Paradise Alley is a 1978 American sports drama film written, directed by, and starring Sylvester Stallone (in his feature directorial debut). The film tells the story of three Italian American brothers in Hell's Kitchen in the 1940s who become involved in professional wrestling . Kevin Conway , Anne Archer , Joe Spinell , Armand Assante , Lee Canalito, Frank McRae , Joyce Ingalls and Tom Waits co-star in the film.
125-586: A number of professional wrestlers appeared portraying supporting characters and in cameos, including Terry Funk , Ted DiBiase , Bob Roop , Dick Murdoch , Dory Funk Jr. , Don Leo Jonathan , Don Kernodle , Gene Kiniski , Dennis Stamp , Ray Stevens and Uliuli Fifita . Playwright and screenwriter John Monks Jr. also appeared as a bartender. Paradise Alley was released in the United States on September 22, 1978, by Universal Pictures . The film received negative reviews from critics. Victor,
250-552: A 5-star rating from Dave Meltzer . Soon after he became a color commentator and the host of his own segment, Funk's Grill, on NWA Power Hour where a tuxedo-clad Funk would amiably interview the top stars of WCW, both face and heel. This did not last long and he left soon after for the USWA. In May 1994, Funk reappeared in WCW. He wrestled Tully Blanchard to a double disqualification at Slamboree 1994 and later that night, he became
375-749: A King of the Ring qualifying match. During the King of the Ring pay-per-view, Funk interfered in the Mankind vs. The Undertaker Hell in a Cell match , receiving a chokeslam from The Undertaker. Funk then formed a short lived tag team with Justin Bradshaw , which defeated Too Much on the July 25 episode of WWF Shotgun Saturday Night . At Fully Loaded: In Your House , Funk and Bradshaw were defeated by Faarooq and 2 Cold Scorpio, with Bradshaw attacking Funk after
500-638: A bullrope "I Quit" match at Uncensored in March 2000. In April 2000, Funk began competing in WCW's hardcore division. At Spring Stampede later that month he defeated Norman Smiley to win the vacant WCW Hardcore Championship . At Slamboree , Funk defeated Smiley and Ralphus to successfully defend the title. He lost the title to Shane Douglas the following month, but regained it several days later. His second reign ended in June 2000 when he lost to Eric Bischoff . In September 2000, Funk defeated Lance Storm for
625-514: A house show for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . At the show, Terry joined longtime friend, Mick Foley , as special guest enforcers for a match between Scott Steiner and Samoa Joe . Funk made a brief return to WWE in 2006, when he appeared on the May 15 episode of Raw , confronting Mick Foley over the attack on Tommy Dreamer on the previous weeks episode of Raw . At ECW One Night Stand , Funk would team with Dreamer and Beulah McGillicutty in
750-475: A weighted average , assigned the film a score of 70 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. The Directors Guild of America awarded Rocky its annual award for best film of the year in 1976. Additionally, the Directors Guild voted Rocky as the 65th best-directed film of all time, and in 2006, Sylvester Stallone's original screenplay for the film was selected by
875-566: A "No holds barred contest" for Northeast Wrestling on October 1, 2011. On October 15, 2011, Funk unsuccessfully faced his long-time friend and protégé Tommy Dreamer at the AWE "Night Of Legends" event. In a shoot interview conducted the next day featuring himself and Dreamer, Funk stated that he believed that would be his last match. On January 12, 2013, Funk stated that he was officially retired from professional wrestling at age 68, On October 27, 2013, he returned to All Japan Pro Wrestling with Dory in
1000-498: A No Ropes Barbed Wire Exploding Barbed Wire Boards & Exploding Ring Time Bomb Death Match. Terry would also participate in several other deathmatches throughout 1995. Later in Funk's career, his style changed from wrestling traditional southern style wrestling matches to the more violent style of hardcore wrestling . In 1993, after a special appearance against Blanchard at World Championship Wrestling's Slamboree, Funk promised to help
1125-508: A desert dune and raising his hands in victory. In the fourth-season finale of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air , as the credits roll at the end of the episode, Will is seen running up the steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art; however, as he celebrates after finishing his climb, he passes out in exhaustion, and while he lies unconscious on the ground, a pickpocket steals his wallet and his wool hat. In The Nutty Professor , there
1250-582: A dumpster and then pushing it off the stage. At No Way Out of Texas: In Your House , Charlie and Jack teamed with Stone Cold Steve Austin and Owen Hart , defeating the team of Triple H , Savio Vega and the New Age Outlaws. At WrestleMania XIV , Charlie and Jack defeated the New Age Outlaws in a dumpster match to win the WWF Tag Team Championship . The following night, on the March 30 episode of Raw , Charlie and Jack lost
1375-404: A fire extinguisher couldn't cool the burning in my brain. The door of opportunity was wide open and I had nothing to carry over its threshold. That's when I started to write ROCKY . So thank God for the maggot; otherwise I never would've written the story of Mr. Balboa . In an interview with Roger Ebert in 1980, Stallone mentioned that Paradise Alley was originally a much longer film before he
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#17327873037551500-576: A hardcore match with the stipulation that if Funk won, the nWo would disband, but if Nash won, he would replace Funk as WCW Commissioner. The match was won by Nash. Funk went on to feud with Ric Flair , including losing to Flair's son David in an "I Quit" match on WCW Monday Nitro . The feud culminated in a Texas death match at SuperBrawl in February 2000 that was won by Flair. Funk then went on to feud with Dustin Rhodes , losing to Rhodes in
1625-501: A losing effort against Foley, Edge and Lita . Midway through the match, Foley injured Funk's left eye with barbed wire, and Funk was taken backstage. He later returned to the match (with a bloody cloth tied over his eye) to hit Foley with a flaming 2x4 wrapped in barbed wire. Funk, along with his brother Dory, was inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009 by his longtime friend Dusty Rhodes . In 2013, Funk inducted Mick Foley into
1750-475: A member of Colonel Robert Parker's Stud Stable . Along with Bunkhouse Buck , Arn Anderson and Meng , the stable would focus their energies on Dusty and Dustin Rhodes , as well as The Nasty Boys , culminating in a War Games match at Fall Brawl . Funk left WCW once more in October 1994. In 1994, Funk joined the fledgling International Wrestling Association of Japan promotion. Funk would go on to be
1875-564: A more realistic look at what he can and cannot do after audiences exit shaking their heads over the scatterbrained mentality that seems to control Paradise Alley . Stallone has a distinctive, funny presence and a flair for spontaneous slapstick and sentiment, but he appears to be a miserable coordinator and ringmaster." Writing in New York , David Denby found the film to have "some moments of warmth in its portrait of gaudy neighborhood bars and dance halls, gangsters, bimbos, and hangers-on, but
