The ten greatest Philly sports movies

Mention Philadelphia sports movies and a single image comes to mind: Sylvester Stallone in that gray sweatsuit, arms aloft at the top of the Art Museum steps. It's an iconic shot that has inspired millions over the years, making those steps the city's No. 1 tourist attraction. "Rocky" is, without question, the all time champion of sports movies tied to Philadelphia. Don't hold all of those sequels against the original. Just try to remember how, when "Rocky" came out in 1976, filmgoers leaped from their seats during the climactic fight with Aopollo Creed. And don't forget that "Rocky" won the Best Movie Oscar over the likes of "Network," "All the President's Men," and "Taxi Driver." Here's our take on the Top 10 sports movies with a viable tie to Philadelphia.

ROCKY

Filmed over 19 days and with a minuscule budget of $1 million in December 1975, this was a movie that carried no expectations. The anonymous Stallone wrote the script and refused to let anyone steal his leading role. So he settled for the actor's minimum pay of $1,400 a week, along with a small piece of any unlikely profits on the back end. That ultimately netted him $6 million. There are many Philadelphia moments here, most notably the famous training scene. To the tune of "Gonna Fly Now," the Stallion runs from the Italian Market, up along the Schuylkill, back down to the Navy Yard and across town to the Art Museum. Kenyan marathoners don't cover that much ground in a month.

INVINCIBLE

This film - the story of Vince Papale, the 30-year-old free agent whose raw desire earns him a spot on the Philadelphia Eagles - has many parallels with "Rocky." It is the same underdog tale, a blue-collar guy with Philly roots gets his shot at the big time. Papale was himself an Italian Stallion. And "Rocky" hit the theaters in 1976, the same year Papale became the NFL's oldest rookie. Indeed, Papale's story was so in step with that of Stallone's character that the other players nicknamed Papale "Rocky." Mark Wahlberg does a fine job capturing Papale's toughness and determination, even if he looks a tad small for an NFL player. Greg Kinnear is a dead-ringer for coach Dick Vermeil, circa 1976.

THE WRESTLER

Darren Aronofsky's bleak 2008 drama centers on an aging pro grappler (Mickey Rourke) with a failing heart and futile hopes of recapturing his glory. It was largely shot in high-school gyms and VFW halls around New Jersey. But the best wrestling scene was shot in the New Alhambra Arena (now known as the Asylum Arena) on the corner of Swanson and Ritner in South Philly. If you saw the movie, you'll recall the scene. It's the one where Rourke's character, Randy "The Ram" Robinson, takes some nasty shots from a staple gun wielded by Necro Butcher, a real-life favorite from the local ECW circuit.

FOLLOW THE SUN

Released in 1951, this film tells the story of golf legend Ben Hogan. Glenn Ford plays Hogan while many golfing greats of the day, including Sam Snead, play themselves. Ford has the swing of a novice hacker, which will make purists wince, but he is good in capturing the aloof nature of the man known as the Texas Iceberg. The film is about Hogan's recovery from a near-fatal auto accident and his return to the sport, which culminates with his victory in the 1950 U.S. Open at the Merion Golf Club. The sight of Ford as a limping Hogan, struggling to finish the final 18 holes, has the crowd on its feet, cheering as they never cheered him before.

M*A*S*H

Sure, it's not a sports movie, and, yes, we know that Korea is 7,000 miles away. But this 1970 war spoof is highlighted by a 12-minute football game between two mobile army hospital units that features a dozen NFL players. Three of them were Eagles: running backs Timmy Brown and Tom Woodeshick, and backup quarterback Jack Concannon. At one point during the game, Woodeshick and Concannon pass a lit joint down the bench. The scene drew laughs back then. Just to show how times have changed, imagine the uproar if two current Eagles were to appear in a movie smoking pot.

BEST IN SHOW

We included this breezy spoof of dog shows even though some people would not consider it a sports movie. It made us laugh, OK? We're willing to bet it will make you laugh, too, even if you've never been to a dog show. It was produced by the same folks who did the faux documentaries "This is Spinal Tap," "Waiting for Guffman" and "A Mighty Wind." Writer and director Christopher Guest brings his Second City troupe - Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Michael McKean, Fred Willard - to Philadelphia for the Mayflower Dog Show, where an assortment of pampered canines are paraded by their neurotic owners.

BIG FAN

Patton Oswalt's 2009 tragicomedy centers on "Paul from Staten Island," a chronic sports-talk radio caller and New York Giants fan who winds up being assaulted by his favorite player. But that's not his biggest concern. More, he is haunted by his Eagles-fan counterpart, Philadelphia Phil (Michael Rapaport), who keeps calling Paul's favorite host to berate Paul and question Eli Manning's sexuality. Eventually Paul breaks. He heads down the Jersey Turnpike to find Philadelphia Phil at a local sports pub, where he shoots him - with a paint gun. A sometimes funny, often disturbing look at fandom gone too far.

ROCKY BALBOA

When we heard Sylvester Stallone was writing a sixth installment of the "Rocky" saga, we borrowed a line from Roberto Duran and shouted, "No mas." We couldn't imagine going back to the South Philly well yet again after the disaster that was "Rocky V." But Sly surprised us with a nicely crafted film that brought Rocky, now a widower, back to the old neighborhood and, ultimately, back to the ring. What we learned was that the Rocky character works better in a rowhouse than in a Main Line mansion. There are some really good moments, in particular the scene where Rocky tells off the hacks on the athletic commission. It is some of the best writing in the entire "Rocky" series.

THE FISH THAT SAVED PITTSBURGH

A 1979 Julius Erving tour de force in which Doc plays a hoops superstar surrounded by teammates resembling the Village People. Doc wears the tightest basketball shorts in history, dribbles in time to disco music and attempts to play ball in platform shoes. Ah, what a chance to relive the 1970s, afros and all. Fish is entirely inane but it works, because you know that the great Erving is just playing it for laughs. It's also fun to try to spot the 20 or so NBA players of that era who drop in for cameos (including Chris Ford, who went on to coach the 76ers). For what it's worth, Donovan McNabb told us that this was his all-time favorite sports movie.

WARRIOR

This film tanked at the box office, which is unfortunate because it deserves a better fate. Some critics felt it was the equal of The Fighter, the Mark Wahlberg film which brought in lots of money as well as Oscar gold. The leads (Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton) are unknowns, so maybe that hurt ticket sales, but the story is compelling and the action is well shot. Edgerton plays a teacher from the Philly suburbs who is short on cash, so he enters a mixed-martial-arts tournament. He winds up facing his brother (Hardy) in the final match set in Atlantic City. Nick Nolte is terrific as the father who is caught in the middle.

Ray Didinger and Glen Macnow are the authors of "The Ultimate Book of Sports Movies," available at bookstores or on Amazon.com.