In a special ceremony today, Rocky Balboa joined the ranks of Dorothy from “The Wizard of Oz,” Indiana Jones and R2-D2 and C-3PO when filmmaker Sylvester Stallone donated objects from his Academy Award-winning “Rocky” films to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. The items joining the Museum’s entertainment collections include the boxing robe Stallone wore to the climatic fight with Apollo Creed in 1976’s “Rocky”; the signature black hat and a pair of autographed boxing gloves from “Rocky II” (1979); and a pair of boxing shorts and shoes from “Rocky III” (1982).
The “Rocky” items will go on display in the new acquisitions case in the Museum’s “Treasures of American History” exhibition at the National Air and Space Museum Thursday, Dec. 21. The show features more than 150 objects from the Museum’s vast and diverse collections while its building is closed for renovation.
"Treasures of American History" closed April 13, 2008. For information about the Museum's reopening, go to our renovation page.
“The story of Rocky Balboa, an underdog from the urban, working class, is a quintessential depiction of the American dream,” said Museum Director Brent D. Glass. “This donation reflects the resilient spirit of the nation and is a welcome addition to the Museum’s entertainment collections.”
Stallone is the creative force behind the “Rocky” franchise, having written and starred in all of the “Rocky” films, including the upcoming “Rocky Balboa.” The original “Rocky,” which Stallone also directed, won three Academy Awards in 1976 for Best Picture, Directing and Film Editing. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. released all the films in the franchise.
MGM Home Entertainment has made a financial donation to the Museum for the preservation and display of the materials from the “Rocky” films.
The National Museum of American History collects and preserves American heritage in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific and military history. Documenting the American experience from Colonial times to the present, the Museum looks at growth and change in the United States. The Museum is closed for major renovations and will re-open in summer 2008. For more information, visit the Museum’s Web site at https://americanhistory.si.edu or call (202) 633-1000, (202) 357-1729 (TTY).
The “Rocky” items will go on display in the new acquisitions case in the Museum’s “Treasures of American History” exhibition at the National Air and Space Museum Thursday, Dec. 21. The show features more than 150 objects from the Museum’s vast and diverse collections while its building is closed for renovation.
"Treasures of American History" closed April 13, 2008. For information about the Museum's reopening, go to our renovation page.
“The story of Rocky Balboa, an underdog from the urban, working class, is a quintessential depiction of the American dream,” said Museum Director Brent D. Glass. “This donation reflects the resilient spirit of the nation and is a welcome addition to the Museum’s entertainment collections.”
Stallone is the creative force behind the “Rocky” franchise, having written and starred in all of the “Rocky” films, including the upcoming “Rocky Balboa.” The original “Rocky,” which Stallone also directed, won three Academy Awards in 1976 for Best Picture, Directing and Film Editing. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. released all the films in the franchise.
MGM Home Entertainment has made a financial donation to the Museum for the preservation and display of the materials from the “Rocky” films.
The National Museum of American History collects and preserves American heritage in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific and military history. Documenting the American experience from Colonial times to the present, the Museum looks at growth and change in the United States. The Museum is closed for major renovations and will re-open in summer 2008. For more information, visit the Museum’s Web site at https://americanhistory.si.edu or call (202) 633-1000, (202) 357-1729 (TTY).
Contact
Media only:
Melinda Machado
(202) 633-3129
Michelle Werts
(202) 633-3129
Public only:
(202) 633-1000