Carl Weathers

Carl Weathers (born January 14, 1948) is an American actor, and former professional American and Canadian league football player. He is perhaps best known for his role as Apollo Creed in the Rocky series of films.

Weathers was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.^[1] He graduated from Long Beach Polytechnic High School and then went to San Diego State University.

At San Diego State University, Carl was a member of the football team. This led to a brief career as a linebacker with the Oakland Raiders, where he played 7 games in 1970 and one game in 1971. He joined the Canadian Football League (British Columbia Lions) in 1971 and played until 1973, 18 games in total. He retired in 1974 to become an actor.

Weathers had his first parts in two Arthur Marks directed 1970s blaxploitation films: Bucktown and Friday Foster, both in 1975. Weathers also appeared in an episode on the 70's Sitcom "Good Times".

In 1976, he starred alongside Sylvester Stallone in Rocky as Apollo Creed, a role he would reprise in the next three Rocky films in 1979, 1982, and 1985. He also starred in a number of action films, both theatrically and on television, including: Force 10 from Navarone (1978), Predator (1987), Action Jackson (1988), and Hurricane Smith (1992), he also had the role of Chubbs in Happy Gilmore. And he is briefly seen as an Army MP in just one of the three released versions of Close Encounters of the Third Kind. As a member of the cast of Predator, Weathers worked with future California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and future Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura.

He also appeared in Michael Jackson's "Liberian Girl" music video, in a McDonald's commercial around 1976, and in an episode of Good Times as an angry husband who suspected his wife of cheating on him with JJ. Ironically, though his character was presumably supposed to be older, Carl is actually one year younger than Jimmie Walker.

During the final season of In the Heat of the Night, his character of Hampton Forbes replaced Bill Gillespie at the chief of the Sparta, Mississippi police. He continued that role in the television movies based on the series. His noted other TV role was on the cop show Street Justice where he played Sgt. Adam Beaudreaux. He also played as MACV-SOG Colonel Brewster in the CBS series Tour of Duty.

In 2004, Weathers received a significant career revival as a comedic actor. Since he had worked primarily as a dramatic actor in action films throughout the first half of his career, he began appearing in many works that were quite different from his past. Beginning in 2004 with appearances in several episodes of the cult hit comedy series Arrested Development as a cheapskate caricature of himself, Weathers began appearing in largely comedic roles. This series of guest spots led to him getting roles in the comedies The Sasquatch Dumpling Gang and The Comebacks. The Comebacks will be his first major role in a film since 1992's Hurricane Smith.

Sylvester Stallone asked Weathers, Mr. T, and Dolph Lundgren for permission to use footage from their appearances in the earlier Rocky movies for Rocky Balboa. Mr. T and Dolph Lundgren gave him their graces, however Weathers wanted an actual part in the movie, even though his character died in Rocky IV. Stallone refused and Weathers decided not to allow Stallone to use his image for Rocky flashbacks from the previous movies. They instead decided to use new footage of a fighter who looks similar to Weathers.^[2]

Weathers provided the voice for Colonel Samuel Garrett in the Pandemic video game, Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction. In 2005, he was a narrator on Conquest! The Price Of Victory - Witness The Journey of the Trojans!, an 18-part television show about USC athletics.

Weathers is a principal of Red Tight Media, a film and video production company that specializes in tactical training films made for the United States armed forces.^{[citation needed]}

He is currently acting as "Alex Smith" in advertising for Old Spice's sponsorship of NASCAR driver Tony Stewart.

One of the scenes in Rocky 4 is “Apollo throws tennis balls to his dogs in the pool”

THE SEVEN THROWS – THE GREATEST THROWS THROUGHOUT THE HISTORY OF MAN

Statistic Overview:

In the role of Apollo Creed: Mr. Carl Weathers Mr.Weathers’ weight: 221 lbs Mr.Weathers’ length: 185 cm Nicknames: Dancing Destroyer, King of Sting, The Count of Monte Fisto, Aramel, The Master of Disaster Length of sequence: 88 sec Number of throws: 7 Scene changes: 19 Approximate temperature: 29°C Mr.Weathers’ background: CFL pro Amount of winks executed by mr. Weathers in this scene: 0 Nationality of mr.Weathers: USA Location of filming: USA Weather in this Weathers-scene: Sunny Amount of throws cut off from the production: 3 (“The looper”, “The boule-throw”, “The shot put-pitch”)

