Paradise Alley (1978)

Director:

Sylvester Stallone

Writer:

Sylvester Stallone (written by)

Release Date:

22 September 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The Carboni Boys. They haul ice, lay out stiffs and dance with monkeys.

Plot:

Three Italian-American brothers, living in the slums of 1940's New York, try to help each other with one's wrestling career using one brother's promotional skills and another brother's con-artist tactics to tho wart a sleazy manager. |

Plot Keywords:

Directed By Star | New York | Writer Director | Cross Dressing | Arm Wrestling

Cast

Sylvester Stallone	...	Cosmo Carboni
Lee Canalito	...	Victor Carboni
Armand Assante	...	Lenny Carboni
Frank McRae	...	Big Glory
Anne Archer	...	Annie
Kevin Conway	...	Stitch
Terry Funk	...	Frankie the Thumper
Joyce Ingalls	...	Bunchie
Joe Spinell	...	Burp
Aimée Eccles	...	Susan Chow
Tom Waits	...	Mumbles
Chick Casey	...	Doorman
James J. Casino	...	Paradise Bartender
Fredi O. Gordon	...	Paradise Alley Hooker
Lydia Goya	...	Bar Room Hooker #1

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

West Germany:18 | Norway:18 (1979) | Netherlands:16 | Sweden:15 | Australia:M | Iceland:12 | Finland:K-16 | USA:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Image Ten

Trivia:

Tom Waits' acting debut.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Cosmo drives Victor's ice truck up on the curb, the back panels fall of before they crash through the window. As the drive away, the wood panels are still on the truck.

Quotes:

Cosmo Carboni: Why should I walk around looking like a boiled rag when I can have a stylish set of duds for free?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Just Your Luck (1996) (V)

Soundtrack:

TOO CLOSE TO PARADISE

Solid directorial debut from Stallone

I bought this from HMV on Monday, because I wanted to check out this early Sly Stallone movie, and I've got to say that he made a sterling job of it, both behind and in front of the camera. The story (also by Stallone) borrows a little off ROCKY, but is nonetheless entertaining. Three brothers dream of escaping from the dreary Hell's Kitchen of the 1940s, so one of the guys, Cosmo (Stallone) persuades the youngest bro (Lee Canalito), a big, musclebound labourer, to take part in a wrestling competition in the hope that they will become rich. However, things are never as easy as they seem, as the brothers set out to discover. Critics have said in the past that Sly could never do comedy, but in PA, he has some funny one-liners and he displays wit, warmth and charisma as conman-with-a-heart Cosmo. Note the dramatic change in his character as the movie progresses. The supporting cast is strong, including Armand Assante as the oldest brother who too undergoes a change in character and Frank McRae as an over-the-hill wrestler. There is one nice directorial touch during the film where Cosmo looks through the window of a girl he's been chasing and sees his brother's walking stick next to her bare feet. The wrestling sequences are well handled, as well, with plenty of blood and pounding flesh. I reckon this movie influenced countless 80s B-movie fare such as A.W.O.L. and THE CAGE, but this is the real deal, as it's better acted and pretty realistic. I'd say this was one of Sly's best, alongside FIRST BLOOD and NIGHTHAWKS.