Listen to a rare recording of a television news report broadcast back in 1978 covering the big news of star and director Sylvester Stallone filming a scene for Rocky II.
Set at Abraham Lincoln High School in Pennsylvania, Rocky receives an honorary high school diploma in this scene which was ultimately cut from the film. Read all about the filming of this deleted scene here.
Both Balboa and Stallone attended Lincoln High, but neither one had much academic success. In the interview, Sly says: “Well, I tried to fit in but I was kind of a slow starter and a little mischievous for the school board’s liking, and I guess it was a mutual agreement that I retire.”
The piece mentions that Sly will use the school’s colors – black and gold – in Rocky II’s final fight scene, and indeed he did – black and gold are Rocky Balboa’s fighting colors.
Many thanks to Mark Pricskett for sharing this clip, and for being tech savvy enough to have tape recorded it from the television nearly 40 years ago!