2000-570: A movie like Rocky could envisage, and most previous ring movies have been much more cynical about the fight scene"; commenting on Rocky's work for a loan shark, Sarris says the film "teeters on the edge of sentimentalizing gangsters". He found Meredith "oddly cast in the kind of part the late James Gleason used to pick his teeth". One of the positive online reviews came from the BBC Films website, with both reviewer Almar Haflidason and BBC online users giving it 5 out of 5 stars. The film enjoys
2125-599: A participant in IWA's most famous event the King of the Death Match Tournament, held on August 20, 1995, in Kawasaki . Funk would first defeat Leatherface and Tiger Jeet Singh in extreme-style matches which featured barbed wire covered boards, glass, and chains before moving on to the finals of the tournament. In the finals, Funk was defeated by protégé Cactus Jack, later known by US audiences as Mick Foley , in
2250-462: A public skating rink during regular business hours, but the producers decided they could not afford the hundreds of extras that would have been required. The poster seen above the ring before Rocky fights Apollo Creed shows Rocky wearing red shorts with a white stripe when he actually wears white shorts with a red stripe. When Rocky points this out, he is told that "it doesn't really matter, does it?" According to director Avildsen's DVD commentary, this
2375-495: A ranch in Canyon, Texas , which they later sold. Vicky died on March 29, 2019. Funk was close friends with NFL player John Ayers and Hollywood actor Sylvester Stallone . On September 12, 2016, Funk underwent surgery for an inguinal hernia, and was supposed to be resting and in bed for a couple of weeks, but chose to attend Tommy Dreamer's House of Hardcore shows. In June 2021, fellow wrestling legend Don Muraco reported Funk
2500-437: A reputation as a classic and still receives nearly universal praise. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes , the film holds a 92% approval rating based on 75 reviews, with an average rating of 8.4/10. The site's critics consensus states: "This story of a down-on-his-luck boxer is thoroughly predictable, but Sylvester Stallone's script and stunning performance in the title role brush aside complaints." Metacritic , which uses
2625-575: A second chance, they would award the 1977 Oscar for Best Picture to All the President's Men instead. Time Out ranked Rocky #1 on their list of the "50 Best Sports Movies of All Time". On their list of "The 50 Greatest Sports Movies of All Time", entertainment news website Vulture ranked Rocky at #3. In 2015, Thrillist compiled a list of "The 1001 Best Movies of All Time" by weighing ratings from IMDb , Rotten Tomatoes , Metacritic and Letterboxd . Rocky ranked #589. In 2021,
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#17327873037552750-631: A six-man tag team main event. On October 16, 2015, Funk made an appearance at AIW's Big Trouble in Little Cleveland event, where he attacked Eddie Kingston and his manager, The Duke, destroying the concession stand in the process. On October 24, 2015, Funk had his last match at USA Championship Wrestling in Jackson, Tennessee , at Oman Arena against Jerry Lawler , Lawler went on to win by DQ. On September 17, 2016, Funk announced his retirement at House of Hardcore 17. Funk made another return to
2875-539: A statue of Rocky, commissioned by Stallone for Rocky III , was placed at the top of the Rocky Steps . City Commerce Director Dick Doran claimed that Stallone and Rocky had done more for the city's image than "anyone since Ben Franklin ". Differing opinions of the statue and its placement led to a relocation to the sidewalk outside the Spectrum Arena, although the statue was temporarily returned to
3000-630: A surprise appearance for Insane Clown Posse 's Juggalo Championship Wrestling at the 10th Annual Gathering of the Juggalos . He served as special guest referee for a match between Viscera and 2 Tuff Tony . Funk also appeared at the annual NJPW January 4 Dome Show in 2010, teaming with Manabu Nakanishi , Masahiro Chono and Riki Choshu to defeat Abdullah the Butcher , Takashi Iizuka , Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano . On September 11, 2010, at Ring of Honor's Glory By Honor IX , Funk worked as
3125-529: A tag team match, wrestling Masanobu Fuchi and Osamu Nishimura to a 20-minute time limit draw. On November 9, 2013, Funk appeared at House of Hardcore 3 as Tommy Dreamer's tag team partner. They defeated Sean Waltman and Lance Storm and the match was promoted as the last time Dreamer and Funk would wrestle together. On December 11, 2014, Funk returned to Japan for a Tokyo Gurentai independent event, which saw him, Masakatsu Funaki and Mil Máscaras defeat Kaz Hayashi , Nosawa Rongai and Yoshiaki Fujiwara in
3250-481: A vehicle for a well-established star like Robert Redford , Ryan O'Neal , Burt Reynolds , or James Caan . Stallone's agents insisted that Stallone portray the title character, to the point of issuing an ultimatum. Stallone later said that he would never have forgiven himself had the film become a success with somebody else in the lead. He also knew that producers Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff 's contract with
3375-523: A wasted talent, but eventually Rocky accepts the offer. Rocky begins to build a romantic relationship with Adrian Pennino, a shy woman who is working part-time at the J&;M Tropical Fish pet store . Adrian's brother and Rocky's best friend, Paulie, helps Rocky get a date with his sister and offers to work as a cornerman with him for the fight, an offer Rocky turns down. Paulie becomes jealous of Rocky's success, but Rocky placates him by agreeing to advertise
3500-426: A worldwide box office total of $ 225 million. With its production budget of just under $ 1 million, Rocky is notable for its worldwide percentage return of over 11,000 percent. It was the highest-grossing film released in 1976 in the United States and Canada and the second highest-grossing film of 1977, behind Star Wars . Rocky received positive reviews at the time of its release. Roger Ebert of
3625-451: Is a hustler and con-artist, always looking for the next easy buck. Lenny is the former war hero, now an undertaker who came back to the neighborhood with a limp and a bitter attitude. Victor is a gawky, strong, dumb yet sincere hulk of a man, who leaves his job hauling ice up tenement stairways once he is persuaded to become a wrestler. Initially, it is Cosmo that dominates the proceedings, aggressively encouraging Victor to wrestle against
3750-488: The Chicago Sun-Times gave it 4 out of 4 stars and said that Stallone reminded him of "the young Marlon Brando ." Box Office Magazine claimed audiences would be "touting Sylvester 'Sly' Stallone as a new star". Frank Rich liked the film, calling it "almost 100 per cent schmaltz ", but favoring it over the cynicism that was prevalent in movies at that time, although he referred to the plot as "gimmicky" and
