Deepizzaguy
I remember when actor, author and director Sylvester Stallone directed his first movie in 1978 called “Paradise Alley” – that was about the 3 Carboni brothers Cosmo (Stallone) Lenny (Armand Assante) and Victor (Lee Canalito) trying to use professional wrestling as an escape from living in the slums of New York City called Hell’s Kitchen.
When the movie came out, I regret I missed seeing the movie since I was disappointed that Stallone’s previous movie “F I S T” (Federal Interstate Truckers) where Stallone played a union leader was rubbed out at the end of the movie by his enemies.
However when the movie came out on television after the run in the theaters was over quickly since the movie was not a box office hit since at that time movie fans could relate to Stallone as the fictional boxer Robert “Rocky” Balboa in his first “Rocky” movie that came out in 1976 and one three Oscars. I was impressed with the story where the Carboni brothers found out that all that glitters in not gold but fools gold.
Case in point, when Victor Carboni beat the Paradise Alley wrestling champion Big Glory who was acted by Frank McRae, Cosmo thought that his brother Victor who worked in New York City as an iceman delivering ice in the rough neighborhoods of New York City was huge as a giant could make enough money as a pro wrestler to live on Easy Street.
The catch was that when Big Glory told Victor and Cosmo that the pro wrestling club circuit was a cut throat business, it woke up Cosmo to the harsh reality that his brother could suffer some serious damage to his body as a pro wrestler and wind up broke being damaged goods.
In that era fans who attended the pro wrestling matches placed bets on who would win the wrestling matches which as far I know it would not happen in the World Wrestling Entertainment. (WWE).
The final match of the movie was between Victor Carboni who went by the ring name Kid Salami versus Frankie The Thumper (Terry Funk). The ending of the match had me confused since according to the book of the same name Stallone wrote, the Carboni brothers were back living in poverty while in the movie the Carboni brothers celebrated their win over Frankie by hugging each other in the wrestling ring.
I had never even heard of this. I must live under a rock.
The movie came out after Sylvester starred in the movie “F I S T” (Federation of Inter State Truckers) where he played a union boss in Cleveland Ohio. Then after Paradise Alley came “Rocky II.”
Sound like the good one.
It is a pretty good comedy drama movie from a novel that Sylvester wrote which also called “Paradise Alley” which could be a fictional account of his childhood in Hell’s Kitchen in New York City.
I do not remember this movie.
It came out in 1978. I believe it may based on his real life living in Hell’s Kitchen in New York City but it was made into a work of fiction since his character name was Cosmo Carboni. As far as I know Sylvester did not work in any professional wrestling matches in his life..
I want to see this movie. Sound like the good one.
It is basically a comedy drama which may or not be based on Sylvester’s time growing up in New York City.
It was pretty good comedy and drama in this movie.
I have to see that movie! Nice review.
The movie is pretty good.