Selling Paradise Alley Rights

Stallone made his feature directorial debut on the 1978 movie Paradise Alley, which told the story of Italian-American brothers the Carbonis as they become involved in professional wrestling in 1940s New York.

The actor had written the script himself but ended up bitterly regretting his decision to sell the rights to the picture – which was panned by the critics - to the studio for just $100 as he was broke.

Stallone writes: "I had my chance with them (producers Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler), and I blew it by giving in like a coward and selling the rights to Paradise Alley for a hundred bucks.

"I was still angry with myself for not holding my ground, but maybe that anger was getting in my way. It certainly wasn't helping me fill my notebooks with quality writing."