Italian Stallion/The Party at Kitty and Stud's (Replica 70's Promo Tee/Stallone Adult Film)

The Italian Stallion — Sylvester Stallone Vintage Adult Film Promo Tee

Every Hollywood superstar has an origin story, but Sylvester Stallone's is a little more interesting than most.

In 1970, years before he became one of the biggest action stars in the world, a young and struggling Stallone appeared in a low-budget softcore adult film called The Party at Kitty and Stud's. Made for a reported $5,000, the movie featured Stallone as Stud, a sexually adventurous young man whose relationship with his girlfriend leads to some rather unconventional parties.

It wasn't exactly the sort of project that usually launches an Academy Award-nominated career.

At the time, Stallone was an unknown actor trying to survive in New York City, taking whatever work he could find. The film received little attention upon its original release and might have disappeared into obscurity if Stallone hadn't subsequently become one of Hollywood's biggest stars.

Then came Rocky (1976).

Written by and starring Stallone, Rocky became an international sensation, winning the Academy Award for Best Picture and transforming its previously unknown leading man into a household name. Suddenly, that obscure little adult film had a considerably more marketable star.

And the distributors wasted absolutely no time.

In 1976, the film was reissued under the wonderfully opportunistic title The Italian Stallion, capitalizing on Stallone's newfound fame and the nickname associated with his character Rocky Balboa. Promotional materials enthusiastically emphasized the presence of the future action hero, transforming a forgotten softcore curiosity into an irresistible piece of celebrity exploitation.

The film itself is more of a campy, low-budget erotic curiosity than a conventional hardcore adult movie, but its marketing was spectacularly shameless. Here was America's newest boxing hero, appearing in a movie that had absolutely nothing to do with boxing and considerably more to do with taking his pants off.

Naturally, it became a cult favorite.