Forty years ago this month, director John G. Avildsen and writer/star Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky hit theaters, chronicling the rags to riches American Dream story of Rocky Balboa, an uneducated but kind-hearted working class Italian-American boxer who gets his shot the world heavyweight championship against title holder Apollo Creed. Rocky not only was the highest-grossing film of 1976, but also went on to win three Oscars, including Best Picture.
