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Erie to enter spotlight during ESPN's 'American Gladiators' documentary

mike copper, erie times-news
·4 min read

Erie is the prime backdrop and several natives are major players in the latest entry in ESPN’s “30 for 30” series.

“The American Gladiators Documentary,” the work of filmmakers Ben Berman and Kirk Johnson, examines the popular syndicated television show that pitted professional athletes against amateurs in various contests of strength and agility.

Part one of the documentary debuts Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. Part two follows Wednesday at 9 p.m.

ESPN+ also will broadcast each segment immediately after the premieres.

Johnny Ferraro poses for a still image for "The American Gladiators Documentary," the latest installment in ESPN's "30 for 30" series. Ferraro and fellow Erie native Danny Carr were the creators behind the 1989-1996 syndicated television series. The premiere of the documentary's first half is Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. and the second half Wednesday at 9.
Johnny Ferraro poses for a still image for "The American Gladiators Documentary," the latest installment in ESPN's "30 for 30" series. Ferraro and fellow Erie native Danny Carr were the creators behind the 1989-1996 syndicated television series. The premiere of the documentary's first half is Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. and the second half Wednesday at 9.

Show was ahead of its time

“American Gladiators,” which ran from 1989-1996, is now considered reality television before that genre had a name. Former Erie residents Johnny Ferraro and Danny Carr were credited with the show’s concept.

Ferraro, an Elvis impersonator-turned-businessman, initially sought to finance a movie version of “American Gladiators” before its television adaptation.

He got the idea for it while watching Carr run what’s considered the first "American Gladiators"-type competition on March 27, 1982. That day, members of a local ironworkers union competed at Technical Memorial High School’s gymnasium to determine who was their ultimate alpha.

Carr was a larger-than-life character in Erie throughout the 1970s and early 80s. The former champion arm wrestler and weightlifter, who also was a Lower Eastside Sports Center founder, was a 2017 inductee of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame’s Metropolitan Erie chapter.

More: 'American Gladiators' co-creator among Erie Hall of Fame inductees

The at-times unconventional documentary is the latest and most ambitious work of Berman and Johnson. Each came of age in the 1990s, with “American Gladiators” considered a television rite.

“As a kid, it was always something in the forefront for me,” Johnson said. “I watched it when it was on USA Network. I played the video game, jousted with friends and set up eliminator courses.”

Ben Berman interviews Salina Bartunek, who was known as Elektra on "American Gladiators" in the late 1980s and 1990s. Berman directed a documentary on the syndicated television show, which has its roots in Erie, as the latest addition to ESPN's 30 for 30 series. The first half will premiere Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. and the second half Wednesday at 9 p.m.

Not a 'normal documentary'

When the original "American Gladiators" series ended, so did the interest of Berman and Johnson.

Or, so they thought.

Berman was initially pitched the idea for the project in early 2020.

“Someone from (the former) Vice Studios reached out to us and said, ‘Hey, we’re thinking about an ‘American Gladiators’ documentary,” he said. “I said, ‘Yeah, I remember it from childhood.’ But I didn’t want to do just a straight-up nostalgia documentary. I wanted to look into it and see if there’s an actual story that could be interesting.”

There was.

The documentary highlights the contentious working relationship between Ferraro and Carr. Also interspersed are interviews with Michael Horton, known as “Gemini” on the show; Deron “Malibu” McBee; Lynn “Sabre” Williams, and Salina “Elektra” Bartunek.

Their current plights starkly contrast with the glitz and glamour of their “American Gladiators” days from 30 years ago.

“Very quickly when we were researching,” Johnson said, “there were a number of things very intriguing to us in the creation of the show and some of the characters who surrounded the show.”

Berman said he didn’t seek to make a “normal documentary,” which he defined as one being heavily reliant on dates and facts.

“It’s more about a real journey. A life’s journey for Johnny and Danny,” he said. “I see it more as a real story as opposed to information.”

That aspect, as opposed to who was best in events like jousting or tug-of-war, also excited Johnson.

“We wanted a less-campy, Hollywood version of this story,” he said. “We welcomed the twists and turns as we uncovered them.”

More: Which coaches, athletes have been named to the Metro Erie Sports Hall of Fame 2023 class?

Local viewers should stick with it

Don Plonski, another fixture of Erie’s arm-wrestling scene, and former Erie Times-News reporter Pat Cuneo are others prominently interviewed throughout the documentary’s combined 3-hour running time.

Berman warned some Erie residents could be less than thrilled with it when the credits roll for Tuesday’s first half.

However, he asked a reporter who watched a sneak preview of the documentary not to reveal its major spoiler.

“This will be a worthwhile journey for the people of Erie,” Berman said.

Contact Mike Copper at mcopper@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNcopper.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie PA in spotlight for ESPN 'American Gladiators' documentary