F.I.S.T.

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F.I.S.T. is a 1978 movie directed by Norman Jewison and starring Sylvester Stallone. In this film, Stallone plays a Cleveland warehouse worker named Johnny Kovak who becomes involved in the labor union leadership of the fictional "Federation of Interstate Truckers", and finds that he must sacrifice his principles as he moves up through the union and attempts to expand its influence. The movie is loosely based on the Teamsters union and their former President Jimmy Hoffa.

A number of other well known actors and actresses appeared in F.I.S.T. They included Kevin Conway, Brian Dennehy, Rod Steiger, Melinda Dillon,Richard Herd, and Peter Boyle.

Locations

Most of the filming was done in Dubuque, Iowa. Dubuque was chosen firstly because the older sections of the town looked more like Cleveland of the 1930s than Cleveland did, and secondly because of the absence of roof-mounted television antennas. Because of the large bluffs, over-the-air television signals had problems reaching homes in the low-lying areas, so a cable system was developed in the mid-1950s.

Some locations used in filming included Sacred Heart Church, the Fourth Street Elevator, and Dubuque Star Brewery. Filming was also done at the former Caradco manufacturing company in Dubuque. Portions of the Caradco building were fitted with new windows which were then purposely smashed for filming. The windows were replaced by the end of filming. Other Dubuque locations that were also visible in the finished film were the Dubuque County Courthouse and Saint Mary's Catholic Church.

Trivia

The 1978 Dubuque city directory listed Stallone on page 535 and Dillon on page 121. The fictional John and Anna Kovaks - two of the main characters in the film - were listed on page 309, and gave the brick duplex on the corner of 24th Street and Washington St. in Dubuque as their address.
In the final credits, Kevin Kovak is listed as being played by Cole Dammett. This is the pseudonym for the future lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Anthony Kiedis.
The scene depicting the large "Consolidated Trucking" sign over the factory gate being pulled down was done in one take. This was because the crew only had one sign, and once it was damaged it couldn't be used again.

External links

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