Lords Of Flatbush, The (1974, U.S.A.)

Before Rocky was a knock-out, before “the Fonz” was TV’s “Leader of the Pack”, two unknown actors named Sylvester Stallone and Henry Winkler starred in their first major screen roles. Soon they’d rule the box office and the airwaves, but before they were kings, they were THE LORDS OF FLATBUSH! Cladin blue jeans, black leather jackets and bad attitudes, Stanley (Stallone), Butchey (Winkler), Chico (Perry King) and Wimpy (Paul Mace) are a 1950’s Brooklyn “gang” of four cool, sexy rebels. Despite their tough appearance, these boys just want to have fun, but reality, a.k.a. adulthood, rears its ugly head when Stanley’s steady informs him they have to get married, and blue-collar Chico falls for a beautiful blonde (Susan Blakely) from the right side of the tracks. A high-octane cruise down memory lane, THE LORDS OF FLATBUSH is “immensely appealing, often hilarious, surprisingly touching and superbly acted.” (The Hollywood Reporter)