Hands on a Hardbody: The Documentary
1997 American film
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Hands on a Hardbody: The Documentary is a 1997 film directed by S. R. Bindler[2] documenting an endurance competition that took place in Longview, Texas. The yearly competition pits twenty-four contestants against each other to see who can keep their hand on a pickup truck for the longest amount of time.[3] Whoever endures the longest without leaning on the truck or squatting wins the truck. Five-minute breaks are issued every hour, and fifteen-minute breaks every six hours.[4]
- Kevin Morris
- S.R. Bindler
- Chapin Wilson
- S.R. Bindler
- Chapin Wilson
- Michael Nickles
| Hands on a Hardbody: The Documentary | |
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Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | S.R. Bindler |
| Produced by |
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| Cinematography |
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| Edited by | S.R. Bindler |
| Music by |
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Production company | Providence Entertainment |
| Distributed by | Legacy Releasing[1] |
Release date |
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Running time | 98 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
The documentary follows the 1995 competition which lasted for seventy-seven continuous hours. The film garnered the audience award for best documentary at the 1997 Los Angeles Film Festival.[5] Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino referred to Hands on a Hardbody as one of his go-to movie recommendations.[6]
Large portions of the film's audio were included on the "Something for Nothing" episode of the public radio show This American Life in 1997.[7]
At the time of his death in 2006, film director Robert Altman was developing a feature film based on the documentary.[8]
In 2013, the film was digitally re-mastered and released for sale online.[9]
Stage musical
The documentary was adapted into a musical, Hands on a Hardbody, commissioned by La Jolla Playhouse, La Jolla, California.[10] The book is by Doug Wright, music by Amanda Green and Trey Anastasio, lyrics by Amanda Green, musical staging by Sergio Trujillo and direction by Neil Pepe. After a run at La Jolla in 2012,[11] the musical had a brief engagement on Broadway at the Brooks Atkinson Theater with previews beginning February 23, 2013, opening on March 21, 2013, and closing on April 13, 2013,[12][13] playing 28 previews and 28 performances.[14] The musical received three Tony Award nominations.[15]