SCENE #1: Length: 4 sec

The first shot starts of with a male Golden Retriever, approximately aged 3-5 years, turning towards the pool area. The dog looks quite healthy, with rich golden fur and sharp teeth, although his tail is lacking some fluffiness. In this particular shot there are a number of items visible in the background, for instance: a yellow 2- seated couch, a white coffee table, a green hedge, a tethered grill (possibly due to the fact that mr. Weathers has experienced several thefts of his former grills, which he adored so much) red geraniums and yellow geraniums in a flower pot. As the dog is approaching the pool area the ears start to flutter a bit, and by the time he has reached the pool-side he puts his four paws together to gain maximum power in order to achieve the perfect dive (which in this case means a majestic jump filled with both grace and agility) into the pool. The song which is now played on mr. Weathers personal pool radio is called “Go With the Germs” and is a Christmas carol written by Walt Disney himself back in 1949. There are theories that the song holds a hidden political message, and that Disney, with the songs’ high pitched, goofy- like voice and catchy melody tried to convince the American people to join the Nazis during the 2:nd World War. However, no proof has been confirmed in this matter, but one thing is certain: it’s a brilliant song choice for this scene. A thing worth mentioning in the dog landing sequence is that the dog’s front left paw reaches the surface first. By now his silver collar is visible for the first time. As he gains depth the dog’s eyes are clearly closed. While for a second the dog disappears below the surface, the splash is immense. About 2 yards from the pool side you can a ¼ second later see a tempting yellow tennis ball. This is only one of several tennis balls, which we will soon discover. Swimming towards the ball the dog’s mouth opens in order to clutch the ball between its jaws. The dog uses a traditional dog swimming technique as he starts to swim out of the picture.

SCENE #2: Length: 5 sec

The camera is now smoothly changed to an angle on the short side of the rectangular pool with an approximate area of 150 square metres. For the first time in this breathtaking clip mr. Weathers is now visible, showing face arms and parts of his torso!!! Mr. Weathers is standing in the middle of the pool with his knee long blue shorts with white stripes. The pool has several stairs –like levels, and in the north east corner there is almost like a little pool within the big pool. Beside the pool, on mr Weathers’ right side, you can see the half of a yellow cushioned sunbathing chair with white wheels. There is also a flower pot in the north west corner, and, in the north east there is another coffe table. Opposite mr. Weathers there are now two Golden Retrievers and an orange frisbee. The nuances of the dogs’ furs are quite similar to the pigment of mr.Weathers’ skin. In each hand mr.Weathers is holding a tennis ball. It is these tennis balls which will be the main focus throughout this analysis. Suddenly a third dog appears on mr. Weathers’ right side. This dog is also a Golden Retriever, but it never reaches the water of the pool in this shot. By now mr. Weathers is performing throw nr. 1 out of 7 extraordinary throws, which will be dealt with later due to their extreme significance in this analysis. While the dogs are swimming randomly in the water mr. Weathers is executing his 2: nd pitch.

SCENE #3: Length: 6 sec.

Surprisingly, mr. Weathers has access to not less than three tennis balls in this shot. He will use two of them in this specific shot where the camera closes up on mr. Wearthers’ right side. In the background you can see the pool side decorated with blue mosaic patterned tile. You can also see: a yellow cushioned sofa, a white table under a sunshade ( on the table there is a can of soda, supposedly Pepsi due to the fact that mr .Weathers was in a juridical dispute with the Coca Cola Company at the time), two yellow-cushioned chairs, a lawn which is poorly looked after (and therefore not entirely can be described as green) and a white coffe table with a black Panasonic TV upon it (this is only one of many Panasonic TV:s in the movie). Again a green hedge is surrounding the pool area. On the TV there is an add for New Kentucky Fried Chicken. All of a sudden the TV turns black for a moment, only to regain structure once again, this time showing a middle-aged news anchorman wearing a grey suit and a black tie, stating following: “Today may prove to be a landmark in sports history”. Before the scene is concluded mr.Weathers has concluded his third and forth throw. Please notice that the background isn’t as extraordinary in the rest of the scenes, hence the lack of description.

