On Feb. 1, 2024, we lost another legend, Mr. Carl Weathers. I grew up watching this man, and I always loved him. However, there was a point in time where I didn’t see him as much as I did in my younger years (y’all have to forgive me; I never watched The Mandalorian. I didn’t even know he was on that show until after he passed on). With that being said, instead of talking about the times I watched Mr. Weathers through the years, I figured I’d post some of my favorite clips of his.
Good Times
I bet you didn’t know that Carl was featured on an episode of Good Times, didn’t you? Maybe that’ll give me a pass for just finding out he was on The Mandalorian. Carl only guest starred on one episode, but he made it memorable. In “The Nude” episode, Carl’s wife asks J.J. to paint a surprise picture of her for her husband’s birthday…and she’s wearing a bikini (initially, she wanted it to be in the nude, but Florida talked her out of it, hence the episode title). However, the wife’s “sneaking around” makes her husband suspicious and he decides to pay her and J.J. a little visit. Naturally, when he sees his wife wearing next to nothing in a young man’s apartment, he blows up. By the way, I’m sorry for the low quality TikTok clip; it’s the only one available clip I could find!
Action Jackson
Action Jackson came out when I was around 7 or 8, and I remember everyone talking about how it was the must-see action flick of the year. I didn’t get to see the film during my childhood years, and the movie pretty much fell into obscurity. A few years ago, I finally got the chance to watch it. I must admit, it was a bit cheesy, but it was fun, ’80s cheese! Plus, it had my girl Vanity in it. May they both rest in paradise.
Don’t Pull That Shit on Action Jackson!
In this clip, Mr. Action Jackson needs a word with Vanity’s character, but unfortunately, he catches her in the middle of getting her fix with her heroin dealer. Despite Vanity’s warning, the dealer unwisely decides to fight Jackson, and gets his feelings hurt. Jackson also manages to make the cops chasing him look like idiots, too.
“Can I Get an Amen?”
Jackson and Vanity find themselves in another fix, and this time, Jackson acts like a deranged religious fanatic to confuse the hoods. The second they let their guard down, Jackson starts kickin’ ass and takin’ names! Can I get an amen?
Predator
Of course, everyone remembers Arnold’s role as Dutch in Predator, but for me, Carl Weathers as Dillon is just as iconic. Dillon wasn’t a bad guy, but he wasn’t exactly on the up and up when it came to the extraction team, either. He winds up completely redeeming himself once he realizes they have to work together to take the murderous alien down (which the poor guy fails to do).
The Handshake
Predator has a ton of unforgettable scenes. One of them doesn’t even have anything to do with the alien that winds up hunting the team. It’s Dillon and Dutch’s greeting when they see each other again. These men share the most masculine handshake the world has ever seen. It’s a testosterone filled hand clasp that ultimately becomes an arm-wrestling match. Naturally, Arnold wins. This scene is so popular that it even inspired a few memes!
The Truth Comes Out
In another famed scene, Dutch learns why Dillon had them come out to the jungle in the first place, and it turns out they were thought of as “expendable assets” who were the only ones bad ass enough to take out the bad guys. If they get killed? Oh, well!
“Anytime”
Shortly after Dillon’s true intentions are revealed, Mac (Bill Duke) shows that regardless of Dillon misleading the team, he still has his back. Apparently The Predator himself was impressed with the smooth way Mac saved Dillon from that scorpion.
Dillon Meets His End
In yet another classic clip from this timeless film, Dillon finally comes face to face with The Predator…and winds up losing two things. Just check the clip out.
Happy Gilmore
Another one of my favorite Carl Weathers roles is that of Chubbs Peterson in the comedy Happy Gilmore. Anyone that knows me knows that my favorite Adam Sandler films are The Wedding Singer and Happy Gilmore (The Longest Yard comes in a very close second), and Carl Weathers is one of the reasons why. He and Adam had perfect comedic chemistry.
Chubbs’s Hand
In this clip, Chubbs and Happy meet for the first time, and Chubbs not only convinces Happy to become a pro golfer, but he also reveals the reason he no longer plays the sport he loves so much. Hilarity ensues.
“It’s All In the Hips”
When Happy makes his big debut during the Waterbury Open, Chubbs finds an…interesting way to help his putting game and ease his tension.
Happy Land
Chubbs takes Happy to Happy Land Miniature Golf in order to improve his golf game. After a series of mishaps (all of which had me on my side laughin’), Chubbs finally finds the key to helping Happy get the ball in the hole.
Chubb’s Gift
After leaving the miniature golf course, Happy gives Chubbs a gift to show his appreciation for training him. Unfortunately for Chubbs, this particular present triggers his PTSD and causes him to have a serious accident.
Rocky I-IV
Now y’all know I couldn’t do a Carl Weathers tribute without showing some clips of Apollo Creed! I was introduced to Carl Weathers around the tender age of four or five thanks to Apollo, and I’ve loved the character—as well as the actor—ever since. Everyone knows that the Rocky franchise wouldn’t be the Rocky franchise without Apollo. Hell, we wouldn’t even have the Creed series without him!
The Press Conference
In this clip, Rocky learns that Apollo wants him to be his opponent in the upcoming title fight (on a side note, Sylvester Stallone gives a killer performance in this scene). When Rocky accepts, he has a press conference with Apollo, where the latter boxer acts…a bit of a pompous ass. I couldn’t find a clip that only showcased the press conference, so fast forward to 3:26 to see it.
“I Won…But I Didn’t Beat Him!”
Despite emphatically declaring that there wouldn’t be a rematch between himself and Rocky, Apollo later realizes Rocky actually won the initial fight in spirit, and he’s hellbent and having another go at the Italian Stallion. When Duke tries to talk him out of it (which in itself is masterful; it’s no wonder the Rocky movies—namely the early ones—are classics), Apollo refuses.
“THERE IS NO TOMORROW!!”
This clip doesn’t even need to be explained. Any fan of this franchise knows this scene. If you love motivational quotes/movie scenes, definitely check this out.
The Training Montage!!
Here’s another iconic scene that needs no introduction. It’s the official start of Apollo and Rocky’s bromance!
One Last “Fight”
Another great scene (I swear, Rocky III had some of the best moments!)! After the fight between Rocky and Clubber Lang (played by Mr. T, who also gave a quintessential performance), The Italian Stallion and the Count of Monte Fisto decide to have one last bout. The only difference is, this time it’s not between two opponents, but two men who have forged a life-long friendship. If the training montage didn’t adequately show Apollo and Rocky as besties, the ending scene certainly did.
“Living In America”
This is yet another clip of Apollo actin’ an ass. Here he is, about to fight a Russian the size of the country he hails from, and this man—who’s a bit past his prime, mind you—is dancing around the ring before the match like he’s lost his damn mind. Nonetheless, I’ve always loved this scene, and it was my introduction to James Brown (I was born in the ’80s and was in pre-K or kindergarten when I first saw this movie, so don’t judge me)!
Apollo’s Last Match
This scene has become a pop culture legend. Here, Ivan Drago beats Apollo to death (literally). This broke my heart when I was a little girl.
Apollo’s Most Memorable Scenes
This compilation contains some great scenes from Apollo Creed that I wasn’t able to find individually on YouTube. Check ’em out!
I know this video is out of sequence, but it felt like the perfect clip to end my post. This scene always warmed my heart, but now it makes me tear up.
Carl Weathers: January 14, 1948 – February 1, 2024
—Written by Nadiya
Insights from a Southern Girl 