Editing Rocky (section)

==Production==
===Development and writing===
[[Sylvester Stallone]] wrote the screenplay for ''Rocky'' in three and a half days, shortly after watching the [[Muhammad Ali vs. Chuck Wepner|championship match]] between [[Muhammad Ali]] and [[Chuck Wepner]] that took place at [[Richfield Coliseum]] in [[Richfield, Ohio]], on March 24, 1975. Wepner was [[Technical knockout|TKO'd]] in the 15th&nbsp;round of the match by Ali, with few expecting him to last as long as he did. Despite the match motivating Stallone to begin work on ''Rocky'',<ref>{{cite news|title='Rocky Isn't Based on Me,' Says Stallone, 'But We Both Went the Distance'|url=https://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/movies/bestpictures/rocky-ar.html|access-date=December 1, 2015|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=November 1, 1976|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151201172004/https://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/movies/bestpictures/rocky-ar.html|archive-date=December 1, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> he has denied Wepner provided any inspiration for the script.<ref name="ESPN Wepner Recognized">{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/page/IamChuckWepner/chuck-wepner-recognized-rocky-fame |title=Chuck Wepner finally recognized for 'Rocky' fame |publisher=[[ESPN]] |date=October 25, 2011 |access-date=November 20, 2012 |archive-date=September 13, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140913001228/http://espn.go.com/boxing/story/_/page/IamChuckWepner/chuck-wepner-recognized-rocky-fame |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="The Real Rocky">{{cite video|people=Feuerzeig, Jeff (Director)|date=October 25, 2011|title=The Real Rocky|medium=Motion picture|publisher=ESPN Films}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ward |first=Tom |title=The Amazing Story Of The Making Of 'Rocky' |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomward/2017/08/29/the-amazing-story-of-the-making-of-rocky/ |access-date=2023-05-27 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref> Other inspiration for the film may have included characteristics of real-life boxers [[Rocky Marciano]] and [[Joe Frazier]],<ref>{{cite web|last1=Struby|first1=Tim|title=Marciano's career mark unique but flawed?|url=https://www.espn.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=2165594|publisher=[[ESPN]]|access-date=December 1, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151201171638/http://espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=2165594|archive-date=December 1, 2015|url-status=live|date=September 21, 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=McRae|first1=Donald|title=Still smokin' over Ali but there's no time for hatred now|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2008/nov/11/sportinterviews-boxing|website=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=December 1, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151201171407/http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2008/nov/11/sportinterviews-boxing|archive-date=December 1, 2015|date=November 10, 2008}}</ref> as well as [[Rocky Graziano]]'s autobiography ''Somebody Up There Likes Me'' and [[Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956 film)|the movie of the same name]]. Wepner sued Stallone, and eventually settled for an undisclosed amount.<ref name="The Real Rocky" />

[[Henry Winkler]], Stallone's co-star in ''[[The Lords of Flatbush]]'' who then broke out as [[Arthur Fonzarelli]] on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s ''[[Happy Days]]'', said he had taken the script to executives at the network. They expressed interest in turning it into a made-for-television movie and actually bought the script but insisted that someone else rewrite it. Upon hearing the news, Stallone begged Winkler not to let ABC change writers, so Winkler went back to the executives and offered to return the money in exchange for the rights. While ABC refused at first, Winkler said he was able to use his status as one of its biggest stars at the time to convince them to sell the rights back.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metv.com/stories/henry-winkler-revealed-how-the-fonz-saved-rocky|title=Henry Winkler revealed how The Fonz saved Rocky|access-date=27 June 2022|website=MeTV}}</ref>