SCENE #4: Length: 2 sec.

Mr. Weathers is holding four tennis balls, three of them formerly unknown (where do they come from!?), one in his right and three in his left. “After unravelling years of red tape…” the anchorman continues in the background. Mr. Weathers is very jolly, jumping up and down, swinging his powerful shoulders and flexing his shrugs, opening his mouth several times and showing of his huge biceps and perfectly trimmed moustache. Another thing noticeable in this shot is that mr. Weathers’ outstanding afro haircut hasn’t been affected by the wet environment. Do you remember the third dog? Well, one of the biggest misunderstandings in the history of moviemaking is that it is the third dog that now jumps by the camera and into the water. But due to the fact that the jump is staged from the left side of mr. Weathers that’s an impossibility. Instead there’s evidently a fourth dog making an entrance in this clip. As it reaches the pool water mr. Weathers reveals a great white smile, raising his right arm to prepare himself for a fifth throw.

SCENE#5 Length: 2.5 sec.

There is a close-up on the TV as the anchorman concludes the sentence he started in scene nr. 4: “…Russia will throw its hat in the ring.”

SCENE#6 Length: 6 sec.

Mr. Weathers is now turning his head against the TV. “The price ring that is” the anchorman states. “The introductions were made by his wife Ludmila Vobic Drago.” Mr. Weathers now reveals another yellow tennis ball which he holds with three fingers and three fingers only in a very neat way. The second later the ball has been thrown. “The Olympic gold medallist in swimming” the anchorman continues. The scene finishes off with a collar-wearing dog with a tennis ball in his jaw swimming by in front of mr.Weathers.

SCENE#7 Length: 9 sec.

In this shot there is another close up on the TV. Birgitte Nielsen is presenting Dolph Lundgren (Captain Ivan Drago) to the world press during a press conference. She makes the following statement: “Today the Soviet Union has entered professional boxing. My husband and great undefeated heavy weight world amateur champion captain Ivan Drago has come with his trainers to America….

SCENE#8 Length: 5 sec.

In this shot Mr. Weathers looks very carefully at the television while he launches his sixth throw with his right hand. It is noticeable that the TV is partly covering mr.Weathers body throughout the scene. The water appears to be rather wavy in this shot, for no obvious reason.

SCENE#9 Length. 5 sec.

The camera is now once again closing in on the TV. Birgitte Nielsen is very keen to make sure that the press knows that captain Ivan Drago also will serve as an ambassador of goodwill.

SCENE#10 Length: 3 sec.

It is very clear from now on that the TV has caught Mr. Weathers full attention (who is now by the way is showing some small signs of rage). In the background you can hear a journalist asking if Captain Ivan Drago ever has boxed a real professional. The final moment of this shot shows mr.Weathers changing a tennis ball from his left hand to his right.

SCENE#11 Length: 8 sec.

Another close-up of the TV. Birgitte Nielsen replies: “From having been trained in Russia by great boxing coach Manuel (“Cannonball”) Vega and now by Sergei Rimsky, we hope he is qualified to do so.”

SCENE#12 Length: 3,5 sec.

Mr. Weathers gives the TV the evil eye. By now his anger is clearly starting to rise up. On the TV a journalist asks: “Hope?”

Scene#13 Length. 10,0 sec.

Once again a close-up of the TV. Birgitte Nielsen says following: “Well, I know he is but I don’t want to sound too confident.” Manager Ivan Rimsky continues: “If possible we would like to have an exhibition bout with famous champion Rocky Balboa.” The TV network’s camera angle changes several times during this shot. Ivan Rimsky performs some very amusing finger movements.

SCENE#14 Length: 3,5 sec.

A shot of mr. Weathers! The camera has now slightly closed up on mr.Weathers in relation to the earlier scenes. Mr.Weathers is starting to get really upset. Oh yes, there is definitely some lip tension and frowning going on (but why, why!!!???). “What makes you think he can fight someone as seasoned as Balboa?” the journalist asks.