3875-542: The American Film Institute (AFI) ranked Rocky as the 78th best film in American cinema . The film's ranking rose to #57 on AFI's 10th anniversary edition of the list in 2007. Additionally, in June 2008, AFI revealed its 10 Top 10 —the best ten films in ten "classic" American film genres—after polling over 1,500 people from the creative community. Rocky was acknowledged as the second-best film in
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4000-491: The American Film Institute placed it 58th on its AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs . United Artists Records released the soundtrack album on November 12, 1976. EMI re-released the album on CD and cassette . Frank Stallone's song "Take You Back" is also on the soundtrack, and he also sings the song in the movie with other friends around a trash can fire. The movie began with two premieres in New York, starting with
4125-583: The ECW World Heavyweight Championship from Raven . Earlier in the night, he defeated The Sandman and Stevie Richards in a Triple Threat match , thus earning him the match with Raven. Funk went on to successfully defend the title in bouts at Chapter 2 , The Buffalo Invasion , Wrestlepalooza , and Heat Wave . He was ultimately defeated for the title by Sabu in a barbed wire match at Born to be Wired in August 1997, in which
4250-504: The ECW World Heavyweight Championship , NWA World Heavyweight Championship , USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship , WWF World Tag Team Championship , and ECW World Television Championship . He headlined ECW's premier annual pay-per-view event, November to Remember , three times. Funk was inducted into multiple halls of fame, among them WWE , WCW , NWA , and Hardcore . Funk was born on June 30, 1944, in Hammond, Indiana . He
4375-657: The Junkyard Dog which led to a match between Terry Funk and Hoss Funk and the team of Tito Santana and Junkyard Dog at WrestleMania 2 . Terry also had a series of WWF title matches against Hulk Hogan . Funk left the WWF in April 1986. Funk joined World Championship Wrestling in 1989 and became part of the J-Tex Corporation . He began feuding with Ric Flair , who had defeated Ricky Steamboat at WrestleWar for
4500-690: The Klingon Worf in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , made his acting debut, albeit uncredited, as Creed's bodyguard. Principal photography for Rocky began on January 9, 1976. Filming took place primarily throughout Philadelphia, with a few scenes being shot in Los Angeles. Rocky's house was in E Tusculum St 1818 in Philadelphia. Inventor Garrett Brown 's new Steadicam
4625-636: The United States Wrestling Association , World Championship Wrestling , the World Wrestling Federation and multiple National Wrestling Alliance territories including Big Time Wrestling , Championship Wrestling from Florida , Georgia Championship Wrestling and Stampede Wrestling . He was the promoter of the Amarillo -based Western States Sports promotion. Championships held by Funk included
4750-748: The WCW United States Heavyweight Championship at a house show in Amarillo, Texas . He lost the title back to Storm the following day. In December 2000 at Starrcade , Funk defeated Crowbar to win the WCW Hardcore Championship for a record third time. He made his final appearance with WCW at Sin in January 2001, losing the Hardcore Championship to Meng in a three way match that also involved Crowbar. From 2002 to 2004, Funk
4875-699: The Writers Guild of America as the 78th best screenplay of all time. In a 2012 survey of members of the Motion Picture Editors Guild , Rocky was voted as one of the 75 best-edited films in all of cinema. In 2006, the Library of Congress selected Rocky for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant". In 1998,
5000-490: The meat packing business where Paulie works for sponsorship as part of the upcoming fight, and both of them reconcile. Rocky trains extensively for the championship fight, while Apollo is unconcerned about the match and puts more effort into promotion than training. The night before the match, Rocky visits the Spectrum and begins to lose confidence. He confesses to Adrian that he does not believe he can win, but strives to go
5125-470: The musical score for Rocky . He had composed a score for director John G. Avildsen's W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings (1975) that the studio ultimately rejected. David Shire (then-husband of Talia Shire) was the first to be offered the chance to compose the music for Rocky but had to turn it down because of prior commitments. Avildsen reached out to Conti without any studio help because of
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5250-688: The rags to riches and American Dream themes of sports dramas which preceded the film. Rocky had its premiere in New York City on November 20, 1976, and was released in the United States on December 3, 1976. Rocky became the highest-grossing film of 1976 , earning approximately $ 225 million worldwide. The film received critical acclaim for Stallone's writing, as well as the film's performances, direction, musical score, cinematography and editing; among other accolades, it received ten Academy Award nominations and won three, including Best Picture . It has been ranked by numerous publications as one of
5375-726: The ringside enforcer for the ROH World Championship match between Tyler Black and Roderick Strong . Funk appeared at the fifth WrestleReunion event at the LAX Hilton in Los Angeles, California , from January 28 to 30, 2011. On the second day of the event, he competed in a Legends Battle Royale on the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla show. He lasted until the end where he was eliminated by Roddy Piper . Funk wrestled Jerry Lawler unsuccessfully in
5500-592: The "50 of the Absolute Best Sports Movies Ever Made". British GQ ranked the film #1 on their list of "The 22 Best Sports Movies". Rocky has also appeared on several of the American Film Institute 's 100 Years lists. The film's success led to eight sequels, beginning with Rocky II in 1979. Followed by Rocky III in 1982, Rocky IV in 1985, Rocky V in 1990, Rocky Balboa in 2006, Creed in 2015 and Creed II in 2018. Another sequel, titled Creed III ,
5625-447: The "Top 100 Movies of All Time", as voted by a selection of their writers and editors. In 2024, entertainment news site Comic Book Resources ranked the film #23 on their list of the "55 Best Movies of All Time", while Parade magazine ranked the film #45 on their list of the "100 Best Movies of All Time". In 2014, Rocky was ranked #95 by British film magazine Empire on their list of "The 301 Greatest Movies of All Time", It
5750-552: The 100 greatest films of all time. Based on their 2020 readers' poll, the film ranked #60 on Rolling Stone Australia's "100 Greatest Movies of All Time". Additionally, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Rocky at #2 on their list of the 30 greatest sports films. In 2022, Esquire included the film on their list of "The 100 Best Movies of All Time". Esquire also included both Rocky and its spinoff sequel Creed on their list of "The 30 Best Sports Movies of All Time". In 2023, Slashfilm included Rocky on their list of
