F.I.S.T

Newly a big star, Sylvester Stallone was frequently hounded, screamed at, and sought out to be touched by fans during principal photography on this picture. Thousands of fans from more than one hundred miles away gathered daily to filming locations in Dubuque, Iowa chanting "Rocky! Rocky! Rocky!" from behind rope and police barriers, and frequently only a block away from the on-set filming. Reportedly, Stallone would make about three pilgrimages a day to the security barriers to shake hands with fans, pose for photos taken with their Instamatic cameras, let some of the more daring kiss him. When time did not allow for signing autographs, Stallone apparently would say: "You'd only lose it. A handshake lasts forever!"

The original release in theaters ended showing Johnny Kovak getting shot at the top the staircase in his home. Then, in the last scene, the camera pans to show a close-up of a moving truck with a "bumper sticker" that says "Where's Johnny?". The cable release does not show that last scene. Instead, the closing credits are shown over a crowd of truckers with their fists in the air.

Featured in The Directors: The Films of Norman Jewison (1999)