What did Bobby C do? Bridge Confession…
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Saturday Night Fever
LenaAFoster — 11 years ago(July 12, 2014 12:00 PM)
Hi everyone
Also, I'm wondering if anyone picked up on the "I did it" Bobby C comment and Travolta says, "what did you do?". I personally think he might have killed his girlfriend. I know that sounds bizarre but I sadly had a case very similar which resulted in a murder suicide out of the blue. I am wondering if anyone thought that might have been a writer cliffhanger subplot. Im also wondering if Gus was beat up because he was a closeted homosexual. The bridge confession first.
I think the writing in this script is so next level off the charts human character and human relationship dynamic insightful, that I'm convinced the writer hid some major cliffhanger subplots in the script. Subplots meant to give a feel but not have resolution. The filmmakers were also playing the subliminal message game brilliantly as well throughout (eg, Travolta says, "you cool off" to Double J as Double J has his lighter flame on and he's staring at it, and the bridge symbolizing the great escape for everyone, to Manhattan for Stephanie, intellectual daydreaming for Tony, death for Bobby C)
It's no wonder this was Gene Siskel's favorite movie.
Back to Bobby C character development
We start off with him being a sweet mousy go along guy who has this girlfriend Pauline who is probably a girl like Annette trolling the discos looking to find a husband. Unlike Tony, who is on to girls like that, Bobby C is naive. The first thing we see is him asking If anyone has seen Pauline. But still waters run deep. We also see he likes to sit quietly and take pills/,drugs. But drugs for mental illness or social drugs? But, at the beginning he's also kind to women because he suggests Tony give Doreen some charity by dancing with her. He's also stupid and lost or mentally off.
So, then after he finds out about Pauline's pregnancy, he starts to morph on screen. He grasps at anything to help him out of his cage. Great parallels here. Tony feels release when his brother leaves the church. Tony feels freed from those religious, community and family chains. Like his brother no longer being so great means he might not be so bad, etc. The brother priest lectures about how he had to get out of the church because he was a priest only because mom and dad put him up to it trying to obtain some sort of "pious glory" for themselves. Then, there's poor whacko cowardly, about to SNAP.. Bobby C. He says his church and family and everyone says he's GOT TO MARRY her. When he says Pauline loves communion wafers, you can tell how much pressure her religious beliefs are starting to trap him.
So, then Bobby C is trapped. He becomes more frantic. Then he becomes hateful towards women. Calling Annette a stupid b.. For being scared on the bridge.Then the climax to his obsessing about getting out of the thing with Pauline when he blurts out during the rumble tumble "I gotta marry her,". So, I JUST noticed his demeanor at the hospital when Double JJ calls him a coward. Then Bobby C says, "I could have killed him [Gus]" Then Double J says he couldn't kill nobody, then Bobby C says, "what, do you think I'm a coward?". Like he's a coward because he hasn't killed anyone.
Then later at the nightclub, he's standing there watching (like a zombie) Tony dancing. A shell of a man. We know Pauline frequents the club. I'm wondering. Then later
So, when he says, "Tony I did it" And, Tony says, "what did you do?". And Bobby C starts cryingI'm thinking? What did he do? Not walk on the bridge. That was a too little too late pathetic exercise to get his manhood. Marry Pauline? No. I don't think so. That wouldn't have been the reason for a Tony I did it.". But, going after the enemy??? That to me would warrant a "look at me Tony, I finally stood up to oppressive opposition.". What was the biggest enemy in Bobby C's mind? Pauline and her baby. Bobby C didn't care about Pauline. He said so. He didn't care about the baby. He wanted her to get an abortion.
So "what did Bobby C do" that he was trying to confess to before he fell off the bridge? And the cops wouldn't know if he did that to her when they were talking to Tony the next morning.
