Stallone Donates Rocky Memorabilia to Smithsonian
Filed under: Classics, Drama, Fandom, Newsstand
So, the other day I finally saw Rocky Balboa. And, while I'm not allowed to tell you anything until the week the film is released, I will say that, personally, I felt the final installment fits somewhere between parts four and five, as far as awesomeness goes. Now, for those of you who hated part five, this should be fantastic news. For those of you expecting the best Rocky film of them all -- well, try not to get your hopes up too much.
With that said, Sylvester Stallone donated the classic red and yellow boxing robe from the original Rocky, as well as his vintage black hat, a pair of autographed boxing gloves worn in Rocky II and -- of course -- those famous red, white and blue boxing shorts from Rocky III to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. On how he feels having these items sit beside Dorothy's ruby red slippers from The Wizard of Oz and Abraham Lincoln's top hat, Stallone said, "I knew I was getting old, but I didn't think I would be with the dinosaurs so soon." Starting on December 21, folks will be able to see them on display at the National Air and Space Museum's Treasures of American History exhibition. So, as you gear up for Rocky Balboa while watching parts one through five on DVD, now you can add one more stop to your trip down memory lane. Balboa opens in US theaters on December 20.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-06-2006 @ 7:34PM
Steve Lang said...
OUCH!!!
"I felt the final installment fits somewhere between parts four and five, as far as awesomeness goes. Now, for those of you who hated part five, this should be fantastic news."
How can that be good news for anyone? Unless its someone who maybe actually loved 4 and 5, so RB will be 'right up there' with them...
I'm reserving judgement, as I actually like the trailer for RB (relatively speaking.) And I have a place in my heart for R1. And R3 was the coolest thing going with Eye of the Tiger when I was in 5th grade.
But I have nothing to say about 4 and 5.
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12-06-2006 @ 9:08PM
Erik Davis said...
Actually Steve, a friend of mine last night was asking me about the film and they loved part four -- and I actually liked part 4 too, yet I despise part 5. So, like I said (and this is based only on my personal feelings for all the Rocky films) -- to me, it belonged in between 4 and 5. However, someone else might feel differently.
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12-07-2006 @ 9:59AM
gadlaw said...
I've become aware of the new Rocky movie through Stallone's media campaign where he appears at every football game I watch and from the news at Cinematical and other fun media sites. I've watched the trailer a number of times and as a person who grew up with Rocky movies I have to say it brings an emotional response when I see it. Overcoming obstacles, overcoming age and fighting one last impossible battle - it's tapping into those universal themes of life that we all recognize and can emotionally identify with. I don't know that I've even seen four and five, Rocky has sort of gone off my radar screen over the years so perhaps I'm part of the target audience who wants to see the old king climb up in the saddle one more time el Cid style. Like Gary Cooper in High Noon or John Wayne in True Grit, we know they're not the youngest or fastest any longer but we still cheer for them. We know Sly isn't that young guy anymore but we remember the magic of what was and hope the movie maker serves up the cinema magic one more time. Thanks for the warning Erik, I've seen too many Alien, Predator and Star Trek movies to unrealistically hope for the best movie in the series but like the Star Trek movies at least, I'm looking forward to visiting with old comfortable characters I know and love and maybe pick myself off the canvas with Rocky one more time. Cut me Mick.
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12-07-2006 @ 8:23PM
Steve Lang said...
Erik- Got it, thanks. Obviously opinions differ on 4 which is cool. Now I understand better what you meant by your comparison.
gadlaw- Yeah I think part of the appeal to me is that this new movie seems to mirror Stallone as well- old, over the hill, yet coming back (hopefully full circle) in a seemingly desperate attempt to re-capture past glory.
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12-07-2006 @ 10:28PM
Erik Davis said...
"I'm looking forward to visiting with old comfortable characters I know and love and maybe pick myself off the canvas with Rocky one more time"
Gadlaw, if this is what you're looking for, then you will not be disappointed. Just watching Rocky and Paulie bicker back and forth one last time is worth the price of admission times two. To me, at least.
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