Thirty Years With Stallone & Rocky

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When we got to Paramount, we were sent to a small building where Sly would be waiting for us. Expecting to see opulent offices, the building turned out to be Stallone's training center. There were weights, heavy-bags, dumbbells and a couple of boxing rings. Sparring in the middle of one of them was Stallone.

We said our hellos, and Carl followed with a question. "I vant to ask you zumzing," said Carl in his accented English. "I haf known Mista T for three years, and zat muzzafuc**a couldn't zay his own name. How did you get him to remember all zoze lines in zat movie?"

Stallone paused for a moment, looked a Ruhl, and said. "I paid him." Stallone wore Nike in Rocky IV.

A couple of years later, I worked on a movie called, A Winner Never Quits, which starred Keith Carradine as Pete Gray, a one armed outfielder who played major league baseball for St. Louis during WWII. Somehow during the filming, Stallone's name came up, and executive producer Dan Blatt asked me, "How did you let him get away?"

I didn't know what Blatt had meant at the time, but years later I understood that the key to success in our business is to cultivate and maintain relationships. Stallone had taken a liking to me, and I had let the opportunity pass. Fortunately my career did take off and allowed me to work and maintain lifelong relationships with people like Gene Wilder, Don Rickles, Brooke Shields, Candice Bergin, and George Lopez, to name a few.

Rocky Balboa became an iconic American figure on Philly's mean streets.

I'd occasionally run into Stallone during the years, mostly at Lakeside Golf Club where he would spend his free time at the driving range. We'd trade a nod, a "yo" or a "howya doin'?" and he'd continue banging balls.

Two years ago, we hooked up again backstage at a Don Rickles concert in Thousand Oaks. Rickles is one of the giants of our business. A must-see on every entertainer's list. Admired and adored by all, Don is a great pal. We see each other often, we speak regularly by phone, and I love the guy dearly.

George Lopez had never seen Don perform live, so we drove out to Don's show together. Don introduced Stallone to the crowd as a "has been," then introduced George by saying never in his life did he expect he would have been "passed by a Mexican."

After the show, Sly came up to George backstage and told him not to take any crap from anyone. "Keep doing what you're doing," Stallone said. "Remember, no one knows George Lopez better than you do." Stallone asked me what I was doing these days, and I told him that I was producing George's TV series. Then he looked at me, looked at George, and gave George one last piece of show business advice. "Remember this," Stallone said, "You're the star. If you touch it, you own it. Clothes, props, set dressing, light bulbs. Whatever. If you touch it, it's yours."

Should Rocky be fighting at 60? Probably not. Will the movie work? I don't know. Will the American public buy it? Don't know that either, but I do know that Stallone defied much greater odds 30 years ago, and he knows what both he and Rocky are capable of better than anyone. He's one of a kind. An American classic. Don't bet against him.

Cue the music.