen.
06:20Throughout the late 80s and early 90s, Rad became a staple of video stores, played endlessly
06:25at sleepovers and birthday parties.
06:28Fans wore out their tapes, and bootleg copies kept circulating long after it went out of print.
06:33For years, it never had a proper DVD release, adding to its underground mystique.
06:38Finally, in 2020, the film was given a 4K restoration and official Blu-ray release, allowing
06:44a new generation to experience the neon-drenched, pedal-powered insanity that made it a cult classic.
06:56Number 7.
06:57Helltrack's ramp was originally even taller.
06:59The infamous Helltrack finale is the centerpiece of Rad, but what audiences saw was actually
07:05toned down.
07:06The original design for the ramp was much taller and far more dangerous.
07:11When stunt writers tested it, they quickly realized the height made it nearly impossible
07:15to land safely.
07:17Director Hal Needham, himself a former stuntman, knew the risk wasn't worth it, and ordered
07:22the ramp scaled down.
07:23Even with modifications, it was still terrifying, with pros wiping out during rehearsals.
07:28The ramp became a symbol of the film, towering over the course and striking fear into crew
07:33and the other racers.
07:35While it looked like pure fantasy on screen, the danger behind the scenes was very real,
07:39and the toned-down version was still a serious challenge.
07:42He's barely making it, and Mike Miranda is out.
07:46Number 8.
07:50More than 25 BMX pros appeared in the film.
07:54Rad didn't just hire a few stunt doubles.
07:56It recruited some of the world's top BMX riders to bring authenticity to its racing scenes.
08:02More than 25 professional BMX stars of the era took part, either as stunt riders or background
08:09racers.
08:09Names like Eddie Fiola, Martin Aparrijo, and Jose Yanez helped give the movie credibility,
08:16pulling off tricks and stunts that regular actors could never manage.
08:19For BMX fans, spotting their heroes on screen was part of the fun, making the movie feel like
08:25a showcase for the sport's best talent.
08:28This lineup of real riders helped elevate Rad from cheesy sports flick to an essential time
08:34capsule of 1980s BMX culture.
08:38It wasn't just Hollywood magic.
08:40It was the real pros showing off their skills.
08:43Number 9.
08:44A future mayor appeared as an extra.
08:46Filming in Cochran, Alberta gave Rad a small-town authenticity, but it also produced one of its
08:52quirkiest trivia bits.
08:53The local mayor-to-be shows up in the movie.
08:56Ivan Brooker, who later served as mayor of Cochran, was just another local recruited as an extra during
09:02production.
09:02Like many townspeople, he jumped at the chance to be part of a Hollywood movie shooting in his
09:07backyard.
09:08Brooker appears briefly in the background, blending in with the cheering crowds that line
09:13the races.
09:14At the time, no one could have guessed one of those extras would later run the town.
09:19It's a fun footnote that makes Rad's legacy even stranger.
09:23The cult BMX classic didn't just immortalize pro riders, it also captured a future Canadian
09:29mayor on film.
09:32Number 10.
09:37The movie was almost called Balls Out.
09:39Before the film became known as Rad, it nearly had a very different and far stranger title.
09:45Early in development, the working title was Balls Out, meant to reflect the wild, fearless
09:50energy of BMX stunts.
09:52While the name captured the over-the-top spirit of the movie, it didn't exactly scream family-friendly
09:58sports drama.
09:59Distributors worried it would be too risque for marketing, especially since the film was
10:03aimed at kids and teens.
10:05Eventually, the safer, snappier title Rad was chosen instead, tapping into the slang of the
10:1080s while still promising action and attitude.
10:13Looking back, Rad feels iconic, but imagining posters and VHS covers that read Balls Out shows
10:19just how close the movie came to having a very different legacy.
10:23Number 11.
10:24Bill Allen rode bikes through the hotel.
10:27During filming in Calgary, the cast and BMX riders weren't just wild on set.
10:31They brought the chaos back to their hotel.
10:34Bill Allen, who played Crew Jones, often rode his BMX straight through the hallways, treating
10:40the hotel like his personal practice track.
