As a seasoned cinemagoer with a knack for unraveling the intricate tapestries of human stories, I must say that Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut, “Woman of the Hour,” piques my curiosity. The tale of Rodney Alcala, a serial killer who charmed his way onto the set of “The Dating Game” in 1978, is a chilling reminder of how danger can lurk where we least expect it.
On October 18th, Anna Kendrick’s first directorial work, “Woman of the Hour,” will debut on Netflix. This gripping film recounts the real-life story of how American serial killer Rodney Alcala managed to win a game show called “The Dating Game” back in 1978.
Born in San Antonio, Texas on August 23, 1943, Alcala is recognized as a notorious serial killer and sexual offender, who primarily carried out his heinous acts in California and New York. In his spare time, this amateur photographer frequently snapped photos of his victims, either prior to or post-murder. By the age of 35, Alcala had already claimed around five lives and been apprehended twice for the rape of an 8-year-old girl named Tali Shapiro and the assault of a 13-year-old female.
The original version of ‘The Dating Game’ debuted in 1965. In this TV show, one eligible woman was introduced to three hidden male candidates. She would engage them with intriguing questions to help her decide who she found most appealing. At the end, she chose her preferred suitor for a date.
In a 1978 episode, Alcala was presented by host Jim Lange as a “talented photographer who began his career at the tender age of 13, when his father discovered him in the darkroom.” During this episode, the bachelorette named Cheryl Bradshaw asked Alcala questions such as, “If I were to serve you dinner, what would you call yourself and how do you appear?” To which Alcala replied, “I am known as ‘the banana’ and I look appealing.
“Can you be a little more descriptive?” Bradshaw asked again.
“Peel me,” Alcala responded.
Previously, David Greenfield – who worked as a producer on the show during the ’70s – shared with ABC News, “Reflecting back, it seems dreadful. However, at that moment, it was a solid response. We were aiming for provocative and sexy answers, and it was one of them. Considering it in today’s context, it feels shocking like ‘Oh my goodness!’
In this specific episode, Bradshaw picked Alcala as the fortunate bachelor. Despite receiving tennis training sessions and passes to Magic Mountain amusement park, their planned date never took place. Following the recording, Bradshaw contacted the coordinator for contestants, Ellen Metzger, to cancel their plans with Alcala.
Metzger recounted her saying, ‘Ellen, I can’t go out with this man. There’s something off about him that makes me uneasy. He’s really strange and it just doesn’t feel right for me. Am I going to have an issue with that?’ To which I responded, ‘No.’
The next year after the incident, Alcala faced charges for the murder of Robin Samsoe, a 12-year-old girl. He was found guilty and sentenced to death in 1980. However, in 1984, he appealed his case and received a new trial, resulting in another death sentence in 1986. This ruling was overturned again in 2001. In the subsequent years, Orange County investigators discovered DNA evidence linking Alcala to the deaths of five women, all killed between 1977 and 1979.
Ultimately, in 2010, Alcala was found guilty for a third time and given the death sentence for five counts of first-degree murder. The exact number of his victims is uncertain, but some experts speculate that it might reach into the hundreds.
On the 24th of July, 2021, Alcala succumbed to natural causes at the age of 77, while serving a life sentence in California.
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2024-10-19 00:46