Cast and Crew:  John G. Avildsen (Director); Sylvester Stallone (Screenplay); Bill Conti (Music); Sylvester Stallone, Burgess Meredith, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers

What It’s About: A palooka from Philly gets a the chance to fight the champ, while dealing with his own very human struggles.

Why Watch it Today?: Burgess Meredith, who nabbed an Oscar nomination as Rocky’s trainer Mickey, died 15 years ago today.