10:42Other riders joined in, and soon it turned into a nightly tradition of stunts and shenanigans.
10:48The crew recalled water balloon fights from the balconies, impromptu races down the corridors,
10:53and more than a few complaints from staff who struggled to contain the mayhem.
10:57For Allen and the pros, it was all part of the fun.
11:01The line between movie and reality blurred, and their off-screen antics captured the same
11:07reckless energy that made Rad so unforgettable on screen.
11:13Crew Jones riding as if possessed, he's moving in a fifth.
11:17Number 12.
11:18A helicopter was used to dry Helltrack.
11:21The big finale of Rad takes place on the massive Helltrack course, but filming it wasn't easy.
11:26During production in Cochran, Alberta, heavy rain turned the track into a muddy swamp.
11:31Threatening to delay the already tight schedule, director Hal Needham wasn't about to let bad
11:36weather derail his movie, so he came up with an unusual solution.
11:40Helicopters.
11:41He had choppers fly low over the course, using the force of their spinning blades to dry the
11:46mud and harden the dirt.
11:48By the next day, the track was ready for racing again, and the crew could continue shooting.
11:53It was an expensive but effective fix, and one of the most unconventional examples of movie
11:58problem-solving in 80s cinema.
12:01Number 13.
12:02Bill Allen got the role.
12:04Thanks to Hill Street Blues, Bill Allen wasn't a household name before Rad, but a small TV
12:09role ended up landing him the part of Crew Jones.
12:13Hi, I'm Crew Jones.
12:15Just the person I've been looking for.
12:17Come on in.
12:18Director Hal Needham happened to see Allen in an episode of Hill Street Blues and was struck
12:23by his look and natural charm.
12:25Even though Allen wasn't a professional BMX rider, Needham believed he could capture the
12:30underdog spirit of Crew, especially with stunt doubles handling the trickier bike work.
12:35Allen auditioned, and his combination of earnestness and boy-next-door appeal won him the role.
12:41For Allen, it was a life-changing break that defined his career.
12:45Thanks to one lucky TV appearance, he became the face of one of the most enduring cult sports
12:50films of the 1980s.
12:58Number 14.
12:59The crew spray-painted the trees green.
13:01Though Rad takes place during a summer BMX season, filming in Cochran, Alberta, didn't
13:06always cooperate.
13:08By the time the production reached the Helltrack scenes, the leaves had already turned autumn
13:13shades of yellow and brown.
13:15Rather than risk continuity errors, the crew came up with a bizarre solution.
13:19They spray-painted the trees green.
13:22Huge sections of foliage were literally coated with paint to preserve the illusion of summer.
13:27It was messy, unconventional, and something no major studio would likely attempt today.
13:32But it worked.
13:33On screen, Helltrack looks like the perfect backdrop for a summer race, even though it was
13:38shot in the middle of a Canadian fall.
13:40It's one of those small, strange details that makes Rad's production as quirky as the film
13:45itself.
13:46Number 15.
13:47Rod and Rex's dance suits came from V 1983.
13:50One of Rad's most memorable moments is the BMX dance scene set to Send Me an Angel.
13:55Where crew and Christian show off moves that blur the line between stunt writing and slow-motion
14:07romance.
14:08But sharp-eyed viewers might notice something unusual about the flashy dance suits worn by
14:12rivals Rod and Rex.
14:14They weren't made for Rad at all.
14:16They were borrowed from the wardrobe of the sci-fi TV series V 1983.
14:21The shiny, futuristic costumes added an over-the-top flair to the sequence, making the brothers
14:27look more like alien villains than small-town writers.
14:30The choice was pure 80s excess, giving the dance scene an even stranger vibe.
14:35It's one of those odd production shortcuts that helped Rad stand out as a cult classic.
14:45Number 16.
14:47No writer could conquer Helltrack in one go.
14:49Helltrack looks like the ultimate BMX challenge on screen, but in reality, it was so intense
14:55that not a single stunt writer could complete a full lap in one take.
14:59The course was simply too big and too dangerous to ride straight through.
15:03To make it work for the camera, director Hal Needham broke the race into sections.
