Why did they eliminate Rocky's brother from the story? Can you imagine having your family turned into a major motion picutre and you being the one cut out from it? Meanwhile, they make up and add as many characters and twist as much as they want to the real story.
I'm just curious if the actual reason why they cut him out was ever stated.
because rocky's brother is in fact conan o'brien, the talk show host. and conan wants to hide this fact. even though when you look at conan itโs really clear. conan is not as funny as rocky, though. another reason for the cover-up.
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"Rue the day?" Who talks like that?
by nutsberryfarm (Wed Jul 22 2009 18:40:55) Ignore this User | Report Abuse
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because rocky's brother is in fact conan o'brien, the talk show host. and conan wants to hide this fact. even though when you look at conan itโs really clear. conan is not as funny as rocky, though. another reason for the cover-up.
I've wondered the same thing. Where is HIS BROTHER!?
WHY!???
I think they wanted to keep the focus of the story on Rusty and Rocky. Perhaps they already knew he was dying of AIDS when they started filming and figured it would be too much for audiences to become invested with a character they knew might die later on in real life. It would've been a distraction to the story they were interested in telling.
To lose two children under such tragic circumstances in less than a decade seems like something few could handle, but no doubt Rusty did what she could to get through it. Hopefully now she'll be with her boys indefinetly.
I was shocked when I read that Rocky's brother also died. I saw the film for the first time today, and i could see what was coming at the end, when Rocky kept getting headaches, and when things went wrong with Diana because of her parents, and when Rocky's trip to Europe was cancelled, but I was really hoping for a happy ending, such as him going to Europe eventually or everything being sorted out with Diana. It's one of the most heartbreaking films i've ever seen. I've just been reading up on the real story too on the internet.
shareI agree, it was a tale to tell of Rocky's disfigurement and that's where they kept the film's focus.
When I read that Rusty had two children die, I felt so very sad! How much could a mother take?! One who dies of a disfiguring, painful disease and one (which no doubt was very painful indeed also) of complications from AIDS! And to add an extra jab, her son and the family trusted the medical profession when he went into the hospital, was obviously very ill or he wouldn't need a blood transfusion, and he came out with AIDS!
Some people get the sh!tty card in life, for sure. I so hope she is in heaven, with her two boys, and all three are at peace at last.
"I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus."
"Didn't he discover America?"
"Penfold, shush."
It is common for based on true story movies to eliminate a few people from the movie for different reasons. With Mask they wanted the focus to be Rocky struggling with his disfigurement. I agree with other posters maybe they kept Rocky's brother out of the movie because he was dealing with AIDS at the time and they didn't want to or couldn't add another subplot.
shareThey wouldn't have had to mention AIDS, but they still should have let Rocky's brother be included in the movie.
Intelligence and purity.
Well, he was 5 or 6 years older than Rocky and already out of high school age. So perhaps he would have not lived with Rocky and Rusty in the timeframe of this film. Also, it's possible he grew up with and/or was near/with his father(?). I have no idea, just saying...
shareConan O'Brien does NOT look like Rocky Dennis.
I went to college with a guy who was separated at birth from Rocky. And he had long red hair and almost always wore a denim jacket.
Rusty was, without a doubt, a very strong woman. She lost both of her kids in a ten year period. That itself is hard for any parent to go through, but then I read this, and I knew for sure she was a strong person.
"People say, 'Oh, it's too bad they died so young,' " Ms. Tullis, then working as a psychic counselor and living outside Los Angeles, told People in 2001. "I say, 'You don't understand. My kids lived every day of their lives. Every moment.'"
In case anyone wants to know, I found that here: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=16644704
He probably asked not be in the movie.
shareI recall reading that Joshua wasn't living with his mother and brother at the time. Don't know were he was.
shareIn addition to having a brother Rocky also had a sister who I think is still alive.
shareIn addition to having a brother, Rocky also had a sister who I think is still alive.
shareExcept Rocky's brother, Joshua, would've been 20 or 21 when the movie took place, not 32 when he died. Rocky died in 1978 and AIDS wasn't even a thing then, so that wasn't why he was left out. You are probably right about them wanting to focus sorely on Rocky and Rusty instead.
shareI had no idea Rocky's brother contracted AIDS from a blood transfusion until I read your comment. I thought he contracted it from his gay lover that died with AIDS.
sharecause the movie was about rocky and they wanted it to be about rocky and his mother. the brother died of aids though. if it just like the movie 54, how come the other partner was cut out and it was all about steve.
share[deleted]
I don't know. It seems kind of odd that he was never mentioned.
shareThe month and year that this film was released says a lot about the decision not to include and "dramatize" Rocky's brother and his condition. Aids was a relatively new term and there was panic and paranoia running rampant in the media. Mostly considered a "gay" mans disease, since the media targeted that sect initially, the public backlash was horrible! It would take the death of actor Rock Hudson to bring a face to this frightening epidemic. Shortly after his death did Elizabeth Taylor take up the cause to battle this mighty enemy. My heart aches For the fact that "Rusty" lost two children at such young ages. To have persevered in the face of such loss is testament to a heroic spirit! May They All Rest in Peace
Steve in Georgia
Don't know about the movie but Joshua (Mason) died of AIDS in 1987.
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