Movie Character Update XX
Lt. Jean Rasczak, from “Starship Troopers” (1997): Lt. Jean Rasczak is the commanding officer of the platoon to which Johnny Rico is assigned in Robert A. Heinlein's novel, "Starship Troopers." His role in the book is important, although he is not in much of the novel, as he dies in combat shortly after Rico's assignment to the unit. According to Heinlein's description, "There was no god but the Lieutenant...The Lieutenant was father to us and loved us and spoiled us and was nevertheless rather remote from us aboard ship and even dirtside...unless we reached dirt via a drop. But in a drop - well, you wouldn't think that an officer could worry about every man of a platoon spread over a hundred square miles of terrain. But he can. He could worry himself sick about each one of them. How he could keep track of us all I can't describe, but in the midst of a ruckus his voice would sing out over the command circuit...Besides that you knew with complete and utter certainty that, as long as you were still alive, the Lieutenant would not get into a retrieval boat without you." After his death the platoon refuses to change its name and remains "Rasczak's Roughnecks," in his honor.
As portrayed in the film version by Michael Ironside, Jean Rasczak is an amalgam of this character, Lt. Colonel Dubois - Rico's History and Moral Philosophy Teacher, Major Reid - who teaches the same course in Rico's officer training, and Rico's father, who appears unexpectedly in the Mobile Infantry after the destruction of Buenos Aires. He seems less loving, and prefers to execute soldiers rather than allow them to be captured, although he does give special consideration to their needs for R&R. He does rescue several troopers, including John Rico, from the abortive attack on Klendathu, and holds the deep respect of his people. However, after his death, Rico takes command and changes the name of the platoon to "Rico's Roughnecks."
Hopkins, from “Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors” (1965): Hopkins is a man who works for an obscure British government agency - evidently one concerned with mutated plant life. When Mr. Rogers reports to him about a curious vine that knocked a set of shears out of his hand and then strangled a dog, Hopkins sends in one of his best agents, who quickly turns up dead as well. Hopkins then arrives on the scene himself, and concludes that the only answer is fire, "the one thing every intelligent being is afraid of." If anything ever developed that isn't, he muses, "it could be the end of the world." Hopkins lights up a newspaper, and goes out into the small jungle of vines outside the Rogers' home. Then the Rogers hear the sound of his car door slamming, and the car driving away, presumably to bring help.
Meanwhile the vines outside crush out the still-flaming newspaper...
Burma Roberts, aka “Blondie,” from “Marihuana” (1936): Burma Roberts is a woman whose fate was sealed by her mother's neglect - and a deadly narcotic. Although she came from a good family, her mother always lavished attention on her older sister, and assured that her needs came before Burma's. Burma would "have to wait" until her sister got married before she got to enjoy life. To make matters worse, Burma's sister Elaine hooked a society gentleman, whose family had to be impressed, so now she got even more of the time, money and attention her mother had to offer. Now Burma found herself a boyfriend, Dick Collier, and they began frequenting roadhouses and running around with a wilder crowd of young people.
Dick was a good kid, though, and everything probably would have worked out OK, if they hadn't met Nick Romero and Tony Santello in a roadhouse one night after a couple of beers. Nick and Tony seemed like nice fellows, in spite of their foreign-sounding names, and they invited the gang over to their beach house for a party. What Burma and Dick didn't realize was that they were narcotics dealers, and the party was just a ruse to get them and their friends hooked on the most dangerous narcotic of all - marihuana (sic). The party devolved into an orgy and one girl wound up drowned in the midst of her nude moonlight swim.
When Burma learned that she was pregnant as a result of this same party, and that both she and Dick were now hopeless addicts of the foul weed, she knew this would be a scandal her mother and sister would never forgive. She demanded that Dick marry her, and he relented, decent boy that he was, and agreed. He then sought employment to support a family, and went to the most reliable grownup he knew - Nick Romero. Nick gave him a job picking up a shipment, but the poor sap got shot by the cops on the first run. Now Burma would be an unmarried mother, as well as an addict.
Well, Burma's family was scandalized, alright, but they arranged to have her baby adopted while she served time for her transgressions. When she got out, she quickly found heroin was the next step on the narcotics ladder, and became queen of the underworld, soon rivaling Nick in her shady dealings. Of course, she had no further contact with dear Elaine. One day she spotted her sister playing with a pudgy cherub and was overcome with jealousy. She made up her mind to have Nick and Tony kidnap the child for ransom, never realizing that it was (of course!) her own baby that Elaine and hubby had adopted...
Proof positive that a single puff can ruin a life!
Sasha, from “Kindred, the Embraced” (1996): Sasha was a living descendant of Julian Luna who Julian intended to live a happy life without ever learning of the existence of Kindred society. Unfortunately, it was not to be so. Her overpowering attraction for the Gangrel, Cash, brought her closer to the edge than Julian had intended, and Cash ultimately told her what he was, as their relationship became dangerously serious. Cash asked Luna for permission to embrace her, which Luna at first emphatically denied, until Sasha herself spoke up and asked for what she now knew she needed with all her heart.
But even this tragic-happy ending was not to be, because she was forcibly embraced instead by Cameron, the Brujah. Much as she resented this rape, and the distance it placed between her and Cash, Sasha soon found that her blood connection to the Brujah would make her loyal to her clan, perhaps more so than to her own human feelings.
Vic Brady, from “Jail Bait” (1954): Vic Brady is a lowlife who sneers so much his face must hurt. Perhaps his worst crime is that he doesn't care about anyone but himself. He corrupts the impressionable young Don Gregor and convinces him to carry a gun, even though his aging famous plastic-surgeon father and sweet sister Marilyn know it's wrong. They hope Don will come around when he sees the kind of man Brady is, but Don goes along with Brady on a heist, even though he doesn't need money. In the process, Don shoots a security guard and when he threatens to turn himself in, Brady kills him, which should have been the end of a tragic story.
