F.I.S.T (1978)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Norman Jewison

Writers:

Joe Eszterhas (story)
Joe Eszterhas (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

17 August 1978 (West Germany)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

A love story between a man, a country, the people he led and the woman he loved.

Plot:

Johnny Kovak joins the Teamsters trade-union in a local chapter in the 1930s and works his way up in the organization...

Plot Keywords:

Trade Union | 1930s | Entire Title Is Capitalized Acronym | Acronym In Title | Labor

Cast

Sylvester Stallone	...	Johnny Kovak
Rod Steiger	...	Senator Madison
Peter Boyle	...	Max Graham
Melinda Dillon	...	Anna Zarinkas
David Huffman	...	Abe Belkin
Kevin Conway	...	Vince Doyle
Tony Lo Bianco	...	Babe Milano
Cassie Yates	...	Molly
Peter Donat	...	Arthur St. Clair
John Lehne	...	Mr. Gant
Henry Wilcoxon	...	Win Talbot
Richard Herd	...	Mike Monahan
Tony Mockus Jr.	...	Tom Higgins (as Tony Mockus)
Ken Kercheval	...	Bernie Marr
Elena Karam	...	Mrs. Zerinkas
Joe Tornatore	...	Angel
James Karen	...	Andrews
Stuart Gillard	...	Phil Talbot
Brian Dennehy	...	Frank Vasko
Sam Chew Jr.	...	Peter Jacobs (as Sam Chew)
Robert Lipton	...	Dave Roberts
John Bleifer	...	Mishka
Frank McRae	...	Lincoln Dombrowsky
Rozsika Halmos	...	Mrs. Kovak
Earl Montgomery	...	Russell Langley
Harry Basch	...	Network Announcer
Nada Rowand	...	Mrs. Vasko
Chuck Gradi	...	Jugovich aka Jugs
Alphonse Skerl	...	Priest (as Father Alphonse Skerl)
Reid Cruickshanks	...	McGuinn
Sidney Clute	...	Company Negotiator
M. Patrick Hughes	...	Jocko
Bill Zuckert	...	Delegate Bob
Martin Braddock	...	Attorney Negotiations
Barry Atwater	...	Milano's Attorney
Sandy Ward	...	The Man
Andy Romano	...	Man #1
Frank Whiteman	...	Gunman #3
Hugo Bolba	...	Zigi
Ron Delagardelle	...	Samuels
Robert Courtleigh	...	Congressman
Judson Pratt	...	Kovak's Attorney
David Greene	...	Senator
Jim Murphy	...	TV Reporter
René Le Vant	...	Newspaper Reporter
Tony Mendia	...	Michael Kovak
Anthony Kiedis	...	Kevin Kovak (as Cole Dammett)
Deonne Fator	...	Vasko's Daughter
Richard Dioguardi	...	Man #2
Tony Crupi	...	Gunman #1
Herman Poppe	...	Gunman #2
Frank Bongiorno	...	Italian Waiter
Antonio Canino	...	Maitre D
Michael Twaine	...	FBI Man #1 (as Michael Twain)
Walt Davis	...	FBI Man #2
Sam Woods	...	Another Delegate
James Jeter	...	Mike Quinn
Jack Slate	...	Bob Wilson
George Barrow	...	Trucker #1
Norman Rice	...	Trucker #2
Ed Call	...	Trucker #3
Russell Shannon	...	Abe's Man
Fil Formicola	...	The Man's Assistant
Brass Adams	...	Attorney
Eric Carlson	...	Worker
John R. Setard	...	Another Worker
John Bisenius	...	Radio Patrolman
Vincent Williams	...	Glove Factory Foreman
Joseph W. Schuver	...	Gas Station Attendant
Carl Vander Meulen	...	Police Captain
Charles McCarthy	...	Accordionist (as Charles R. McCarthy)
Ethel Kohler	...	Accordionist's Wife
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bill Bicksler	...	Bar Patron (uncredited)
Luther Fear	...	Local union boss (uncredited)

Directed by
Norman Jewison

Writing credits
Joe Eszterhas		(story)
Joe Eszterhas		(screenplay) and
Sylvester Stallone		(screenplay)

Produced by
Gene Corman	....	executive producer
Norman Jewison	....	producer
Patrick J. Palmer	....	associate producer (as Patrick Palmer)

Original Music by
Bill Conti

Cinematography by
László Kovács

Film Editing by
Graeme Clifford

Casting by
Jane Feinberg
Mike Fenton

Production Design by
Richard Macdonald

Art Direction by
Angelo P. Graham		(as Angelo Graham)

