Category: First Blood

POW – “First Blood” Rare Behind-the-Scenes

Craig / / 2005, First Blood, POW [Picture of the Week]

Our extremely rare POW [Picture of the Week] of Sly on location for filming of First Blood comes to us from the collection of Oliver Wegner who lives in Germany.

Some of you long time SZoners may remember Oliver was the webmaster of “The Sly World“, which unfortunately has been down for some years now.

Oliver is a huge “First Blood” fan and got this picture from a shop owner in Hope, British Columbia who took it when Sly was there filming First Bood.

Oliver is back with a very, very cool new website dedicated to First Blood called Rambotown. Check it out!

Thanks Oliver! – Craig

Sly in Entertainment Weekly

Craig / / 2003, Celebs, First Blood

The current double issue( April 30, 2004 # 762/763 ) Entertainment Weekly ‘ Summer Movie issue contains a couple of Sly items. Jazz sent in two pics and some excerpts…

THE BOYS WHO BURNED A BILLION DOLLARS, How two wild and crazy guys seduced stars for their fledgling studio, spent oodles of cash, and blew up a lot of stuff. Including their own white-hot careers. By DANIEL FIERMAN

“They promised him the film would shoot for three months, and it ended up [ delaying ] Rocky 3. He was really pissed off. One day, right in the middle of this small town in Canada, Sylvester started ranting and raving and swearing a blue streak, ” says Kotcheff.

Vajna was the one who saw something in the First Blood script, and they both agreed Sylvester Stallone, an actor fresh off Nighthawks, should star.
In 1985, the First Blood sequel turned into a money-spouting geyser: Rambo grossed $ 150 million–and yielded Rambo bedsheets, Rambo action figures, even, frighteningly, a Rambo Saturday morning cartoon.

” Sly was at the pool [ of the Hotel du Cap ] wit all these topless sunbathers surrounding him, and I pitch him the story and he says, ‘ I love it! I’m on board.’ And Mario said, ‘ Good ! Because I already ordered fireworks with the name of the movie on it.’ ” Later that evening, the title of de Souza’s film, Isobar, lit up the night sky.

– Craig

Rambo Trilogy Action Figures

Craig / / 2003, First Blood, Rambo II, Rambo III

“Slmboyross” posted a link at the StalloneZone message board to some very cool photos of a trio of Rambo Action figures that are scheduled for release later this year. Mirage Toys which is an off-shoot of N2 Toys [which went out of business] is set to release a Rambo figure based on the character as he looked from each of the Rambo films. It’s a cool idea and the figures look like winners.

– Craig Zablo

SLY IN TOTAL FILM

Craig / / 2001, Avenging Angelo, Celebs, Cop Land, D-Tox, Dolan's Cadillac, Driven, Eye See You, First Blood, FIST, Get Carter, Nighthawks


Ernest “Jazzman” Resendes sent in the pics and quotes from TOTAL FILM (August 2001/issue 55)

  • “Ask him which movies he rates from the past, and he’ll list  First Blood, Nighthawks, F.I.S.T. and Cop Land. Ask about the choices he’s likely to make in the future, and he’ll stress that he’s looking for more ensemble pieces, more character work. “
  • “There’s a kind of thrill at seeing something that came off the page being enacted before your very eyes as opposed to just being an actor for hire.”
  • “Next up he’s acting opposite Madeline Stowe as a mafia bodyguard wanting payback for his boss’ murder in Avenging Angelo, before carrying on down the revenge trail as a widower out for justice in Dolan’s Cadillac.”
  • “In fact neither the remake of Get Carter nor cop thriller Eye See You (aka Detox) look likely to get theatrical release over here (UK ).”
  • “His career did perk up momentarily , however, when racing movie Driven thrust him onto the winners podium as it took the number one spot at the US box office in April.”

Thanks to Jazz for sharing! – Craig Zablo  (September 3, 2001)

Sly in Total Film

Craig / / 2001, Avenging Angelo, Celebs, D-Tox, Driven, First Blood, FIST, Get Carter, Unmade Films

Ernest “Jazzman” Resendes sent in the pic and quotes from:

TOTAL FILM [August 2001/issue 55]

— “Ask him which movies he rates from the past, and he’ll list First Blood, Nighthawks, F.I.S.T.and Cop Land. Ask about the choices he’s likely to make in the future, and he’ll stress that he’s looking for more ensemble pieces, more character work. ”

— “There’s a kind of thrill at seeing something that came off the page being enacted before your very eyes as opposed to just being an actor for hire.”

