FlexiLingo
How a movie prop became one of Philadelphia’s most beloved monuments, and sparked a decades-long fight over where it belonged. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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B2 · Upper-intermediate
Comfortable if you already follow TV news
- 91% of the words are B1 or easier.
- 152 words a minute: a natural pace.
- 168 harder words (B2 and up) in the whole episode.
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% . .
And this, of course, is the theme for one of the most epic training sequences of all time.
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Is this episode right for you?
B2 · Upper-intermediate
Comfortable if you already follow TV news
- 91% of the words are B1 or easier.
- 152 words a minute: a natural pace.
- 168 harder words (B2 and up) in the whole episode.
Transcript
The opening of the episode. The whole transcript is in the player.
harder words (B2+)
This is 99% Invisible. I'm Roman Mars. And this, of course, is the theme for one of the most epic training sequences of all time. It's from the 1976 movie Rocky, and it plays as the struggling boxer in Philadelphia, Rocky Balboa, builds his strength for the big fight by doing one-arm push-ups and using a giant slab of raw meat as a punching bag.
back. The training montage ends with him bounding up the 72 steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The camera's panning around him and he raises his fists up victoriously. This is producer Justin Craman. Until I re-watched the movie recently, I'd pretty much forgotten everything else about it. Like this
moment is my image of the film. Rocky jumping up and down in front of the Museum, arms raised, all of Philly below him. Rocky's Run Up the Steps becomes this iconic moment and pretty much immediately, people who run up the steps as part of their exercise routine in Philadelphia
That was the opening. The rest of the episode (31 min) is in the player: every word clickable, with translation, saved words and flashcards.
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