Scene#15 Length: 2 sec.

Another TV close-up. Manager Ivan Rimsky replies: “ No one can match his strength, his endurance or his aggressiveness”. One of the journalists makes a remark: “Sounds like he is indestructible?” “Yes, he is” says the Russian manager.

SCENE#16 Length: 2 sec.

Shows mr. Weathers once again, his fury increasing. He squeezes the tennis ball as a result of his rage.

SCENE#17 Length: 1,5 sec.

TV close-up once more. Anchor man asks: “Can this mammoth Russian, who has already been nicknamed The Siberian Express, wreak havoc among the professional heavy weight ranks.

SCENE#18 Length: 6 sec.

The camera closes up even more on mr. Weathers, only his face is visible. His lips are very tightened, as is his jaw. His fury is almost total. “Who ever he fights first, it will be one hot ticket” the journalist adds.

SCENE#19 Length: 4 sec.

Both mr. Weathers and the TV are now visible at the same time. The phrase “We’ll be back with a check on today’s pro football scoreboard” is said by the anchorman. Mr.Weathers’ fury is now total – he is clearly infuriated as he executes throw number seven. The background is identical to the background in scene number three. After the throw Mr. Weathers turns around, walking out of the picture and ending the most spectacular and amazing 88 seconds ever caught on film.

THROW#1

 “The dart-throw” 

Standing in the middle of the pool mr. Weathers holds his right forearm in a 90 degree angle in relation to his upper arm. His right hand, clutching the tennis ball, is in level with his forehead. Mr. Weathers’ left arm is resting gently against the water surface, making it possible for its huge bicep to flex with full effect. In the light beams of the sun mr.Weathers left bicep clearly shines like a light bulb. Mysteriously mr.Weathers’ right pec-muscle and parts of his right arm and face are hidden in shadow. Mr.Weathers then smoothly moves his right upper arm merely a couple of inches backwards, without affecting his upper body posture. However, he bends his knees slightly. At the same time an optical illusion appears under the water. Mr.Weathers’ right leg seems thin and unmuscular. In real life, it obviously isn’t. Next an extraordinary thing happens. His right forearm moves slightly forwards (it’s almost like he is going to throw the ball already!) and then backwards, forwards once again, then backwards. During these movements mr.Weathers palm is frequently turning more visible. Now the actual throw starts!! Transforming the 90 degree angle to a 120 degree angle, he moves his forearm a mere two inches forwards and upwards before letting the ball go. Thrusting his forearm violently (although very smooth) his wrist folds exactly after his palm has lost contact with the ball. The ball reaches an incredible speed. It’s almost like a rocket has been launched from his hand (however, there are no signs of any astronauts). His right arm follows through very softly, with a slow speed that indicates that mr.Weathers is a very smooth kind of guy. From this camera angle it is impossible, and I really mean impossible (believe you me, I have tried, oh god how I have tried) to see where and in what way the ball peaks, though I assume it’s at an incredible height. While the ball flies out of picture, mr.Weathers slowly folds his upper arm to a position where he with his right hand is able to reach one of the tennis balls he is currently holding with his left hand. By now his knees are totally stretched out. Throw number 1 (The dart throw) has now been executed. Incredibly, there is no rest between throw number 1 (The dart throw) and 2 (The spear throw).

Statistic Values: Direction of ball: Upwards

                           Length of wrist movement: 8 cm
                           Length of forearm movement: 12 cm
                           Distance from body: 50 cm
                           Height of ball: 10 cm above head


       THROW#2 – THE MOST AMAZING THROW IN THE HISTORY OF MAN      

“The spear-throw”

