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When
you think of the '80s, you think of films like Teen Wolf, Ferris Bueller's
Day Off, Fame, The Karate Kid and stars such as Michael J. Fox, Matthew
Broderick, Mr.T and Bobby Gubbins. But of course this list would not be
complete without two very important additions- Street Walker?, and its star,
Nick " Nicky" Marciano. The film epitomised much of what
was going on down on the '80s American streets, and led to one of the most
enjoyable, yet at times tiresome, film series ever made in the '80s or
maybe ever. This site attempts to recapture some of that cool Street Walk
vibe which we all know and love. You all know the dance!
The original Street Walker? series spanned some six films over six years, starting with the classic Street Walker? (1980), and ending with the dismal Street Walker? 6: ZOMBIE TERROR!. In 1994, its star, Nick Marciano, resurrected the thought-to-be-dead series with the somewhat poor Street Walker?: The New Generation, starring young hopeful Lewis Remington as the original Street Walker's illegimate son. The film was only ever released in America and Germany, where Marciano enjoys a wide following. What follows is a table summarising the series' entire span, with ratings from " Review Of 1980's Cinema" by Jonny B. Piper.
| Film | Year | Rating |
| Street Walker | 1980 | ****(out of 5) |
| Street Walker II | 1982 | *** |
| Street Walker 3: Keep On Walkin' | 1984 | *** |
| Street Walker 4: Ears To The Ground | 1985 | * |
| Street Walker 5: One Step Too Far | 1985 | 0 stars |
| Street Walker 6: ZOMBIE TERROR! | 1986 | Wasn't reviewed |
| Street Walker: The New Generation | 1994 | n/a |
Things started to go down hill with what became known as " the '85 fiasco", a year in which two dreadful films were brought out within the space of three months. It is generally agreed that the series should have ended after Street Walker? 2, or, at the very least, after installment 3. By ZOMBIE TERROR!, the franchise had become a joke, with regular characters unwilling to appear, and with the 21 year old Marciano playing a sixteen year old. New actors were drafted in to play established characters and Marciano himself played six characters, including two zombies, and the popular Uncle Tony. Marciano also scripted and directed the film, with disastrous results. The '94 film was an attempt by Marciano to resurrect the franchise, a film which Marciano once again scripted and directed and which was suprisingly good, if entirely unpopular.
The idea for the Street Walker? films was created by the late Chubby " Fun Boy" Chester in 1977, but it was some three years before he finally got his vision on screen. Chester plucked Marciano from a troubled family to play the cocky street kid with a heart of gold, Frankie Jr. Many of the stories revolved around Frankie Jr. helping poor families who were about to be evicted by a concoction of greedy landlords, biker gangs, multinational corporations and even zombies.
This
still is taken from the second film, in which Frankie Jr. helps several
poor families escape from a burning building ruthlessly set alight by some
bikers hired by a multinational company, the same company which built the
zombie machine in the ludicrous sixth episode. The second film also featured
the famous " Street Anthem" by the Di Franco Brothers, who
also composed the original " Street Walker? Theme", one of the
most popular movie themes of the early '80s, perhaps topped only by the
theme from "Beverly Hills Cop", "Axel F".
Contact the stars or join Street Walker? mailing list
street_walker@fcmail.com
