Not even Claes Oldenburg’s “Clothespin” across from City Hall generated the passionate debate provoked by this 8′ 6″ bronze “Rocky” statue — arms raised in victory — commissioned by Sylvester Stallone for his 1982 “Rocky III,” a film series that seemed never to end. The bronze boxer stood at the top of the Art Museum’s 72-step entrance, and when the filming was completed, the actor left the statue in place as a gift to the city. City Commerce Director Dick Doran was thrilled with the gift saying Stallone had done more for the city’s image “than anyone since Ben Franklin.” 
Cultural and museum officials were horrified, terming the statue an ugly “movie prop.” The public flooded the newspapers and city Art Commission with tons of mail, pro and con. The debate raged for months. Polls showed Philadephians equally divided. “Put it near the Liberty Bell,” wrote a Daily News reader. “Dump it in the Schuylkill,” wrote another. Countless tourists and residents climbed the steps to see and be photographed next to Rocky. People who had never been inside the museum at least got close to the entrance. In the end, the Art Commission decided the Spectrum sports arena sidewalk was the logical address for the fictional heavyweight contender, where it stood until late summer 2006.
