What happened to Gazzo & Butkus?
Neither of them are seen, heard from, or mentioned again after Rocky II :/
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MovieChat Forums > Rocky III (1982) Discussion > What happened to Gazzo & Butkus?
Rocky sold butkis for 300 bucks before he made the first rocky...then bought him back for 25k after he got some cash. It was really his dog
shareButkus mauled Gazzo and had to be destroyed.
"She filled the blank with a tube of denture cream and a false sense of superiority."
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I read that Gazzo was written out because the actor who played him (Joe Spinell) fell out with Stallone. That scene at the beginning where Rocky says to Paulie "friends don't owe, they do because they want to do" was about that fall out. Basically, lots of Sly's old friends wanted parts in his movies just because that had been friends before or had done favors for him.
I don't know why Butkus isn't around, but with Rocky Jr there they already have the cuteness factor so they didn't need anything else, I guess. I also think Paulie became kind of Rocky's dog, just kinda hanging around his house and stuff. That, plus the robot.
Death by stereo
Joe Spinell should have been in it because he was a great actor and his character was a fun addition to the series. Always liked that he wasn't just a loan shark but also a friend to Rocky as seen in Rocky 2 where he shows up at the fight even after Rocky had rejected to work for him earlier on. You would think he would be done with Rock after that but the fact that he shows up at the fight shows that he still cared for his former leg-breaker and was also proud of him for coming a long way.
shareand his character was a fun addition to the series
True, but I think Gazzo suited the more urban tone of Rocky I & II, while in Rocky III, Rocky had moved on from that life completely and become super rich & successful and therefore it's unlikely he'd keep in touch with anyone from the old neighborhood.
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Rocky had moved on, he was rich, no way he would have a friend like gazzo now
shareButkus the dog in real life passed away after Rocky II..as for Gazzo..in the novelization for 3 he's in the locker room with Rocky before the Thunderlips match much ti Mick's annoyance..Paulie is hiding in the stalls trying to avoid Gazzo because he does owe him money...as for why that's not in the movie I couldn't tell you...
shareStallone did have a falling out with Joe Spinell prior to Rocky III. Although you would think that after becoming a big celebrity Rocky would be advised to avoid mob connections. I did read that there were plans to bring Gazzo back for Rocky V but unfortunately Joe Spinell passed away before production began.
shareThat would’ve been cool. Maybe Gazzo could’ve dealt with some problems for Rock.
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