PHILADELPHIA – The Brazilian exchange student made one request of his host before his study abroad semester was cut short and he returned home to Sao Paulo.
Take me to Rocky.
On the way to the Philadelphia airport, Joao Martucci, who studied linguistics at West Chester University, made a pit stop and beelined to the Rocky Balboa statue at the base of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. He raised his arms in triumph like Philly’s favorite fictional fighter, then recreated the boxer’s famous run up 72 stone steps to the entrance of the museum. He celebrated his ascent by waving his arms and hopping around (minus the strains of “Gonna Fly Now”), just as Sylvester Stallone’s character had done at the end of his training run in “Rocky.”
“I just really like the films about Rocky,” he said. “I really wanted to know the statue and the stairs.”
He’s not alone in his Rocky fandom. From South Philly to Brazil and around the globe, an incalculable number of Rocky Balboa fans have recreated the run made famous in “Rocky” and duplicated in sequels, spinoffs and Super Bowl spots.