FILMFACTS
PRODUCTION
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There's nothing wrong with being different.
Charlie Sheen also stars...
Production
Go behind the scenes on the 1986 Teen Drama movie starring Corey Haim, Kerri Green, Charlie Sheen, Winona Ryder
Courtney Thorne-Smith, Tom Hodges, Ciro Poppiti, Guy Boyd, Jeremy Piven, Kevin Wixted, Emily Seltzer, Erika Leigh, Anne Ryan, Jason Alderman, Tom Mackie, Garrett M. Brown, Donald Harrigan, Judy Leavitt-Wells, Christina Baglivi Update Cast
We believe the following info is all legit. If it's bogus or you have additional info, please update us.
Thanks to logan5
Writer/Director 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 growing up in the area that the movie was filmed in.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 Gerard Kaszubowski
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 Julia
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 Jeff Schwartz
The hospital scene was filmed in what used to be MaryKnoll Seminary which had been closed for a number of years before filming.The location was at the corner of Rt38 (Roosevelt Rd) and I355 in Glen Ellyn IL.
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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.Thanks to K R
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 Bill Reilly
Ellen Degeneres was the other actress up for the part of Alise, which went to Courtney Thorne-Smith.Thanks to J Carr, David Beck
The football uniforms and logo were old Palatine High School sports supplies. Palatine was the Pirates.The players on the football field were Glenbard 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 Kelly kassal
I was an extra at Glenbard West during the filming of this movie, and I agree with all who say that Corey was less than friendly. He never would sign autographs and often snubbed any unwanted attention from the extras. In the last scene you can see a tall girl in a yellow shirt clapping, then when they change views, bam, there she is again. Funny huh? I could not see myself in the movie at all, even though I worked all summer, and came back in the fall. But it was alot of fun to do. It was really funny to watch what they did with our school, because some of the scenes were not at all realistic.Thanks to Denise
During the filming, C. Thomas Howell came by the set to visit with Charlie Sheen. Tommy and Charlie had become friends during the filming of Red Dawn. During longer breaks, the two of them would go outside near the cast's trailers to play basketball with Corey Haim's bodyguard.Thanks to Bob Myers
The scenes where they are in the tunnel under the Ravinia symphony were the Chicago Freight tunnels that were accessed under the Cook County building downtown -I wired the lights!Thanks to Anonymous
Many scenes were filmed at the old Arlington Heights high school. That school had recently closed and the students merged into Prospect High School. The band that Lucas was in was also from Prospect.I was also an extra and can attest to Corey's bad behavior. He was really an entitled brat. However, Winona Ryder would occasionally kill time with the extras. Charlie Sheen was also personable and was the opposite of Corey.
I don't recall seeing Courtney around, but she wasn't very well known at the time.
Most of the time was spent waiting, and waiting, and waiting....
Next Section: Deleted Scenes
Deleted Scenes
There are often scenes cut from the final version of a movie. Sometimes these will have been seen by preview audiences, or be included in Blu-ray or DVD extras etc.
The following missing scenes from Lucas are believed legit. If you disagree or have additional info, please update us.Thanks to denise
There was a cafeteria scene filmed that had Lucas attempting to sit at the Football players' lunch table.In the scene, Lucas walks up to the table with his lunch tray, and the jocks move together on the bench to close up the space where he aimed to sit. They repeatedly thwart his chances to grab an available seat, until finally Lucas fakes left and dodges right into an open spot at the end of the table.
Not to be so easily tricked, the jocks shove him with their hip off the bench, and his food tray goes flying into the face of the "tough kid", Tonto, at the next table.
The angered tough kid picks up scrawny little Lucas, ready to beat him to a pulp, while all the football players laugh but then Charlie Sheen steps in to save Lucas.
Thanks to Sydney Brooks
In the official trailer of "Lucas", we can see a scene where Lucas is in the water, and shouts: "You"ll never make me quit! Ever!". Apparently, this scene was then deleted, and changed: in the movie, we see Lucas sitting on a water fountain... The lake where the original scene took place can be seen behind.Next Section: Alternate Versions
Alternate Versions
Sometimes, there will be several versions of a movie floating about on cable, tv or video etc. Other times, a Director may release a special cut of the movie on Blu-ray or DVD.
The following versions of Lucas are apparently real. If you disagree or have additional info, please update us.Thanks to Ken Sumka
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.
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1986 20th Century Fox
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