— “Next up he’s acting opposite MADELINE STOWE as a mafia bodyguard wanting payback for his boss’ murder in Avenging Angelo, before carrying on down the revenge trail as a widower out for justice in Dolan’s Cadillac. “

— “In fact neither the remake of Get Carter nor cop thriller Eye See You (aka Detox) look likely to get theatrical release over here (UK ).”

— “His career did perk up momentarily , however, when racing movie Driven thrust him onto the winners podium as it took the number one spot at the US box office in April.”

Thanks to Jazz for sharing!

– Craig Zablo

SZ and Warner Bros. “Driven” Contest Winners

Craig / / 2001, Cliffhanger, Cop Land, Daylight, Driven, First Blood, Lock Up, Lords of Flatbush, Over the Top, Rambo II, Rambo III, Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV, Rocky V, Tango & Cash

and

PRESENT THE DRIVEN TRIVIA CONTEST ANSWERS & WINNERS

 

STALLONE TRIVIA QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:

1. SYLVESTER STALLONE plays Champ racer Joe Tanto in Driven. What is the name of the movie that starred SLY as a racer named Joe Viterbo?  DEATH RACE 2000

2. RENNY HARLIN is directing SLY in Driven. What is the name of the movie that first paired SLY and RENNY?  CLIFFHANGER

3. SLY wrote the screenplay for Driven. What was SLY‘s original title for the film?  CHAMPS

4. SLY is an accomplished actor, director, and screenwriter. What movie did SLY write that went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture?  ROCKY

5. SLY seems to like 5 letter names for his characters. Name three of his characters that have five letters in their last name and the name ends with an “o.”  RAMBO, TANGO and TANTO

6. Most people think that Rocky was SLY‘s first feature film screenplay that sold. It was his second! What was the name of his first?  PARADISE ALLEY

7. The “tag line” for Driven is “Welcome to the Human Race.” What was the tag line for SLY‘s last film, Get Carter? “THE TRUTH HURTS”

8. SLY teams with an international cast in Driven. What actor made his US debut with SLY in Nighthawks?  RUTER HAUER

9. Actors and actresses who work with SLY quite often get noticed and move on to stardom [ANNE ARCHER, ARMAND ASSANTE, TOM SIZEMORE, BENJAMIN BRATT, etc.). Who was the actress who got her big break working with SLY in Demolition Man?  SANDRA BULLOCK

10. What is YOUR favorite SYLVESTER STALLONE movie, and why?  This one had no right/wrong answer and here are the movies that made the list (in alphabetical order): Cliffhanger, Cop Land, Daylight, First Blood, Lock Up, Lords of Flatbush, Over the Top, Rambo II, Rambo III, Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV, Rocky V, Tango & Cash.

 

The Winners!

1. Melissa Knollman 2. Marks Mail 3. Nicholas King 4. Kyle Riley 5. Tony Camm 6. Alan Sears 7. Jillian Decker 8. Troy Barwick 9. Crystal Coger 10. Mike Russo

I would like to thank Ms. Lifrieri and Warner Bros. for their assistance in making this contest possible. Winners can expect their posters in the next few weeks!

– Craig Zablo (April 1, 2001)

 

“First Blood” Movie Cover Paperback Released

Craig / / 1982, Books, First Blood

First Blood by David Morrell

Publisher: Ballentine

Copyright: 1972

Edition shown: 1st Ballentine edition paperback, November 1982

Tagline: “Nobody in the small Kentucky town knew his name was Rambo. All they knew was that he was a stranger… and that he looked like trouble. Rambo was trouble. The Army had trained him in the art of killing and now he did not know how to stop.”

Comments: The novel was written a decade before it was made into a movie. David Morrell is one of my favorite writers [and has been since I first read this book in 1973]. If you haven’t read First Blood, you should!

– Craig Zablo