Woman of the Hour

In 1977 Wyoming, serial killer Rodney Alcala takes photos of a woman in the plains. After he gets the woman to open up about her painful breakup with an ex-boyfriend, he strangles her. He revives her, then strangles her to death. In 1979 San Gabriel, Amy is a young runaway who lives on the streets and steals occasionally. Rodney spots her sitting at a motel and claims that he can take photos of her and she can launch a career as a model. She agrees to accompany him as he drives to an isolated location. In a desert during sunset, Rodney proceeds to photograph Amy, then ambushes her. In 1971 New York City, Charlie is a flight attendant who is moving into a new apartment. She sees Rodney taking photos across the street and asks him to help her move furniture into her home. After helping her, Rodney assaults Charlie.

In 1978 Los Angeles, Cheryl Bradshaw is an aspiring actress going on auditions. Her agent Helen coaxes her to appear as a contestant on the TV show The Dating Game, telling her it might lead to her big break. Cheryl thinks going on the show is beneath her, but her friend Terry reasons it is a good opportunity for the workaholic Cheryl to meet potential suitors. She shows up at the studio to film the episode and is prepped to go on camera. The show goes live and the three bachelors, who are hidden from Cheryl’s view behind a partition, are displayed to the camera. Bachelor #3 is revealed to be Rodney.

Laura, a member of the audience, recognizes Rodney as the guy who was last seen with her friend Alison, who was found murdered at the beach. Uncomfortable, she goes to her car and tells her boyfriend Ken her suspicions about Bachelor #3, but he dismisses her concerns, reassuring her she could be mistaken and that the contestants are likely vetted by producers. She goes to the security guard on the show and asks if she can speak to a producer, but he falsely directs her to the janitor instead.

As the show goes on, Cheryl decides to go off-script because she feels the written questions she is supposed to ask the bachelors are sexist and insulting. She asks tougher questions, dropping names like Einstein and Kant and asking for the difference between a boy and a man. Rodney is able to make a good impression after the first two bumbling bachelors, and he ends up winning the “date”, with the prize being tickets to visit Carmel with Cheryl.

After the filming, Rodney takes Cheryl out for drinks. He tries to ingratiate himself to her by showing familiarity with plays she talks about, but he also makes her uneasy by requesting more drinks. When Cheryl walks back to her car at the studio, Rodney insists on walking with her. He asks for her number but realizes it is a fake. When he says something about bashing her head in, she anxiously races to get inside her car and is nearly accosted by Rodney when some people appear exiting the studio, and she manages to get away.

Back in 1979 San Gabriel, Amy wakes up in the desert next to Rodney, but she is now tied up. Rodney is crying, and Amy plays along with the situation to get him to trust her, convincing him to remove her restraints and go back to his place. When they stop at a gas station, she runs away. Cops appear and arrest Rodney.

A postscript says that after Rodney’s arrest, he was released on bail while awaiting trial, after which he murdered a woman and a young girl. He was rearrested in 1979. In 2010, he had a chance at acquittal, but the runaway, now an adult, testified against him in court. Some time after her Dating Game appearance, Cheryl left California to live a private life and raise a family. Rodney died in incarceration.

Last Updated: October 24, 2024 at 07:47