5875-534: The ECW reunion show One Night Stand , but turned it down in favor of working the ECW nostalgia show Hardcore Homecoming that was being put together by Shane Douglas. At Hardcore Homecoming , Funk lost a three-way barbed wire match to Sabu. On February 4, 2004, NWA-TNA, Funk and The Sandman lost to The Gathering ( CM Punk and Julio Dinero ). On February 18, 2004, NWA-TNA, Funk and Raven defeated The Gathering. On May 23, 2009, Funk made an unannounced appearance at
6000-619: The Funks were heels until they faced The Sheik and Abdullah The Butcher in Tokyo. The two later faced Stan Hansen , Bruiser Brody , and Giant Baba in memorable feuds as well. Terry Funk made his World Wrestling Federation (WWF) debut in June 1985 after a brief run in the AWA. In his televised debut on Championship Wrestling , he not only beat Aldo Marino , but he also beat on ring announcer Mel Phillips. Funk attacked Phillips, after Phillips made
6125-668: The Mat . His legendary toughness was attested to when cameramen followed him to a medical appointment, where he was told by the doctor that he would not be able to walk without intense pain. He also appeared in other movies such as Paradise Alley , The Ringer , and Over the Top . He released an autobiography, Terry Funk: More Than Just Hardcore , in 2005. On May 11, 2010, Funk appeared on "Right After Wrestling" with Arda Ocal on SIRIUS Satellite Radio to discuss his possible retirement, to which he replied "I never really truly will retire". This
6250-626: The NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Funk, who was one of three judges for the main event, challenged Flair to a title match. Flair refused, saying that Funk was "spending time in Hollywood" instead of focusing on wrestling. Funk then attacked, piledriving Flair on a ringside table. This put the champion, Flair, out of action until the Great American Bash in July 1989 where he faced Funk. Flair won
6375-485: The Steadicam, although it was actually the third, after Bound for Glory and Marathon Man . Certain elements of the story were altered during filming. The original script had a darker tone: Mickey was portrayed as racist , and the script ended with Rocky throwing the fight after realizing he did not want to be part of the professional boxing world after all. Both Stallone and Weathers suffered injuries during
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#17327873037556500-522: The UK wrestling company FWA 's annual show entitled British Uprising. He teamed with Paul Burchill and Paul Travell, managed by "The Twisted Genius" Dean Ayass, to face The Triad, managed by Greg Lambert, in a 6-Man Tag Team match. Funk's team emerged victorious in front of a crowd of 2,000 people in the Coventry Skydome. In 2005, Funk received an offer from World Wrestling Entertainment to appear at
6625-598: The United States and Canada. Rocky grossed $ 5,488 on its opening day at Cinema II, a house record. When it was released nationally, it grossed $ 5 million during its first wide weekend and consistently performed well for eight months and eventually reached $ 117 million at the North American box office. Adjusted for inflation in 2018, the film earned over $ 500 million in North America alone. Overseas, Rocky grossed $ 107 million, for
6750-711: The WCW Commissioner by WCW President Bill Bush. Shortly after arriving, Funk formed a stable dubbed the "Old Age Outlaws" (a play on the New Age Outlaws ) alongside Arn Anderson , Larry Zbyszko , and Paul Orndorff to oppose the New World Order (nWo). His first match upon returning saw him wrestle nWo member Bret Hart to a no contest in a hardcore match that aired on WCW Thunder . At Souled Out on January 16, Funk faced nWo leader Kevin Nash in
6875-516: The WWE Hall of Fame. Funk made a cameo appearance on the March 21, 2016, episode of Raw , giving Dean Ambrose a pep-talk for his match against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 32 . At the conclusion of the segment, Funk presented Ambrose with a chainsaw, in reference to his previous gimmick as Chainsaw Charlie. After the one-off appearance at the WWE produced ECW One Night Stand , Funk then returned to
7000-564: The World Heavyweight Championship. Reluctant at first, Rocky eventually agrees to the fight, which will pay him $ 150,000. Rocky undergoes several weeks of unorthodox training, such as using sides of beef as punching bags . Rocky is later approached by Mickey Goldmill, a former bantamweight fighter-turned-trainer whose gym Rocky frequents, about further training. Rocky is not willing initially, as Mickey has not shown much interest in helping him before and saw him as
7125-770: The album "Great Texan" in 1984 which was a soft rock AOR oriented album. The album was met with mixed reviews and is generally considered a "cult classic" by fans. Funk also appeared in several WWE video games, in WWE SmackDown vs Raw 2008 and WWE SmackDown vs Raw 2011 as himself and in WWE '13 as downloadable content as his Chainsaw Charlie gimmick. He was also included as downloadable content for WWE 2K24 . In July 2022, Terry Funk released his self-titled biographical comic book through Squared Circle Comics. Funk married his wife Vicky Ann on August 14, 1965. They had two daughters together. For many years, Terry and Vicky owned
7250-415: The announcers), teaming with Mick Foley , who was wrestling under his Cactus Jack persona. Charlie and Jack began feuding with the New Age Outlaws , who defeated them by disqualification on the January 26, 1998 episode of Raw. The following week on Raw , Charlie and Jack had a match against each other, with the match ending in a no contest after the New Age Outlaws attacked both men, placing them both in
7375-442: The brutish giant ... They don't deserve the same fate as Rocky . And to give them the same fate is to insult the audience's intelligence." Variety gave the film a mostly positive review, calling it " Rocky rewritten by Damon Runyon ... It's an upbeat, funny, nostalgic film populated by colorful characters, memorable more for their individual moments than for their parts in the larger story." The review's only point of criticism
7500-694: The careers of Terry, his father, and his brother. Terry lost to then- WWF Champion Bret Hart in the main event, a non-title match. Beforehand, ECW owner Paul Heyman presented Terry with a belt, paid for through a collection taken up by wrestlers on the ECW roster, that declared him the Lifetime ECW World Heavyweight Champion . Funk appeared in the 1997 Royal Rumble match appearing at number 24 and lasting fifteen minutes and eighteen seconds before being eliminated by Mankind. Funk then returned to ECW before his retirement. Funk's retirement lasted just 11 days before he returned to
7625-546: The childish Charlie by training him to become an underground street fighter so that they can profit off of it. Anne Archer, who portrayed Annie in Paradise Alley , also portrayed Barbara Reynolds on the TV show. Terry Funk Terrance Dee Funk (June 30, 1944 – August 23, 2023) was an American professional wrestler . Widely considered one of the most influential and greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Funk
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#17327873037557750-416: The distance against Creed, which no other fighter has done, to prove himself to everyone. On New Year's Day , the fight is held with Creed making a dramatic entrance dressed as George Washington and then Uncle Sam . Taking advantage of his overconfidence, Rocky knocks him down in the first round—the first time that Creed has ever been knocked down. Humbled and worried, Creed takes Rocky more seriously for
