IMDb > Rocky (1976)
Rocky
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Rocky (1976) -- A small time boxer gets a once in a lifetime chance to fight the heavyweight champ in a bout in which he strives to go the distance for his self-respect.
Rocky (1976) -- Trailer for this Stallone classic
Rocky (1976) -- MyMovieScripts.com - Trailer (Flash)
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Overview

User Rating:
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 11% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
John G. Avildsen
Writer:
Sylvester Stallone (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Rocky on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
3 December 1976 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | Romance | Sport more
Tagline:
You have a ringside seat for the bloodiest bicentennial in history! more
Plot:
A small time boxer gets a once in a lifetime chance to fight the heavyweight champ in a bout in which he strives to go the distance for his self-respect. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Won 3 Oscars. Another 15 wins & 19 nominations more
User Comments:
The Raging Bull Named Rocky... more (393 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

Sylvester Stallone ... Rocky

Talia Shire ... Adrian

Burt Young ... Paulie
Carl Weathers ... Apollo
Thayer David ... Jergens
Joe Spinell ... Gazzo
Jimmy Gambina ... Mike
George Memmoli ... Ice Rink Attendant
Bill Baldwin ... Fight Announcer
Billy Sands ... Club Fight Announcer
Don Sherman ... Bartender
Shirley O'Hara ... Secretary
Arnold Johnson
Tony Burton ... Apollo's Trainer

Jodi Letizia ... Marie
Burgess Meredith ... Mickey
Al Silvani ... Cut Man (as Al Salvani)
Diana Lewis ... TV Commentator
George O'Hanlon ... TV Commentator
Larry Carroll ... TV Interviewer
Stan Shaw ... Dipper
Pedro Lovell ... Club Fighter
DeForest Covan ... Apollo's Corner
Simmy Bow ... Club Corner Man
Hank Rolike ... Apollo Corner Man
Kathleen Parker ... Paulie's Date
Frank Stallone ... Timekeeper

Lloyd Kaufman ... Drunk
Jane Marla Robbins ... Owner of Pet Shop
Jack Hollander ... Fats
Joe Sorbello ... Bodyguard
Christopher Avildsen ... Chiptooth
Frankie Van ... Club Fight Referee
Lou Fillipo ... Championship Fight Announcer
Paris Eagle ... Fighter

Frank Stallone ... Streetcorner Singer (as Frank Stallone Jr.)
Robert L. Tangrea ... Streetcorner Singer
Peter Glassberg ... Streetcorner Singer
William E. Ring ... Streetcorner Singer
Joseph C. Giambelluc ... Streetcorner Singer
Joe Frazier ... Special Guest Appearance
Butkus Stallone ... Dog
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bobby Cassidy ... Ringside Police Officer (uncredited)

Michael Dorn ... Apollo Creed's Bodyguard (uncredited)
Robert Leh ... Reporter (uncredited)
Stu Nahan ... Fight Commentator (uncredited)
Frank Pesce ... Extra on Street (uncredited)

Lavelle Roby ... Mary Anne Creed (uncredited)
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Directed by
John G. Avildsen 
 
Writing credits
Sylvester Stallone (written by)

Produced by
Robert Chartoff .... producer
Gene Kirkwood .... executive producer
Irwin Winkler .... producer
 
Original Music by
Bill Conti (music by)
 
Cinematography by
James Crabe (director of photography)
 
Film Editing by
Scott Conrad 
Richard Halsey 
 
Casting by
Caro Jones 
 
Production Design by
William J. Cassidy  (as Bill Cassidy)
 
Art Direction by
James H. Spencer 
 
Set Decoration by
Ray Molyneaux  (as Raymond Molyneaux)
 
Makeup Department
Michael Westmore .... makeup creator (as Mike Westmore)
 
Production Management
Hal W. Polaire .... executive in charge of production (as Hal Polaire)
Ted Swanson .... production manager
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Fred T. Gallo .... first assistant director (as Fred Gallo)
Steve Perry .... second assistant director
 
Art Department
Mike Miner .... props
David Nichols .... visual consultant
 
Sound Department
Ray Alba .... post-production sound
Gene Ashbrook .... sound mixer (as B. Eugene Ashbrook)
John Farrell .... looping editor
Bert Schoenfeld .... post-production sound (as Burt Schoenfeld)
Harry W. Tetrick .... sound
Bud Alper .... sound (uncredited)
Lyle J. Burbridge .... sound (uncredited)
Ken Dufva .... foley artist (uncredited)
William L. McCaughey .... sound (uncredited)
Donald C. Rogers .... sound (uncredited)
 
Stunts
Jimmy Nickerson .... stunt coordinator (as Jim Nickerson)
Glory Fioramonti .... stunts (uncredited)
Bob Herron .... stunts (uncredited)
Gray Johnson .... stunts (uncredited)
Gene LeBell .... stunts (uncredited)
Bennie Moore .... stunts (uncredited)
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Garrett Brown .... special camera effects
Richard J. Edesa .... first assistant camera (as Dick Edessa)
Gene Kearney .... key grip
Ross A. Maehl .... electrical gaffer (as Ross Maehl)
Elliott Marks .... still photographer
Jack Willoughby .... camera operator
Lou Angeli .... dolly grip (uncredited)
Ralf D. Bode .... director of photography: second unit (uncredited)
Mike Chevalier .... camera operator (uncredited)
Aristides Pappidas .... gaffer: second unit (uncredited)
Serge Poupis .... first assistant camera: additional camera (uncredited)
Kit Whitmore .... focus puller: second unit (uncredited)
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Robert Cambel .... costumer
Joanne Hutchinson .... costume supervisor
 
Editorial Department
Janice Hampton .... assistant film editor
Geoffrey Rowland .... assistant film editor
 
Music Department
Joe Tuley .... music editor (as Joseph Tuley Jr.)
 
