Seen in: Rocky
The Original Bar Seen in “Rocky”
This is the bar where we are first introduced to Paulie in the smelly bathroom, There’s been a lot of confusion about the original location of the Lucky Seven, but now thanks to Brian Sullivan, we can set the record straight.
Before Brian’s family began running the original Lucky Seven Tavern in 1970, the place was called Thompson’s on the Hill, and at the time of the filming in 1975, his mother Arlene was the owner.
While they never got a chance to meet any of the cast during the brief shooting here, Sullivan does recall having “watched from across the street; between the bar and the railroad where Rocky’s famous run started.”
During the production, Brian lived just across the street from the bar in the pink houses momentarily visible in the bar’s establishing shot.
The tavern went on to become The King’s Inn, but was ultimately demolished in the 1980’s.
As of 2021, all that’s left on the corner of Ormes, Somerset and Tusculum Streets is a small vacant lot where the bar once stood. You can see the B-Street Bridge in the background, though the bridge is totally new and not the original structure seen in Rocky.
Interior Scenes of Lucky Seven Tavern
1901 W. 9th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90006
While the exterior as seen in the movie is the original Lucky Seven in Philly, the interior of the bar where Rocky meets Paulie in the bathroom was actually located in downtown Los Angeles. The movie’s set decorators added boxing posters, including one for Philadelphia’s Blue Horizon on the bathroom door.
The old L.A. place was called Tootie’s Bar and was demolished many years ago. A public playground stands in its place.
The Lucky Seven as Seen in “Rocky Balboa”
2800 D Street
Philadelphia, PA 19134
The Lucky Seven Tavern seen in Rocky is a different location than the one seen in Rocky Balboa. (And if you’re looking for the place where Rocky fought Tommy Gunn, that’s yet another location, Andy’s Bar, which looks somewhat similar.)
Back in 2005 during the filming of Rocky Balboa, the bar was called Bentley’s Place, but has since closed down. Rocky kicks the can down Somerset Street where he’s parked his white van, then heads back to the bar to get the drunk guy to apologize to Little Marie (“No, Little Marie, it ain’t alright.”)
Incidentally, until recent times there was another place in Philly called the Lucky Seven Tavern, but that ain’t Rocky’s original – it’s just a coincidence.
