Rocky

Philadelphia, 1975. Rocky Balboa is a club fighter who collects debts for a loan shark. When champion Apollo Creed's opponent gets hurt, Apollo picks the unknown for his Bicentennial bout, just for the "Italian Stallion" nickname. Old Mickey agrees to train Rocky, who runs through the city, punches sides of beef and starts dating shy Adrian, his friend Paulie's sister. Rocky wants one thing: to still be standing after 15 rounds. On New Year's Day he knocks Apollo down in the first round and lasts the whole fight, both men badly beaten. Apollo wins by split decision and says there won't be a rematch, but Rocky isn't listening. In the crowd, all he does is call out for Adrian.

1. Behind the scenesA script written in three days

   Stallone wrote the script in about three days after watching Muhammad Ali fight Chuck Wepner in 1975. He refused to sell it unless he played the lead.

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2. CameoThe Stallone family on screen

   Stallone's father rings the bell between rounds. His brother Frank shows up singing on a street corner.

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3. CameoFuture Worf as a bodyguard

   Michael Dorn, later the Klingon Worf on Star Trek: The Next Generation, made his uncredited film debut as Apollo Creed's bodyguard.

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4. Behind the scenesThe poster's swapped trunks

   On the poster, Rocky wears red trunks with a white stripe; in the fight, they're white with a red stripe. Avildsen blamed the props department, while Stallone says he changed them on purpose at the last minute.

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