Set Decoration by
George R. Nelson

Costume Design by
Anthea Sylbert

Makeup Department
Michael Germain	....	makeup artist (as Mike Germain)
Jean Burt Reilly	....	hair stylist
Michael Westmore	....	makeup artist (as Mike Westmore)

Production Management
Larry DeWaay	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Win Phelps	....	second assistant director
L. Andrew Stone	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Eugene Acker	....	construction painter (as Gene Acker)
Sam Gordon	....	property master
Roger Irvin	....	construction coordinator
Thomas L. Roysden	....	assistant set decorator
Bill Iiams	....	general foreman (uncredited)

Sound Department
Peter Horrocks	....	dubbing editor
Gordon K. McCallum	....	dubbing mixer
Kenneth Schwarz	....	boom operator (as Ken Schwarz)
Les Wiggins	....	dubbing editor
Charles M. Wilborn	....	production sound mixer (as Chuck Wilborn)
Nicolas Le Messurier	....	sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
John Burke	....	special effects

Stunts
Jimmy Casino	....	stunts
Bennie E. Dobbins	....	stunts (as Bennie Dobbins)
Dick Durock	....	stunts
Hill Farnsworth	....	stunts
Jerry Gatlin	....	stunts
Orwin C. Harvey	....	stunts (as Orwin Harvey)
Loren Janes	....	stunts
Max Kleven	....	stunt coordinator
Walt La Rue	....	stunts
Dar Robinson	....	stunts
Bill Shannon	....	stunts
Bob Terhune	....	stunts
Greg Walker	....	stunts (as William Greg Walker)
Rock A. Walker	....	stunts (as Rock Walker)
Jack Williams	....	stunts
Henry Wills	....	stunts
Jerry Wills	....	stunts
Fred Carson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Nick Dimitri	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Hicks	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Richmond L. Aguilar	....	gaffer (as Rich Aguilar)
Romeo De Santis Jr.	....	best boy (as Romeo De Santis)
Neil Leifer	....	special photography
Leonard Lookabaugh	....	key grip (as Len Lookabaugh)
Morgan Renard	....	still photographer
Robert M. Stevens	....	camera operator (as Bob Stevens)
Joseph E. Thibo	....	camera technician (as Joe Thibo)
Stephen Wever	....	still photographer (as Steve Wever)

Casting Department
Tom Carnahan	....	extras casting: Iowa
Carolyn Doty	....	extras casting: Iowa

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Thalia Phillips	....	costumer: women
G. Tony Scarano	....	costumer: men (as Tony Scarano)

Editorial Department
Terry Busby	....	assistant editor
Antony Gibbs	....	supervising editor
Brian Mann	....	assistant editor
David A. Simmons	....	assistant editor (as David Simmons)
Chris Blunden	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Peter T. Myers	....	orchestrator (as Peter Myers)
Joe Tuley	....	music editor
Dan Wallin	....	music scoring mixer (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Craig Pinkard	....	transportation captain
James Thornsberry	....	transportation coordinator (as Jim Thornsberry)
Joseph Smallwood	....	transportation coordinator (uncredited)

Other crew
Tom Andresen	....	location manager: Iowa
Joan Arnold	....	production coordinator
Wendell Baggett	....	assistant auditor
Dow Griffith	....	location manager: Los Angeles
Tony Meyer	....	special equipment
Charles Milhaupt	....	production assistant
Ted Mossman	....	second propman
Stuart Neumann	....	location manager: Washington D.C.
Julia Pascal	....	personal assistant to director
Dan Perri	....	title designer
John Rothwell	....	unit publicist
Carol Schreder	....	researcher
Chris Soldo	....	production assistant (as Christopher Soldo)
Ann Straley	....	production assistant
Carl Vander Meulen	....	police security
Ruth West	....	production auditor
Marshall J. Wolins	....	script supervisor (as Marshall Wolins)
Bill Iiams	....	general foreman (uncredited)

Thanks
Governor Robert Ray	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Chateau Productions

Distributors

• United Artists (1978) (USA) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1982) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• United Artists Films (1978) (Finland) (theatrical)
• United Artists (1978) (France) (theatrical)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2003) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (video)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1987) (Finland) (TV) (TV2)

Other Companies

• Independent Casting  extra casting: Los Angeles

Runtime:

145 min | UK:131 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:16 | West Germany:16 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:PG | Norway:16 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating)

Filming Locations:

Attercliffe, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, UK

Company:

Chateau Productions

Trivia:

The scene where the company sign was pulled down in front of the factory could only be filmed once because they only had one sign and it could not be replaced once it was damaged.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Neues aus der Anstalt: (#2.2)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Stompin' at the Savoy

My memories as an extra

At the Wardrobe Department in Dubuque on my first morning as an extra in "F.I.S.T.," I tried on my movie outfit--baggy orange woolen jacket, brown woolen pants, blue-gray cotton shirt, stringy silk tie, dark laborer's shoes, and traditional brownish wool workman's cap. The stuff was vintage all right, probably worn by hosts of actors and extras over the decades, although I got a better sense of how old the shirt was from a label I found sewn in the collar embroidered with the name "Robert Alda," the B-actor of the '40s and '50s whom I remembered to be the father of Alan Alda.

