Wally Taylor | 80's Movie Guide

Taglines: The Excitement... The Power... The Man... Rocky 3 movie storyline. Three years and 10 successful title defenses after beating Apollo Creed, with whom he has become great friends, a now wealthy Rocky Balboa is considering retirement. Fame and complacency soon cause Balboa to lose his title to Clubber Lang, who inadvertently causes the death of Rocky's trainer Mickey. Rocky sinks into a depression, and Apollo decides to train Rocky for a rematch against Lang so Rocky can try to win the title back. Rocky III is a 1982 American sports-drama film written, directed by, and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the third installment in the Rocky film series, and the second in the franchise to be directed by Stallone. The movie features returning co-stars Carl Weathers, Burgess Meredith, Talia Shire and Burt Young. Rocky III also marks the film debuts of Mr. T as James "Clubber" Lang, and of professional wrestler Hulk Hogan as the supporting character "Thunderlips". Rocky 3 is the first installment in the series to be distributed by MGM/UA rather than United Artists alone. In 1980, United Artists, who owned the rights to the Rocky films, made Heaven's Gate, a film which cost $44 million and made only $3 million. In response, United Artists' owner, Transamerica, sold United Artists to MGM, forming MGM/UA in 1981. The film's main theme "Eye of the Tiger", was written by the group Survivor and became a smash hit single, topping the U.S. Billboard charts and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. Rocky 3 (1982) Directed by: Sylvester Stallone Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Burgess Meredith, Tony Burton, Hulk Hogan, Wally Taylor Screenplay by: Sylvester Stallone Production Design by: William J. Cassidy Cinematography by: Bill Butler Film Editing by: Mark Warner, Don Zimmerman Costume Design by: Tom Bronson Set Decoration by: Joe D. Mitchell Art Direction by: Ron Foreman, J. Dennis Washington Music by: Bill Conti Distributed by: United Artists Release Date: May 28, 1982