At the time, Film Artists Management Enterprises (FAME), a joint venture between Hollywood talent agents Craig T. Rumar and Larry Kubik, represented Stallone. He submitted his script to Rumar and Kubik, who immediately saw the potential for it to be made into a motion picture. They shopped the script to various producers and studios in Hollywood but were repeatedly rejected because Stallone insisted that he be cast in the lead role. Eventually, they secured a meeting with Winkler-Chartoff productions (no relation to Henry Winkler). After repeated negotiations with Rumar and Kubik, Winkler-Chartoff agreed to a contract for Stallone to be the writer and also star in the lead role for ''Rocky''.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 6, 2020 |author=Phil Jay |url=https://www.worldboxingnews.net/2020/06/01/sylvester-stallone-rocky-negotiations/ |title=Exclusive: Sylvester Stallone negotiations for Rocky movie uncovered |website=World Boxing News |access-date=June 10, 2020 |archive-date=June 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610050316/https://www.worldboxingnews.net/2020/06/01/sylvester-stallone-rocky-negotiations/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[United Artists]] liked Stallone's script and viewed it as a vehicle for a well-established star like [[Robert Redford]], [[Ryan O'Neal]], [[Burt Reynolds]], or [[James Caan]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Weisman|first1=Aly|title=Dirt-Poor Sylvester Stallone Turned Down $300,000 In 1976 To Ensure He Could Play 'Rocky'|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/sylvester-stallone-made-rocky-against-all-odds-2014-4|website=[[Business Insider]]|publisher=[[Axel Springer SE]]|access-date=December 1, 2015|date=April 2, 2014|archive-date=December 1, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151201172339/http://www.businessinsider.com/sylvester-stallone-made-rocky-against-all-odds-2014-4|url-status=live}}</ref> United Artist initially thought the project was going to be a disaster.<ref>https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-01-11-ca-26975-story.html</ref> Stallone's agents insisted that Stallone portray the title character, to the point of issuing an ultimatum. Stallone later said that he would never have forgiven himself had the film become a success with somebody else in the lead.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomward/2017/08/29/the-amazing-story-of-the-making-of-rocky/?sh=6bc46fb2560b|title=The Amazing Story Of The Making Of 'Rocky'|first=Tom|last=Ward|date=August 29, 2017|access-date=October 31, 2022|work=[[Forbes]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/packages/html/movies/bestpictures/rocky-ar.html | title=The New York Times: Best Pictures }}</ref> He also knew that producers [[Irwin Winkler]] and [[Robert Chartoff]]'s contract with the studio enabled them to "greenlight" a project if the budget was kept low enough. The producers also collateralized any possible losses with their big-budget entry, ''[[New York, New York (1977 film)|New York, New York]]'' (whose eventual losses were covered by ''Rocky''{{'s}} success).<ref name="Nashawaty">{{cite magazine |title=EW: The Right Hook: How Rocky Nabbed Best Picture |last=Nashawaty |first=Chris |date=February 19, 2002 |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |pages=3 |url=https://ew.com/article/2002/02/19/how-rocky-nabbed-best-picture/ |url-status=live |archive-date=November 5, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141105222608/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,203553,00.html |access-date=May 4, 2020 }}</ref><ref>[[Neal Gabler]], ''ReelThirteen'', from [http://thirteen.org/ WNET] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140617155123/http://www.thirteen.org/ |date=June 17, 2014 }}, February 22, 2014.</ref> The film's production budget ended up being $1,075,000, with a further $100,000 spent on producers' fees and $4.2&nbsp;million on advertising costs.<ref name="BlockWilson583">{{cite book |editor1-last=Block|editor1-first=Alex Ben|editor2-last=Wilson|editor2-first=Lucy Autrey|year=2010|title=George Lucas's Blockbusting: A Decade-By-Decade Survey of Timeless Movies Including Untold Secrets of Their Financial and Cultural Success|publisher=[[HarperCollins]]|isbn=978-0-06-177889-6|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=vpbuSXSSqdkC&pg=PA583 583]|quote=The budget was $1,075,000 plus producer's fees of $100,000 ... The advertising costs were $4.2 million, slightly higher than the $4 million UA spent on ads for ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' in 1975.}}</ref>

===Pre-production===
Although Chartoff and Irwin Winkler were enthusiastic about the script and the idea of Stallone playing the lead character, they were hesitant about having an unknown headline the film. The producers also had trouble casting other major characters in the story, with Apollo Creed and Adrian cast unusually late by the production standards.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}} Real-life boxer [[Ken Norton]] was initially sought for the role of [[Apollo Creed]], but he pulled out and the role was ultimately given to [[Carl Weathers]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Vellin|first1=Bob|title=Former heavyweight champion Ken Norton dies at 70|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/boxing/2013/09/18/former-heavywegith-champion-ken-norton-die/2834521/|website=[[USA Today]]|publisher=[[Gannett Company]]|access-date=December 2, 2015|date=September 19, 2013|archive-date=December 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151202175026/http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/boxing/2013/09/18/former-heavywegith-champion-ken-norton-die/2834521/|url-status=live}}</ref> Norton, upon whom Creed was loosely based, fought Muhammad Ali three times. According to ''The Rocky Scrapbook'', [[Carrie Snodgress]] was originally chosen to play Adrian, but a money dispute forced the producers to look elsewhere. [[Susan Sarandon]] and [[Cher]] auditioned for the role but Sarandon was deemed too pretty for the character and Cher too expensive. After [[Talia Shire]]'s ensuing audition, Chartoff and Winkler, and director [[John G. Avildsen|John Avildsen]],<ref name="Rocky"/> insisted that she play the part.{{Citation needed|date=April 2007}}

