Rocky Statue Location Approved

By Rich Drees

     September 6, 2006- In a fight as tough as any he fought in his movies, the eight and a half foot bronze statue of celluloid boxer Rocky Balboa has finally been approved to be erected at the base of the Philadelphia Museum of Art stairs made famous in the first Rocky film.

     The city’s Art Commission, a panel of eight art experts appointed by the mayor to oversee art and design on the city's public property, approved the proposal in a 6 to 2 vote at this afternoon’s commission meeting. The two dissenting members of the commission argued that the statue, created by noted sports sculptor A. Thomas Schomberg for a scene in Rocky 3 (1982) which Sylvester Stallone’s Philadelphia born and bred boxer character Rocky Balboa is honored by his home town, was not art but a movie prop. The commissioners who voted

     Although the proposal had been defeated earlier in the summer, its passage had been anticipated as early as the middle of last month.

     The approval comes just in time for the start of “Philly Loves Rocky” Week, which will feature numerous events including a boxing exhibit and a “Rocky And Adrian Look-A-Like” Contest.

     The statue will be dedicated in a ceremony at the Museum of Art steps on Friday, September 8 at 6pm. Rocky star Sylvester Stallone is expected to attend.

     A sixth Rocky film, titled simply Rocky Balboa, is scheduled for release on December 22, 2006.