Transportation Department
Mike Grover .... transportation captain
 
Other crew
Joan Arnold .... production secretary
Dale Benson .... location manager
Janet Crosby .... assistant to producer (as Janet Crosy)
Jimmy Gambina .... technical advisor
Gloria Gonzales .... assistant to producer
Lloyd Kaufman .... pre-production supervisor
David Kramer .... publicist
Joseph Letizia .... liaison: Philadelphia (as Joe Letizia)
Bonnie Prendergast .... script supervisor
Carol Rosenstein .... assistant to director
Marge Rowland .... location auditor
Sylvester Stallone .... boxing choreographer
Jeff Kanew .... trailer (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
Steve Sayre .... assistant fight choreographer (uncredited)
 
Thanks
Jane Oliver .... dedicatee
 
Crew verified as complete


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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
119 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Canada:PG (Alberta) (re-rating) (1999) | UK:A (original rating) | Iceland:12 | Mexico:A | Australia:M (TV rating) | Brazil:12 | Peru:14 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Canada:G (Quebec) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | Italy:T | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1977) | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:PG (PCA #24646) | West Germany:12
Filming Locations:
1818 East Tusculum Street, Kensington, North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA more
Company:
Chartoff-Winkler Productions more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
During the scrip writing, Joe Spinell insisted his character of the loan shark be named Gazzo; named after Spinell's distant uncle Tony Gazzo. more
Goofs:
Miscellaneous: Rocky fights Apollo at the Spectrum Stadium in Philadelphia. As Adrian comes out to watch the fight, a Los Angeles police officer is standing behind her in the corridor. more
Quotes:
Rocky: Cut me, Mick. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in The Opponents (2006) (V) more
Soundtrack:
Rocky's Theme more

FAQ

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
124 out of 160 people found the following comment useful.
The Raging Bull Named Rocky..., 5 May 2003
10/10
Author: MovieAddict2009 from UK

"Rocky" is about a man. It is the story of a man who exceeds past all normal expectations and makes the most out of what he is doing. What is he doing? Boxing. Why? As Rocky says in the film, "You have to be a moron to want to box."

Rocky is played by Sylvester Stallone, whose only other film before "Rocky" was "Weekend at Kitty and Stud's," and, as you can probably guess by the title, it was an X-rated movie. But Stallone gives just about the best performance of his career here. Before he started getting into recycled action movies and unfunny comedies, the man had talent, as seen shining through in "Rocky." Somewhere along the way he lost that talent, but it's pretty evident that he had it at one time.

Stallone wrote the script, which is about a down-on-his-luck Philadelphia man named Rocky Balboa. Rocky is your average tough-guy you see walking down the street, but this film takes a closer look INTO the guy walking past you, and not AT the guy walking past you.

He lives in a beat-up, old apartment, infested with roaches, and he barely makes enough money to support himself. His job? Rocky retrieves money for loan sharks. His real job, however, is to break the loaners' thumbs if they don't pay up. He's a muscle man.

After he returns from his "job" every day, he takes time to do what he has been doing for the past six years, which is boxing. Then, after that, he takes a trip to the local pet store to see the love of his life, Adrian, who works there. He constantly tries to impress her and talk to her, but she is shy and literally does not talk much throughout the entire film.

But things change for Rocky after heavyweight champion Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) decides that he wants to make a big performance on the 4th of July. He wants to appear nice by letting a regular Joe Schmoe fight him in the ring. All for show, of course. As he is looking through a book of local boxers, he points his finger at the letters THE Italian STALLION, a.k.a. Rocky. He says that fighting an Italian is perfect. "An Italian found America," Creed says. If he fights an Italian-American on the 4th of July, it will be symbolic and will also make Creed look good.

But Rocky doesn't realize this is all for show. When he receives word that Apollo Creed wishes to fight him in the ring, Rocky begins to train long and hard with Burgess Meredith, which results in the famous scene where Rocky runs up an entry of stairs in Philly with the music "Gonna Fly Now" playing in the background. This scene is spoofed by films world-wide, and it's one of the cornerstones in film history. You will see it all the time. It's just one of those film moments that are marked down in history.

The most entertaining thing about "Rocky" is how innocent Sylvester Stallone comes across in his role as Rocky. You feel for him when he is trying to impress Adrian and she shrugs him off. The scene where her brother invites Rocky over, and Rocky keeps saying, "Are you sure she knows I'm coming?" is a sign of how the guy has been put down. And then when she comes over to his apartment, he acts nice and talks to her. He's not trying any moves on her. He just enjoys being with her. Rocky is a bit of an idiot, as he himself admits, but he's a sweet idiot.

And the end, when Rocky fights Apollo Creed, is amazing. A nobody who actually stands a chance against the heavyweight champion of the world. Creed and Rocky are being battered by each other. Creed goes into the opposite corner as Rocky, and one of Creed's managers says, "This guy thinks this thing is for real -- knock him out!" You feel sorry for Rocky there, because he is giving the fight all he's got, when it was just a publicity stunt from the beginning, but he didn't even realize it.

Things like that are what make "Rocky" what it has become over the years. It is a great film, and it has many classic moments that you will see spoofed in films all the time. You should probably see it just for that fact.

But the truth is, if you take away all the underlying intricacies, "Rocky" is just the story of a simple guy who gets a chance to do something amazing, and he gives it all he's got. I think we've all gone through something like that before, and if so, you will be able to identify with "Rocky" all the more.

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