The popular game show The Dating Game continued long after the events in Netflix's film Woman of the Hour. Anna Kendrick made her directorial debut with Woman of the Hour, which chronicles the real-life appearance of serial killer Rodney Alcala on the popular game show The Dating Game. Kendrick also leads the cast of Woman of the Hour alongside Daniel Zovatto as Alcala and Tony Hale as the game show's host, Ed Burke. While Woman of the Hour changes several true story aspects of Rodney Alcala's experience on The Dating Show, his appearance left an indelible scar on the legacy of the hit series.
By the end of Woman of the Hour, Kendrick's Sheryl Bradshaw escapes Alcala's grasp unscathed and leaves Los Angeles altogether. She and Alcala appeared on The Dating Game on September 13, 1978, just two years before Alcala was sentenced to death in California for the murder of a twelve-year-old girl. Alcala received two death sentences that were both ultimately overruled. He died in prison in 2021. While the total number of victims remains undetermined, Alcala could have had as many as 130. As depicted in Woman of the Hour, Alcala thought of himself as a fashion photographer with an interest in motorcycles and skydiving.
Woman of the Hour is now streaming exclusively on Netflix.
The Dating Game Was Revived And Canceled Multiple Times After Rodney Alcala Was A Contestant
The most recent iteration aired in 2021
Image via Netflix The Dating Game originally aired on December 20, 1965 on ABC. It was one of several notable game show television programs created by game show creator Chuck Barris throughout the 1960s through the 1980s. Jim Lange was the host of The Dating Game from 1965 through 1980 and was the primary inspiration for Hale's Ed Burke character. After Lange left the show in 1980, Elaine Joyce hosted the show in 1986 and Jeff MacGregor hosted from 1987 to 1989. Overall, The Dating Game was revived and canceled several times after Rodney Alcala became an infamous contestant in 1978.
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Woman Of The Hour: What Happened To The Real Cheryl Bradshaw
Cheryl Bradshaw plays a pivotal role in Anna Kendrick’s Woman of the Hour, which shares the wild story about Rodney Alcala’s time on The Dating Game.
The series was revived in 1986 and again in 1996 with slightly different formats. The later iterations of the series also included a component in which the player would get to see all three contestants beforehand and declare which was the best looking. The player would then ask each contestant questions to try and determine who had the best personality. The ultimate goal would be to match the person with the best looks and personality, which would occasionally happen. The most recent version of the series called The Celebrity Dating Game aired in 2021 with co-hosts Zooey Deschanel and Michael Bolton and lasted eight episodes.
Tony Hale's Ed Burke Is a Fictionalized Version Of One Of Several Dating Game Hosts
Burke propagates his own brand of violence against women
Image via Netflix Tony Hale interestingly does not play the official host of The Dating Game, Jim Lange, in Woman of the Hour. Lange was the original host of the prolific game show and would go on to host several others, including Hollywood Connection and The New Newlywed Game. It's likely that Kendrick and Woman of the Hour screenwriter Ian MacDonald opted to change Lange's name in the film in order to emphasize the cultural and industrial misogyny of the era through Hale's Ed Burke character. Lange was a celebrated television and radio host in both Los Angeles and San Francisco.
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How Woman Of The Hour Compares To The Real Footage Of Rodney Alcala’s Dating Game Episode
One look at the real-life footage of Rodney Alcala's Dating Game footage suggests that Woman of the Hour changed many things from the show's episode.
Hale spoke with CBR on his Ed Burke character and purpose in Woman of the Hour. "He was kind of the symbol of how the culture was, treating women like how Sheryl was treated in her audition scene by the casting director. It wasn't just them. It was the acceptance of that and the allowance of that." Hale also contrasted the culturally ingrained abuse towards women Ed Burke had been propagating against the physical violence of Alcala. "But my character is causing trauma, because of how he's talking to these women, not listening to them, and treating them like objects. It's just sad."
The Dating Game Was Quietly Canceled, Mostly Unaffected By Rodney Alcala's Appearance
The Dating Game fell in and out of popularity throughout the years
The Dating Game has had its periods of ups and downs since it first aired during the mid-1960s. Since the series really had nothing to do with the various crimes committed by Rodney Alcala, the show was mostly unaffected by his appearance. Even though Alcala is often referred to as "The Dating Game Killer", he never actually harmed Cheryl Bradshaw or anyone else associated with the production of the series for that matter. As depicted in Woman of the Hour, Alcala's appearance on The Dating Game certainly made for one of the most bizarre game show episodes in television history but as a whole did not gravely impact the series itself.
Woman of the Hour is a biographical thriller directed by Anna Kendrick, who also stars in the film. The movie chronicles the infamous real-life story of Cheryl Bradshaw's appearance on the 1978 edition of The Dating Game, where one of the contestants, Rodney Alcala, would later be revealed as a notorious serial killer. The film delves into the chilling intersection of entertainment and true crime.
Director Anna Kendrick
Release Date September 26, 2023
Studio(s) AGC Studios , Vertigo Entertainment , BoulderLight Pictures
Distributor(s) Netflix
Writers Ian MacAllister McDonald
Character(s) Cheryl Bradshaw , Rodney Alcala , Amy , Bob , Rodney's Boss , Bachelor , Bartender , Laundromat Owner
Runtime 94 Minutes
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English (US) ·