Mr.Weathers holds two balls in his left hand. One of them he grabs with his right hand. Holding his right elbow static, mr.Weathers moves his forearm in a circular motion as though hitting a backhand stroke in badminton. Suddenly a gap appears between his right pec-muscle and his tricep. Another optical illusion is now visible. Between his left arm (which by the way is still relaxed and easy) and his muscle-decorated stomach (oh, yes, it is indeed a belly filled with both impressive abs and splendid obliques) the water almost looks like a couple of eggs in a grandmother’s basket. While tilting his head a bit to the left, mr.Weathers right arm slowly folds out to its full extent. Mr.Weathers now makes small twitches with his right wrist. Beginning to tilt his whole upper body to the left, mr.Weathers now almost resembles an Olympic spear gold medallist (it is said that Tero Pitkimäki has studied this scene throughout his whole life) with his outstretched arm held at an 85 degree angle in relation to his lats. Mr.Weathers now looks at an unknown item between the ball and the camera man before twisting his torso clockwise in a powerful yet elegant motion. He thrusts his upper body a little bit to the right an then back again to gather an enormous amount of power. This is the key to the fantastic second throw and to the success that has blessed the Rocky-series ever since. Meanwhile, his feet are about a yard apart. Now the actual throw starts. He moves his arm approximately 2.5 inches upwards and forwards – yet his posture seems unmoveable. All of a sudden the ball has left the hand. I repeat, the ball has left the hand!!!! In the moment of throwing, mr.Weathers performs a very discreet jump upwards. At an incredible velocity and with some spin the ball flies away. Due to the fact that there is no wrist actions involved in this throw (that mean that the wrist doesn’t contribute with any power at all) it is widely considered to be the most amazing throw ever. It is simply breathtaking. Mr.Weathers follows through with an incredibly soft motion, folding his forearm against his chest with the technique of a talented discus thrower, yet with considerably more grace. Mr.Weathers right arm has barely reached the water before the scene ends, despite the fact that the ball, not surprisingly, is still airborne. During the whole scene mr.Weathers left bicep maintains its pearly glow from the first throw. Afterwards the lead actor Sylvester “You ain’t so bad” Stallone, who considers this to be the greatest scene throughout the Rocky-series, commented on it during a press conference:

“This isn’t something you see everyday. It’s a unique performance which I will never forget – never I tell you, never! The performance is filled with such eleganc and graces that I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s going to spell bind Rocky-fans for years to come. I just feel very privileged to have gotten the opportunity to witness this live.”

Statistic Values: Direction of ball: Upwards

                           Length of wrist movement: 0.0 cm
                           Length of forearm movement: 0.0 cm (it’s an upper arm movement, don’t                                                                                             
                           you agree?)
                           Distance from body: 75 cm
                           Height of ball: In level with his beautiful cheekbones

THROW#3

“The twitcher”

Mr.Weathers stands in profile, showing off his right side, with both hands in front of him. His left is clutching several tennis balls and his right is empty. Mr.Weathers’ right shoulder shines bright in the sun, as does his right nose wing. The thumb of mr.Weathers’ right hand is hidden behind his other fingers, while his ring finger is a little bit “pushed” in. While lowering both his arms his tongue partly slips out from his mouth. But with lizard like movements mr.Weathers quickly slips his tongue back in. The tongue has returned. Mr.Weathers now puts his right hand onto one of the balls in his left hand. From this angle it is clearly shown that mr.Weathers, both when he grabs balls and throws balls, only uses three fingers (index finger, middle finger and thumb). Moving slightly backwards, mr.Weathers raises his head with pride and opens his mouth ajar. He has now begun to move his right hand backwards, clutching the ball. His pecs look magnificent from this angle by the way, but let’s not get into details. By now mr.Weathers peers as the sun dazzles him, when out of nowhere a fly attacks his lower lip! Fortunately, he gets by the ordeal unhurt. He then lowers his head, while moving his right arm backwards with an immense thrust to a position where it is out of picture. Throughout the whole scene he continuously moves his lower jaw up and down. Right before the throw mr.Weathers makes a small jump, pushing out his chest at the same time. While rising upwards with his left bicep flexed, some sweat is appearing on mr.Weathers’ broad neck. All of a sudden mr.Weathers’ right purple-coloured, button-shaped nipple is visible for the viewers. It is quite a thrill! With the force of a catapult his right forearm swings back into picture. At the same time the ball releases with a magnificent force, sailing upwards and out of picture. The hand and fingers transform into the shape of a pointed gun as mr.Weathers follows through his throwing-movement with a style which can only be described with one word; smooth. The throwing sequence ends with mr.Weathers lowering his upper body back into starting position.