7875-445: The end, Victor wins a big wrestling match in a rainstorm and the brothers are reunited. Sylvester Stallone wrote the story as a novel then a screenplay before he wrote Rocky . He later recalled: I was very broke and I optioned the screenplay of PARADISE ALLEY to a real... how should I say this... maggot, who put his hooks in so deep I could never get it away from him. So the first time I went in to meet Chartoff and Winkler , I
8000-537: The episode also held a namesake "hardcore" tag team match between The Brawling Brutes and the Street Profits . Rocky Rocky is a 1976 American independent sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone . It is the first installment in the Rocky franchise and also stars Talia Shire , Burt Young , Carl Weathers , and Burgess Meredith . In
8125-495: The fight, Creed decides to give a local contender a chance to challenge him. Creed selects Rocky Balboa , an Italian-American journeyman southpaw boxer who fights primarily in small gyms and works as a collector for a Mafia loan shark , on the basis of his nickname, "The Italian Stallion". Rocky fights in a local Philadelphia fight club, and he won his last fight with Spider Rico. He meets with promoter George Jergens, who tells him Creed has selected Rocky to fight him for
8250-400: The film #2. On their list of the "Top 25 Sports Movies of All Time", entertainment news website MovieWeb ranked Rocky #4. MovieWeb also ranked the film #3 on their list of the "20 Movies That Represent American Culture". On their list of "The 150 Best Sports Movies of All Time", Rotten Tomatoes ranked Rocky #17 and Creed #2. Men's Health included Rocky on their list of
8375-406: The film has an aggregated score of 40% based on five critic reviews, with an average rating of 4/10. On Metacritic , it has a weighted average score of 53 out of 100 based on eight critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". The premise of Paradise Alley was later parodied in the fifth episode of the second season of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia . In the episode, Mac and Dennis exploit
8500-505: The film ranked 2nd on ESPN 's "Top 20 Sports Movies of All-Time". In 2024, Forbes magazine ranked Rocky #1 on their list of "The 42 Greatest Sports Movies of All Time". British film site CinemaBlend ranked Rocky and Creed #1 and #17 respectively on their list of "The 25 Best Sports Movies". On their list of "100 Best Movies of All Time", entertainment news website Collider ranked Rocky #94, and on their list of "The 30 Greatest Sports Movies of All Time", Collider ranked
8625-438: The film three out of four stars, praising the "rich characters" and declaring it "one of the most colorful films of the year." In a separate article, he called it "a thoroughly engaging film—until its last reel, when Stallone slaps on a conventional, upbeat ending that is all wrong for this movie. It's the ending of Rocky all over again, as Stallone and his older brother in the movie go unpunished for exploiting their baby brother,
8750-427: The film's relatively low budget. Avildsen said, "The budget for the music was 25 grand. And that was for everything: The composer's fee, that was to pay the musicians, that was to rent the studio, that was to buy the tape that it was going to be recorded on." The main theme song , " Gonna Fly Now ", made it to number one on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 list for one week (from July 2 to July 8, 1977) and
8875-423: The film, Rocky Balboa (Stallone), a poor small-time club fighter and loanshark debt collector from Philadelphia , gets an unlikely shot at the world heavyweight championship held by Apollo Creed (Weathers). Rocky entered development in March 1975, after Stallone wrote the screenplay in three days. It entered a complicated production process after Stallone refused to allow the film to be made without him in
9000-455: The final bell sounds, with both fighters embracing each other, they promise each other there will be no rematch. The fight is extremely well received by the sportscasters and the audience. Rocky calls out repeatedly for Adrian, who runs down as Paulie distracts security to help her get into the ring. As Jergens declares Creed the winner by virtue of a split decision , Rocky and Adrian embrace and profess their love for each other, not caring about
9125-682: The fledgling Eastern Championship Wrestling (later renamed Extreme Championship Wrestling or ECW) by lending his talent and notoriety to the promotion. On July 16, Terry and Dory Funk lost a barbed wire match against The Public Enemy . Funk maintained a regular schedule of wrestling for ECW in its early days while also competing in Japan. He had many feuds and wrestled programs with wrestlers such as Cactus Jack , "The Franchise" Shane Douglas , The Sandman , Sabu , and Terry's own protege, Tommy Dreamer . Funk further elevated ECW by headlining their first pay-per-view, Barely Legal on April 13, 1997, winning
9250-418: The greatest films of all time , as well as one of the most iconic sports films ever . Rocky and its theme song have become a pop-cultural phenomenon and an important part of 1970s American popular culture . In 2006, the Library of Congress selected Rocky for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant". The first sequel in
9375-680: The independent circuit and made appearances in Japan. He claimed to be semi-retired after wrestling in his last match in September 2006 against Jerry "The King" Lawler in an Extreme Rules match at The Great Plains Coliseum in Lawton , Oklahoma, for the promotion Impact Zone Wrestling. Funk was also the special guest referee during the Raven and Johnny Webb vs. Khan Kussion and Homeless Jimmy match at " Cold Day in Hell " on May 24. On August 8, Terry made
9500-458: The independent film company Troma , appearing as a drunk. Diana Lewis, then a news anchor in Los Angeles and later in Detroit, has a minor scene as a TV news reporter. Tony Burton appears as Apollo Creed's trainer, Tony "Duke" Evers , a role he would reprise throughout the entire Rocky series, though the character is not named until Rocky II . Michael Dorn , who would later gain fame as
9625-463: The lead role; United Artists eventually agreed to cast Stallone after he rejected a six figure deal for the film rights . Principal photography began in January 1976, with filming primarily held in Philadelphia ; several locations featured in the film, such as the Rocky Steps , are now considered cultural landmarks. With an estimated production budget of under $ 1 million, Rocky popularized
9750-504: The match by reversing a small package into one of his own, but shortly after was attacked by Gary Hart and The Great Muta . Sting came to aid Flair and the two brawled with Funk and Muta to close the show. At Clash of the Champions VIII in September 1989, Flair and Sting defeated Muta and Dick Slater . After the match, Funk used a plastic shopping bag to suffocate Flair. At Halloween Havoc in October 1989, Funk (who entered
