1976, 120 minutes
Directed by John G. Avildsen
50th Anniversary
Struggling Philadelphia boxer Rocky Balboa has a chance to become a somebody when heavyweight champion Apollo Creed come up with the Bicentennial gimmick of fighting a sure-ringer and easily winning the bout himself. But someone forgot to tell Rocky, who trains earnestly. And in the climactic fight sequence, the "Italian Stallion" gets his wish: to go the distance...against all the odds. The out-of-nowhere film made Sylvester Stallone a star and won Academy Awards for Best Picture and Director.