Statistic Values: Direction of ball: Upwards

                           Length of wrist movement: 9 cm
                           Length of forearm movement: 47 cm
                           Distance from body: 37 cm
                           Height of ball: Ear level

THROW#4

“The unbelievable”

Once again mr.Weathers stands in profile in the left corner of the screen (with the camera about a yard from his side). From his left hand, with his right hand, mr.Weathers grabs one of the balls (with three fingers only of course). With a soft motion he slides a couple of inches backwards. However, his characteristic face is still in a pushed forward position. Then mr.Weathers raises his right hand while lowering his left. Oh, boy, there is definitely some movement going on! Now mr.Weathers twists his torso slightly to the right; his arms follow the motion. Suddenly his left thumb appears, pointing upwards (it’s almost like he’s giving the thumb up for the whole scene). The thumb is really wide by the way!! While the torso movement continues the head remains completely unmoved. Mr.Weathers jolliness is rising throughout the whole sequence. By now his shoulders has twisted 45 degrees and his movements are so violent that both his hands are blurred, especially his right one, which now passes about 4 inches below his tiny right ear. The mouth closes and the determination is total. Mr.Weathers is now pushing his impressive left delt forwards to a position where his upper body has twisted more than 70 degrees total. His right hand is completely out of the picture. Even though mr.Weathers, shortly before the throw, opens his mouth a little he is still very determined. He is very concentrated indeed, and that’s fits very good with his athletic posture and image. With an aggressive motion mr.Weathers upper body moves forwards. In the mean time, mr.Weathers releases the ball (this isn’t something you clearly can see, unless you pay attention to the twitching of the muscular fibres that “surround” his upper body). As his right shoulder is rising (along with his upper body) to a position where his shoulders are forming a 45 degree mountain slope facing downwards to the right, a solar eclipse-like shadow appears on mr.Weathers throat. The ball now flashes by in the north east corner of the screen, like a yellow lightning. The ball’s incredible velocity is the result of a supernatural muscular tension signed mr. Carl Weathers. Now, to the normal man with an untrained eye, it seems as though mr.Weathers has done absolutely nothing, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, but the ball is there, isn’t it? With smoothness formerly unknown to man, mr.Weathers’ right forearm returns to picture, a little bit after the ball’s entry (this delay is astonishing!) The fingers are held in a 90 degree angle in relation to his palm. Meanwhile, his wedding ring on the left ring finger, glitters in the sun. The torso twists back, his body is sinking, his head moves backwards and the sequence is concluded.

Statistic Values: Direction of ball: Upwards

                           Length of wrist movement: Hard to tell, probably 12 cm
                           Length of forearm movement: 6 cm (once again, hard to tell)
                           Distance from body: 39 cm
                           Height of ball: Ear lobe level

THROW#5

“The hooverer”

