Sylvester Stallone’s Career Tells a Story of Going the Distance

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Illustration by Agata Marszałek

Matt Singer at The Dissolve takes a look at Sly Stallone in Sylvester Stallone’s Career Tells a Story of Going the Distance.   Here are just a couple of quotes that stuck out…

… no matter how badly the odds are stacked against him, Rocky just won’t quit. For him, survival is just as good a victory as a knockout.

The same goes for Stallone.

And if THIS next quote doesn’t get you to want to read the full piece, I’m surprised you read this far.

(Sly)’s the only man alive who’s had a No. 1 box-office hit in each of five consecutive decades. It hasn’t always been easy; after his remarkable early success and a long run as one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood, he bottomed out in the dregs of direct-to-video thrillers. But years after his action-hero peak, Stallone returned to his roots and sparked one of the most remarkable comebacks in movie history. When things looked their bleakest, he rallied for one more climb up the Art Museum steps. This is the story of how Sylvester Stallone went the distance.

 

Bruce Lee Facts You May Not Know

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In 2018, Jacob Oiler and SYFYWire presented From Bruce Lee’s Big Break to His Tragic Death: 8 Gems Gleaned from a New Biography.  Although the article is no longer available, here are three of my favorites from it…

Lee likely died from heat stroke.

While there were many, many versions of Lee’s controversial death (in the bed of his mistress, Betty Ting Pei, no less), the typical assumption that an allergic reaction to a painkiller was the cause of his “death by misadventure” ignores the recent strides medicine has made in diagnosing heat stroke. A month before his death, Lee collapsed under similar circumstances, feeling dizzy and having seizures under hot and sweaty conditions. These symptoms, along with highly elevated body temperature (which past diagnosis had erroneously categorized as feverishness) and the fact that Lee had sweat glands surgically removed from his armpits weeks before his first collapse, point to one of the leading causes of death for young athletic men. That Lee was known to overwork, lose weight, and lose sleep when making films only bolsters the case that his death on July 20, 1973 (the hottest day during that Hong Kong summer), was likely caused by heat stroke.

Roman Polanski once suspected Lee of killing Sharon Tate.

Lee was a fight choreographer for some of Hollywood’s biggest names in the ‘70s and a regular in their party scene. He hobnobbed with Steve McQueen, Roman Polanski, Sharon Tate, and James Coburn. So when Charles Manson’s followers horrifically killed Tate, Sebring, and three others at a house Polanski was renting, the tragedy struck especially close to home for Lee. Tate and Polanski were clients, while Sebring was one of Lee’s closest friends in town. But when Lee mentioned to Polanski that he lost his glasses — the director knew that an unidentified pair of horn-rims were found at the house — Polanski grew suspicious and took the actor to buy a new pair. But when Lee’s prescription didn’t match that of the evidence at the scene, Polanski thankfully relented.

Batman and a hairdresser were responsible for Lee’s early Hollywood career.

Jay Sebring, Hollywood hairdresser and karate enthusiast, had seen Lee perform a controversial demonstration and speech at the 1964 Long Beach International Karate Championship. He also cut the hair of William Dozier, a TV producer looking to cast Charlie Chan’s son for a prospective James Bond-esque show titled Number One Son. Dozier loved Lee for the role and was producing the longshot Batman show at the time. The success of the campy superhero adaptation would determine whether the studio accepted his next project… and Lee. Batman was a hit and, though Number One Son was nixed, the success of Adam West’s detective meant that superheroes were hot — and The Green Hornet wasn’t far behind. That meant Lee could be Kato, who crossed over onto Batman for a few episodes. Lee and Burt Ward (Robin) even lived in the same apartment complex.

Jack Carter & John Wick by Andy Bennett!

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Last week I shared Andy Bennett’s riff on a Jack Carter and Lono from 100 Bullets.  I liked Andy’s work on it so much, I’ve ordered a Jack Carter & John Wick piece for pick-up at HeroesCon this year.  Although Heroes is still a couple weeks away, Andy shared with me the piece that will be waiting for pick-up.  Yowzers! (And don’t you just love the nod to Tango & Cash?)

If you’d like to see more art from Andy, you can by clicking here.

The Original “Jonny Quest”

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The original Jonny Quest ran on ABC during the prime time 1964 – 1965 season.  Most series, especially a cartoon series, that ran for such a short time would hardly be remembered.  Yet Jonny Quest came back in two television series, two television movies, at least one comic book series and three computer games.

When it premiered, I was the perfect age for Jonny Quest.  Check out the video below and you’ll see why Jonny Quest made such an impact.

