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Is “The Woman of the Hour” a true story? We actually checked the movie

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Is “The Woman of the Hour” a true story? We actually checked the movie

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Spoiler alert! We’re discussing the plot points of the new Netflix movie “Woman of the Hour” (streaming now), so watch out if you haven’t seen it yet.

Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut ‘Woman of the Hour’ has an implausible plot that is unfortunately ripped from the headlines.

The film stars Kendrick as Sheryl, a close stand-in for Cheryl Bradshaw, a 28-year-old woman who in 1978 appeared on a popular TV show called “The Dating Game.”

The show’s premise was simple: the bachelorette would ask three bachelors hidden behind a large wall a few scripted questions, eventually selecting one for an all-expense paid mini-vacation together. Bradshaw chose Rodney Alcala, not knowing that he was not only a convicted sex offender who had already served time in prison, but also a serial killer.

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“I can understand why it might surprise people that this would be something I would choose to do as my first time directing,” says Kendrick. But what intrigued her about the sad story was the opportunity to twist a well-worn police procedural drama that focused on men.

“On paper, this story was ready for Hollywood, with an emphasis on maybe a young detective finally taking on this case, and a determined prosecutor keeping the criminal behind bars,” he says. “But even though those things are facts in this case, it felt emotionally dishonest if I had included it in my film.”

Kendrick chose to focus “Woman of the Hour” on the countless women who were victims of Alcalà.

Let’s review the facts of this true crime drama:

Was Rodney Alcala on ‘Woman of the Hour’ Really a Serial Killer?

Yes, Rodney Alcala, who was born in Texas, was finally caught in 1979 and later convicted of murder. During his 10-year tenure, Alcalá is believed to have assaulted hundreds and possibly killed more than 100 people.

Alcalá was arrested in July 1979 after police found earrings belonging to one of his victims in a Seattle storage closet he had rented. He was sentenced to death, but died of natural causes at the age of 77 in 2021.

Did Rodney Alcala attend NYU and study with Roman Polanski?

In “Woman of the Hour”, Alcalá impresses the women by telling them that he is a professional photographer who sees something promising in their beauty, and tells them that he studied at New York University with Roman Polanski. The real Alcalà enrolled at NYU but did not finish his studies. There is no indication that he met Polanski, then the famous director of films such as “Rosemary’s Baby,” at the school.

This was a period in the late 1960s and early 1970s when Alcalá was on the run from crimes in California and had moved to New York to live under an assumed name, John Berger. In “Woman of the Hour”, while in New York, Alcalá seduces and kills a flight attendant, played by Kathryn Gallagher, an allusion to several crimes he committed in the area.

How did Rodney Alcala get on ‘The Dating Game’ in 1978?

Alcalá hit the airwaves with “The Dating Game,” a Los Angeles-based television show, simply by applying to be one of three bachelors featured in each episode. No rigorous background checks have been conducted; otherwise, the show producers probably would have found out about his criminal record.

On the show, as “Woman of the Hour”, Alcalà, with long hair and a gap-toothed smile, was introduced by the show’s host (played by Tony Hale in the film ) as a photographer “whose shots include skydiving and motorcycling. .” Although Bradshaw selected Alcala, he sensed something was off and ultimately did not get a date with him, a decision that likely saved his life. Alcalá was thought to have killed a few more women after his rejection.

Did the real Cheryl Bradshaw pick her own questions to ask singles on ‘The Dating Game’?

no Kendrick decided to have her character, Sheryl, throw off “Dating Game” protocol and ignore the silly and often sexist and suggestive questions the bachelorettes are supposed to ask the three bachelors. His intelligent inquiries highlight the lack of intelligence of men, with the exception of Alcalá.

Says Hale, “That was a great device that Anna used to show how this was her character’s chance to make a change in this sexist culture, even though it ultimately brings her to this dangerous place because it brings her to choose Rodney.”

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