The fifth throw starts off with mr.Weathers in profile (same camera angle as The twitcher and The unbelieveable), grabbing a ball once again with three of his right hand fingers (the grip is so perfectly neat that you almost think he is holding a glass of Scottish brandy on New year’s eve). Mr.Weathers now performs a motion that is almost impossible to describe with words. He moves his whole entire back in a graceful, wave-influenced motion. This motion also includes the movement of his head, which’s length divided by width equals 0.75 (a normal man’s value is 0.9). Right before the camera angle shifts, his pointy left nipple emerges from the surface. We now get to see mr.Weathers from a front angle, showing off his perfectly smooth three finger grip. He lowers his body into the water, while a most peculiar straight shaped shadow is revealed upon mr.Weathers’ chest. Is this shadow cast by his broad neck? Maybe, maybe not. He no lowers his neck like a frightened turtle, shrugging and opening his mouth with a jolly expression – almost like he is saying “Ouh, ouh” with a girly kind of voice. While mr.Weathers is raising his massive right arm, a big amount of water splashes down onto the surface, like a waterfall located deep down in the African jungle. Slightly afterwards, his left arm (clutching three tennis balls) performs the same phenomenon. Suddenly mr.Weathers’ right arm is raised a little bit more. He then lowers both his elbows towards his great shaped body, making a small twirl in the water, tightening his lower lip. He’s so dynamic! He rattles the ball in his right hand a little. The throw is now delayed and disturbed by the events in scene number 5. When the focus returns to mr.Weathers, his left shoulder shines like a milky Werthers’ Original caramel (Werthers/Weathers haha). Both mr.Weathers trapezius are flexed as his right arm raises to a position where his forearm is in a 90 degree angle in relation to his upper arm. He is slowly lowering his body. Suddenly, out of nowhere, he aborts the throw. That’s right, he aborts the mission!!!! He now looks up with two dark, concerned, glowing eyes towards the ball with an expression filled with several feelings (it is said that this look inspired the male Roxette singer Per Gessle when he wrote the 2003 Swedish summer hit “Har kommer alla kanslorna pa en och samma gang”/“Here come all the feelings at the same time”). One of these feelings is curiosity, it is almost like he (using all of his finger tips for the first time in this scene – maybe even for the first time in his whole entire meaningful life) is examining the ball and thinking: “Hey, what’s this?”/”Who is this little fellow?”. This is truly the Rocky-series counterpart to the famous Hamlet-scene (or is it the other way around, hmm?). Another of this scene’s amazingly many optical illusions now appears. It seems as if the left part mr.Weathers moustache is gone for a while (but don’t you worry, it’s still there). After a while mr.Weathers picks up where he left off. That’s right – a fifth throw is on its’ way. The right hand has been lifted when the ball, out of no obvious reason, takes off. Presumably due to the fact that all the power in this throw comes from the legs, mr.Weathers upper body is now moving upwards. When the ball flies away, more than 90% of mr.Weathers concentration is on the TV. Nevertheless, he performs a perfect pitch. It’s so nice and easy to watch, it’s like a feast for the eye. While the ball hovers (it really does) out of picture, mr.Weathers follows through about eight inches with his usual smooth style (it looks as if he is holding an invisible pencil in his empty right hand) before he lowers his right elbow into the water. He also submerges his torso.

Statistic Values:  Direction of ball: Upwards                         
                           Length of wrist movement: 0.5 cm
                           Length of forearm movement: 13 cm
                           Distance from body: 36 cm
                           Height of ball: Eye brow level

THROW#6

“The swing of a pendulum”

Mr.Weathers grabs a ball underneath the surface with his right hand – something that results in many many bubbles. But don’t let this fool you; he is still very concentrated on the TV. Meanwhile a peculiar bicycle saddle-shaped shadow (this shadow reminds one of the famous Rorschach inkblot test) reveals itself on mr.Weathers’ chest. A chest that soon will be exposed to a tsunami-like wave caused by the bypassing dog from scene number six. As mr.Weathers right arm moves to the right, you can for the first time see the tennis brands’ logotype. It looks quite like an Englishman with an umbrella – but later studies have shown that it is actually a Dunlop ball. Suddenly mr.Weathers lifts the ball while his elbow remains static. The throw is now interrupted and delayed by Ludmilla Vobic Drago in scene number seven. The camera switches back to mr.Weathers and the conclusion of the sixth throw. The angle between his upper arm and his forearm is beyond a doubt 90 degrees. However, when it comes to the angle between his upper arm and torso, it’s a little bit trickier – there have been many disputes in this area of expertise. One reason why it is hard to tell is because mr.Weathers right pec confuses those viewers who try to make estimations in this matter, even those who have a “sure eye”. Nevertheless, according to reliable sources, the angle is about 80 degrees. As the hand is moving upwards the viewer’s eye is drawn to the sharp line between mr.Weathers right shoulder and pec. Now mr.Weathers starts the throw. It’s hard to describe in words the greatness which lays in the fact that mr.Weathers torso, head and upper arm remains COMPLETELY STILL while he throws the ball. After moving his right forearm in an outer direction, the ball is released with an awesome power. The forearm now follows through like a windscreen wiper. When the blade of this imaginary wiper reaches an angle of 160 degrees in relation to the upper arm, mr.Weathers suddenly moves his whole arm inwards to his body like a chicken wing (Baah, baah, baaah). His right hand is now curled as if he was some kind of handicapped person (but don’t worry, he’s not). Throughout the scene 98 % of mr.Weathers’ concentration is on the TV, 1.5 % on the throw and 0.5 % on private family issues.

