The Making of The Lords of Flatbush by Stephen Verona (2008)

The Making of The Lords of Flatbush by Stephen Verona (2008)

Paperback: 155 pages
Publisher: Creative Book Publishing International; First Edition ~1st Printing edition (June 15, 2008)

First sentence…

When I was single and dating I would regale girls with these stories of my childhood and the guys I hung with.

 

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Stephen Verona, the writer and director of Lords of Flatbush, takes us on the amazing trip to get Lords of Flatbush, one of the first truly independent films made.  Along the way, we’ll learn how Verona got started (becoming friends with John Lennon and working with Lennon to animate the Beatles song I Feel Fine) and the long process to get Lords of Flatbush made.

Verona worked with many big names [Lee Strasberg, Janet Leigh, The Beatles, Chicago, Barbara Steisand, etc.] prior to writing and directing Lords of Flatbush and those stories are fun but the heart of the book is of course getting LoF made.  Verona provides many anecdotes and behind the scenes photos and trivia.  (Did you know that Richard Gere was originally to play Perry King’s role? Stallone and Gere had a falling out and one had to go!]

Verona writes in a conversation style that’s easy to read.  Fans of LoF will love the behind-the-scenes peek and prospective film makers will learn from the mistakes Verona as a first time film-maker made.

Rating:

The Franchize, Stallone & The Lords of Flatbush

Jerry Gaylord aka The Franchize returns with his take on Sly from Lords of Flatbush.  This may be his best Stallone sketch yet, and they’ve all been winners!

I highly recommend Jerry to all sketch collectors. He quickly responds to e-mails, his turnaround time is fast and he packages the art to ensure it arrives safely.

To check out more of Jerry’s art, head here. – Craig

Dave Wachter and Stanley Kowalski

Dave Wachter returns with his take on Sly from the Lords of Flastbush. I met Dave a few years ago and became an instant fan. I wasn’t the only one to discover Dave’s fantastic sketches! How can you not like a great guy who is a terrific artist?

At HeroesCon this year I asked Dave to do Sly from his first major movie, the Lords of Flatbush and another piece of Sly from his latest film, Bullet to the Head.  Next week, you’ll see Dave’s take on Sly as Jimmy Bobo.

Until then, you can see more of Dave’s art at his site. – Craig

Ryan Cody & a Lord of Flatbush

Ryan Cody is back with Sly from Lords of Flatbush.

Ryan is running an unbelievable sale where you get a free sketch with every purchase.  That’s right.  Buy Volume 1 of his sketchbook for five bucks and get a free sketch.  Same if you buy Volume 2 or the Icarus Convention Issue.

I jumped on board for a sketchbook [accidentally ordered Volume 1 which I already had] and the Icarus convention issue [the sketch that came with it will be posted in the coming weeks].  Now I’m going back for Volume 2 and another Stallone sketch.    Until then check out Ryan’s blog and his DA site.

Thanks to Ryan!  – Craig

Gene Gonzales: Lords of Flatbush

The extremely talented, extremely nice, Gene Gonzales created his take on Sly from “The Lords of Flatbush” at the recent FX show.  Big John Beatty had requested that he have a table near Gene and it was a great move.  Gene is funny, knowledgeable and really nice.  [Did you hear that somewhere before?]

Although many artists said the FX show wasn’t as busy as they’d hoped, Gene was constantly signing autographs and sketching for fans.  At one point Gene even surprised me by singing the promotional song for “Lords of Flatbush.” That sealed the deal — I asked him if he would draw Sly as Stanley and Gene came through with flying colors.

You can see more of Gene’s work at his blog where he posts art DAILY!  Gene is also available for commissions and his prices are very reasonable.

Thanks again Gene!