Rocky Steps

The front entrance and steps to the Philadelphia Museum of Art
Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, and Michael B. Jordan promoting Creed atop the Rocky Steps in November 2015.

The 72 stone steps before the entrance of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have become known as the "Rocky Steps" as a result of the scene from the film Rocky. Tourists often mimic Rocky's famous climb, a metaphor for an underdog or an everyman rising to a challenge.[1] A bronze Rocky statue was briefly situated at the top of the steps for the filming of Rocky III. This statue, now located at the bottom right of the steps, is a popular photo opportunity for visitors. The top of the steps offers a commanding view of Eakins Oval, the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, and Philadelphia City Hall.

In 2006, Rocky creator Sylvester Stallone recounted the genesis of the iconic scene: (while filming the 1976 movie) the film crew, bound by a tight budget, identified the steps one night while searching for filming locations around the city. Stallone first thought Rocky should carry his dog Butkus up the steps, but the big bull mastiff proved too heavy for the scene to work. Still, the view from the top of the stairs inspired him to reshoot the scene without the dog. Also in Rocky Balboa, Rocky lifts his dog Punchy when he reaches the top of the steps. The closing credits of Rocky Balboa show a montage of dozens of people running up the steps.

This scene was one of the first uses in a major film of the Steadicam, a stabilized camera mount that allows its operator to walk and even climb steps while smoothly filming.[2]

Bronze Rocky statue

The Rocky statue, situated just northeast of the steps
View of the Ben Franklin Parkway from the top of the steps

Before Rocky III, released in 1982, Stallone commissioned A. Thomas Schomberg to create a bronze statue of Rocky.[3] Three 2-ton, 10-foot-tall copies were to be cast. One was installed atop the steps for the filming of Rocky III, and was ultimately relocated at the bottom of the steps. The second Rocky is in the San Diego Hall of Champions Sports Museum in San Diego, California. The third was planned, but was not cast at the time.

A third casting of the statue was put up for auction to raise funds for charities. The third was listed on eBay three separate times between 2002-2005, with a starting bid of US$5,000,000, then US$3,000,000, and finally US$1,000,000 to raise funds for the International Institute for Sport and Olympic History. In 2006, Schomberg studios realized the casting mold for the statue was beginning to decay, and had a third and final edition of the statue cast in bronze. The third statue is currently exhibited at the Schomberg's gallery in Colorado [3][4]

After filming was complete, a debate arose between the Art Museum and Philadelphia's Art Commission over the meaning of "art". City officials, who argued that the Rocky statue was not "art" but a "movie prop", eventually moved it to the front of the Philadelphia Spectrum.[5]

It was later returned to the Art Museum for the filming of Rocky V, then brought back to the Spectrum. The statue was replaced with a bronze inlay of Converse sneaker footprints with the name "Rocky" above them.[6]

On September 8, 2006, the Rocky statue was returned to the Art Museum and placed on a pedestal in a grassy area near the foot of the steps to the right of the Museum. The unveiling ceremony included live music, the debut of the first full trailer for Rocky Balboa, and a free showing of the first Rocky movie. At the ceremony, Philadelphia Mayor John Street said that the steps were one of Philly's biggest tourist attractions, and that Stallone, a native New Yorker, had become "the city's favorite adopted son".[7]

The Rocky film scene has become a cultural icon. Many tourists visit the steps to recreate the scene themselves.[8] E! Channel ranked it No. 13 in its 101 Most Awesome Moments in Entertainment.[9] During the 1996 Olympic Torch Relay, Philadelphia native Dawn Staley was chosen to run up the museum steps. The steps are the backdrop for the annual Independence Day celebration, and have often been featured in large concerts such as Live 8. Two journalists from the Philadelphia Inquirer spent a year interviewing people who ran the steps, and published a book in 1996 called Rocky Stories: Tales of Love, Hope, and Happiness at America's Most Famous Steps.[10] The 2017 NFL Draft was held from the steps, the first time the NFL draft was held outdoors.[11]

The scene has inspired homages and parodies since Rocky was released in 1976.

  • In The Simpsons episode "I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can", Lisa Simpson runs up a flight of stairs wearing a tracksuit similar to Rocky's.[12]
  • In the film In Her Shoes, Toni Collette's character, Rose Feller, runs up the steps with four dogs.
  • On an episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, the character Will, while back in Philly, trains for a big fight against a former childhood bully; the training ends with Will running up the steps to "Gonna Fly Now", and celebrating and passing out, where a passer-by steals his wallet and hat.
  • In the Eddie Murphy movie The Nutty Professor, Sherman Klump runs up the steps to one of his college's buildings, parodying the scene.
  • Participants in Philadelphia's monthly Critical Mass bike ride generally finish up by cycling to the Rocky Steps, hoisting their bicycles, running up the steps, then lifting their bikes above their heads.
  • In a Reebok campaign, Allen Iverson, then with the Philadelphia 76ers, ran up the steps while dribbling a basketball.
  • In the Boy Meets World episode, "The Witches of Pennbrook" Eric says that he and Jack are going to run up the steps and had been planning it for months.
  • In the opening episode of the 2005 boxing reality television series The Contender (which featured and was executive produced by Stallone), Philadelphia native Najai Turpin ran up the steps.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The Rocky Statue and the Rocky Steps". VisitPhilly.com. Visit Philadelphia. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Steadicam Celebrates its 30th Anniversary at NAB 2005" (Press release). Tiffen. April 2005. Archived from the original on April 30, 2014. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
  3. 1 2 Doyle, Jack (2009-07-20). "The Rocky Statue". The Pop History Dig.
  4. ↑ "Yo! Rocky can be yours!" (Press release). International Institute for Sport and Olympic History. 2003-05-16. Archived from the original on 2005-07-28.
  5. ↑ Rose, Joel (July 30, 2006). "'Prop' Culture? Rocky Statue Blurs Art Line". WHYY National Public Radio, All Things Considered. Philadelphia, PA. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
  6. ↑ Doyle, Jack (July 20, 2009). "The Rocky Statue: 1980-2009". pophistorydig.com. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
  7. ↑ Gelston, Dan (2006-09-08). "Rocky Is Back Where He Belongs". The Washington Post. The Associated Press. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
  8. ↑ Straziuso, Jason (2004-07-01). "Nostalgic Jaunt To 'Rocky' Steps". CBS News. Associated Press. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
  9. ↑ "E! Channel's 101 Most Awesome Moments in Entertainment". E! Online. E! Entertainment Television, Inc. Archived from the original on 2004-12-05. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  10. ↑ Vitez, Michael (2006). Rocky stories : tales of love, hope, and happiness at America's most famous steps. Philadelphia, Pa: Paul Dry Books. ISBN 1589880293.
  11. ↑ "Parkway, and perhaps Rocky steps, to be stage for 2017 NFL draft". philly.com. September 2, 2016. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
  12. ↑ "I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can @ TV.com". Retrieved 25 September 2006.

Coordinates: 39°57′54″N 75°10′49″W / 39.9649°N 75.1802°W / 39.9649; -75.1802

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