Netflix's crime thriller, Woman of the Hour, is based on serial killer Rodney Alcala. It explores a 70s game show called The Dating Game, where Alcala was a contestant. This was when his killing spree had already begun.
The movie is directed by Anna Kendrick who also plays the role of Cheryl Bradshaw, the bachelorette on the show. The game show contributed to Alcala's famous nickname, "The Dating Game Killer".
Unaware of his true identity, Alcala was selected to feature on the show for his tall build and charm. He was one of the three bachelors competing for a date with Bradshaw.
The Netflix movie Woman of the Hour reimagines Alcala's spine-chilling episodes of murders while simultaneously exploring Bradshaw's experiences as a contestant on the Dating game show.
The movie premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2023, and will get a Netflix release on October 18, 2024.
Who is Rodney Alcala from Woman of the Hour?
Rodrigo Jacques Alcala-Buquor was born on August 23, 1943. After spending his initial years in Mexico, his family moved to Los Angeles when he was 8. As per reports from CBS News, he joined the Army at the age of 17 but was discharged in 1964 due to sexual misconduct.
Alcala graduated with a Fine Arts Degree from the University of California. Soon after his first few attacks, The Woman of the Hour killer fled to New York University under the alias John Berger.
Before his appearance on The Dating Game, he had already served a 34-month prison for the sexual assault and murder of an 8-year-old girl, Tali Shapiro. According to the police, who arrested him in 1979, he had killed at least seven women.
During his life, he was convicted by Orange County of five counts of first-degree murder. The Woman of the Hour killer was also sentenced in New York for 25 years in 2012 for his 1970s murders. He is also suspected of various murders in Washington, New Hampshire, and Arizona.
Woman of the Hour killer on The Dating Game
Rodney Alcala appeared on the 1970s ABC game show The Dating Game as one of the three dates. His charm and wit were unmatched on the show, and he was reasonably popular for his responses to the Bachelorette’s many suggestive questions.
The Netflix movie reimagines his time on the show and Bradshaw's experiences while on it.
Although Alcala was chosen as the winner who would finally go on a date with Bradshaw, the latter refused the date after she sensed some discomfort from Alcala.
''I can't go out with this guy. There's weird vibes that are coming off of him. He's very strange. I am not comfortable.'', Cheryl Bradshaw on Rodney Alcala, telling contestant coordinator Ellen Metzger.
Alcala died on July 24, 2021. at the age of 77 while on death row in California. He died of natural causes. According to the Association Press, Alcala killed about 130 people during his life.
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