Philadelphia-based boxer [[Joe Frazier]] has a [[cameo appearance]] in the film. Outspoken boxer [[Muhammad Ali]], who fought Frazier three times, influenced the character of Apollo Creed. During the [[49th Academy Awards]] ceremony in 1977, Ali and Stallone staged a brief comic confrontation to show the film did not offend Ali. Frazier has claimed that some of the plot's most memorable moments—Rocky's carcass-punching scenes and Rocky running up the steps of the [[Philadelphia Museum of Art]] as part of his training regimen—are taken without credit from his own real-life exploits.<ref name="Joe Frazier Inspiration">{{cite news|title=Still smokin' over Ali but there's no time for hatred now|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2008/nov/11/sportinterviews-boxing|work=[[The Guardian]]|first=Donald|last=McRae|date=November 11, 2008|access-date=October 3, 2010|location=London|archive-date=December 1, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151201171407/http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2008/nov/11/sportinterviews-boxing|url-status=live}}</ref>

Because of the film's comparatively low budget, members of Stallone's family played minor roles. His father rings the bell to signal the start and end of a round; his brother [[Frank Stallone|Frank]] plays a street corner singer, and his first wife, Sasha, was [[Unit still photographer|stills photographer]].<ref name="Stalone's wife Rocky photographer">{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0038664/bio |website=Internet Movie Database |title=Czack, Sasha |access-date=July 21, 2018 |archive-date=August 3, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170803215916/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0038664/bio |url-status=live }}</ref> Other cameos include former Philadelphia and then Los Angeles television [[Sports commentator|sportscaster]] [[Stu Nahan]] playing himself, alongside radio and TV broadcaster Bill Baldwin; and [[Lloyd Kaufman]], founder of the independent film company [[Troma Entertainment|Troma]], appearing as a drunk. Diana Lewis, then a news anchor in Los Angeles and later in Detroit, has a minor scene as a TV news reporter. [[Tony Burton]] appears as Apollo Creed's trainer, [[Tony "Duke" Evers]], a role he would reprise throughout the entire ''Rocky'' series, though the character is not named until ''Rocky&nbsp;II''. [[Michael Dorn]], who would later gain fame as the [[Klingon]] [[Worf]] in ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' and ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'', made his acting debut, albeit uncredited, as Creed's bodyguard.<ref name=Trek>{{cite web |url=http://www.startrek.com/database_article/dorn |title=Star Trek Database – Dorn, Michael |work=Star Trek Database |publisher=CBS Entertainment |access-date=December 10, 2011 |archive-date=December 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111216113008/http://www.startrek.com/database_article/dorn |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Filming===
Principal photography for ''Rocky'' began on January&nbsp;9, 1976.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Stallone starts filming Rocky |url=http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/stallone-starts-filming-rocky |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151202182201/http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/stallone-starts-filming-rocky |archive-date=December 2, 2015 |access-date=December 2, 2015 |website=[[History (U.S. TV channel)|History]] |publisher=[[A&E Networks]]}}</ref> Filming took place primarily throughout Philadelphia, with a few scenes being shot in Los Angeles. Rocky's house was in E Tusculum St 1818 in Philadelphia.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rocky film locations |url=http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/r/rocky.html#.Vl84HcpP0uI |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906102019/http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/r/rocky.html |archive-date=September 6, 2015 |access-date=December 2, 2015 |website=The Worldwide Guide To Movie Locations}}</ref> Inventor [[Garrett Brown]]'s new [[Steadicam]] was used to accomplish smooth photography while running alongside Rocky during the film's Philadelphia street training sequences and the run up the Art Museum's flight of stairs, now colloquially known as the [[Rocky Steps]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Stairway to Heaven |url=http://www.dga.org/Craft/DGAQ/All-Articles/1201-Winter-2012/Shot-to-Remember-Rocky.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131024091441/http://www.dga.org/Craft/DGAQ/All-Articles/1201-Winter-2012/Shot-to-Remember-Rocky.aspx |archive-date=October 24, 2013 |access-date=June 20, 2013 |publisher=[[Directors Guild of America|DGA]]}}</ref> It was also used for some shots in the fight scenes and can be seen at the ringside during some wide shots of the final fight. ''Rocky'' is often erroneously cited as the first film to use the Steadicam, although it was actually the third, after ''[[Bound for Glory (1976 film)|Bound for Glory]]'' and ''[[Marathon Man (film)|Marathon Man]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Steadicam 30th anniversary press release |url=http://lserv2.dtopinc.com/tiffen/staging_html/tiffen_news_Steadicam30th_Anniv.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140430033456/http://lserv2.dtopinc.com/tiffen/staging_html/tiffen_news_Steadicam30th_Anniv.html |archive-date=April 30, 2014}}</ref>