Also, Gus subplot
There's a scene where two gay guys walk by and the Faces (Travolta's) gang harasses them. Later, we see Tony instinctively harasses his passive friend Gus who is carrying groceries. Then only hours after he sees him, Gus is beat up. Travolta says, "I just saw him" (Yeah, you saw him and harassed your buddy dude). I think in New York in that era, gay guys were often harassed and beat up. So, Gus maybe tried to cover it up by blaming the Puerto Ricans and then after his buddies go beat them up he's like, "I said it could have been them.". I think living in that hood he knew who he was dealing with. I think Gus might have been a homosexuality subplot and that stereotypical guy who couldn't tell his macho bigot friends who enjoyed harassing gay guys themselves.
Thoughts on any of this? LOL.
G
Abo -
LenaAFoster — 11 years ago(July 12, 2014 12:33 PM)
The bridge scene just passed in the movie. Yeah, so, he's sitting at the wheel as if he's in post traumatic shock. Or at least it looks that way to me. Then he matter of factly gets out of the car unnoticed AGAIN, looks up at the bridge with an odd look on his face. Then as he's on the bridge and he's saying "I did it" he was jumping around in a crazed sort of celebratory manner. Then he breaks down and says, "why didn't you call me?" So at that point, Bobby looks like he's blaming Tony for something he did. Very curious to me.
One more thing. Joey C ended up being Annette's FIRST. But, throughout the movie he shows interest in her. It's subtle. But, after the tragedy with Bobby C, and BAM, they INSTANTLY grow up, you see Joey C walking off with Annette sort of like a modern caveman claiming her as his woman, arms around her protective as he is walking off with her. She's dazed and confused as if she doesn't realize she's just been dragged back to Joey C's cave. She got what she wanted. Probably a match but not with Tony, who didn't want her and wasn't protective of her, but caveman Joey who did step up and comfort her in the middle of a crisis.
Remember when Joey C asks if Tony is going to make it with Annette? Like there was some interest thereall along with Annette but the code among guys where Joey Couldn't speak up. Come to think of it, when Travolta says, "my own friends can't be straight with me" at the end? That's another interesting thing. Nobody listens to Bobby C. Gus is probably gay but afraid to speak up. No one tells Tony the contest is rigged. Joey C can't tell Tony he wants Annette And the joke is that these guys called themselves the "Faces."
Once again, the subtlety in the human interaction relationship dynamic of this movie is brilliant..Subliminal messages. Tie ins to the different plots, etc. Brilliant writing. I totally get why Gene Siskel put this movie above all others (w/Dr. Strangelove). It's a seriously deeply layered human relationship movie that tackles lots of societal issues in a very smooth easily flowing way. I come at this from the perspective of someone who sees the way people act during conflict, struggling for control, while marriages are ending. Like I said, awesome film.
G
Above intended as free speech opinion written with pseudonym internet moniker w/o malice -
michellecavalier — 8 months ago(August 01, 2025 04:26 PM)
I actually AGREE with you that Bobby C probably killed the girl he impregnated. Makes sense. I have heard all the sympathies for Bobby C " poor thing, no one was there for him". The person who just needs a friend to listen because they are going through something is different from Bobby C! Bobby is annoying and clingy and just approaches anybody around to tell his problems to even if they are in the middle of fighting for their lives!! Or Tony's love interest… He doesn't even know her and asking for advice on matters that should be kept personal! So it's his car and he expects to fit in because they are all riding in it. He also has a sissy fit if he is not called back on time. ( Could he not have called Tony instead???) Look what happened during the fight scene! Not only does he drive off to save his own skin, when questioned he says something so stupid…"I was looking for you, where were you?" I would have drug him out of his own car stomped him good all while shouting " Where was I??? WHERE YOU LEFT US GOOFBALL! Very cowardly weak, mean-spirited whiny character. Let's not forget he has a penchant for calling women stupid *****. The girl he impregnated was the only piece he was ever going to get with his puny self. Yeah, I agree he probably was celebrating murdering a pregnant woman and blaming Tony for not calling him. He wasn't a good friend, a good man, or a good anything. I laughed when he yeeted himself off the bridge! My favorite part of the movie!!
