# I just saw Rocky - spoilers **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 10, 2013, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-rocky-spoilers/646804 "2013-01-10T22:53:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2013, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-rocky-spoilers/646804/41 "2013-01-14T21:35:23Z")
> [@noclueboy](#): > > rudy is the rocky of football movies. > > Bulwinkle is rocky’s friend. > > Boris and natasha tried to steal moose and squirrel. > > Boris is a russian name. > > Rocky fought a russian and lost and won. > > I fought the law but the law won. > > Won and won and one is three. > > Got to be good looking 'cause he’s so hard to see. come together…. Right now…. Over me! ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2013, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-rocky-spoilers/646804/42 "2013-01-14T22:03:00Z")
> [@phungi](#): > > Interesting tit-bit: In one of the early uses of the Steadicam, the scene running up the Art Museum steps was pure improv, and ended up being a “signature shot” of the film, with people currently running up the Art Museum steps in Philly and striking the “Rocky Pose” I hate to do this, but… Utter bunk. My mentor in my career as a Steadicam Operator and good friend Garrett Brown is the Oscar-winning inventor of the device. He created a demo reel of " 30 impossible shots " . He had shot them all, when his girlfriend ( now wife of many years ) Ellen Shire was with him in the car. They were near the Art Museum. She suggested running down the steps. He ran after her, and then without pausing, she turned and ran back up. The shot is Electrifying. I have seen the entire film clip, from top to bottom of steps, turn AND run back up. “Rocky” director John Avildson saw the clip reel of the impossible shots. He had no idea that Garrett was a Philly native. He called and said, and this is a direct quote from Garrett, " Avildson said, ’ Where are those steps and HOW did you get that shot !?" Ellen gets credit for designing that shot. “Rocky” was the second feature where it was used. “Bound For Glory” was the first feature credit for Steadicam. True tidbit: the drive shaft of the camera motor ran through the main post sled. ( there were two posts back then, not one ). The post had been hit and bent slightly. That infamous shot was done with the a.c. Running alongside with a 12vdc car battery wired into the camera power cable. It was the only way to drive the motor with the chafing from the bent shaft. I’ve never felt the need to run the steps. For Steadicam Ops worldwide, it a bit of a “Mecca” thing. I they find themselves the Northeast USA, they try to get to Philly to do the run. I grew up in Philly and used to play on those steps as a kid. And besides, it always felt like a bit of a fanboy thing to do. A few years ago, by way of assisting a French documentarian shooting a project on Garrett, I ran BEHIND Garrett and the filmmaker and another cameraman, up those steps. Was fun, and quite a haul. If you watch the famous scene, the Steadicam is a flight below the top. We pan as Rocky runs by, then we run up the steps behind him and arc behind, finishing with an early morning view looking (nominally) East up the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2013, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-rocky-spoilers/646804/43 "2013-01-14T23:15:30Z")
I’m old enough to have seen Rocky in the theater. (I didn’t want to go, who wants to see a boxing movie, for chrissake?) Well. We were lucky to even get seats, on a weekday afternoon, and the movie audience just EXPLODED at the end, applause and everything! I’d never experienced that much viewer enthusiasm at a movie, before or since. ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-rocky-spoilers/646804/44 "2013-01-15T00:28:05Z")
> [@Cartooniverse](#): > > I hate to do this, but… > > Utter bunk. My mentor in my career as a Steadicam Operator and good friend Garrett Brown is the Oscar-winning inventor of the device. > > He created a demo reel of " 30 impossible shots " . He had shot them all, when his girlfriend ( now wife of many years ) Ellen Shire was with him in the car. They were near the Art Museum. She suggested running down the steps. He ran after her, and then without pausing, she turned and ran back up. The shot is Electrifying. I have seen the entire film clip, from top to bottom of steps, turn AND run back up. > > “Rocky” director John Avildson saw the clip reel of the impossible shots. He had no idea that Garrett was a Philly native. He called and said, and this is a direct quote from Garrett, " Avildson said, ’ Where are those steps and HOW did you get that shot !?" > > Ellen gets credit for designing that shot. “Rocky” was the second feature where it was used. “Bound For Glory” was the first feature credit for Steadicam. > > True tidbit: the drive shaft of the camera motor ran through the main post sled. ( there were two posts back then, not one ). The post had been hit and bent slightly. That infamous shot was done with the a.c. Running alongside with a 12vdc car battery wired into the camera power cable. It was the only way to drive the motor with the chafing from the bent shaft. > > I’ve never felt the need to run the steps. For Steadicam Ops worldwide, it a bit of a “Mecca” thing. I they find themselves the Northeast USA, they try to get to Philly to do the run. I grew up in Philly and used to play on those steps as a kid. And besides, it always felt like a bit of a fanboy thing to do. > > A few years ago, by way of assisting a French documentarian shooting a project on Garrett, I ran BEHIND Garrett and the filmmaker and another cameraman, up those steps. > > Was fun, and quite a haul. If you watch the famous scene, the Steadicam is a flight below the top. We pan as Rocky runs by, then we run up the steps behind him and arc behind, finishing with an early morning view looking (nominally) East up the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Very cool, and interesting… I saw a documentary on the Rocky series ([ref](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2150521/)) in which the “improv” shot was described… not questioning the veracity, just explaining where I got this info… ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-rocky-spoilers/646804/45 "2013-01-15T00:38:09Z")
Happy to fight a bit of ignorance !!! There tons of stories like that I just happen to have the straight dope on this one. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-rocky-spoilers/646804/46 "2013-01-15T01:09:06Z")
The point for the bout was that he only wanted to go the distance, and was willing to do anything to do it (he was proud that he had never had his nose broken, but when Creed broke his in the ring, he went on). By staying on his feet until the end, he achieved his goal. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2013, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-rocky-spoilers/646804/47 "2013-01-15T01:29:16Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > The stretch of Rocky becoming world champion is made just slightly more plausible by the fact that his win against Creed was basically a fluke I don’t think you’re giving ROCKY II enough credit: our hero fights Creed again, and gets his nose broken in the first round again, and is again losing on points going into the final round; Creed can, again, win on points, if he wants. It’s the exact same fight as the first movie – and it’d presumably go down the same way if they faced each other a dozen times: Balboa will invariably lead off by getting hit in the head until a bone breaks, and will then lose on points so long as the champ keeps sticking and moving. But – as telegraphed – ROCKY II is built around Creed defying advice from his trainer in the final round to shock the ringside commentators. We see him laying the groundwork ahead of time: explaining that people have been calling him a fake, and insulting his kids at school, ever since that first fight. “Do you think I beat him the last time?” “You got the decision.” “Man, I _ **won,** _ but I didn’t _ **beat** _ him!” If Creed wants to win on points, ROCKY II ends just like the original – but Creed wants to go for the knockout, and so instead stands there to trade his best punches with the guy instead of floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-saw-rocky-spoilers/646804.md?page=2)