Category: Lords of Flatbush

Henry Winkler co-starred with Sly Stallone in Lords of Flatbush before he rocketed to fame as Fonzie on Happy Days.  Most fans know that Winkler credits Stallone with his take on the Fonz.  Winkler has a real admiration for Sly.  Check out this section of Winkler’s interview with the Archive of American Television and you’ll see,  but first a quote from the interview…

“I studied Sly, Sly Stallone.  He was big, beefy… what Sly really was inside was funny, witty, unbelievably articulate and a brilliant writer… the tenderness inside… just a fabulous human being…  The shame of Sly is you’ve never witnessed his wit.  You’ve never seen him play that kind of humor.  He is so fast and so funny!

Source: MeTV – Henry Winkler once explained how Sylvester Stallone inspired Fonzie’s voice.

Stephen Verona died on Saturday after a year and a half long battle with lung cancer.  Readers of this site probably know Verona best as the Producer, Co-Writer and Director of Lords of Flatbush, but Verona was much more than that.

Verona got his start creating commercials.  He met and became friends with John Lennon which led to Verona getting to animate the Beatles song I Feel Fine.  Next came a music short with Barbara Streisand.  He went on to work with Natalie Cole, Chicago, Simon & Garfunkel and many others.

Verona was a screenwriter, an award-winning  director of feature films, television episodes and specials, an  an award-winning painter and photographer.  A renaissance man, indeed.

The Hollywood Reporter posted that “When Stallone learned that Verona was ill, he sent him an email saying that his career would not have been the same without him.”  The same could be said for many other celebrities.

Had Stephen Verona only been known as the talent behind Lords of Flatbush, it would have been worth noting here, but I hope fans know he was so much more.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Stephen Verona’s family, friends and fans.