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michellecavalier — 8 months ago(August 01, 2025 04:28 PM)
He was puny, weak, and whiney! Yuck! That type of person will stick to you like peanut butter! Bye bobbie. At least you aint gotta worry about getting married! I enjoyed watching him fall off the bridge!
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nativenewyorker88 — 10 years ago(May 07, 2015 06:54 PM)
I thought this too. He's really torn about getting his gf pregnant and can't brush it off or manipulate his way out of it like his more "sophisticated" buddies. He needed to really talk to someone, anyone and hoped that at least Tony (who was the nicest one out of the bunch) would sit down and give him some time. He was torn that Tony blew him off too and never called. It was a sad scene. Very, very touching. And I think that was the pivotal point when Tony realized the shallowness of his life and that of his friends and the realization that what they did or didn't do really had consequences & that none of it was any fun anymore. It was a wake up call for him to grow up, already. And that's what made him spend all night on the subway and finally went to see Stephanie who had already came to the point that he did. To leave his childish ways behind and make something of his life before it was too late.
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the35mmman65 — 11 years ago(October 07, 2014 02:47 PM)
I always assumed "I did it" meant that he had climbed the cables of the Verrazanno Bridge like we'd seen the other guys in the group do before.
He took pride in the fact that, at least in that regard, he was able to match up to his friends. -
Redart27 — 11 years ago(October 08, 2014 06:13 PM)
^^ this, I agree.
There was no hidden Bobby side story, or else the film would have gone there. Bobby was their little cowardly tag along friend. He wanted to run with the cool guys but he wasn't really one of them. I think they just used him for his car. He sat in the car the first time they visited the bridge, and he drove away from the gang fight. For him to step up on those girders was a daring, show off move. I don't think he was full suicidal though. The bridge walk was a cry for help up until he lost his footing.
Bring back the old emoticons! -
moosefeathers — 11 years ago(October 11, 2014 04:50 AM)
I don't think there was a Pauline and pregnancy. He was what they call today an attention whore. He lied to be accepted and gain sympathy from Tony. Possibly he was in love with Tony, being a latent homosexual.
Swing away, Merrill.Merrill, swing away -
Littlebitsofgaming — 11 years ago(November 11, 2014 06:27 AM)
There was no hidden Bobby side story, or else the film would have gone there.
If the film went therethen it would not have been hidden.
Personally I feel the film did what it set out to do with the bridge scene, it got the audience speculating. The film hints at what Bobby did was suicide or maybe it was just an accident.
As there is no real evidence either way
It could be he was an attention whore and wanted to fit in, got on the bridge, lost his footing and fell.
Or maybe he did do something to his pregnant girlfriend, maybe he was the one who carried out the "abortion" himself against her will and killed himself out of guilt.
But that is the whole point. It's open to your own personal perceptions and interpretations.
And so, God came forth and proclaimed widescreen is the best.
Sony 16:9 -
moosefeathers — 11 years ago(November 11, 2014 11:56 AM)
Well, i always had the impression that he was in love with Tony.
And a few conversations between Double J and Bobby confirm it for me, at least that Bobby's gay.
Swing away, Merrill.Merrill, swing away -
ToastedCheese — 6 months ago(September 24, 2025 01:06 AM)
The film is largely objective. We don’t even see Bobby C’s gf in the film. It relied on Bobby’s character to act the situation he was in. He even asked Stephanie about what she would do in a hypothetical regarding having to get married or have an abortion.
Bobby C. had Catholic guilt and if there are any hidden subtexts, he had his gf get an abortion. The film doesn’t appear too much in favour of the Catholic cult either. There is also the subplot of Tony’s brother leaving the priesthood.
Norman! What did you put in my tea?