During a commercial break on The Dating Game, an employee tells Sheryl Bradshaw the real question every woman on the show is trying to discern behind all the flirting and friendly posturing: “Which one of you will hurt me?”
Will it be Bachelor #1, who may be unassuming enough … but probably doesn’t know what the word “unassuming” means.
How about Bachelor #2, who makes it immediately obvious that if he takes you out on a fancy date, he’ll expect the girl to “return the favor” by having sex with him?
Perhaps Sheryl will pick Bachelor #3. He’s the only one who can put some thought into his answers, all of which are filled with humor and charm.
Surely, someone was charismatic as Bachelor #3 wouldn’t hurt Sheryl.
But, as history tells us, he would certainly like to.
Woman of the Hour covers the grisly murders of real-life serial killer Rodney Alcala, an evil man who won the competition on The Dating Game while committing more than a decade of assaults, rapes and murders.
Despite repeated requests throughout the film, struggling actress Sheryl refuses to bend to the sexual requests of various producers, hosts and men. She acknowledges that acquiescing to such requests make it more likely that she’ll be able to land a role, but she’s unwilling to sacrifice her dignity and integrity in order to acquire fame.
When a woman recognizes Bachelor #3 as the serial killer Rodney Alcala, she goes to various authorities, hoping that they can use their authority to arrest Rodney. She’s met with complacency and a refusal to investigate, but her efforts are nonetheless noble.
None.
A couple of men, looking to hire a woman for a role, ask her if she’s willing to be naked on camera, to which Sheryl declines. One of the men then takes the moment to tell her that he’s sure her breasts are “fine.” Likewise, one contestant on The Dating Game admits that bra size is a deal-breaking factor for him. The host of the show sexualizes Sheryl’s previous job as a foot masseuse.
Rodney likes to take photos of his victims before and after he harms or kills them, and one photo depicts a naked woman with her breasts visible. A man attempts to kiss a woman, and when she turns away, he grows upset. Later, we see the woman in bed under the covers with the man, the two having slept together. A woman showers, though nothing is seen.
We hear many sexual and objectifying comments, especially on The Dating Game. People make sly references to sex. Various men make suggestive and unwelcome comments about women, with one going so far as to say that the reason he respects women is so he can have sex with them. Sheryl’s question cue cards on the show mostly reference sexual ideas, and the host forces her to wear a dress that accentuates her figure for the camera.
We see many scenes involve Rodney slaying his victims in brutal fashion. One girl, who is based on a real-life 15-year-old victim, gets beaten bloody and unconscious, tied up and raped (which isn’t depicted onscreen but is obvious when she awakens to find her pants pulled down). Another woman is forcefully shoved to the ground, has her head slammed against the floor and is choked to death. A pregnant woman is choked unconscious before being intentionally revived so Rodney can do it again. And we see the body of a fourth victim left dead in a destroyed room. The camera pictures blood on Rodney’s fingernails as well.
We are likewise told of other victims Rodney killed, and we’re informed that his true number of victims could be as high as 130. Rodney enjoys taking photos of his victims and placing them in a scrapbook, which is filled with portraits of adults and children, men and women, alike. One photo depicts a severely bloodied naked woman whom Rodney tortured.
Rodney’s victims all recount times when men took advantage of them in various ways, from abandoning one because she was pregnant to another commenting on being “groped by sweaty businessmen” while working as a stewardess.
We hear a reference to rape and murder.
The f-word is used nearly 40 times. The s-word is used 13 times. Two crude words referring to the female anatomy are used, too. Other vulgarities include “a–,” “b–ch,” “h—” and “crap.”
God’s name is used in vain 11 times, including twice with “d–n.” Jesus’ name is likewise used in vain four times.
Someone smokes marijuana. Others smoke cigarettes. People drink liquor and beer. An inattentive parent is described as “too loaded to worry about anything.”
A man urinates. We’re told of an ex-boyfriend who abandoned his duty as a father when he realized his girlfriend was pregnant. We likewise hear of other men who selfishly abandoned their families, leaving broken households behind.
Woman of the Hour gives a face to many of the victims of Rodney Alcala, the “Dating Game Killer” from the 1970s. They tell Rodney their hopes, dreams and struggles. One is a flight stewardess. Another is a newly single pregnant mother. Rodney kills both of them without remorse.
How does someone like that win a show like The Dating Game, where three men hope to charm an unseen woman into choosing to go on a date with them?
First, it’s shown, he charms them with sweet talk. He knows the right mask to wear, the correct things to say. And he knows how to present himself in such a way that makes him seem friendly and unthreatening. With that guise, Rodney is able to manipulate others into getting what he wants – an idea which is spelled out as more normative than not by Bachelor #2, who all but claims his respect for women is dependent on what they’ll give him in return.
And that thought speaks to the second reason why Rodney wins The Dating Game – via the tacit indifference by society itself. By his record, he shouldn’t even be allowed to be there. When the real Acala is arrested under charges of child molestation, attempted murder and rape, he only serves a few years. And once he’s out, he goes right back to doing evil things. In fact, even after Acala is arrested again at the end of Woman of the Hour, his mother pays his bail, and in the same year, Rodney sexually assaults and kills a 21-year-old woman and a 12-year-old girl.
Unlike many true-crime adaptations, where the focus might be on the serial killer, Woman of the Hour is told from the perspective of those whom Alcala victimized. They aren’t statistics the film uses; they’re people. And tragically, they live in a society that, the movie tells us, doesn’t take their concerns or well-being seriously. And because of that society, Alcala continued hurting and killing more people.
If it isn’t apparent by now, Woman of the Hour has some seriously difficult content to endure. The film depicts the brutal murders of many women, and we see a photo album full of the pictures of many more nameless victims. Among the victimizations we do witness, a 15-year-old girl is raped, and a pregnant woman is choked repeatedly unconscious before being killed. We see women endure unwanted sexual comments and advances as well.
Woman of the Hour stirs the heart to long for justice—and not merely the justice that humans can offer, but the ultimate kind. But this grisly, true-crime story definitely isn’t one that most people will want or need to see.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
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