Posts:
2,445
Registered:
11/25/09
|
|
|
|
Re: So whatever happened to Rob in Best Years of Our Lives?
Posted: Aug 6, 2012 1:31 PM
in response to: TomJH
|
|
LOL but good!
As often as I have seen, love and defended this movie, I have never noticed this omission. It is an interesting point.
He’s too young to be bar hopping with the others and would be in high school during the day. The banquet isn’t an event he would typically be at. We don’t see the family in church so there’s nothing there. This is all normal.
Rob isn’t at any of the family meals which is not. As mentioned he’s not at the wedding either. As there are young children there supplying the music it’s not an “adults only” affair so that’s a real omission. I don’t know why anyone never caught it before.
His questions to his father about Japan and atomic energy effects, as well as his statements about what he’s being taught in school, show him to be intelligent and concerned for human welfare so I doubt he was into hari kari. (We’ve talked about political messages on the other thread and this is where I really see some possible injection of some.) Sadly, he will become an adult just in time for Korea and the family will again be in a holding pattern, this time for him.
Thanks, Tom, for the thread.
|
|
|
Posts:
1,933
Registered:
04/19/11
|
|
|
|
Re: So whatever happened to Rob in Best Years of Our Lives?
Posted: Aug 6, 2012 1:14 PM
in response to: Sepiatone
|
|
Sepiatone wrote: But it's true. NObody seemd to notice Rob wasn't around. Hell, they didn't even bring him to Homer's WEDDING with them!
Exactly, which is why I became concerned about him. The daughter showed up at the wedding with the Stephensons, but Rob didn't and he wasn't much younger than she.
So far the guesses on the thread are A) he played samurai roulette, B) he became a television comedy writer, and C) he was a cello player hanging out in the corners at NASA. I appreciate the suggestions from all these people because it's apparent, like myself, that they really care about Rob.
Still, there's not a lot of strong evidence for two of those speculations, I must admit. The samurai sword thing bothers me, though. He did have that sword in his hand when he left the room. I hate to think that something may have happened regarding it. Could it be that the father was drinking more than ever during the latter part of the film (remember him at that bankers testimonial?) out of guilt for being the agent that gave his son that weapon of self destruction? Then, again, it could be because Al just liked the sauce.
The mystery continues . . .
Edited by: TomJH on Aug 6, 2012 6:20 PM
|
|
|
Posts:
2,518
Registered:
12/19/11
|
|
|
|
Re: So whatever happened to Rob in Best Years of Our Lives?
Posted: Aug 6, 2012 12:46 PM
in response to: TomJH
|
|
Well, SOMEbody should have given some advice on how to raise Ritchie. That brat was the DORKIEST sissy on television!
But it's true. NObody seemd to notice Rob wasn't around. Hell, they didn't even bring him to Homer's WEDDING with them!
Sepiatone
|
|
|
Posts:
2,326
Registered:
05/02/12
|
|
|
|
Re: So whatever happened to Rob in Best Years of Our Lives?
Posted: Aug 6, 2012 12:33 PM
in response to: ginnyfan
|
|
|
For your information here, people...Rob Stephenson went on to become an "instrumental figure" in the Apollo moon missions.
(...nope, he didn't become a rocket scientist...at 19 years of age he flunked out of M.I.T. during his first semester there, and then traded that sword for a cello, whereupon he moved to Houston Texas in '64, and played that sucker over in the corner at Mission Control...Gene Kranz just LOVED anything played on the cello, ya see!)
|
|
|
Posts:
1,622
Registered:
04/15/12
|
|
|
|
Re: So whatever happened to Rob in Best Years of Our Lives?
Posted: Aug 6, 2012 9:33 AM
in response to: finance
|
|
Oh, Rob! (in a high pitched female voice). Please be sure not to trip over the ottoman.
Edited by: finance on Aug 6, 2012 9:26 AM
Maybe that's it. The rest of the family decided early on that Rob was such a bad actor (like Ritchie Petrie on TDVDS) that they ordered him to stay in his room for the duration of the film.
|
|
|
Posts:
1,933
Registered:
04/19/11
|
|
|
|
Re: So whatever happened to Rob in Best Years of Our Lives?
Posted: Aug 6, 2012 9:33 AM
in response to: finance
|
|
|
finance wrote: Oh, Rob! (in a high pitched female voice). Please be sure not to trip over the ottoman.
You mean he grew up to me that Rob? A comedy writer? With a wife like Laura?