Statistic Values:  Direction of ball: Forwards                        
                           Length of wrist movement: 0.0 cm
                           Length of forearm movement: 35 cm
                           Distance from body: 43 cm
                           Height of ball: Eye level

THROW#7

“The pitch of wrath”

Mr.Weathers grabs a tennis ball (once again, using his patented all-time-classic three finger grip). He twists the ball smoothly and cheerfully with his thumb. Then he moves softly to the right and lowers the tennis ball out of picture. The throw is now delayed by scene number 9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18 and a whole lot of lip tension. In scene 19 the final throw is to be executed. Now, for the first time, mr.Weathers unveils his muscular back, a back that is extremely well shaped by nature; some people might even say it has aesthetic qualities. It is rumoured that Justin Timberlake was inspired by this defined back when he wrote the hit “Sexyback”. Dynamically, mr.Weathers is now turning his torso. It’s a magnificent sight. The line between his right delt and trapezius forms the shape of a bob sleigh-track. If you’re having trouble locating this spot, just look where the sun shines with a resemblance to an icy surface. Now a very interesting movement begins. While hi is turning his torso, he suddenly starts a new movement by pulling his elbow backwards. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, a new movement begins – he raises his right forearm. Let’s make one thing perfectly clear. These three movements are not a chain reaction. They are three separate movements (mr.Weathers uses his body as if it was a philharmonic orchestra; his movements are like a sweet,sweet symphony). The different parts of his right arm vary in wetness while mr.Weathers makes his rough but delicate thrust with his forearm, his elbow remaining fixed in one spot. At the same time, a big amount of water rains down from his right forearm; it is almost like the Niagara Falls (please pay attention to the “scar” in the middle of the falls, through which you can see mr.Weathers right sideburn. This scar is caused by the ball itself). By the way, his forearm movement reminds one of the moving arrow of a tachometer in a car. By now, a fourth movement appears before one’s eyes. With an explosive wrist twitch, mr.Weathers hand is moved backwards to an angle of not less than 140 degrees between forearm and hand. However, this angle is steadily decreasing as the elbow moves forwards and the palm opens a little bit more. Now an extraordinary event is taking place. With an insane thrust with his wrist, the angle reaches 87.5 degrees, making the water splash off the ball like from a fire hose, or else, like the tail of a comet. Around the elbow area, the water surrounding the elbow forms a ring shaped fountain because of an immense splash. Like an enormous catapult the forearm is thrown forwards, releasing the ball at the peak of the movement. The movement is so incredibly fact that you actually can see mr.Weathers characteristic face through his blurred hand. The determination and force are outstanding throughout the follow-through motion. The amount of strength is extraordinarily big as the ball first leaves the hand, then the picture. Even thoughthis is a power throw, the key in this scene is balance; throughout the whole scene mr.Weathers left arm lies gently against the surface in front of him. This throw may be violent, but mr.Weathers’ motions are still more harmonic and smooth than the background water. Mr.Weathers is so darn mad (this is really a pitch of unlimited fury) in this scene…AT EVERYTHING: • The racism in the USA • The communistic propaganda in the Sovjet Union • Mr.T’s personality (for instance, mr.T has delivered such classic quotes as “I’m gonna bust you up” and the hideous “Dead meat”) Mr.Weathers finishes off by turnings his body (to the right towards the camera) once again, revealing his physical perfection to the viewer. His right arm is held as though he is strangling an invisible person. Mr.Weathers body language is indeed marvellous. It is as a legend and nothing else that mr.Weathers sails out of this picture, leaving the viewer mesmerised. And no wonder. During the last 88 seconds mr.Weathers has executed seven unique throws which some people recognise as the throwing world’s equivalence to the Seven Wonders.

To the very end, mr.Weathers spectacular left bicep shines brightly in the Californian sun.

Statistic Values: Direction of ball: Forwards, somewhat downwards

                           Length of wrist movement: 34 cm
                           Length of forearm movement: 62 cm
                           Distance from body: 39 cm
                           Height of ball: Fringe level

Outside of acting, he is a member of both Big Brothers and the United States Olympic Committee.

• Carl Weathers at IMDb

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