It wasn’t until he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, that he stopped watering down his life story. I started coming over to the house, to help mom, by carrying him outside. He loved the sun on his face and he loved holding court, with the neighbors who walked by. I had the pleasure of listening to his life, until he fell asleep, getting more and more of it everyday. It got to the point that my mom and I started the screenplay before he died. It delighted him that we wanted to tell his story. And just to be sure, he made us promise.
I heard it from everyone - “He died too young,” “79 is so young.” “He was taken too early.” Well I have a counter argument. I think he lived a long life. I think, if it weren’t for some divine intervention, Rocco should have died, a few times, in his twenties. I’m grateful he didn’t.
On Saturday, July 18, 2015, Las Vegas dimmed the lights. “The nostalgic front fountains of Caesar's Palace were turned off for a minute for our beloved Bobo, who was best known for playing casino owner, ‘Moe Greene’ in “The Godfather.” said Mickey Rosenberg, Senior VP, Caesars Entertainment, .
With that, please join us in our promise to tell his story. And like I told my mom, “Once you marry a gangster, you don’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”
Sean Doyle - Writer/Director