9875-633: The match motivating Stallone to begin work on Rocky , he has denied Wepner provided any inspiration for the script. Other inspiration for the film may have included characteristics of real-life boxers Rocky Marciano and Joe Frazier , as well as Rocky Graziano 's autobiography Somebody Up There Likes Me and the movie of the same name . Wepner sued Stallone, and eventually settled for an undisclosed amount. Henry Winkler , Stallone's co-star in The Lords of Flatbush who then broke out as Arthur Fonzarelli on ABC 's Happy Days , said he had taken
10000-635: The match was stopped. During 1981, Terry spent some time in the Continental Wrestling Association feuding with Jerry Lawler . The most memorable match in this feud happened in April 1981 at the Mid South Coliseum in Memphis, Tennessee. The match took place in the empty arena, with only Lance Russell , a cameraman, and a photographer present. Funk had challenged Lawler to this match at this time because he felt he
10125-578: The match. Funk left the WWF once again the following month. At ECW November to Remember , Funk was believed to have been Tommy Dreamer's mystery partner against Justin Credible and Jack Victory . However, it turned out to be Jake Roberts . An enraged Funk attacked Dreamer at every opportunity in late 1998 and early 1999, came down ill before they could have a match, and "retired" yet again in mid-1999. Funk returned to World Championship Wrestling in January 2000 after an absence of five years, being named
10250-414: The mistake of putting on Funk's cowboy hat. Funk also had a gimmick of carrying a branding iron with him to ringside and using it to "brand" his fallen opponents. The attack on Phillips led to a feud with Junkyard Dog. In the mid-1980s, Funk teamed with Dory (calling himself "Hoss" Funk) and Jimmy Jack Funk , a storyline "brother." They were managed by Jimmy Hart . At the time, he had a heated rivalry with
10375-482: The movie is so hyperbolic and synthetic you don't believe a minute of it." John Gault of Maclean's wrote: "The climactic wrestling sequence is so derivative of Rocky you almost start humming ' Gonna Fly Now '. But Rocky did what every good fairy tale does: it temporarily suspended disbelief, made the implausible plausible. That works only if there is a high degree of consistency in plot and characterization, and Paradise Alley doesn't have it." Gene Siskel gave
10500-455: The outcome of the fight. Sylvester Stallone wrote the screenplay for Rocky in three and a half days, shortly after watching the championship match between Muhammad Ali and Chuck Wepner that took place at Richfield Coliseum in Richfield, Ohio , on March 24, 1975. Wepner was TKO'd in the 15th round of the match by Ali, with few expecting him to last as long as he did. Despite
10625-455: The part. Philadelphia-based boxer Joe Frazier has a cameo appearance in the film. Outspoken boxer Muhammad Ali , who fought Frazier three times, influenced the character of Apollo Creed. During the 49th Academy Awards ceremony in 1977, Ali and Stallone staged a brief comic confrontation to show the film did not offend Ali. Frazier has claimed that some of the plot's most memorable moments—Rocky's carcass-punching scenes and Rocky running up
10750-492: The rest of the fight, though his ego never fully fades. The fight goes on for the full fifteen rounds, with both combatants sustaining various injuries: Rocky, with hits to the head and swollen eyes, requires his right eyelid to be cut to restore his vision, while Apollo, with internal bleeding and a broken rib, struggles to breathe. As the fight concludes, Creed's superior skill is countered by Rocky's apparently unlimited ability to absorb punches and his dogged refusal to go down. As
10875-582: The ring on September 22, 2017, for the Big Time Wrestling promotion in Raleigh, North Carolina . He teamed with The Rock N' Roll Express in a six-man tag team match, where they defeated Doug Gilbert , Jerry Lawler and Lawler's son Brian Christopher via disqualification. Terry Funk appeared as a bouncer in the movie Road House (1989) with Patrick Swayze . In 1999, Funk was featured in director Barry Blaustein's wrestling documentary Beyond
11000-555: The ring to Ennio Morricone 's " Man With a Harmonica ") and The Great Muta lost to Flair and Sting in a Thunderdome match . The feud then culminated in an "I Quit" match between Funk and Flair at Clash of the Champions IX in November 1989, which Funk lost after yelling "Yes, I quit!" after Flair put on the figure four leglock . After losing, Funk shook Flair's hand, and was attacked by Gary Hart's stable. This match received
11125-543: The ring. After wrestling in Japan with Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling and on the United States independent circuit (most notably a bout with Rik Ratchet that drew many fans on the east coast), Funk rejoined the World Wrestling Federation. Funk made his return to the WWF on the December 29, 1997, episode of Raw as the masked "Chainsaw Charlie" (although his true identity was soon acknowledged by
11250-412: The ropes of the ring were taken down and replaced with barbed wire. Both men had to be cut out of the wires at the end of the match. Sabu had his biceps visibly torn open by the barbed wire – as a result, the wound was taped up and the match continued. In September 1997, a show was held in Funk's hometown of Amarillo. It was called " Terry Funk's WrestleFest " and was both his own show and a celebration of
11375-537: The script "heavy-handed". Several reviews, including Richard Eder 's (as well as Canby's negative review), compared the work to that of Frank Capra . The film did not escape criticism. Vincent Canby , of The New York Times , called it "pure '30s make believe" and dismissed both Stallone's acting and Avildsen's directing, calling the latter "none too decisive". Andrew Sarris found the Capra comparisons disingenuous: "Capra's movies projected more despair deep down than
11500-459: The script and the idea of Stallone playing the lead character, they were hesitant about having an unknown headline the film. The producers also had trouble casting other major characters in the story, with Apollo Creed and Adrian cast unusually late by the production standards. Real-life boxer Ken Norton was initially sought for the role of Apollo Creed , but he pulled out and the role was ultimately given to Carl Weathers . Norton, upon whom Creed
11625-406: The script to executives at the network. They expressed interest in turning it into a made-for-television movie and actually bought the script but insisted that someone else rewrite it. Upon hearing the news, Stallone begged Winkler not to let ABC change writers, so Winkler went back to the executives and offered to return the money in exchange for the rights. While ABC refused at first, Winkler said he
11750-469: The script to various producers and studios in Hollywood but were repeatedly rejected because Stallone insisted that he be cast in the lead role. Eventually, they secured a meeting with Winkler-Chartoff productions (no relation to Henry Winkler). After repeated negotiations with Rumar and Kubik, Winkler-Chartoff agreed to a contract for Stallone to be the writer and also star in the lead role for Rocky . United Artists liked Stallone's script and viewed it as