Certain elements of the story were altered during filming. The original script had a darker tone: Mickey was portrayed as [[Racism|racist]], and the script ended with Rocky throwing the fight after realizing he did not want to be part of the [[professional boxing]] world after all.<ref name="Nashawaty" />

Both Stallone and Weathers suffered injuries during the shooting of the final fight; Stallone suffered bruised ribs and Weathers suffered a damaged nose, the opposite injuries of what their characters had.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Neuwirth |first=Aaron |date=November 26, 2015 |title=Movie Trivia Thursday (Nov. 26): 5 Cool Facts About 5 Classic Boxing Films |url=http://www.ranthollywood.com/2015/11/26/movie-trivia-thursday-nov-26-5-cool-facts-about-these-classic-boxing-films/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160620070011/http://www.ranthollywood.com/2015/11/26/movie-trivia-thursday-nov-26-5-cool-facts-about-these-classic-boxing-films/ |archive-date=June 20, 2016 |access-date=July 4, 2016 |website=RantHollywood}}</ref>

The first date between Rocky and Adrian, in which Rocky bribes a janitor to allow them to skate after closing hours on a deserted ice skating rink, was shot that way due to budgetary {{nowrap|concerns{{tsp}}{{mdash}}{{hsp}}}}the scene was originally scheduled to be shot in a public skating rink during regular business hours, but the producers decided they could not afford the hundreds of extras that would have been required.<ref name="ReelLife">{{Cite web |last=Merron |first=Jeff |title=Reel Life: 'Rocky' |url=https://www.espn.com/page2/s/closer/020529.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151202171945/http://espn.go.com/page2/s/closer/020529.html |archive-date=December 2, 2015 |access-date=December 2, 2015 |website=[[ESPN]]}}</ref>

The poster seen above the ring before Rocky fights Apollo Creed shows Rocky wearing red shorts with a white stripe when he actually wears white shorts with a red stripe. When Rocky points this out, promoter George Jergens tells him that it "doesn't really matter, does it?".<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 24, 2015 |title=72 Hard-Hitting Facts About the 'Rocky' Movies |url=https://www.yahoo.com/movies/72-hard-hitting-facts-about-the-rocky-movies-131837786.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161127143601/https://www.yahoo.com/movies/72-hard-hitting-facts-about-the-rocky-movies-131837786.html |archive-date=November 27, 2016 |access-date=December 10, 2016 |website=Yahoo.com}}</ref> Avildsen said this was an actual mistake made by the props department that they could not afford to rectify, so the brief scene was written to ensure the audience did not see it as a goof.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fiorillo |first=Victor |date=2016-12-04 |title=Rocky: An Oral History |url=https://www.phillymag.com/things-to-do/2016/12/03/rocky-oral-history/ |access-date=2025-01-18 |website=[[Philadelphia (magazine)|Philadelphia]] |language=en-US}}</ref> Conversely, Stallone has said he was indeed supposed to wear red shorts with a white stripe as Rocky, but changed to the opposite colors "at the last moment".<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 16, 2018 |title=Stallone Corrects ROCKY's Most Famous 'Mistake' |url=https://screenrant.com/rocky-movie-mistakes-shorts-color/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190204174433/https://screenrant.com/rocky-movie-mistakes-shorts-color/ |archive-date=February 4, 2019 |access-date=February 4, 2019 |website=[[Screen Rant]]}}</ref> Similarly, when Rocky's robe arrived far too baggy on the day it was needed for filming, Stallone wrote in dialogue where Rocky points this out.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 23, 2015 |title=Don't Be a Bum, Check Out These 10 'Rocky' Facts |url=http://screencrush.com/rocky-trivia-facts/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170129014657/http://screencrush.com/rocky-trivia-facts/ |archive-date=January 29, 2017 |access-date=December 10, 2016 |website=[[Screencrush.com]]}}</ref>