But it's not the end, because Brady needs to hide, and he remembers that his dead pal Don had a plastic surgeon for a dad. He tells dad he's got Don hostage and forces him at gunpoint to give him a new face. Things take a surprising turn for Brady after Dr. Gregor finds his son's body hidden in a broom closet, and he concocts a face that will make his revenge complete...
.
As portrayed in the film version by Michael Ironside, Jean Rasczak is an amalgam of this character, Lt. Colonel Dubois - Rico's History and Moral Philosophy Teacher, Major Reid - who teaches the same course in Rico's officer training, and Rico's father, who appears unexpectedly in the Mobile Infantry after the destruction of Buenos Aires. He seems less loving, and prefers to execute soldiers rather than allow them to be captured, although he does give special consideration to their needs for R&R. He does rescue several troopers, including John Rico, from the abortive attack on Klendathu, and holds the deep respect of his people. However, after his death, Rico takes command and changes the name of the platoon to "Rico's Roughnecks."
Hopkins, from “Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors” (1965): Hopkins is a man who works for an obscure British government agency - evidently one concerned with mutated plant life. When Mr. Rogers reports to him about a curious vine that knocked a set of shears out of his hand and then strangled a dog, Hopkins sends in one of his best agents, who quickly turns up dead as well. Hopkins then arrives on the scene himself, and concludes that the only answer is fire, "the one thing every intelligent being is afraid of." If anything ever developed that isn't, he muses, "it could be the end of the world." Hopkins lights up a newspaper, and goes out into the small jungle of vines outside the Rogers' home. Then the Rogers hear the sound of his car door slamming, and the car driving away, presumably to bring help.
Meanwhile the vines outside crush out the still-flaming newspaper...
Burma Roberts, aka “Blondie,” from “Marihuana” (1936): Burma Roberts is a woman whose fate was sealed by her mother's neglect - and a deadly narcotic. Although she came from a good family, her mother always lavished attention on her older sister, and assured that her needs came before Burma's. Burma would "have to wait" until her sister got married before she got to enjoy life. To make matters worse, Burma's sister Elaine hooked a society gentleman, whose family had to be impressed, so now she got even more of the time, money and attention her mother had to offer. Now Burma found herself a boyfriend, Dick Collier, and they began frequenting roadhouses and running around with a wilder crowd of young people.
Dick was a good kid, though, and everything probably would have worked out OK, if they hadn't met Nick Romero and Tony Santello in a roadhouse one night after a couple of beers. Nick and Tony seemed like nice fellows, in spite of their foreign-sounding names, and they invited the gang over to their beach house for a party. What Burma and Dick didn't realize was that they were narcotics dealers, and the party was just a ruse to get them and their friends hooked on the most dangerous narcotic of all - marihuana (sic). The party devolved into an orgy and one girl wound up drowned in the midst of her nude moonlight swim.
When Burma learned that she was pregnant as a result of this same party, and that both she and Dick were now hopeless addicts of the foul weed, she knew this would be a scandal her mother and sister would never forgive. She demanded that Dick marry her, and he relented, decent boy that he was, and agreed. He then sought employment to support a family, and went to the most reliable grownup he knew - Nick Romero. Nick gave him a job picking up a shipment, but the poor sap got shot by the cops on the first run. Now Burma would be an unmarried mother, as well as an addict.
Well, Burma's family was scandalized, alright, but they arranged to have her baby adopted while she served time for her transgressions. When she got out, she quickly found heroin was the next step on the narcotics ladder, and became queen of the underworld, soon rivaling Nick in her shady dealings. Of course, she had no further contact with dear Elaine. One day she spotted her sister playing with a pudgy cherub and was overcome with jealousy. She made up her mind to have Nick and Tony kidnap the child for ransom, never realizing that it was (of course!) her own baby that Elaine and hubby had adopted...
Proof positive that a single puff can ruin a life!
Sasha, from “Kindred, the Embraced” (1996): Sasha was a living descendant of Julian Luna who Julian intended to live a happy life without ever learning of the existence of Kindred society. Unfortunately, it was not to be so. Her overpowering attraction for the Gangrel, Cash, brought her closer to the edge than Julian had intended, and Cash ultimately told her what he was, as their relationship became dangerously serious. Cash asked Luna for permission to embrace her, which Luna at first emphatically denied, until Sasha herself spoke up and asked for what she now knew she needed with all her heart.
But even this tragic-happy ending was not to be, because she was forcibly embraced instead by Cameron, the Brujah. Much as she resented this rape, and the distance it placed between her and Cash, Sasha soon found that her blood connection to the Brujah would make her loyal to her clan, perhaps more so than to her own human feelings.
Vic Brady, from “Jail Bait” (1954): Vic Brady is a lowlife who sneers so much his face must hurt. Perhaps his worst crime is that he doesn't care about anyone but himself. He corrupts the impressionable young Don Gregor and convinces him to carry a gun, even though his aging famous plastic-surgeon father and sweet sister Marilyn know it's wrong. They hope Don will come around when he sees the kind of man Brady is, but Don goes along with Brady on a heist, even though he doesn't need money. In the process, Don shoots a security guard and when he threatens to turn himself in, Brady kills him, which should have been the end of a tragic story.
But it's not the end, because Brady needs to hide, and he remembers that his dead pal Don had a plastic surgeon for a dad. He tells dad he's got Don hostage and forces him at gunpoint to give him a new face. Things take a surprising turn for Brady after Dr. Gregor finds his son's body hidden in a broom closet, and he concocts a face that will make his revenge complete...
.