i'M TRYING NOT TO FOLLOW MYSELF , HERE....BUT , I JUST SCORED A COPY OF "THE LORDS OF FLATBUSH" , A 50'S JD FILM , RELEASED IN 1974 , THAT DOES'NT TURN UP VERY OFTEN.
THE MOVIE STARRED SYLVESTER STALLONE AND HENRY WINKLER (BOTH PRE - FAME. I KNEW WINKLER FROM "HAPPY DAYS" WHEN "LORDS" CAME OUT , BUT THE FONZ WAS NOT YET A POP CULTURE ICON.). STALLONE'S A PRETTY GOOD MACHO WISEASS , BUT MUMBLES EVEN MORE THAN USUAL. WINKLER'S CHARACTER , SURPRISINGLY , IS JEWISH (YES , I KNOW WINKLER IS JEWISH , BUT , I HAD TO WONDER HOW MANY BROOKLYN GREASER GANGS IN THE 50'S WERE COMPRISED OF BOTH ITALIAN AND JEWISH MEMBERS.). IT'S NOT HEAVY ON STORY LINE....J.D.S DISRUPT CLASS , GET INTO FIGHTS THAT END BEFORE THEY START , STEAL A CAR , HANG OUT AT A DINER , KNOCK UP A COUPLE OF THEIR GIRLFRIENDS , AND , LIKE THE LATER "THE WANDERERS" , HAVE A LIVELY ITALIAN WEDDING FOR STALLONE. IT'S A REAL B-MOVIE , LACKING THE PRODUCTION VALUES OF AN "AMERICAN GRAFITTI" (THERE'S NO "OLDIES" SONGS ON THE SOUNDTRACK , EITHER , JUST ORIGINAL MUSIC THAT ONLY SOMETIMES WORKS.) . IT'S FUN , NOTHING THAT WOULD HAVE CHANGED AMERICA'S PRECONCIEVED NOTIONS OF WHAT LIFEWAS LIKE IN THE ROCK'N'ROLL ERA. THE MOVIE BOMBED , BUT , PREDICTABLY , WAS RE- RELEASED ABOUT TWO YEARS LATER , IN WAKE OF WINKLER AND STALLONE'S SUBSEQUENT POPULARITY. ONE OF THE GUYS FROM "RICH MAN , POOR MAN" , THEN A POPULAR SOAP OPERA , WAS IN IT , TOO.
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