SHORT TAKES : ‘Rocky’ Fans Lose Statue Round

Rocky” fans have lost another round in their bout to return a bronze statue of their hero to the top of the Art Museum steps, where it had stood before the skyline as Sylvester Stallone did in the movie.

The Art Commission voted 4 to 3 Monday to prevent the statue from being placed permanently anywhere on the museum grounds. Under the City Charter, the commission has final say about the placement of art objects on public land.

In another 4-3 vote, the commission turned down a recommendation by the Fairmount Park Commission to return the statue to the top of the steps for up to a year.

The Art Commission said it will consider a suggestion to put the statue in the Italian Market, the neighborhood that was home to the fictional Rocky Balboa in the award-winning film.

The statue, commissioned for “Rocky III,” had been moved back to the museum steps earlier this year to be used in the filming of “Rocky V.” Rocky fans wanted the statue left there, but museum President Robert Montgomery Scott said the statue is a movie prop--not art--and demanded that it be moved.

Despite objections from James Binns, an attorney hired by Stallone, the statue was returned a month ago to a spot outside the Spectrum sports complex.

The Art Commission decided then to give itself 60 days to find a permanent site for the statue. A month remains in its timetable.