In 1974, before they were pop-culture icons Sylvester Stallone and Henry Winkler were The Lords of Flatbush. Directors Martin Davidson and Stephen Verona also co-wrote the script that revolves around four teenage boys causing trouble in 1958 Brooklyn as they navigate the rough waters towards adulthood. Perry King, Paul Mace, and Susuan Blakely also star in this low budget, coming-of-age tale. There are also “blink and you’ll miss ’em” appearances by Ray Sharkey and Armand Asante.
Buy The Lords of Flatbush Blu-rayThe Lords, a “social athletic club” from Brooklyn, consist of four middle-class pals who spend their days making mischief and chasing girls. The innocence of it all is about to change as the boys face the scary future of their impending adulthood. There are two groups of best buddies that make up this fearsome foursome’:’ Chico (King) is the motorcycle-riding, ladies man and his bestie Butchy (Winkler), the wise ass, artist with some skill. Then there’s Stanley (Stallone), the muscle-bound tough guy and his BFF, the slight but loyal Wimpy (Mace).
Chico has a girlfriend but gets his feelings mangled by an out-of-his-league, new girl (Blakely) which will lead to a big rumble and Butchy being injured. Meanwhile, Stanley wrestles with his longtime girlfriend Frannie’s (Maria Smith) pregnancy and their looming marriage. Butchy’s injury is the turning point and puts a jarring stop to the kiddie antics of being fools, acting cool, and getting into trouble with girls. Stan and Fran’s wedding will be the event that brings them all together, strengthening their boyhood bonds and providing a reflective and happy ending.
Overall, The Lords of Flatbush is a fun, nostalgic look at the lives of four teen boys in the 1950s who watched too many juvenile delinquent movies and struggle with growing up. The cast, though well into their 20s, turn in solid performances with what they have to work with and we already know what Winkler and Stallone will go on to do. The boys seem to have more on their minds that’s only hinted at and lay bubbling under their “tuff” exterior but that’s never fully explored. Which makes perfect sense as they are supposed to be teenage boys after all, so it’s no wonder their frustration at expressing themselves turns into immature outbursts of punching each other and making fun of the neighborhood girls. Again, typical teen boy stuff. The girls (Blakely, Smith, and Paris) play well on screen alongside the boys and do a good job at showing their own frustrations at dealing with the immaturity of the Lords.
The movie does however feel like the script was edited down too much, making it seem more like connected vignettes while the soundtrack reminds me of a Peanuts TV Special. I’ve always felt like Snoopy and the Peanuts gang would come bopping through a scene whenever that ’70s-era version of ’50s rock ‘n’ roll and doo wop starts to play. The multi-talented Paul Jabara as “Crazy” Cohen and the Lords do have a nice little, authentic-sounding a capella number they are working on while loafing around the malt shop though.
The picture on the new Blu-ray release is slightly better than previous home-media versions but there are still no extras features besides the theatrical trailer. So that’s disappointing. At this point and for a ”50th Anniversary” release, one would hope there would be at least a few things to add. Have Stallone and Winkler never spoken on camera about making The Lords of Flatbush? The DVD release at least came with a brief two-page booklet that contained good insight about the movie’s making. Maybe there’s a mondo cool, super-slick edition in the works somewhere? One can hope.
