Sylvester Stallone’s “Rocky” notebook was auctioned by Julien’s Auctions in Los Angeles for $ 437,500, more than eight times its initial estimate of $ 50,000. This is a vintage 1970s spiral notebook from the Mead brand, containing the pages of the original handwritten screenplay by Stallone for what would become the film “Rocky”: nominated for a 1977 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
The manuscript is one of a kind: it contains the first original details of the plot conceived by Stallone, the specifics of the scenes, the dialogues and the concepts to develop the characters (some of which were never made) and for his starring role as boxer Rocky Balboa, who would become the heavyweight champion of the world. The film launched Stallone’s career as a global superstar and pop culture icon and became one of the most successful film franchises of all time, spawning seven sequels and spin-offs, with an eighth still to be released.
The notebook was one of nearly 500 items from the actor and director’s personal collection offered by Julien’s Auctions with the catalog “Property from The Life and Career of Sylvester Stallone”. Costumes, props and memorabilia from his most iconic films – the “Rocky” and “Rambo” film series, “Cliffhanger”, “Demolition Man” – were sold as well as prizes, jewelry and furniture. The movie legend’s silk boxing shorts, decorated with the American flag, from the third installment of the 1982 film series, “Rocky III,” sold for a staggering $ 200,000, twenty times his estimate. starting at $ 10,000.
Another highlight of the auction was an enlarged photograph of Rocky hand-decorated in acrylic and signed by Sylvester Stallone, which sold for $ 112,500, fifty-six times his original estimate. The iconography used by Stallone in his other classic role, the former green cap John Rambo, from Rambo: First Blood and the Rambo series that broke the box office, was the star of the auction, like a personalized “Hero” knife with number 1, used by Stallone in the “Rambo” series, sold for $ 128,000 (twelve times the original estimate of $ 10,000); a canvas poncho worn by Stallone as John Rambo in the original film fetched $ 76,800.