We receive a mysterious micro-cassette containing a 20-year-old voicemail message from Sylvester Stallone. It allows us to tap into the mind of the man himself — uncovering why he created Rocky and what elements of Philadelphia he used to build the world around him. We meet possibly the biggest Rocky fan ever. Then, from the top of the Art Museum steps, we explore what the Rocky statue can teach us about the future of our monuments.

Show Notes

• NPR interviews Michael Vitez and Tom Gralish, authors of Rocky Stories.
• Rocky Stories, by Michael Vitez and Tom Gralish.
• The documentary about Mike Kunda, The Pretender.
• Kunda’s podcast, The Rocky Files.
• Kunda’s Rocky Tours in Philly.
• Kirk Savage, Tangled Histories blog.
• Salamishah Tillet and Paul Farber, National Mall monuments exhibition.
• Rocky’s 40th anniversary documentary.

We journey to the bright lights of Hollywood to meet Rocky’s original sculptor, A. Thomas Schomberg. Also, we glimpse at rare, behind-the-scenes photos of Stallone and the artist during the statue’s creation. Back in Philly, we visit a foundry and a life-size replica of the Statue of David near City Hall to understand how statues are created. Finally, we go behind the scenes on opening night as Rocky the Musical makes its hometown debut.

Show Notes

• Amerika Idol featuring Boris Staparac.
• The works of A. Thomas Schomberg.
• Rocky the Musical at the Walnut Street Theatre.
• Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
• A brief history of sculpture.

In a city that has seen dramatic change since Rocky’s time, why do so many still identify with this movie character? We tour the neighborhoods where Rocky lived to understand their modern-day challenges, like development, violence and addiction. Along the way, we meet courageous advocates and public artists who fight every day to bring hope and opportunity to their communities.

Show Notes

• Rocky, original screenplay
• Michelle Angela Ortiz, Our Market Project
• Operation Save Our City, Roz Pichardo FB Page
• Learn more about “Mama Sunshine”
• Kensington Corridor Trust website

Learn to administer Narcan

Ask the average person who’s the most famous boxer from Philadelphia and they’re likely to reply with “Rocky Balboa.” In fact, it was the real-life heavyweight champion Joe Frazier who ran up the Art Museum steps and boxed raw meat sides at a slaughterhouse. We examine who is remembered when we build monuments to our heroes, and who gets left out — and visit the places around Philadelphia where Smokin’ Joe’s legacy lives on.

Show Notes

• The Fight of the Century
• Mark Kram Jr., Smokin’ Joe: The Life of Joe Frazier
• Official Joe Frazier website
• Brent Leggs and the National Trust for Historic Preservation
• James Shuler Memorial Boxing Gym
• Joe Frazier and the Knockouts on the Ed Sullivan Show

We go down the Rocky rabbit hole to understand how the fictional fighter grew from one man’s rough sketch into a global icon. Exploring Stallone’s Instagram art history lessons, interviews about his paintings with Oprah, and a limited-edition art book worth thousands of dollars, we learn that hiding behind the macho action star is a man who longs to be understood as a thoughtful artist.

Show Notes

• Sly Stallone meets Rocky Balboa
• Official website for filmmaker André Robert Lee
• Sylvester Stallone, Rocky. The Complete Films
• Sylvester Stallone, The Official Rocky Scrapbook
• Stallone on the Oprah Winfrey Show
• Stallone giving a tour of his painting exhibition, 2011

An estimated 4 million people visit the Rocky Statue every year. That’s more than double the amount that go to the Liberty Bell. Surprising for a monument that the city once rejected as merely a movie prop. We speak to people who wait in line to snap a picture or run up the Art Museum steps to find out what motivates this pilgrimage. Their surprising answers take us across the globe and range from quirky to deep.

Show Notes

• Laura Holzman’s book Contested Image: Defining Philadelphia for the Twenty-First Century.
• 6ABC News clips from the Temple University Libraries Digital Collections.
• Website for Steadicam inventor Garrett Brown.
• Learn more about Haseeb Payab’s journey from Afghanistan to Philly in this article from the Philadelphia Inquirer.
• Visiting the Rocky Statue and Art Museum Steps.
• The official Rocky Statue website.

The Statue, the story of a monument to the greatest Philadelphian who never lived, from WHYY Digital Studios. Coming in 2023.