10 Huge Action Hollywood Action Heroes in Tiny Early Television Roles

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Heroes & Icons present 10 Huge Action Hollywood Action Heroes in Tiny Early Television Roles.  Here are three of my favorites…

SYLVESTER STALLONE ON ‘POLICE STORY’

Rocky and the Rifleman, together? Now that’s mucho macho. In “The Cutting Edge,” Chuck Connors plays veteran cop Sgt. Ed Peebles. Naturally, he is teamed with a young partner, Elmore Caddo, played by Sly Stallone in his first television role. Airing a year before Rocky hit screens, the episode included a prescient line of dialogue. “They actually call me ‘Rocky,'” his character says. “I prefer that.”

 

BRUCE WILLIS ON ‘MIAMI VICE’

Moonlighting made Willis an immediate star in 1985. His resume was light leading up to that breakout role. A year earlier, he earned his first television credit in a very early episode of Miami Vice, “No Exit.” With pleated pants, puffy blouses and wavy hair, he oozed ’80s style — and made a pretty sleazy arms dealer.

 

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER ON ‘STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO’

The cult film Hercules in New York introduced the Austrian strongman to American audiences in 1970, but Arnie mostly kept to flexing competitions the rest of the decade. In 1977, he bulged his way onto the boob tube making his TV debut on an episode of The Streets of San Francisco dubbed “Dead Lift.” It was not much of a stretch (though it was a significant flex) as he played a champion bodybuilder named Josef Schmidt.

Extended Clint Walker Video Interview

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Clint Walker fans will want to check out his extended Television Academy interview where Walker talks about…

…the many odd jobs he held before embarking on a film and television career. He tells how he ventured out to Hollywood and landed a role in Cecil B. DeMille’s “The Ten Commandments,” and how the role led to other film projects and eventually a contract with Warner Brothers. Walker then details the series for which he’s best know, Cheyenne, in which he played the title character, “Cheyenne Bodie.” He describes auditioning for the role, how he kept in shape, and the many stunts he performed on the program. He outlines the show’s production schedule, speaks about his co-stars and famous guest-stars, and explains the importance of Cheyenne as television’s first hour-long Western. He explains why he believes Westerns were so popular in the 1950s and why their popularity waned. Walker then talks of his famous contract dispute with Jack Warner, chronicles how Ty Hardin came to play the lead in Cheyenne, and gives his reasons for returning and then ultimately leaving the program. He talks about other film and television appearances, including those in “The Night of the Grizzly,” the made-for-television movie Yuma, and the series Kodiak. Stephen J. Abramson conducted the interview on September 21, 2012 in Beverly Hills, CA.

The video is broken into chapters for easy listening.

The Overlooked Second Roles of TVs Greatest Western Stars

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The fine folks at Heroes & Icons present The Overlooked Second Roles of TVs Greatest Western Stars.  Here are three of my favorites and my thoughts…

JAMES ARNESS IN ‘HOW THE WEST WAS WON’

Twenty years is a long time to play a character. And that was just the beginning. Arness kept pinning on his Marshal badge in Gunsmoke TV movies up until the mid-1990s. Audiences could not get enough of Matt Dillon for four decades. In the middle there, from 1977–79, Arness headlined How the West Was Won, a loose adaptation of the 1962 film that began as a miniseries. The veteran cowboy actor played Zebulon “Zeb” Macahan, a rugged pioneer, tracker and Army scout who moves his family from Virginia to the frontier. Bruce Boxleitner and Eva Marie Saint rounded out the stellar cast.

I was a huge fan of How the West Was Won and Zeb Machan was my favorite character.  He was a no-nonsense frontiersman who seemed so different from the heroes on tv at that time.  I’d like to see the series again to check out if it holds up to my memory of how good it was.

CHUCK CONNORS IN ‘BRANDED’

Former three-sport professional athlete Chuck Connors cut an impressive figure as a TV cowboy. His imposing presence also made him suitable as an indomitable villain, as he so often portrayed later in his career. However, two years after The Rifleman star hung up his Winchester, he slid into a new uniform, portraying unjustly disgraced cavalry captain Jason McCord on Branded. McCord was a vagabond, wandering the country like the Fugitive or Incredible Hulk, seeking to prove himself. Connor’s broad shoulders wore the massive chip in it well. Alas, kicking off in 1965, the series lasted a mere two seasons. Perhaps it was doomed to be an outlier, as the show was a rare scripted drama from Goodson-Todman Productions, a studio best known for churning out hit game shows like The Price Is Right, Family Feud, Match Game and Password.

I was a huge fan of Branded.  It hit at a great time for me as I was really into the whole Custer legend.  The thought that a man survived the battle and was unjustly branded a coward made for good drama.

JAMES GARNER IN ‘NICHOLS’

Nichols was a reunion between James Garner and Warner Bros., his first work for the studio since his iconic role as Maverick. The two lead characters had much in common, from their black hats to their sharp wit to their similar adventures. However, Nichols took some unexpected turns. For starters, our hero rode a motorcycle, not a horse. Then, after shaky ratings, producers killed off Nichols — only to replace him with his twin brother, Nichols. This new Nichols had a mustache. The great Margot Kidder co-starred as the love interest, yet somehow audiences just did not click.

