It’s one of the strangest moments in television history: A notorious serial killer appeared on ABC’s “The Dating Game” and won a date with Cheryl Bradshaw. Now streaming: The new Netflix film “Woman of the Hour,” directed, produced and starring Anna Kendrick, explores this bizarre moment in history through the eyes of Kendrick’s character named Sheryl as she explores her interactions with the murderer Rodney Alcala (Daniel Zovatto). like the real Cheryl Bradshaw did.

However, telling a true story in cinema inevitably requires creative freedom. That’s why we compared the real-life case of Rodney Alcala to “Woman of the Hour” to find out what is fact and what is fiction in the film.

Did Alcala work at the Los Angeles Times?

A scene in “Woman of the Hour” shows Alcala working at The Times in 1977, a year before his 1978 appearance on “The Dating Game.” It is unclear what position he holds at the newspaper, but his colleagues seem impressed by him as he tells tall tales about meeting Warren Beatty and shows off his photographs. (Many of the images show naked women.) The scene suggests that Alcala exaggerated his role at the newspaper to gain access to his subjects.

Although Alcala did not use an alias and had a criminal record, he was rented According to a “20/20” episode of “The Dating Game Killer,” Alcala actually brought photos of naked women into the office, even though they were viewed by his colleagues as artistic in nature and not a warning sign of his mental state. He likely used his job to entrap at least one of his victims: Pamela Jean Lambson met Alcala in October 1977, and former Marin County Det. Richard Keaton recalled that Lambson was excited about the opportunity Alcala offered her. was thrilled and showed her stylist the photographer’s business card. Her body was found the next day. It is not entirely clear when Alcala left the newspaper, shortly before he killed Robin Christine Samsoe in 1979.

How accurate are the scenes from “The Dating Game”?

“Woman of the Hour” takes considerable creative liberties in exploring the crucial “dating game.” Some of these are minor adjustments for dramatic effect. Producing Alcala Bachelor #3 when he was actually #1 helps the film reveal Alcala’s face on the panel. Changing the prize also raises the stakes: Sheryl and Rodney win an all-expenses-paid trip to Carmel, while the actual prize was tennis lessons and tickets to the Magic Mountain theme park. One accurate aspect of the episode’s depiction? According to fellow contestant Jed Mills, Alcala actually told him, “I always get my girl.”

It was not uncommon at the time for Sheryl to appear on The Dating Game to boost her profile as an actress, something that may seem absurd today. Her agent points out that it worked Sally Fieldwho appeared in a 1966 episode of the series (alongside The Man From UNCLE’s bachelor Robert Vaughn); Many other stars appeared on the show before also becoming superstars, including Farrah Fawcett, Steve Martin, Suzanne Somers, Burt Reynolds and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The biggest change in “The Dating Game” comes to Sheryl herself. In “Woman of the Hour,” she rewrites the script and asks her own questions, including a tricky question about special relativity and “What are girls for?” At least as seen in the surviving clips of the original episode, the real Cheryl seems to be to adapt to the conventions of the series and play along flirtatiously. Knowing the context of Alcala’s actions makes this even scarier than the film: at one point, Cheryl asks Rodney to act like a dirty old man, leading to a moment that would probably be dismissed as too outrageous if replicated the film would.

Anna Kendrick as Sheryl in “Woman of the Hour.”

(Leah Gallo / Netflix)

Did a woman recognize Rodney in The Dating Game?

Much of the dramatic intensity of the “Dating Game” sequence comes not from the game itself, but from a bystander named Laura (Nicolette Robinson), who is horrified to learn that one of the bachelors is the man who killed her friend. She leaves the studio audience, goes into the studio and asks a security guard for help. In return, the security guard offers to let her speak to a producer, but this is a cruel prank: he refuses to take her concerns seriously and instead gives her the name of a janitor.

Kendrick said Laura represents victims of such crimes, but also those who over the years have tried but failed to draw authorities’ attention to Alcala. (However, Laura’s boyfriend, whom Alcala killed, was based on a real person.) Numerous people reported Alcala in connection with assaults and murders over the course of more than a decade before he was finally imprisoned in July 1979.

In fact, before his appearance on “The Dating Game,” Alcala already had a criminal record, served time in prison for assaulting two girls, and was registered as a sex offender. (In both cases he was released on parole.)

Did Alcala and Bradshaw go out for drinks?

Although Alcala won “The Dating Game” and secured a date with the real Bradshaw, that date never materialized. The day after the episode was filmed, contestant coordinator Ellen Metzger said Bradshaw called her and told her, “I can’t date this guy.” There are strange vibrations coming from him, he is very strange. I don’t feel comfortable going out with him. Will that be a problem?” Ellen told Bradshaw that she didn’t have to go on this date.

It’s unclear what exactly happened between Bradshaw and Alcala. In snippets from her episode, Bradshaw looks noticeably less excited when confronting Alcala. It’s unlikely that the couple went out for drinks after the show, as depicted in “Woman of the Hour.” Regardless, it’s an intense and frightening scene that cleverly highlights the pair’s size difference and the physical strength advantage they have. The moment where Alcala almost attacks Sheryl at her car, only to be saved at the last second by the stage door opening, is also probably a narrative invention.

How did Alcala get caught?

Amy, the teenage runaway seen at the end of “Woman of the Hour,” is based on the real Monique Hoyt, who actually escaped from Alcala and reported him to the police – leading to his arrest in February 1979. But as the text after the film reveals, that wasn’t the end of his crimes. While awaiting trial, Alcala was released on bail and began killing again. On July 24, 1979, he was arrested one last time for the murder of 12-year-old Robin Samsoe. Police discovered a storage unit in Seattle that belonged to Alcala and was filled with incriminating evidence and trophies from his killings. Alcala received the death penalty at trial, but a series of appeals, overturns and subsequent trials resulted in Alcala remaining in prison until California imposed a moratorium on the death penalty in 2019. Alcala ultimately died in prison of natural causes in 2021.

In the end, Alcala was found guilty of seven murders, although the actual number of people he killed is believed to be significantly higher. One day the mystery may be solved: the Huntington Beach Police Department published Alcala’s photos in 2010 in the hope that people who recognized them would come forward and identify some of the victims.

Woman of the Hour states that some authorities estimate that Alcala killed up to 130 people.