11875-473: The series, Rocky II , was released in 1979. In 1975, heavyweight boxing world champion Apollo Creed plans to hold a title bout in Philadelphia during the upcoming United States Bicentennial . However, he is informed five weeks from the fight date that his scheduled opponent is unable to compete due to an injured hand, and that all other potential replacements are either booked up or unable to get into shape in time. Having already invested heavily into
12000-415: The shooting of the final fight; Stallone suffered bruised ribs and Weathers suffered a damaged nose, the opposite injuries of what their characters had. The first date between Rocky and Adrian, in which Rocky bribes a janitor to allow them to skate after closing hours on a deserted ice skating rink, was shot that way due to budgetary concerns — the scene was originally scheduled to be shot in
12125-470: The soldier without legs, sitting on a bar eating peanuts." Edward R. Pressman got involved in the project prior to Rocky however, after the success of Rocky , the project received studio involvement. Paradise Alley was released in the United States on November 10, 1978. In the Philippines, the film was released on December 5, 1990, with the song " U Can't Touch This " by MC Hammer included in
12250-457: The soundtrack. Paradise Alley received negative reviews from many critics, who often compared the film unfavorably to Rocky . Vincent Canby of The New York Times (who had also written one of the harshest reviews of Rocky ) called it "a phony, attitudinizing, self-indulgent mess ... If there had been just a tiny bit of wit involved, or a consistent point of view, or genuine feeling, Paradise Alley might have been an engaging throwback to
12375-502: The sports genre, after Raging Bull . Film scholar Steven J. Schneider included Rocky in his book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die , writing that the film is "often overlooked as schmaltz". FilmSite.org , a subsidiary of American Movie Classics , included the film on their list of the 300 greatest films of all time. Additionally, Films101.com ranked the film as the 228th best of all time. In 2006, British film magazine Total Film ranked Rocky at #71 on their list of
12500-674: The steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art as part of his training regimen—are taken without credit from his own real-life exploits. Because of the film's comparatively low budget, members of Stallone's family played minor roles. His father rings the bell to signal the start and end of a round; his brother Frank plays a street corner singer, and his first wife, Sasha, was stills photographer . Other cameos include former Philadelphia and then Los Angeles television sportscaster Stu Nahan playing himself, alongside radio and TV broadcaster Bill Baldwin; and Lloyd Kaufman , founder of
12625-469: The studio enabled them to "greenlight" a project if the budget was kept low enough. The producers also collateralized any possible losses with their big-budget entry, New York, New York (whose eventual losses were covered by Rocky 's success). The film's production budget ended up being $ 1,075,000, with a further $ 100,000 spent on producers' fees and $ 4.2 million on advertising costs. Although Chartoff and Irwin Winkler were enthusiastic about
12750-574: The throat if he could ... As a writer, he's a primitive mining the mass media, without any apparent awareness of how stale his ideas are. Doesn't he know that there are a lot of us who have seen the same plays and movies he has? Aren't we even expected to remember Rocky ? Stallone tries to work our emotions in exactly the same ways, and there's no surprise to the shamelessness this time." Gary Arnold of The Washington Post wrote: "Maybe there's something to be said for Stallone overreaching himself this early in his starring career. He may be compelled to take
12875-621: The title against Jack Brisco, Dusty Rhodes , Carlos Rocha, Giant Baba , and Pat O'Connor . In addition to North America, he defended the belt in Australia, Japan and Singapore. The historic reign ended in Toronto when he was defeated by "Handsome" Harley Race , who had earlier beaten Dory, Jr., for NWA World Heavyweight Championship before losing it to Jack Brisco. Race lifted Funk for a shinbreaker and then trapped him in an Indian death leglock. When Funk failed to respond to referee Fred Atkins
13000-553: The titles back to the New Age Outlaws in a cage match . On the April 13 episode of Raw , Funk began wrestling as himself and formed a tag team with 2 Cold Scorpio . The team was short lived but did defeat the likes of the Quebecers and the Midnight Express . On the May 4 episode of Raw , Funk was defeated by Foley in a falls count anywhere match . On the June 1 episode of Raw , Funk was defeated by Mark Henry in
13125-504: The top of the steps in 1990 for Rocky V , and again in 2006 for the 30th anniversary of the original Rocky (although this time it was placed at the bottom of the steps). Later that year, it was moved permanently to a spot next to the steps. The scene is frequently parodied in other media. In the 2008 movie You Don't Mess with the Zohan , Zohan's nemesis, Phantom, goes through a parody training sequence finishing with him running up
13250-407: The true B pictures of yesteryear. As it is, it's Rocky warmed over and then thrown out." Pauline Kael of The New Yorker also panned the film, writing: "As a director, Stallone shows no more feeling for visual modulation than as Cosmo he does for vocal modulation. In all his capacities here, he's trying to get a hammerlock on our emotions. You feel he'd reach out from the screen and grab you by
13375-500: The wishes of his girlfriend. Lenny is at first unsure of all this, and constantly tries to warn off Victor, reminding him that he could get hurt. As the story progresses, the roles begin to reverse. Cosmo becomes concerned for Victor's welfare and feels guilty about getting him into this while Lenny becomes ever more keen to exploit Victor as far as he can. Lenny seems to undergo a complete personality change, losing his cool demeanor and becoming an aggressive, manipulative high roller. In
13500-561: The world premiere for Rocky, which would take place at Paramount Theatre in New York City on Saturday, November 20, 1976, by United Artists and the other on the day after Sunday, November 21, 1976, by United Artists at Cinema II in New York City. The Los Angeles premiere took place at the Plaza in Westwood Village on December 1, 1976. This was then followed by a full official release on December 3, 1976, all throughout North America in
13625-581: The youngest and largest of the Carboni brothers (Cosmo and Lenny are the other two), becomes a local wrestler (named Kid Salami) at the request of Cosmo, who thinks there is big money to be made. Lenny agrees to manage his career. They look to Victor to win enough matches so they can get out of Hell's Kitchen for good. (Victor wants to marry his Asian girlfriend and live on a houseboat they plan to buy in New Jersey .) Each brother has his own style. Cosmo
