Sylvester Stallone talks to Barry Norman about the arduous task of getting Rocky – his uplifting script about an underdog boxer – made into an Oscar-winning film. Chief among the issues was his desire to star as the film’s lead Rocky Balboa, despite being a “small part” actor, while Hollywood studio bosses wanted a big name like James Caan, Burt Reynolds or Ryan O’Neal in the role. Like the film itself, the story of bringing Rocky to the screen is a tale of determination, perseverance and Stallone’s uncanny ability to keep getting up after he gets knocked down.

BBC Archive looks forward to “Rocky on Venus”.

Originally broadcast 23 January 1977.

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