From the original idea through the pain of raising money and the rigors of independent film production to the film's instant success and the joy it brought when it was sold to Columbia Pictures and topped the box office as the biggest grossing film in release, 'The Making of The Lords of Flatbush' tells a sometimes hilarious and often dramatic, but never uneventful story.For dollar invested to dollar returned, 'The Lords of Flatbush' was one of the biggest money making films of all time. The book reveals how everyone involved went on to become legends in their field: From Sylvester Stallone who went on to become Rocky to Henry Winkler who became the Fonz, to Richard Gere who was the original lead to Bette Midler whose manager pulled her out at the last minute. This film started a cultural revolution with the TV shows that it inspired. Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley and Welcome Back Kotter, all found their inspiration in this first truly independent motion picture.