It's a lovely thought. I just hope his lush of a father didn't come around and try to give him advice on how best to raise Richie.
|
|
|
Posts:
36,857
Registered:
04/20/09
|
|
|
|
Re: So whatever happened to Rob in Best Years of Our Lives?
Posted: Aug 6, 2012 9:26 AM
in response to: TomJH
|
|
|
Oh, Rob! (in a high pitched female voice). Please be sure not to trip over the ottoman.
Edited by: finance on Aug 6, 2012 9:26 AM
|
|
|
Posts:
1,933
Registered:
04/19/11
|
|
|
|
Re: So whatever happened to Rob in Best Years of Our Lives?
Posted: Aug 6, 2012 9:10 AM
in response to: ginnyfan
|
|
|
ginnyfan wrote: Tom, I must admit I never thought about it before.
That's the problem, ginnyfan. I think a lot of people never thought about it before, including members of Rob's own family.
But perhaps whatever happened to Rob is just the natural result of being in such a dysfunctional family as the Stephensons. He's got a father in a perpetual search for a snifter of brandy (or any other way he can get it), a mother (is she in denial?) who spends a lot of her time in the kitchen trying to make "the perfect dinner." (Myrna seems very tolerant of her husband's drinking but what do you expect of someone who used to be married to Nick Charles?) And then Rob's got that sister who spends her time plotting how to break up a marriage.
I can just see the poor kid in his room with that samurai (note the spelling, Sprocket Man?) sword, thinking, "They don't even know I'm here" and then taking that sword and . . . and . . ., I don't even want to think about it.
Couldn't someone in the family have at least checked on Rob in his room? They might have gotten him to the hospital in time!
|
|
|
Posts:
1,143
Registered:
03/26/09
|
|
|
|
Re: So whatever happened to Rob in Best Years of Our Lives?
Posted: Aug 6, 2012 8:45 AM
in response to: ginnyfan
|
|
|
I'm pretty sure he was the son of William Hall, an early action star who later did bit roles. I believe they shared a scene in SAMSON AND DELILAH.
|
|
|
Posts:
1,622
Registered:
04/15/12
|
|
|
|
Re: So whatever happened to Rob in Best Years of Our Lives?
Posted: Aug 6, 2012 8:40 AM
in response to: TomJH
|
|
|
Tom, I must admit I never thought about it before. If they had given him a gun, they could have all happily reunited at his funeral at the end of the film (and sprocket wouldn't have posted about your spelling.)
BTW, sprocket, I'm ginnyFAN and actually a guy.
|
|
|
Posts:
1,933
Registered:
04/19/11
|
|
|
|
Re: THE BEST JEERS OF OUR LIVES
Posted: Aug 6, 2012 7:40 AM
in response to: Sprocket_Man
|
|
Ginnyfan took all that time and trouble to spell samurai correctly, and you just ignore her.
Sprocket Man, with all your great concern for correct spelling, is there also no compassion within you for a missing boy, as well? 
(Besides, misspeling smaurai shows you just how rattled I am by this issue! And if yiu see any further speling errors from me, it;'s becasue I still is ratled by it).
Edited by: TomJH on Aug 6, 2012 9:24 AM
Edited by: TomJH on Aug 6, 2012 12:12 PM
|
|
|
Posts:
1,350
Registered:
12/12/09
|
|
|
|
THE BEST JEERS OF OUR LIVES
Posted: Aug 6, 2012 7:35 AM
in response to: TomJH
|
|
|
Ginnyfan took all that time and trouble to spell samurai correctly, and you just ignore her.
Tsk, tsk, tsk.
|
|
|
Posts:
1,933
Registered:
04/19/11
|
|
|
|
Re: So whatever happened to Rob in Best Years of Our Lives?
Posted: Aug 6, 2012 7:19 AM
in response to: ginnyfan
|
|
|
ginnyfan, are you like me? Do you also worry about what happened with him and that samarai sword? Why didn't Al just give him a loaded revolver?
|
|
|
Posts:
1,622
Registered:
04/15/12
|
|
|
|
Re: So whatever happened to Rob in Best Years of Our Lives?
Posted: Aug 6, 2012 7:13 AM
in response to: TomJH
|
|
|
He just sat in his room with his pal, Chuck Cunningham from Happy Days,and played samurai roulette with the sword.
|
|
|
Posts:
1,622
Registered:
04/15/12
|
|
|
|
Re: So whatever happened to Rob in Best Years of Our Lives?
Posted: Aug 6, 2012 7:13 AM
in response to: TomJH
|
|
|
He just sat in his room with his pal, Chuck Cunningham from Happy Days,and played samurai roulette with the sword.
|
|
|
|
