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Burbank, California Thirty years ago, Sylvester Stallone created one of the seminal characters of 20th century cinema – Rocky Balboa. Stallone then showed he was no fluke when he created another enduring hero named John Rambo. Rocky made America believe that anything was possible. The movie was as simple as Rocky himself, but somehow with a budget of $1.1 million and a production schedule of only 28 days, Stallone turned himself into an American icon, and the movie won three Academy Awards. Everything worked – the story, the characters, the casting, the photography, the turtles, the memorable music, everything. Rocky II followed as did Rocky III, then IV, V, and on Dec 25, 2006, VI. Ironically, the new film is called Rocky Balboa. Somebody decided that after 30 years, Rocky needed his last name in the title. As I sat on a bench outside of the University Town Center theatres in San Diego after I saw Rocky II, I decided I needed a career change. I liked the first Rocky immensely, but what impressed me most about that movie was seeing singer Eddie Fisher in the theatre's lobby after the show. By Rocky II, however, I was a successful advertising guy, pining to get into show business. I wanted to tell stories that made people feel good, and Rocky II pushed me into action. Because of my ad background, I would have the first of what would become several encounters with Stallone during the years.  The greatest underdog story of our time is back for one final round. The first one came in 1981, when Lorimar Films hired me to consult on the movie Victory, which starred Sly, Michael Caine and Pelé in a soccer themed movie set during WW II. My assignment would culminate in a trip to Washington, D.C. with Stallone and Pelé to screen the movie for the national soccer press and appear at the NASL professional championship game. When I was introduced to Stallone, he said, "You're the guy handling the merchandising tie-ins right?" I was indeed. The guy did his homework. I was impressed. I told him I had seen the four movies he had made up to that point, and that I even liked Paradise Alley, the movie that followed Rocky. "Thanks, I watched that one with one eye closed," Stallone said. We talked a little about Victory, and I mentioned the scissors kick on which Pelé scores in the movie. "Pele only scored five of those in his entire career," I said. The next day, we would hang out all day in the press box at RFK Stadium with Henry Kissinger, Pelé, Marion Barry and a host of bureaucrats. Stallone was to do the halftime interview on ABC sports. Sly had been assigned a second row seat in the press box, but since he and I were the first ones in the room, I moved Mayor Barry's place-card back a row, and seated Stallone next to Dr. Kissinger. I had made a friend of Stallone for the rest of the trip. At half time I took Stallone to the ABC booth for his interview, where a clip from the movie was shown, including the Pelé scissors kick goal. "Ya know," Stallone said, "Pelé only scored on five scissors kicks in his entire career." So, the guy does his homework, and he listens. I knew he was the real deal. I didn't see Stallone again for another year or so, but my transition from one career to the other – the one Rocky helped inspire – was well underway. To pay the bills, I was still a national sales promo consultant for Pony Sports and Leisure, one of the top athletic shoe companies of the late '70s.and early '80s. Included in our stable of pro athletes were Earl Campbell, Tracy Austin, Kenny Stabler, Reggie Jackson, Rod Carew and the Heavyweight Champion of the World, Larry Holmes. I had set up a meeting for my boss, a thickly accented German named Carl Heinz Ruhl to meet with Stallone at Paramount Studios. Pony wanted to put Stallone in their boxing shoes for Rocky IV, and I was the go between. Rocky III had introduced America to Mr. T who played Clubber Lang in the movie. T (who returns in Rocky Balboa) had been a bodyguard for Leon Spinks, and Spinks had been under contract to Pony during his brief reign as heavyweight champion.
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