'Rocky' to enter Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History

By Scott Rosenberg Dec 2, 2006, 9:37 GMT

In a special ceremony on December 5, Rocky Balboa will join the ranks of Dorothy Gale, Indiana Jones and C-3PO when filmmaker Sylvester Stallone donates memorabilia 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 reed 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 on December 21. The show features more than 150 objects from the museum’s vast and diverse collections while its building is closed for renovation.

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 contribution to the Museum for the preservation and display of the “rocky” memorabilia.

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 presently closed for renovations and will reopen in 2008.