Paradise Alley

9/22/19781h 47m

Theatrical Release (US)

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

Overview:

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

Director:

Sylvester Stallone

Status:

Released

Language:

English

Buget:

$6,000,000.00

Revenue:

$7,185,518.00

Key words:

dancing
prostitute
sibling relationship
italian american
sports
hustler
ghetto
irish mob
monkey
bum
ice cream
racial slur
arm wrestling
gentle giant
ice block
family feud
street life
cripple

Cast

Sylvester Stallone

~ as ~

Cosmo Carboni

Lee Canalito

~ as ~

Victor Carboni

Armand Assante

~ as ~

Lenny Carboni

Frank McRae

~ as ~

Big Glory

Anne Archer

~ as ~

Annie

Kevin Conway

~ as ~

Stitch

Terry Funk

~ as ~

Frankie the Thumper

Joyce Ingalls

~ as ~

Bunchie

Joe Spinell

~ as ~

Burp

Aimée Eccles

~ as ~

Susan Chow

View full cast & crew

Reviews (1)

TP
The Parsi Prince
Written 9 year(s) ago
9
- Paradise Alley marks the Directorial Debut of Sylvester Stallone. It is a highly under-rated period piece, set in 1940's Hell's Kitchen, (where Stallone was born in New York), about the three Carboni brothers and the sibling rivalry they endure against the backdrop of professional wrestling.
- Featuring a breath-taking opening sequence involving rooftops with parkour-like free running and Cinematography by renowned DP László Kovács (F.I.S.T.) It also has an amazing soundtrack by Bill Conti of Rocky fame with the title track, "Too Close to Paradise" sung by Sylvester Stallone. There are also songs by Frank Stallone, Jr and Tom Waits.
- There is a tender story of romance, fraternal exploitation and familial redemption. There are some famous wrestlers like Dory and Terry Funk (Over the Top).
- It co-stars Armand Assante (The Lords of Flatbush and Judge Dredd) and Golden Gloves Champion Lee Canalito, as well as Godfather to Sage Stallone, Joe Spinell (The Godfather 1 & 2, Farewell My Lovely, Rocky 1 & 2 and Nighthawks).
- Very Notable as Old Glory is Frank McRae (F.I.S.T., Rocky II and Lock Up) who is strong, empathic and full of pathos.
Director John Landis (Deathrace 2000 and Oscar) uses an homage in Trading Places (1983) with Eddie Murphy copying Cosmo Carboni (Stallone) as a disabled war vet begging on the streets of Philadelphia, complete with the Rocky statue.

The only negative is the use of racial slurs that spoils what would have been a masterpiece. This is similar to a rant in The Lords of Flatbush four years earlier, which is a shame.