8 Seconds

"8 Seconds" premiered in the 3rd week of February, 1994.

Click below for some headlines from the premiere and quotes from the family.

While the movie "8 Seconds" was about Lane, it was not a documentary.
It was part fact, but it also was part fiction.
Below I have noted some of the differences between Lane's life and the movie.
And also some of the things that the movie kept the same.

Actually, this whole page could be summed up in two sentences.

"It's very hard to take a person like Lane and make it into a movie,
because to tell you the truth, nobody would believe if we told you the whole story.
So let me just say that he was one of the greatest bull riders I ever met,
he was one of the most likable guys I ever met."
Quoted by The Frost Family friend, George Michael.

Which seems a little silly to me, because the producers wanted to do the movie
about Lane after seeing the tributes to him George made after his death.

Then he changed who Lane was and what his life was really like!

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When Lane's parents were first contacted about doing a movie on Lane's life,
the first person they contacted was George Michael, a popular sportscaster
and a man that followed and reported on Lane's rodeo career.

He served as a go-between between the Frosts and the movie makers.

The script that was finally chosen for the movie was not the one that the Frosts liked the best.
(They were given four scripts to review.)

However, it should be known that actor Luke Perry, who played Lane in the movie,
did his best to portray Lane as best as he could for Lane's parents,
who attended most of the shooting of the movie.

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There are two major differences between Lane's life and the movie:

1) Lane was a Christian. In the movie, this was not mentioned, to the dismay
of his parents and Kellie. The producers did not want God brought into the movie.
However, note "Kellie" in the Cheyenne scene, she is wearing a cross on a necklace.

2) Clyde Frost, Lane's Dad, is not like the father in the movie.
According to one of Lane's friends, "if there was anyone proud of Lane, it was Clyde.
Lane didn't have to prove himself to Clyde, he had his approval from the start."

There isn't too much written about Clyde.
This is unfortunate, because most people thus perceive him to be like the father
in the movie "8 Seconds", who always told Lane
he could have done better if he just tried harder.

About this misconception, Elsie Frost, Lane's mom, said,
"In the movie, it's like Lane kept driving himself to do good to prove himself to his dad.
That was not the case at all. We wouldn't have cared if he had never ridden that bull.
But in the end, it turns out good because it makes you know that you should
tell everyone you love them because you might not ever have another chance.
I feel like that over-rides the 'bad image' of Clyde."

The misrepresentation of Clyde Frost bothers Luke Perry to this day.
Here is a portion of an interview with Luke in 2002.

Interviewer's Question: I agree that acting is a very powerful way to get things across and connect with people-you do a great job. Is there a specific situation you would
like to address thru acting?

Luke's Answer: Acting can also mess a lot of things up. As can movies. There's a story element of a film I did called ""8 Seconds"" that haunts me to this day.
The portrayal of my character's father in that film, and it was a true life story, it portrayed him as being much harsher in his relationship with his son than ever he truly was. And somehow through all of the small day-to-day battles that one has on a movie set with the creative powers that be on some level, that got by me.
And I feel that in that film we misrepresented to the world the depth of the emotion and the love and compassion of a man named Clyde Frost.

And all the things that go with being an actor, the accolades, which there are way too many of, all of those things come with a big responsibility.
And when you drop the ball, as I feel we dropped the ball there, it doesn't go away. In closing, all creative endeavors have a measure of risk. And I don't mind that. That's all part of it. Because the risks I take are make-believe, and on paper and there are people out here in the world everyday taking big risks for little payback. And they do it day in and day out. People talk about actors, about me, and other people. They say hero, role model ... all that stuff. I really hope that if nothing better comes from the events of the past year that people have had a chance to really look around and see who the real heroes are. I just play one on TV."

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To talk with Clyde Frost, and hear his stories of Lane's childhood,
and the ranching plans Lane and he had,
is to know that here is a man that loved his son, and still feels the loss of his son,
and the unfulfilled dreams and plans they shared.
He will tell you that Lane always worked.
Raking leaves in the dark, building his pens and arena, and helping with the haying.
He will tell you of Lane's plans for the future.
The land Lane and Kellie were hoping to buy in Marietta, OK.,
which would have been between Lane, OK. and Quanah, TX.,
to make visiting both of their parents easier, and to still help Clyde with the bulls and cows.

Did Lane and Kelly cheat on each other?

I get this question at least once every couple of days.

Remember what I said about the producers changing who Lane was!

