Philly still embraces 'Rocky' image

PHILADELPHIA -- A lot has changed in this gritty city since Rocky Balboa stormed up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on film, 25 years ago last week.

The boxer's old Italian neighborhood in Kensington speaks mostly Spanish now. The grocers in the Italian Market are more likely to be Vietnamese or Cambodian. But one thing hasn't changed: This is still a city proud of its underdogs.

"It was the first film to show how Philadelphians feel about themselves," said Sharon Pinkenson, a longtime city resident and director of the Philadelphia Film Office.

"At the time of Rocky's making, Philadelphia was a city that had a reputation for being dirty, dangerous and bankrupt. It was not a place that people relished the idea of being in or moving to."

"Rocky" showed the dirt, Pinkenson said. But in showing the city at its economic worst, it also portrayed its people as loving, hardworking winners, capable of overcoming the worst odds.

It was an image the city has embraced for a quarter of a century. A statue of Rocky that briefly graced the top of the museum steps now stands outside the sports complex where the Eagles and 76ers play. There is an annual "Rocky Run."

The movie was shot for less than $1 million in 1975.