| 10 years before the debut of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. In 1979, Bill Viola and Frank Caliguri dreamed up a contest pitting barroom bigmouths against wrestlers, martial artists, boxers, bouncers and brawlers, billed as no-holds-barred new type of competitive fighting. When the fights succeeded beyond their wildest expectations, they were swept up in a chain of events that ended in the first mixed-martial arts ban in the nation. “Tough Guys” chronicles the inception of Caliguri and Viola’s first bouts and the colorful, crazy cast of fighters who made them a hit as well as the politicians who brought it all crashing down. The film brings to life a moment when the national martial arts craze was building to a crescendo as the economies of Pennsylvania steel towns were plummeting to levels of unemployment never seen, breeding desperate men looking for a chance to prove their worth and make some money in the ring. |
| Release Date: |
Sep 15, 2017 |
| Director: |
Henry Roosevelt,
W.B. Zullo
|
| Writer: |
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| Genres: |
Documentary
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| Keywords |
competition,
karate,
wrestling,
sports,
mixed martial arts (mma),
bouncer,
fighting,
pittsburgh, pennsylvania,
boxing,
tough man,
brawlers
|
| Production Companies |
Warrior Poets,
Fictionless,
MinusL Productions
|
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $0
|
| Updates |
Updated: Aug 03, 2024
Entered: May 01, 2024
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