Anna Kendrick makes her directorial debut in the film Woman of the Hour, in which she plays the lead role of Cheryl Bradshaw. The film is a crime thriller based on the true story of a serial killer named Rodney Alcala and his appearance on the famous TV show The Dating Game.
Woman of the Hour will be released on Netflix on October 18, 2024. Its initial screening took place at the Toronto International Film Festival. As for the role of Alcala, the production has Daniel Zovatto on board.
In The Dating Game in Woman of the Hour, we see male participants being questioned by a woman (without revealing their looks), and after hearing their answers, she decides who she will go on a date with. In 1978, as the show aired, Cheryl Bradshaw chose a serial killer, Rodney Alcala, one of the male contestants. Unbeknown to her, Alcala was on a killing spree.
As the show unravels, Chery Bradshaw gets uncomfortable upon hearing a particular reply from Alcala, and even after selecting him as the winning contestant, she decides not to go out on a date with him.
What happened to Cheryl Bradshaw in Woman of the Hour?
Directed by the lead star, Anna Kendrick herself, Woman of the Hour revolves around a TV show from the '60s known as The Dating Game. In this game, we reportedly see three bachelors being questioned by a single woman, who, after hearing the answers from all of them, decides whom she wants to go on a date with.
According to reports, Rodney Alcala, a serial killer active during the 70s', surprisingly appears on the TV game show Woman of the Hour. At that time, he was already actively carrying out his sinister activities. As per reports, Alcala had then already been accused of a direct link to eight murders, and there was an estimation of his involvement in more than a hundred such cases.
As the movie Woman of the Hour depicts, Cheryl Bradshaw (played by Anna Kendrick) interacts with three contestants on The Dating Game. One of those contestants is Rodney Alcala, portrayed as a photographer. Coincidentally, Cheryl initially likes his answers and decides to go on a date with him.
But post-show, after having a direct encounter with Alcala, Bradshaw felt that something was off, and she did not get a very good feeling about him. After talking to the show hosts, Cheryl Bradshaw decided not to go out with him, thereby saving herself from the trap of a murderer and r*pist.
What more do we know about Rodney Alcala and his appearance on The Dating Game?
As we see on Woman of the Hour, Bradshaw was introduced on The Dating Game on September 13, 1978, when he was described as a photographer. Surprisingly, at that time, he was actively on his killing spree and had already spent some time in jail for the r*pe of an eight-year-old kid in 1972.
Alcala's approval on The Dating Game was strange as a photographer was reportedly strange given that he took pictures of his victims before hunting them. Woman of the Hour has described his criminal records, and despite a woman recognizing him on the show, the game continued. He was the person last hanging out with her friend, who was later r*ped and murdered.
As per reports, Cheryl Bradshaw had mentioned in a statement saying,
"I started to feel ill. He was acting really creepy. I turned down his offer. I didn’t want to see him again.
She used her gut instinct about Rodney Alcala and reportedly turned down the offer to date him. Alcala, who had then already s**ually assaulted and murdered multiple women, got the death penalty in 2010. However, following a moratorium on his sentence years later, he died in prison from natural causes.
Woman of the Hour will be available for streaming on Netflix from October 18, 2024.