"Stop the Fight!"

I know that all the Rocky fans know where that line comes from; and I also know that all my siblings know exactly how my father said it so perfectly.  "Stop the fight. . ."

Did you know that Yo, Adrian says it in Rocky IV too?  Just heard it tonight because the kids and I, once again, are on a "let's watch Rocky" kick.

Watching Rocky IV, where Yo, Adrian and Rocky are probably the worst actors to ever star in a #1 movie - - - ever - - - brought forth a pretty funny memory.

"Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor was a very popular song at the time - - - undoubtedly because of Rocky III - - - and this was well before CD's, i-tunes, or the age where my brother Jeff and I had money to go out and buy the single.  In fact, all we had was the radio and a cassette player.

I made the first call to 103.3 in Buffalo.

"Hey, could you play Eye of the Tiger by Survivor?"

"Sure kid, will be up in the next hour."

We waited about 30 minutes, and Jeff called.

"Hey, can you play Eye of the Tiger by Survivor?"

"Sure kid, be up in the next hour."

Another half-hour goes by and I call back,

"Hey, are you gonna play Eye of the Tiger soon?"

"Yes, should be up soon, Doll."

Another half hour goes by.  No Eye of the Tiger.

So Jeff calls.  Then I call.  Then Jeff calls.  Then I call.

"Listen you little fuckers, I told you that I'd play it.  I'm not a fuckin' wedding DJ, I have to follow a schedule..."

Jeff might have said, "Blah, blah, blah, just play it.  And don't talk at the beginning of it, we're trying to record it."

The wedding DJ hung up.  Jeff and I laughed our asses off.  We may have even called again.

So, here's to Rocky, and here's to Survivor - - - the one-hit wonder who tried to make it big with a majority of the songs in Rocky IV that sunk to the bottom, because when the first notes of the Rocky theme come in, everyone forgets.

(And just so you know, the notes of the Rocky theme are only about 3 seconds long, and they are hidden within synthesizers and bad 80's hair).

Other than the height difference between Ivan Drago and Rocky; and of course, the hidden meaning that underlies the film (Apollo competing with himself and his age, yearning for Glory Days), it's kind of a disappointment. . . but it's Rocky!

Glad they didn't stop the fight.  Paulie has the best line:  "If I could be anyone, Rock, I would want to be you.  Now go bust this guy's teeth out."  After Paulie sees Drago he says, "Remember what I said back there about wanting to be you?  Forget it."

"I must break you."  This is only one of like three lines that Ivan Drago - - - the steroid-using, misunderstood, cold-hearted Russian - - - has in the film.

Stop the fight!