Alex Carson
Frank Stallone doesn’t want to be known just as Rocky’s little brother – but you can rest assured that he is proud of his family’s legacy. He doesn’t feel overshadowed by his brother in the least bit although that doesn’t mean that his journey in the entertainment industry has always been an easy one.
Frank is actually the subject of a new documentary called Stallone: Frank, That is, which documents the performer’s successful career as a singer and actor. The film features candid interviews with some of Frank’s friends and colleagues. Participants include folks like John Oates, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Richie Sambora. And of course Sly comes through to talk about his next of kin.
Frank, in an interview with Fox News, revealed that he’s stayed busy in show business for all these years by taking essentially whatever work comes his way.
“I’ve done about 77 movies.” Frank shared then continued by saying ” A lot of them were lousy…but they were all learning experiences for me.”
Frank’s Proved Himself To Be A Dedicated Performer
Even though every film that he’s done hasn’t struck gold, Frank wanted to make It known loud and clear that all of those roles weren’t given to him just because of his name. He brought up his role in Barfly and how he had auditioned for that. It wasn’t given to him just because he was Sylvester’s brother. Rather, he had to prove himself and convince the casting directors that he had what it took to outshine the other applicants.
Although he openly admits that not every film he has done has been the best, he has contributed to quite a few good films as well. The only thing that he says that he regrets about his film career is that he feels as if he was forced to neglect his musical career at times because of it. Music, after all, is Frank’s, first love. He enjoys being on camera, but nothing compares to the thrill of playing a high-energy show in front of a receptive audition of music appreciators.
You would think that being Sylvester Stallone’s brother would put you in the front of the line for film role opportunities but there was a time however that Frank Stallone struggled to find any film work. For a while, he couldn’t even get an agent. So he hit the books and started studying theater. Soon enough good scripts – as well as cruddy ones – were coming his way. His goal was to stay in the game and no matter what, he always returned back to his music.
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And you’re going to want to stick around to watch the rest of this video. We bet you can’t guess what member of the Rat Pack was a huge fan of Frank Stallone’s music. We’ll get to that in a second, but first….
Rocky Changed Both Stallone’s Lives Forever
While Frank was first pursuing his musical career, he made his film debut alongside his brother in 1976s Rocky where he got the opportunity to show off his musical prowess in an unforgettable doo-wop scene.
Frank was in a musical group at the time called Valentine, and they had managed to find some early success. That is if you consider playing a couple of gigs a week successful. They were starting to play regularly in the Jersey area but he was still only making about a hundred bucks a week. So when his brother called him up and told him about the boxing film he was working on and asked him if he wanted to write some music for hit, he jumped on the opportunity.
After a while, however, Frank’s band Valentine started bringing in more cash. Once the band was making $140 dollars a night, some of the members were reluctant to devote their time to the film instead, but Sylvester combated that hesitation by making them an offer they couldn’t refuse.
He told them that he could pay each band member $140 dollars a day to come down to Philadelphia where the movie was being filmed. Of course, they couldn’t argue with that.
Even so, working on Rocky was far from being a glamorous endeavor. Stallone said that it was frigidly cold at the time of filming and that the neighborhood that they were shooting in was in a really rough part of town. Both Stallone’s had to sacrifice some of their creature comforts to take part in the film but ultimately all that sacrifice and hard work paid off.
And while no one could have predicted that Rocky would become the sensation that it did, Frank still had a hunch that something big and unexpected was on the horizon.
From the first time that the cast and crew got to sit down and watch the film before it theaters, Frank already knew that there was something special about Rocky. He couldn’t put his finger on what made the movie so particularly special but the magic contained within it was readily apparent. At one point Frank was concerned that the film might be a financial flop, but now he assumed that at least the production costs would be made back. Little did he know, however, that Rocky was going to be a major Blockbuster hit and spawn an entire franchise.
After it’s release, the Stallone family name was no longer unknown. The Stallone’s – especially Sylvester – blew up seemingly overnight. It was, however, extraordinarily frustrating for Frank whenever he would be asked what it was like to be Rocky’s brother every time he went out to perform at a show.
“Did you two sleep in bed bunks?” some smart-aleck fans would ask, but Frank took it all in stride.
Staying Alive and Far From Over
Even though Sylvester was clearly on a path to be the most successful member of the Stallone family, Frank still remained proud of his brother and the work that they were able to accomplish together. In 1983, he appeared in Staying Alive, the sequel to Saturday Night Fever, which Sylvester wrote and directed. Frank’s song “Far From Over’ which he wrote for the film even became a chart-topping hit.
Despite having a hit single on his hands, Frank was disappointed when he got a call from his brother informing him that his song wouldn’t be receiving an Oscar nomination as they had hoped. The committee had decided to go with another song instead despite the fact that it was highly anticipated for ‘Far From Over’ to receive the nomination.
“It took the wind out of my sails.’ Frank lamented.
He was looking forward for both he and his brother to be nominated for an Oscar. The idea of two Stallone’s both receiving the honor made him especially proud of what they were able to accomplish, so when the opportunity slipped away, it came as a bit of a let down.
Frank Sinatra Was A Huge Fan
Despite the occasional setbacks and disappointments, Frank has never considered quitting music. It’s his first true love. There’s not a chance that he would just give it up. And his efforts and persistence paid off for him when he received the stamp of approval from one fan in particular.
While on a rather lousy date one evening at the Hollywood Bowl, Frank, and his unimpressed date were watching Don Rickles perform. After he wrapped up his set, Frank Sinatra came out on stage with his glass of Jack Daniel’s in hand, of course, and asked if Frank Stallone was in the audience.
Even though he felt like he might have a heart attack, Frank stood up. What could Frank Sinatra possibly want with him?
“I heard the new album you did….Knocked my socks off, Kid!’ Sinatra declared.
Stallone was floored. He couldn’t believe that one of the greatest singers of his generation just gave him a shout out on stage. And just like that, Frank’s previously unenthusiastic date was ll over him. ‘Ol’ Blue Eyes’ really did Stallone quite the favor that night.
From The 2000s To Today
Frank Stallone is a huge fan of boxing. In 2005, he was a consultant on the NBC reality series The Contender. On one occasion when Frank was a guest on the Howard Stern show, he had a boxing match with television reporter and personality Geraldo Rivera. Frank won that fight. Stallone was also a contestant on Hulk Hogan’s Celebrity Championship Wrestling reality show.
Frank released 4 albums between 1985 and 1999. The biggest single of his career, Far From Over was released on the Staying Alive Soundtrack in 1983. That album hit no. 10 on the US charts and 61 on the Australian ones.
From 2000 onward, Frank had more opportunity to focus on his music. He released his album Full Circle in 2000 and followed that up with Frankie and Billie in 2002. Stallone’s last two albums, Songs from the Saddle and the cleverly titillated Let Me Be Frank With You were released in 2005 and 2010 respectively.
From 2014 to 2017, he provided the voice for the character Thunderhoof on the animated series Transformers: Robots in Disguise.
Frank Stallone, who’s now 70, is mostly retired these days. Although he occasionally takes his talents to the screen. He’s currently set to play the character, Rick Donatello, on the upcoming film Veterans Day.
Well, here we are once again at the end of another facts-packed video. Hopefully, you’ve enjoyed learning about Sylvester Stallone’s brother Frank. There is so much talent in their family. It’s a shame that Frank’s music is sometimes out-shined by Sylvester’s acting. If you haven’t heard any of Frank’s music, you should really take a moment to give it a listen.
Anyway, we’d love to hear from you. Did you know that Sylvester Stallone had a brother that was also moderately famous or was this video news for you? Let us know in the comments section below.
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