Lane and Kellie separated for a brief time in 1988. It was not because of "cheating".
Lane's traveling had taken a toll on their marriage.
For a time, it looked like they were going to divorce.
But their love was stronger, and they reunited.
Kellie was there to see Lane win the "Challenge of the Champions" over Red Rock in July, 1988.
Their last year together was their happiest, Lane's Mom believes.
They had plans to buy land and build a ranch at the time of Lane's death in Cheyenne.

There also is no person named "Martin Hudson".

Other differences in the movie were:

3) Lane and Tuff were friends, that respected each other's riding abilities.

4) Cody Lambert does not write poetry. Click...Here...to read the poem from the movie.

5) Lane lived in Utah until 1978, moving to Oklahoma when he was 14.

6) Lane and Kellie were married at the United Methodist Church in Quanah, TX,
on January 5, 1985, not at her parents ranch in 1984.
The reception was held at the church also.
Tuff and Lane did not do the dance in the movie.

7) While living in Quanah, Lane and Kellie lived in a nice, large mobile home,
that even included a fireplace Nothing like the trailer in the movie.

8) Lane rode 9 out of 10 bulls at the 1986 National Finals Rodeo, not in 1987,
the year he won the Championship.

9) Lane did not win the 1987 Championship until he rode his bull in the 10th, and final round.
(The 10th bull was not Red Rock.)

10) In the movie the "Challenge of the Champions" between Lane and Red Rock
takes place in Texas, and there were only three match ups. The Challenge was actually
seven match ups and took place in California, Oregon, and Utah.

Lane rode Red Rock 4 out of the 7 times.

11) He was not hurt by Red Rock. As a matter-of-fact Red Rock was well-liked by the bull riders
because he went out of the way to make sure he didn't step on a fallen rider,
one time falling over sideways to avoid stepping on one. Red Rock was not mean.

12) Tuff did not own, or rent a plane at the time of Lane's death. Cody was not traveling with them
any longer either, choosing to ride broncos along with bulls and travel with others.
Jim Sharp and Clint Branger traveled with Lane and Tuff.

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Lane and Red Rock in Redding, Ca.

Lane becomes the first bull rider to ride Red Rock in the
third out of seven match-ups in "Challenge of the Champions" in 1988.

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13) When Lane was killed in Cheyenne, there were no family members present.

14) It was a rainy day, and the arena was muddy, not dusty like in the movie.

15) The bull did not stop and paw the ground and think about attacking.

16) It also was raining the day of Lane's funeral.

17) The movie made it appear that Tuff Hedeman did not win a World Championship
until after Lane's death in 1989. Actually, Tuff won his first championship in 1986, one year before
Lane won his. Had Lane rode Red Rock at the NFR in 1986
he would have won the World Championship.

18) In one of the last scenes in the movie, when Tuff visits Kellie in the barn
and asks her to come to the Finals, it gives the time as "6 Months Later".
Lane died on July 30, six months from that would be
January 30, while the Finals are held the first week in December.

19) Lane does have an older sister, Robin, and a younger brother, Cody.

For things in the movie that were the same, see below.

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Lane's Last Ride~Cheyenne, Wy.~July 30, 1989

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But, Lane's parents are happy the movie did show

1) Lane's positive attitude, including his habit of helping everyone,
especially children and older people.

2) that Lane was always willing to do his share, or more than his share of work.

3) that you can make mistakes but you can rise above them and get your life on track.

4) you should tell everyone you love them because you might not ever have another chance.

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Other "Yes, it did really happen" s are:

1) Lane did beat Tuff in the National High School Rodeo Association for Bull Riding Champion.

2) Kellie was there when Lane won the "Challenge of the Champions" over Red Rock.

3) Lane did tell Tuff in early 1989 that he felt "it would be Tuff's year" to win the championship.

4) Tuff did ride an extra 8 seconds for Lane at the 1989 National Rodeo Finals.

5) Kellie did go to the 1989 Finals to accept the "Coors Favorite Cowboy Award" for Lane.
Lane's parents also attended.

6) Lane and Kellie were looking at land for a ranch, and bull riding school.

Their loan was approved the day of Lane's funeral.

7) Lane did wear a feather. His mom thinks he started wearing one because
Monty Henson wore one and Lane thought it looked cool and would become his trademark.

8) Lane did have a van. But it was given to him to use for a year (1988) by a friend of
Kellie's family that had a car dealership.

9) Lane did wave to the crowd after a ride. But it was "slightly" exaggerated for the movie.

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But.....
if you ever have a chance to view the movie, do it!
Luke Perry does a great job in portraying Lane, in that they both were exuberant about life.
And at the end of the movie there is 7 minutes of Great Footage of the Real Lane Frost.

For more answers click below

Frequently Asked Questions
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