Rocky won Best Picture for 1976.

Incredibly, Stallone is supposed to have written the script in 3 days.

Rocky's soft heart gets him in trouble with his boss.

Rocky drops by a lot to flirt, but she's initially painfully shy.

Paulie, an alcoholic, is given to outbursts and tactlessness throughout the series.

Creed was proving that America is the Land of Opportunity.

As the exhausted boxers cling to each other late in the fight, Apollo says, "Ain't gonna be no rematch" and Rocky says, "Don't want one."

Apollo taunts the now-retired Rocky into accepting the bout

After she awakens, she gives her blessing to the rematch with Apollo Creed.

The scene with the reporter illustrated how ill-trained Rocky was talking to the media.

Father Carmine gives him a quick blessing from an upstairs window.

Rocky has had ten successful title defenses by this point.

Lang also suggests what Mickey later confirms -- that Rocky has been fighting easy opponents.

Hogan's cameo came in montage that showed how popular and media-savvy Rocky had become since the second film.

Apollo's training incorporates more speed and strategy into Rocky's straightforward 'brawler' style

The credits roll just after the first exchange of blows.

Apollo dies as a result of the punishing bout.

Rocky threw in the towel, but too late to save Apollo.

In contrast, Drago is seen training in a state-of-the-art Soviet facility.

Not to be confused with Connie Nielsen, who is also Danish.

The family moves back to south Philly, and Adrian even goes back to work at the pet shop.

Rocky re-opens the gym, leading to his new career as a trainer.

George Washington Duke was the name of the promoter Gunn defects to.

Robert Jr. was played by Sage Stallone.

Paulie is painting at the meat-packing plant when Rocky comes to visit, and carries a painting under his arm when he gets laid off.

Rocky serves as maitre'd there and tells patrons stories from his ring days.

Rocky befriends Steps, who becomes part of his corner crew at the climactic fight.

Earlier, Rocky is seen to hide a chair at the cemetery so he can sit and visit her.

Donnie's last name is Johnson; he unwillingly changes it to Creed later.

Sage Stallone and Milo Ventimiglia played Robert Jr. in previous films.

Liverpool was the hometown of Donnie's opponent, "Pretty" Ricky Conlan.

The early and late films in the series rejected Cinderella endings for bittersweet realistic ones.

Rocky fights his former protege, Tommy Gunn, outside a bar.

He won Best Director for the 1976 film, and returned for the fifth film.

On about any good-weather day, you can see tourists jumping around in imitation of Rocky there.

The story has a happy ending: Butkus the dog appeared in the first movie, and afterward Stallone could certainly afford his food.

Stallone was nominated again, this time as Best Supporting Actor, for the much-later "Creed."