For the next month I spent lots of time pacing around inside an old empty warehouse fitted up with long tables to serve as a green room for the extras and a cafeteria for cast and crew. The caterer did a good job; our daily meal was good, honest Iowa fare--except that Norman Jewison and company never seemed to be without a bottle or two of white wine on their table, a luxury denied the rest of us. Many days, also, we were graced with the company of someone from the supporting cast or of Stallone himself, who would sometimes deign to chat with us between scenes, allowing us to call him "Sly."

Later in the filming, we were stationed outside a brewery on the Mississippi shore and, while we lay strewn on the sandy grass watching the river traffic, telling stories, and playing cards to bide the time, we were treated to several kegs of the cold, foamy beverage produced within. Our morale did not suffer from this, nor did our delusions of grandeur. Besides these fringe benefits, we were paid the princely sum of $35 per twelve-hour shift.

All of these pleasures and glories notwithstanding, after we had spent several days in our increasingly smelly movie clothes (which were never changed or washed, perhaps by design), something of the essence of actual unemployed workingmen began to rub off on us. In my more reflective moods, I couldn't see that we were much different from opportunistic beggars or prisoners, greedily filling up on the caterer's grub and the brewery's beer, then shamelessly elbowing past our chums when the call came to appear on the set.

I was embarrassed by all the brown-nosing done by my scruffy fellow-extras. They gave a lot of attention to anyone in the crew with a little clout and disdained the ones without it ("Aw, he's nothin'!"). I also got disgusted with those who, when there was at last some filming to do in the street, would stealthily edge to the front of the rabble and position themselves heroically before the camera. To my surprise and disappointment, no one seemed to care which homely faces were eternally emblazoned on celluloid next to the great Stallone's, and inevitably these were some of more pathetic specimens among us. All of us shared the same inflated delusion--that in Dubuque, Iowa, among the extras that summer, the next Gable or James Dean would be discovered. Any of us would have sold his grandmother for that.

In any case, mine did not turn out to be one of the more memorable presences in the movie. What's more, in the few scenes where I do appear, one has to look really hard to find me. For instance, my minuscule kisser can be seen way back in the union hall as Stallone ("Johnny Kovac" in the film) pushes in a wheelchair containing a middle-aged man who has been injured on the job. I am also fleetingly visible (I think) in a later union hall scene. But my main claim to celebrity derives from a scene in which Stallone and his pal Abe (David Huffman) are haranguing a sparse group of drivers from the flat-bed of a truck. I can clearly be seen (for about a second) as one of the men standing at their feet. In the same scene, I also appeared in a closer shot (though from the back), but it was lost when the margins of the frame were cropped for video.

This is also true of a later scene in which we drivers wreak revenge for the bust-up of the strike and the death of one of our leaders. What takes place is quite a violent street battle culminating in the pulling down of a large arched sign reading "Consolidated" (for "Consolidated Trucking Company") above the gated entrance to the truck yard. But this is preceded by a line of us egging on the goons by pounding baseball bats against the street. I too had a baseball bat, and I was in that line, a good section of which received a panning close-up of about five seconds. Again, in the theatrical release I was clearly seen for an instant, my stubbled, freckly face occupying most of the Cinemascope screen (think of it!). In the video, however, the panning stops just before it gets to me. Confound the luck!

When the filming was over, I regrew my hair and whiskers, took up where I'd left off, and went back to my several other part-time gigs. In many ways I was richer for the experience of F.I.S.T. It had been the most fun I'd ever had on a summer job, and I was delighted to attend the premier of the movie in Dubuque the following year.

In the end, I find it a little paradoxical that we, who were supposed to have laid aside our masks when the day's filming was done, were so profoundly similar to the indigent hoard we were hired to represent. We may have been only workers in meat plants, on assembly lines, in construction--no more than farmers, clerks, salesmen, students, teachers, freaks, transients, or even actual truckdrivers. But, laboring briefly inside the Dream Factory, we all concocted illusions so believable that they were impossible to take off with our funky clothes.