Posted on 06/16/2017 6:05:52 PM PDT by Borges
Oscar-winning director John G. Avildsen, whose “Rocky” sent a shot of adrenaline through movie theaters and turned Sylvester Stallone into one of cinema’s most unforgettable boxers, has died at 81.
Avildsen’s eldest son, Anthony, said the filmmaker died of pancreatic cancer at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
With rousing music and sentimental scripts, Avildsen was a master at ennobling and lifting the underdog into states of grace. He won best director for “Rocky” (1976), the tale of Rocky Balboa’s gritty and unlikely transcendence from the streets of South Philadelphia, and was also known for “The Karate Kid” (1984), the story of a restless teenager and his Okinawan martial arts mentor.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
So sorry to hear this.
Gonna Fly Now...
Dang, I thought Sylvester Stallone directed Rocky! I never heard of this guy LOL. RIP
Sly directed a few of the sequels, I think. Rocky is my favorite movie.
Stallone directed all the sequels except ‘Rocky V’ for which he brought back Avildsen.
What scares me is the karate kid was 1984
Yeah, but who could ever forget...
“Wax on. Wax off.”
When Ralph Macchio came out of the lake during the practice scene, Avildsen asked him how the surface was. Macchio said “it’s a little rocky”. Avildsen replied: “Lots of people have said that about this movie”
I met him when they filmed a couple of the scenes at my parents duplex. I even got to catch the turkey when it went out the window!
RIP. Enjoyed his work.
He also discovered Susan Sarandon. Cast her in ‘Joe’ when she was in her early 20s.
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