Our famed Rocky statue could soon be a permanent fixture atop the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum — again.
The Philadelphia Art Commission on Wednesday is slated to vote on a plan that, if approved, would affix the original statue — commissioned by Sylvester Stallone for 1982’s Rocky III — at the top of the museum’s East entrance steps later this year. Recently proposed by Creative Philadelphia, the city’s office for the creative sector, the move stands to place the iconic statue in one of the city’s most prominent locations for the umpteenth time since it arrived here more than 40 years ago.
In fact, Philly’s original Rocky statue has been shuttled back and forth between the museum and the stadium complex in South Philly — another site that was pitched as its permanent home — at least six times, according to Inquirer and Daily News reports. But since 2006, it has sat at the base of the museum’s famed stair set, its most permanent location to date.
Somehow, though, it always seems to end up overlooking the Benjamin Franklin Parkway from on high, however temporarily. And every so often, debate over the statue seems to reignite, regardless of where the statue sits — a cycle that has been repeating itself since the dawn of the 1980s.
Here is how The Inquirer and Daily News covered the early days of Philly’s famed Rocky statue:
https://www.newspapers.com/article/philadelphia-daily-news/188853911/
Article from Dec 11, 1980 Philadelphia Daily News (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) <!—
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An ‘unnecessarily strident’ monument
The statue’s roots can be traced back to December 1980, when Stallone proposed the temporary installation of his own bronze visage atop the museum steps for the filming of Rocky III. From the start, the star proposed giving the statue to the city following filming as a “way of reaching the common man and perhaps beginning an interest in fine art,” production manager Jim Brubaker told the Daily News.
In Budapest, you don’t always see generals and politicians,” Brubaker said. “You see working men with picks and shovels and that relates to the working class.”
That month, Brubaker and sculptor A. Thomas Schomberg presented a model of the proposed statue to the Art Commission, the Fairmount Park Commission, and the museum’s board. The commission voted 6-2 in favor of letting the statue stay at the museum for the duration of filming, with the two “no” votes indicating that they didn’t want the statue near the museum ever, for any reason, The Inquirer reported.
“There is a difference between size and greatness,” said local artist and commission member Joseph Brown. “This is unnecessarily strident. I appreciated Rocky, but I don’t think it put our museum and our city on the map.”
https://www.newspapers.com/article/philadelphia-daily-news/188853847/
Article from May 9, 1981 Philadelphia Daily News (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) <!—
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Rocky arrives
The Rocky statue that Philly knows today officially arrived on May 8, 1981, and was unveiled in front of the Philadelphia Art Museum that afternoon — three hours later than expected because the truck that was carrying it got stuck in traffic on the way from West Philly, according to a Daily News report.
The plan was for the statue to return to California following filming, but Stallone himself was already admittedly embarrassed by the controversy that had quickly cropped up.
“I’m sorry that got blown out of proportion,” Stallone said, according to a Daily News report. “It’s essentially a prop for the movie. I really don’t want to ruffle anyone’s feathers.”
After a few days, the Rocky statue was dismantled with the conclusion of filming, and was set to be on its way back to the Golden State. City Representative Dick Doran, however, urged Stallone to reconsider the statue’s relocation, noting that it could be relocated to the Spectrum in South Philly, or placed outside the Philadelphia Tourist Center on JFK Plaza.
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-philadelphia-inquirer/188854136/
Article from May 25, 1982 The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) <!—
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Philly’s ‘Rocky III’ premiere
In May 1982, Rocky III made its premiere in Philadelphia with a screening at the Sameric Theater at 19th and Chestnut in a star-studded affair that began with a reception at the Art Museum in which Stallone himself presented the Rocky statue to Philadelphia, almost exactly a year to the day that it first arrived in town. It was, The Inquirer reported, a 300th birthday gift to the city.
On May 24, 1982, the statue was officially unveiled to the city, with Stallone himself pulling the cord on a canvas cover to reveal the sculpture at the top of the museum’s steps as the Lincoln High School band played the Rocky theme, The Inquirer reported. Stallone had “done more for this city than anyone since Benjamin Franklin,” said Doran, then the city’s commerce director.
“I owe everything to the city of Philadelphia,” Stallone said at the unveiling. “If you could cut up the character of Rocky into a million pieces, each of you would be a part of it.”
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-philadelphia-inquirer/188854084/
Article from May 24, 1982 The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) <!—
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‘Schlock, chutzpah, and mediocrity’
Though the statue was displayed prominently, it was not exactly well-received. The Daily News’ Kitty Caparella, for example, called it “only a movie prop.”
Inquirer columnist Tom Fox, meanwhile, called the statue a “monument to schlock, chutzpah, and mediocrity.” Art Commission member Joe Brown, a local painter, meanwhile, told Fox the statue “violates the spirit of the museum and its environment,” and that the city would be better served by the creation of a statue depicting Tug McGraw, Pete Rose, or Dr. J instead.
Still, a museum spokesperson said, attendance had increased since the statue’s installation, though they believed it was because of a new exhibit featuring the work of artist Thomas Eakins. Those arriving at the museum to see Rocky, the spokesperson told the Daily News, “don’t even come inside.”
https://www.newspapers.com/article/philadelphia-daily-news/188854219/
Article from Aug 3, 1982 Philadelphia Daily News (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) <!—
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Goodbye, Rocky
Though the statue was only supposed to initially be installed at the Art Museum through mid-July 1982, it remained there through early August that year, Daily News reports from the time indicate. In fact, it wasn’t moved to the Spectrum until Aug. 3, 1982.
At the time, no one was willing to foot a reported $25,000 bill to get the statue to the Spectrum, and the issue was only settled after negotiations led to splitting the cost between the Spectrum and distributor United Artists, according to a Daily News report from the time. The city, a Commerce Department staffer told The Inquirer, flatly refused to pay.
But on a hot day, the statue’s run atop the Art Museum’s steps came to an end. Despite encountering difficulties with removal due to the concrete base upon which it had been installed, workers were ultimately able to send the statue on its way to the Spectrum — the spot where it would largely remain until it saw a high-profile move back to the Art Museum for the filming of Rocky V.
“People are going to miss him,” said onlooker Marcy Landesburg, of Wyncote, amid the statue’s 1982 removal. “They’re having a hard time dislodging him. He doesn’t want to go.”