15:07Each part was filmed five separate times before moving on to the next stretch, giving editors
15:12enough angles to piece together the action.
15:14In total, it took nearly two weeks of shooting just to capture the final Helltrack sequence.
15:20The writers may not have finished the track in real life, but Movie Magic stitched their
15:24runs together into one of the most legendary BMX races ever filmed.
15:28Different styles and skills of BMX racers and freestylers.
15:33It's never been done before, you know.
15:35Number 17.
15:37Bill Allen wrote a book called My Rad Career.
15:40For Bill Allen, starring as Crew Jones in Rad became the defining role of his career.
15:45Decades later, he embraced that legacy by writing a memoir titled My Rad Career.
15:51The book dives into his experiences making the film, from landing the part after Hill Street
15:56Blues to working with pro-BMX writers who doubled his stunts.
16:01Allen also reflects on the movie's strange journey, from box office flop to VHS cult favorite
16:07that fans still celebrate.
16:09Part autobiography, part behind-the-scenes look, the book has become a must-read for die-hard
16:15rad fans who want the inside story of how a low-budget BMX movie became an enduring pop-culture
16:21phenomenon.
16:22For Allen, it was proof that being Rad can truly last a lifetime.
16:26Well, Christian, there's been something that's bugging me, but I need to talk to you about
16:31it now.
16:32Number 18.
16:33Rad went 34 years without an official release.
16:37After its box office flop in 1986, Rad seemed destined to fade away.
16:42Embassy Home Entertainment put it out on VHS, but the movie never received an official DVD
16:48release.
16:49Fans kept the cult alive by circulating bootleg copies online, often ripped from old TV airings
16:55with the INHD channel watermark still visible.
16:59For decades, collectors traded tapes and discs in the underground, fueling Rad's legend as
17:04a lost classic.
17:06Finally, in 2020, boutique label Vinegar Syndrome gave the film a full 4K restoration, followed
17:12by a Blu-ray from Mondo in 2021.
17:14Mill Creek Entertainment has since released multiple editions, making Rad easier to find
17:20than ever.
17:21After 34 years in distribution limbo, the BMX cult favorite finally got the proper release
17:26it always deserved.
17:28Number 19.
17:34Rad Day became a national celebration.
17:37When Rad first hit theaters in March 1986, no one imagined its release date would one day
17:42become a holiday for fans.
17:45Over the years, March 21 has been dubbed Rad Day, an annual celebration of the film's cult
17:51legacy.
17:52On Rad Day, theaters across the U.S. and Canada host special screenings, often pairing the movie
17:58with documentaries or Q&A sessions featuring cast and crew.
18:03BMX writers, nostalgic fans, and newcomers come together to relive the neon-drenched underdog
18:10story that defined a generation of bike kids.
18:13Social media also lights up with fans sharing artwork, BMX tricks, and memories tied to the
18:19movie.
18:20What started as a forgotten flop has transformed into a pop culture phenomenon that gets honored
18:25every single year.
18:26Rad Day proves that some films don't just survive, they thrive decades later through the passion
18:32of the fans, who refused to let them die.
18:34All they had to do was qualify.
18:36Oh, gosh, you kids are going to have to forgive us for this one.
18:41Number 20.
18:42The cast reunited for the 25th anniversary.
18:45Though Rad bombed in 1986, its cult following grew so strong that by the time of its 25th anniversary
18:52in 2011, the film was ready for a full celebration.
18:57That year, a special screening was held where the cast reunited to honor the movie's unlikely
19:02legacy.
19:02Bill Allen, Lori Loughlin, Bart Conner, and BMX legend Eddie Fiola all appeared, sharing
19:09stories from the chaotic shoot and the lasting bond the movie created.
19:13Fans packed the event, many of them lifelong writers who credited Rad with sparking their
19:18love for BMX.
19:19For the cast, it was a surreal reminder that a project dismissed in its day had become a
19:24cultural touchstone.
19:26The reunion proved that Rad wasn't just a movie.
19:28It was a shared experience that connected generations through bikes, stunts, and underdog spirit.
19:41And that's 20 Weird Facts About Rad From 1986.
Comments