MOTHER TRUCKIN’ MAY: F.I.S.T. (1978)

Unions and cinema are tender bedfellows. Silent films like MODERN TIMES and KAMERADSCHAFT showed lives that would’ve benefited from collective action. Films since—such as NORMA RAE, SILKWOOD, HARLAN COUNTY, USA, and NORTH COUNTRY—showed collective action in, well, action. F.I.S.T. fits into the latter category, with a history that union tactics could’ve helped.

Gene Corman, Roger’s brother, was a producer who enjoyed Joe Eszterhas’ articles on labor unions and wanted him to write a movie inspired by them. Up to this point, Eszterhas was a by-line guy; writing articles and doing interviews for Rolling Stone, hanging out with Hunter S. Thompson. His favorite authors were Hemingway and Fitzgerald, and both had terrible experiences in Hollywood. Despite that, Eszterhas took the gig and wrote a 500-page script about the Federation of Interstate Truckers. Being a Hungarian immigrant, he focused on Hungarian-American life, which also meant it took place in Ohio since it had a large Hungarian-American community.

Norman Jewison, director of IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT, liked F.I.S.T. enough to direct it, but didn’t want to direct a 500-minute movie. Eszterhas, precious about each word (including a monologue 15 pages long), fought fiercely. Until he saw an envelope Jewison “happened” to leave out: a seven-figure royalty check. Jewison told him he could get money like that if he got his act together, so he did. Then came Sylvester Stallone.

ROCKY rang a bell for Stallone that’s still heard 60 years later. After its success, studios were clamoring to make his next movie. However, Jewison asked him to be in F.I.S.T. before anyone gave a fuck about the Italian Stallion, so he kept it next in his queue.

Being an Oscar-nominated screenwriter, Stallone wanted to take ownership of the script in a way Eszterhas nor Jewison approved of. For instance, Stallone wanted to change the ending because “Rocky doesn’t die”, although he wanted to make F.I.S.T. to get away from Mr. Balboa. Lawyers got involved, and Jewison was allowed one take of the original ending. If it didn’t work, Stallone got his ending. He also told gossip columnists that he wrote the script, which pissed Eszterhas off so much that he unloaded in a nationwide interview. Eszterhas eventually got a book deal for F.I.S.T. worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. The catch was Stallone had to approve of the cover and only would if he got co-screenwriting credit. Eszterhas had a wife and kids to care for, and the deal was worth more than he ever had made.

So, what about the movie? Jewison originally wanted Jack Nicholson. James Caan would’ve been an even better fit; plus he and Jewison had just made ROLLERBALL together. Alas, we got Stallone. If this was Sly in his COPLAND era, he would’ve been swell. But this was still his ROCKY era, so he was like Richard Gere in LOOKING FOR MR. GOODBAR: there’s a better performance in him, but he’s too green to find it. As for the story, Johnny Kovac hews very closely to Jimmy Hoffa. Not enough to be litigious (though who’s around to sue?), but enough to scratch your chin and think, “Wait a minute…” Which isn’t helped in any way by the fact that two decades later, Danny DeVito directed a superb Hoffa biopic starring Jack Nicholson and written by David Mamet (before he went nuckin’ futs.) DeVito even managed to sneak in a Tim Burton cameo.

F.I.S.T. has Brian Dennehy, but he and Stallone made a much better pair a few years later in FIRST BLOOD. The world felt something was lacking since F.I.S.T. flopped. Coincidentally, Stallone started denying he wrote the movie he fought so hard to take (co-)credit for. However, months later, he apologized to Eszterhas for his bad behavior, and the two became close friends.

As far as first-time writer gigs go, Eszterhas did okay with F.I.S.T., though it’s hard to know how much wasn’t Stallone’s tinkering. After going the distance with the Italian Stallion, he had a screenwriting career most don’t even dare wishing they had out of fear of jinxing themselves into the lowest level of development hell. His next produced screenplay? FLASHDANCE. He kept busy during the ‘80s, then greeted the ‘90s with BASIC INSTINCT and a $3,000,000 handshake. Then, for almost $4,000,000, SHOWGIRLS. Seven-figure royalty checks must come in like the tide.

Jewison traded up from Stallone to Pacino, following F.I.S.T. with ...AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. Apart from his DROP DEAD FRED knockoff, BOGUS, Jewison did good work steadily until he retired after THE STATEMENT.

Stallone’s still working today, currently lurking in Taylor Sheridan’s empire. He also made the best Judge Dredd movie that wasn’t a Judge Dredd movie, DEMOLITION MAN. Then a Judge Dredd movie, in name only. England still weeps.