13750-532: Was a regular top star for Ring of Honor Wrestling and Major League Wrestling . Funk had several battles with the likes of CM Punk , the Extreme Horsemen ( Steve Corino , C. W. Anderson , Justin Credible and Simon Diamond ) in specialty matches such as a No Ropes Barbed Wire Death Match, and a 5 on 5 WarGames match . On MLW's final show until 2017, Funk was attacked by his former manager Gary Hart and his syndicate. In November 2004, Funk competed in
13875-402: Was able to use his status as one of its biggest stars at the time to convince them to sell the rights back. At the time, Film Artists Management Enterprises (FAME), a joint venture between Hollywood talent agents Craig T. Rumar and Larry Kubik, represented Stallone. He submitted his script to Rumar and Kubik, who immediately saw the potential for it to be made into a motion picture. They shopped
14000-573: Was against Sputnik Monroe on December 9. He and his brother, Dory Funk Jr. , quickly rose up the ranks as a team and in single matches against top names like Ernie Ladd and Hank James. They became big money wrestlers by the end of the decade. In 1975, Terry defeated Jack Brisco for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in Miami, when Dory failed to appear for a title shot. He began a 14-month title reign defending
14125-428: Was also the interview with the infamous quote, "I dislike Vince (McMahon). I'm jealous of Vince." In 1985, Funk appeared in the short-lived western Wildside . Only six episodes were aired. Behind the scenes, Funk choreographed the street fight between Rocky Balboa and his nemesis Tommy Gunn at the end of Rocky V . Funk's name can be seen in the end credits. Funk also had a short lived career in music. The release of
14250-503: Was an actual mistake made by the props department that they could not afford to rectify, so Stallone wrote the brief scene to ensure the audience did not see it as a goof. Conversely, Stallone has said he was indeed supposed to wear red shorts with a white stripe as Rocky, but changed to the opposite colors "at the last moment". Similarly, when Rocky's robe arrived far too baggy on the day it was needed for filming, Stallone wrote in dialogue where Rocky points this out. Bill Conti composed
14375-447: Was diagnosed as living with dementia and was living in an assisted living facility. On December 29, 2021, Ric Flair announced on his podcast with Mark Madden that Funk had returned home and was doing well. Funk died on August 23, 2023, at the age of 79, at a Phoenix -area hospital. The August 25 episode of SmackDown honored him and Bray Wyatt , who died the day after Funk, by airing tributes and behind-the-scenes footage;
14500-418: Was forced by Universal Pictures to cut it down. Stallone said: "I'll never forgive myself for the way I allowed myself to be manipulated during the editing of that film. There were a lot of scenes in there to give atmosphere and character, and they wanted them out just to speed things along. They removed 40 scenes, altogether. I put 10 of them back in for the version shown on TV. For example, the whole sequence of
14625-585: Was getting unfairly treated in Memphis. The confrontation only lasted a few minutes, and ended with Funk trying to put Lawler's eye out with a broken 2x4. But Lawler kicked Funk's elbow, causing him to hit himself in the eye. The tape aired on April 25, 1981. Terry and Dory, Jr. also made a name for themselves in Japan . Terry became a star in the eyes of the Japanese fans with his over the top mannerisms, sometimes colorful get-ups, and his brawling ability. In Japan,
14750-546: Was known for the longevity of his career – which spanned more than 50 years and included multiple short-lived retirements – and the influential hardcore wrestling style he pioneered in the latter part of his career. Over the course of his career, Funk wrestled for numerous major promotions, among them All Japan Pro Wrestling , Extreme Championship Wrestling , the International Wrestling Association of Japan , Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling ,
14875-449: Was loosely based, fought Muhammad Ali three times. According to The Rocky Scrapbook , Carrie Snodgress was originally chosen to play Adrian, but a money dispute forced the producers to look elsewhere. Susan Sarandon and Cher auditioned for the role but Sarandon was deemed too pretty for the character and Cher too expensive. After Talia Shire 's ensuing audition, Chartoff and Winkler, and director John Avildsen , insisted that she play
15000-631: Was ranked #370 on their previous list of the 500 greatest films in 2008. Conversely, in a 2005 poll by Empire , Rocky was No. 9 on their list of "The Top 10 Worst Pictures to Win Best Picture Oscar". In June 2014, The Hollywood Reporter compiled a list of the 100 best movies ever made, polling film industry insiders on their favorite films of all time. Rocky ranked #91. The following year The Hollywood Reporter polled hundreds of Academy members, asking them to re-vote on past controversial decisions. Academy members indicated that, given
15125-422: Was released in 2023; however, Stallone did not appear in the film. In July 2019, Stallone said in an interview that there have been ongoing discussions about a prequel to the original film based on the life of a young Rocky Balboa. The famous scene of Rocky running up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art has become a cultural icon, with the steps acquiring the vernacular title of "Rocky Steps". In 1982,
15250-465: Was that "The relationship between the men and their women is never explored and is the one unsatisfying element in the film. The women have no life beyond their men; they are types who exist only as companions." Quentin Tarantino , writing in 2022, said "This film is Stallone's vision and aesthetic, unfiltered, undiluted, and delivered full bore in your face." On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes ,
15375-611: Was the son of Dorothy (Culver) and Dory Funk , a professional wrestler and promoter . Following the end of World War II , the family relocated to Amarillo, Texas , where Terry and his brother, known professionally as Dory Jr. , grew up in the professional wrestling business. After graduating from Canyon High School , Funk attended West Texas State University (now West Texas A&M University), where he competed in amateur wrestling and football . Funk started his career in 1965, working in his father Dory Funk 's Western States Sports promotion in Amarillo, Texas . His debut match
15500-447: Was there on an acting job. I didn't get it, but on the way out I said, "I have this screenplay called PARADISE ALLEY ." They said to bring it over and I did. They wanted to make it, but the other cretin that I had optioned it to was so obnoxious, so overbearing, that the producers wanted nothing to do with me or the screenplay. So on the way out, they said, "If you have any ideas, we'd be happy to look at them." That night I went home - even
15625-470: Was used to accomplish smooth photography while running alongside Rocky during the film's Philadelphia street training sequences and the run up the Art Museum's flight of stairs, now colloquially known as the Rocky Steps . It was also used for some shots in the fight scenes and can be seen at the ringside during some wide shots of the final fight. Rocky is often erroneously cited as the first film to use
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