Want an obscure Sly Stallone movie? Try F.I.S.T., starring Rocky as a thinly disguised Jimmy Hoffa, who, in this movie, is a Hungarian-American, or hunky, named Johnny Kovak. This is a legit entry into the Hungarian movie pantheon because it was written by Joe Eszterhas, a Hungarian immigrant and Cleveland reporter who went on to write the screenplays for more famous films, such as Basic Instinct.
The reason we watched this otherwise forgettable movie was the presence in the cast -- and credited, too -- of Rev. Alphonse Skerl, pastor of Holy Trinity Roman Catholic (Hungarian) church in East Chicago, Indiana. OLGS has met Father Skerl, who was very helpful when OLGS visited the parish in search of records for his current project studying Hungarian immigrants to the U.S.
Father Skerl appears in F.I.S.T. (Federation of Interstate Truckers) at least three times as the family priest. However, the time period of the movie being primarily pre-Vatican II, the good father speaks Latin rather than Hungarian during Mass. OLGS reports that Father Skerl still speaks Hungarian, despite his being in the U.S. since 1956.
People watch movies for the strangest reasons.
The reason we watched this otherwise forgettable movie was the presence in the cast -- and credited, too -- of Rev. Alphonse Skerl, pastor of Holy Trinity Roman Catholic (Hungarian) church in East Chicago, Indiana. OLGS has met Father Skerl, who was very helpful when OLGS visited the parish in search of records for his current project studying Hungarian immigrants to the U.S.
Father Skerl appears in F.I.S.T. (Federation of Interstate Truckers) at least three times as the family priest. However, the time period of the movie being primarily pre-Vatican II, the good father speaks Latin rather than Hungarian during Mass. OLGS reports that Father Skerl still speaks Hungarian, despite his being in the U.S. since 1956.
People watch movies for the strangest reasons.
