The Lords of Flatbush


The Lords of Flatbush is a 1974 American drama film directed by Martin Davidson and Stephen Verona. The film stars Perry King, Sylvester Stallone and Henry Winkler. Stallone was also credited with writing additional dialogue. The plot is about street teenagers in leather jackets from the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York.

Plot

Set in 1958, the coming of age story follows four Brooklyn teenagers known as The Lords of Flatbush. The Lords chase girls, steal cars, shoot pool and hang out at a local malt shop. Chico attempts to win over hard-to-get Jane while throwing over easier-to-get Annie. Stanley seemingly impregnates his girlfriend Frannie, who pressures him to marry her. Stanley eventually agrees to marry even after finding out before the wedding that Frannie was never pregnant. Butchey Weinstein is highly intelligent but hides his brains behind a clownish front, in order to fit in with the gang. Wimpy Murgalo is a loyal follower in awe of Stanley, eventually becoming best man at his wedding.

Cast

In addition, other notable names amongst the supporting and background performers include co-director Martin Davidson in a cameo as Mr. Birnbaum, future Academy Award-winner and disco superstar Paul Jabara as Crazy Cohen, future Golden Globe-winner Ray Sharkey as a random student and future Emmy Award-winner Armand Assante as a random wedding guest.

Production

Casting

was originally cast as Chico but was fired due to conflicts with Stallone during rehearsals. In a 2006 interview Stallone explained:

Release

Critical reception

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 67% based on reviews from 12 critics.
On Metacritic it has a score of 53 out of 100 based on reviews from 6 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Quentin Tarantino calls it "a pretty good film...the first time I was introduced to the New York independent low budget film aesthetic."