Our Savior's love, shines like the sun with perfect light. As from above, it breaks through clouds of strife.

Nov 20, 2007

Happy Rocky IV Day




Happy Rocky IV day.

Every day before thanksgiving a few people pause and reflect on one of the most beloved holiday's of the year. That is Rocky IV day.

First let me give you a little history.

20 years ago, before Indie films were the "Thing" to do, a small group of actors gathered themselves together in the basement of the Sherwood home. It was a day off of school for them and they decided that an original film needed to be made, although it might slightly resemble a similar storyline of a movie with the exact same name. We just had a lower budget.

The cast included:

Jeff Sherwood as Ivan Drago (He was 4 years older than the rest of us so he was the biggest)

Ryan McHugh as Rocky Balboa (Why we casted an Irish guy as "The Italian Stallone" I have no idea, especially since we had ...)

Brian Aparo as Apollo Creed, Ivan's trainer and the sound guy (Why didn't we cast the Italian as Rocky)

Greg Sherwood as Rocky's trainer, Boxing Ref and Cameraman (I will let you guess who the youngest one there was)

Somehow, we came up with a script on less than a day’s notice. Jeff was able to build a boxing ring in the rec. room with wooden railings and extension cords. Brian had the soundtrack to Rocky III so we just used that. (Besides, which song is more Rocky, Eye of the Tiger or Burning Heart)

Anyway, during filming we ran into so problems like accidently erasing the first part of the movie, and Jeff wanted to go to the library instead of finishing the movie. We were able to push through and complete a movie of legendary proportions.

The movie spawned a large number of other projects to be made in the Sherwood Studios. Movies such:
Goonies
Ramnurse 1 – 5
The Karate Kid
A bunch of music videos
Red Storm Rising (I got an A in a class for that one)
And many other ones that I have been able to forget …

Unfortunately my younger sister taped over all the films and they have been lost forever.

That is why we must honor this historic achievement by always remembering that the day before Thanksgiving is “Rocky IV Day”



3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I did not tape over the films. Besides I was an actress in one of the ramnurses. ok maybe I did but you taped over my films as well. but who knows where the tapes are now. Thanks for the great laugh I will fondly remember today as Rocky IV day.

Natalie said...

That is hilarious! My sister and her friends use to make home videos all the time. The one time they asked me to be in it, I botched my lines, and they still to this day, will never let me live it down.

andrea said...

Darn--I was hoping this post was going to end with a youtube clip of
the Sherwood version of Rocky IV. Maybe it's time to make another???