Titled The Party at Kitty and Stud’s, the film would be re-released as ‘Italian Stallion’ about 6 years later, after Stallone would become world-famous as Rocky.
“It was either do that movie or rob someone,” said Sylvester Stallone about his first-ever starring role in what could be conveniently described as a softcore porno film. Titled The Party at Kitty and Stud’s, Stallone plays one of the two titular roles, Stud, and the story, should you ever find the opportunity to watch the film, is essentially centred around how his character lives up to his name.
Interestingly, it took all of two days for the actor to wrap up his portions, and he was paid a sum of $200 for the gig. It was a particularly test ing time for him, who was only 24 years old at the time and was at the “very end of his rope” of hope and perseverance. So, homeless and desperate, Sylvester Stallone took up the job, and even though his first leading role would come about through a pornographic film, the offer, at the time, was too important to pass up.
The Party at Kitty and Stud’s would be re-released as ‘Italian Stallion’ about 6 years later, after he would become world-famous as Rocky. Prior to the cult success of the 1976 film, Stallone had also played the lead in the off-Broadway stage play ‘Score’, which would be remade into a feature film in 1974 with the same title.
Was his ride to fame a wild one? The answer is a clear YES. Between starring in a porno film and quite literally writing the script of his success in Rocky, Sylvester Stallone navigated a classic rags-to-riches journey that included barely-seen appearances, uncredited roles and a whole lot of rejections that ultimately compelled him to take matters into his own hands. Though, in 1973, he had landed his first “proper” lead role in the independent film ‘No Place To Hide’, it wasn’t until John G. Avildsen directed him in Rocky and catapulted him to great heights of fame and fortune.
Some of Stallone’s minor roles in the early to mid-1970s include titles like Robert Altman’s MASH, Woody Allen’s Bananas, Alan J. Pakula’s detective thriller Klute, the Jack Lemmon film The Prisoner of Second Avenue, and guest appearances on shows like Police Story and Kojak.
Sylvester ‘Sly’ Stallone’s exceptional life and career in the movies, of course, are set to be the subject of a new Netflix documentary. Titled ‘Sly’, the documentary will chronicle the vibrant journey that he has endured over the years, including the parts that began well before he ventured into acting and cinema. One of the main highlights of the film is the array of talking heads, like Sly’s box-office nemesis Arnold Schwarzenegger, actor and colleague Henry Winkler, Stallone’s family, and most importantly, Quentin Tarantino.