After many takes, failed scenes, and four wasted hours, the exasperated director (John Pleshette) changed the set to a boxing ring, but Rocky - as "The Contender" - continued to flub his lines while reading the "dummy cards.At $15 million and shot on a grand scale, it was a tremendous make-or-break risk for MGM Studios - and ultimately saved the studio from bankruptcy.McCulloch suggested that they split up, and try to locate police or other help.The two thugs took Rennie to their lair in a dirty passageway, and partially injected her arm with a filthy syringe, and one of them threatened to rape her ("Come on, baby.[Afterwards in her DC hotel room, Superman admitted to Lois that he didn""t see the bomb in Keefe""s lead-lined wheelchair.