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Is “Woman of the Hour” a true story? We actually reviewed the film

Is “Woman of the Hour” a true story? We actually reviewed the film
Posted on | Posted on angela

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Spoiler alert! We're discussing the storylines in the new Netflix film “Woman of the Hour” (streaming now), so be careful if you haven't seen it yet.

Anna Kendrick's directorial debut, Woman of the Hour, has an implausible plot that was unfortunately ripped from the headlines.

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

The premise of the show was simple: The Bachelorette asked a few pre-written questions to three bachelors hiding behind a large wall and ultimately chose one for an all-expenses paid getaway together. Bradshaw chose Rodney Alcala, not knowing that he was not only a convicted sex offender already in prison, but also a serial killer.

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“I can understand why it might be surprising to people that I decided to do this as a first-time director,” says Kendrick. But what attracted her to the dark story was the possibility of twisting a trite police drama centered around men.

“On paper, this story was ready for Hollywood, with a focus perhaps on a young detective who finally takes on this case and a determined prosecutor who keeps the criminal behind bars,” she says. “But even though those things are facts in this case, it felt emotionally dishonest for me to include that in my film.”

Kendrick instead chose to focus “Woman of the Hour” on the countless women who fell victim to Alcala.

We fact check this true crime drama:

Was Rodney Alcala really a serial killer in Woman of the Hour?

Yes, Texas-born Rodney Alcala was finally caught in 1979 and subsequently convicted of murder. Alcala is believed to have attacked hundreds of people and possibly killed more than 100 people over the course of his 10-year killing spree.

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

Did Rodney Alcala attend NYU and study with Roman Polanski?

In “Woman of the Hour”, Alcala impresses women by telling them that he is a professional photographer who sees something promising in their beauty, and he mentions that he studied at New York University under Roman Polanski. The real Alcala enrolled at NYU but did not graduate. There is no indication that he met Polanski, the then acclaimed director of films such as Rosemary's Baby, at school.

This was a time in the late '60s and early '70s when Alcala was on the run from crime in California and had moved to New York to live under an assumed name, John Berger. In “Woman of the Hour,” Alcala seduces and kills a flight attendant in New York, played by Kathryn Gallagher, a reference to various crimes he has committed in the area.

How did Rodney Alcala get involved in “The Dating Game” in 1978?

Alcala made it onto the air on “The Dating Game,” a Los Angeles-based TV show, simply by applying to be one of the three bachelors featured in each episode. No rigorous background checks were conducted; otherwise, the show producers likely would have discovered his criminal record.

In the show, as in “Woman of the Hour,” Alcala, with long hair and a gap-toothed grin, was introduced by the show's host (played by Tony Hale in the film) as a photographer “who does skydiving and motorcycling between takes.” .” Although Bradshaw chose Alcala, she sensed something was wrong and ultimately did not go on a date with him, a decision that likely saved her life. It has been suggested that Alcala killed several other women after her rejection had.

Did the real Cheryl Bradshaw choose her own questions to ask the bachelors on The Dating Game?

No. Kendrick has decided that her character, Sheryl, will defy “Dating Game” protocol and ignore the silly and often sexist and suggestive questions that the bachelorettes are supposed to ask the three bachelorettes. Their clever questions highlight the men's lack of intelligence, with the exception of Alcala.

Hale says, “It was a great trick that Anna used to show that this was an opportunity for her character to turn the tables on this sexist culture, even though it ends up bringing her closer to this dangerous place because it makes her makes you choose Rodney.” “

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