How Woman of the Hour Compares to Actual Footage of Rodney Alcala’s Dating Game Episode

Notice! This post contains spoilers for Woman of the Hour.

Since Rodney Alcala dating game Appearance plays a crucial role in driving the primary narrative in Woman of the hourIt’s hard not to wonder whether the film’s depiction of the real-life game show episode is accurate. Marking Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut, Woman of the hour It was widely appreciated by critics and still boasts an impressive Rotten Tomatoes score of 91%. One of the biggest reasons behind the film’s acclaim is that instead of playing out like a typical true crime drama, it tries to focus more on the central perspective of the serial killer’s victims.

Many also appreciated how the film does not hesitate to reimagine various aspects of the real-life incidents surrounding the true story of Rodney Alacala to define the themes surrounding violence against women and their treatment in society. However, due to the film’s creative liberties, viewers can’t help but question which parts of its narrative are based in fact. Since Rodney Alcala’s chilling appearance in The dating game constitutes a significant part of the film’s overarching narrative, it’s worth examining how much it differs from the actual game show episode.

The questions that Cheryl asks singles are different for the woman of the hour

Even the way the Bachelor responded was significantly different

In Woman of the hourAnna Kendrick’s Sheryl gets a bunch of questions on a suggestion card from the show’s executives. She uses the cue cards to ask the first questions, the initial one being: “We’re in a theater class and it’s the big test. You’re a nerdy student asking me out…take it away.“In truth dating game episode, Cheryl Bradshaw’s first question was: “What is your best time?“ Since Rodney Alcala was the #1 bachelor on the real game show, he was the first to answer the questions.

“The best time is at night… at night,” he answered Bradshaw’s initial question. Anna Kendrick’s true story thriller also changes almost every other question Cheryl Bradshaw originally asked the singles. For obvious reasons, this, in turn, changes how the three singles respond in the film. Although Rodney Alcala’s first responses are a bit strange in the film, he mostly sells himself as a charming man who deserves a date with Sheryl. A closer look at the real Alcala’s responses, however, makes it more realistic. scarier than the film’s fictional account.

Rodney’s responses are even more concerning in real life than the woman of the hour

Alcala looked scary from the start on Real Game Show

During the dating game episode that featured Alcala, Bachelorette Cheryl Bradshaw also asked another question: “I’m serving you dinner. What are you called and what do you look like?Alcala responded to this by saying, “I’m called a banana and I’m fine.” When Bradshaw asked him to be more descriptive, he said, “Peel me,“which made the audience burst into laughter. Remembering these moments from the show, The dating gameProducer David Greenfield said the responses seemed “solid” for the show at the time, but are terrifying in retrospect.

One of Rodney Alcala’s contestants on the episode, Armand Cerami, also revealed that even the live audience didn’t like the serial killer’s answers. “The people [in the audience] were actually laughing and even booing quietly at his answers,” he said (via Rolling Stone). These real-life accounts highlight how, unlike Alcala’s version in Woman of the hourthe real killer exhibited some troubling behavior even during his appearance in The dating game.