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Paradise Alley (1978)

PG  |   |  Drama  |  22 September 1978 (USA)
5.8
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Ratings: 5.8/10 from 3,235 users  
Reviews: 37 user | 5 critic

Three Italian-American brothers, living in the slums of 1940's New York, 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.

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Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
...
...
Big Glory
...
Annie
...
Stitch
...
Frankie the Thumper
Joyce Ingalls ...
Bunchie
Joe Spinell ...
Burp
Aimée Eccles ...
Susan Chow
...
Mumbles
Chick Casey ...
Doorman
James J. Casino ...
Paradise Bartender
Fredi O. Gordon ...
Paradise Alley Hooker
Lydia Goya ...
Bar Room Hooker #1
Edit

Storyline

It's 1946 in Hell's Kitchen in New York City. Cosmo Carboni, the eldest of the three Carboni brothers, is lamenting what he sees as them not living up to their potential. Big talking Cosmo hustles and panhandles for money. Brooding Lenny Carboni, an injured veteran whose sullen attitude stems from his time in the war, is an undertaker. And youngest Victor Carboni, the simple muscle-man who wouldn't hurt a fly unless he's annoyed, is an iceman. Victor looks to Lenny and his Chinese-American girlfriend Susan Chow as his voices of reason. After Victor holds his own against wrestler Frankie the Thumper in an arm wrestling match, Frankie who is seen as the strongest man in the neighborhood, and after seeing the lucrative wrestling matches - which are more like street fights without rules - at the underground nightclub called Paradise Alley, Cosmo gets it into his head that wrestling may be Victor's calling and a way for them all to get out of Hell's Kitchen for good. The brothers would act... Written by Huggo

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Taglines:

Three brothers... One had the brains, one had the muscle and one had the suit. Together they had a million dollar dream. See more »

Genres:

Drama

Certificate:

PG | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

22 September 1978 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Hell's Kitchen  »

Filming Locations:


Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

(Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The picture is notable for showing a twelve minute wrestling match on an indoors wrestling ring in the rain. See more »

Goofs

Tonga Fifita's surname is grossly misspelled in the end credits as Yociato. See more »

Quotes

Annie: You gotta lot of style for somebody with pigeon crap on their shoulder, Cosmo.
Cosmo Carboni: That ain't real pigeon crap. That's just something I had sewn on to make me stand out in a crowd. You know?
See more »

Crazy Credits

Opening credits use the 1940s Universal logo. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Just Your Luck (1996) See more »

Soundtracks

Annie's Back in Town
Written by Tom Waits
Performed by Tom Waits
See more »

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User Reviews

Funny and highly underrated (but where's the DVD?)
29 October 2003 | by (York, England) – See all my reviews

Probably Stallone's most under valued work, this film reminds the viewer just what talent he had behind the camera (see also Rocky II to IV). The story follows the three Carboni brothers in 1940s New York, as they each try to make their way through life in the slums of Hells Kitchen. Cosmo (Stallone) plans to turn his tough but dim brother Victor into a champion wrestler, and with the help of their third brother (Assante) they set about making their fortune. There are echoes of Rocky throughout the film, (small time nobody becomes admired champion), but what sets it apart is the humour. There are great lines throughout the film delivered with dead pan perfection from the mostly excellent cast, which also includes Stallone regular Joe Spinell. If you can make it through the hilariously bad opening number (sung by Stallone himself), there's plenty here to appreciate. This film is long overdue a release on DVD... come on Universal, how about it?


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