Nicols was a different spin on the western.  It was set at the turn-of-the-century and the hero drove a motorcycle!  I loved it… but you know the series is in trouble when they kill off the star’s character… even if he returns as his twin brother.

Around this same time there was another series set in the turn-of-the-century west called The Bearcats that I liked.  It didn’t last long either.

30 “Alien” Franchise Movie Facts That Will Blow Your Mind

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Gem Seddon and GamesRadar present 30 Alien Facts That Will Blow Your Mind.  Here are three of my favorites…

11. Blow its bloody head off!

In Aliens, the Marines scatter when the xenomorphs peel away from the walls, retreating to the safety of the APC. One pesky creature manages to get its sharp talons wedged into the doors; and then gets its head blown off by Hicks.

After endless takes where actor Michael Biehn struggled to get the barrel into the alien’s jaws, the crew came up with a way. They simply started with the gun in its mouth, pulled it out, and reversed the shot. Proof that sometimes the coolest tricks don’t require CGI.

5. Terminator connection

Preliminary Aliens drafts had Bishop mention that he was created by Cyberdyne Systems – the technology corporation responsible for creating Skynet in the Terminator saga. It was later switched to Hyperdyne.

One element that does remain happens aboard the drop ship. In the special edition, Hudson’s “ultimate badass” rant about the Marines’ arsenal of weapons, makes reference to a “phased plasma pulse rifle.” The weapons the Marines use are in fact, M41A pulse rifles. This line is a cheeky connect between James Cameron’s previous film, in which the T-800 asks a gun store clerk for a “phased plasma rifle.”

Bill Paxton, who plays Hudson, also appeared in The Terminator as one of the street punks at the observatory.

1. Kane’s last supper

Ridley Scott deliberately kept the actors off the Alien set while production designers and the effects crew dressed the scene for Kane’s last meal. Despite having read the script, none of the principal leads knew what was going to happen. So when the chestburster emerges from John Hurt and a stream of fake blood blasts a stunned Veronica Cartwright, her shocked reaction and scream? Completely authentic.

“Everyone was wearing raincoats,” Weaver later recalled. “We should have been a little suspicious.”

The article contains so many more interesting facts.  It’s definitely worth a read!

Atomic Pulp Comics Are Coming!

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I would by THAT comic in a second!  Of course, I’m a huge fan of Rick Burchett’s art, but the mock-up cover Chris Mills designed just (no pun intended) screams that this will be a fun comic.  Although it is just a mock-up, Mills has announced some very interesting and exciting news.  Take it away, Chris…

I’m currently planning a line of action-adventure comics featuring my own versions of some old, public domain comic book heroes. My goal is to take characters from the 1940s and re-invent them in a 1970s-1980s style — which was my favorite era of comics.

Chris currently has plans for two on-going titles: Space Crusaders and Sleuth Comics with a third title, Savage Sagas, being a one-shot.

This is exciting news and something I hope you’ll consider supporting.  I know I will.

Check out Chris’ site for full details.

The Secret Behind Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” Gravity-Defying Lean!

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 Nishant S. Yagnick, Manjul Tripathi and Sandeep Mohindra are three neurosurgeons (and big-time Michael Jackson fans) who’ve published an article explaining how the King of Pop was able to make his gravity-defying lean while keeping his spine straight, not just in his Smooth Criminal video, but also in live performances.

While the secret has been known for quite a while, the illustrations used by Yagnick, Tripathi and Mohindra make it clear that the shoes aren’t the only thing required to make the illusion work.  You must also have an extremely solid core.  They explain…

“Several MJ fans, including the authors, have tried to copy this move and failed, often injuring themselves in their endeavors.  Trained dancers can lean forward a maximum of 25 to 30 degrees, but even then, it can put serious strain on the Achilles tendon.”

Jackson and some of his dancers were able to hit 45 degree angles with their lean!

If you check out Michael Jackson’s Gravity-Defying Lean Continues To Fascinate by Lars Gotrich at The Record you’ll get more details plus the extended version of Smooth Criminal as well as a link to Michael Jackson’s patent for the Method and Means for Creating Anti-Gravity Illusion!

A special tip of MJ’s fedora to Nishant S. Yagnick, Manjul Tripathi and Sandeep Mohindra for writing an academic paper for neurosurgery that is fun!

“Escape Plan 2: Hades” Available for Pre-Order

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Escape Plan 2: Hades is now available for pre-order.  Escape Plan 2: Hades stars Sylvester Stallone, Dave Bautista, 50 Cent, Jaime King, and Titus Welliver.  Here are the listed special features:

  • “Making Escape Plan 2: Hades” Featurette
  • “Creating the Look of Escape Plan 2: Hades” Featurette
  • “Building the Robot of Escape Plan 2: Hades” Featurette
  • Extended Cast / Crew Interviews

If you order from Amazon consider using one of the links above or this one!