Rocky (1976)

This is an imperfect-but-creditable movie. Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) is a Philadelphia club fighter who seems to be going nowhere. He likes to visit a shy woman named Adrian, who works at a pet store and eventually convinces her to go on a date. When he is approached to fight the boxing champion Apollo, he must put in many hours of training. During the match he shows that when you believe in yourself, you can accomplish much.

The film was also written by Stallone. It spawned five sequels. Apollo Creed is based on Muhammad Ali. The props department mistakenly changed the color of Rocky's shorts. The front steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art are now referred to as the Rocky Steps because of this film. In 2004, John Kerry ended his primary campaign at the foot of the steps. The movie won three Academy Awards for: picture, director, and editing. The famous theme song is called "Gonna Fly Now" and was composed by Bill Conti.