Ever get that sinking feeling in your stomach when someone just seems... off? Most of us brush it off. We tell ourselves we’re being rude. But for Cheryl Bradshaw in 1978, that exact "ick" feeling was the only thing standing between her and a literal monster. You probably saw the Netflix movie Woman of the Hour. It’s Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut, and honestly, it’s pretty harrowing. But movies love a good dramatic flourish, and the real-life story of Rodney Alcala and the woman who snubbed him on national television is actually weirder—and in some ways, scarier—than the Hollywood version.
The film paints a picture of a 1970s Los Angeles where sexism is just the air everyone breathes. It’s gritty. It’s uncomfortable. And right in the middle of it is Rodney Alcala, the guy we now know as the "Dating Game Killer." But back then? He was just Bachelor Number One. A "successful photographer" with a big smile and a creepy vibe that the show’s producers somehow missed—or chose to ignore.
The Reality of the Dating Game Appearance
In the movie, Cheryl Bradshaw (played by Kendrick) is a struggling actress who goes on the show for a career boost. That part is pretty accurate. She was looking for a break. What the movie tweaks for drama is the actual interaction. On screen, Kendrick’s Cheryl starts asking these biting, intellectual questions to deconstruct the show’s chauvinism. In real life, the exchange was much more of its time.
Cheryl asked Alcala: "I'm serving you for dinner. What are you called and what do you look like?"
Alcala’s response? "I'm called the banana and I look good."
He then told her to "Peel me."
It’s gross. It’s sleazy. But in 1978, the audience lapped it up. He won. He was handsome in a quintessentially 70s way—long hair, bell-bottoms, lots of confidence. The show’s host, Jim Lange, introduced him as a skydiver and a photographer. What they didn't mention was that Alcala was already a convicted child molester who had been on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list.
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Where Woman of the Hour Departs from the Truth
The most intense part of the movie is the "date" after the show. There’s a scene in a parking lot that will make your skin crawl. Rodney gets aggressive. Cheryl is terrified. It makes for great cinema, but it never happened.
In reality, Cheryl Bradshaw’s survival was much more subtle. She didn’t go on the date. She didn't even leave the studio with him. After the taping, she got a weird feeling. It wasn't one big scary moment; it was just a collection of small, "wrong" things. She called the contestant coordinator, Ellen Metzger, the next day and basically said, "Look, I can't go out with this guy. He’s weird."
Metzger later recalled the conversation to 20/20. Cheryl told her there were "weird vibes" coming off him. That was it. No parking lot chase. No dramatic confrontation. Just a woman trusting her gut and saying "no" to a trip to Magic Mountain. That simple "no" likely saved her life.
The Victims We Often Forget
While the movie focuses heavily on Cheryl, Rodney Alcala’s trail of destruction was vast. He used his camera as a weapon. He'd tell women he was a professional photographer—which, technically, he was talented at—and lure them into secluded spots for "portfolio shoots."
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- Jill Barcomb: An 18-year-old found in the Hollywood Hills in 1977.
- Georgia Wixted: A nurse murdered in her Malibu home.
- Charlotte Lamb: A legal secretary killed in 1978, just months before Alcala’s TV appearance.
- Robin Samsoe: The 12-year-old girl whose 1979 disappearance finally led to Alcala’s downfall.
The sheer arrogance of the man is what sticks with you. He was in the middle of a killing spree and thought, "Yeah, I'll go on a national game show." He wasn't hiding in the shadows; he was hiding in plain sight.
The Dark History the Producers Missed
How does a guy like this get through a background check? Well, in 1978, "background checks" weren't exactly what they are now. There was no Google. You couldn't just search a name. But even then, there were red flags.
Alcala had already served time for the brutal assault of an 8-year-old girl named Tali Shapiro in 1968. He had been medically discharged from the Army for "antisocial personality disorder." The producers of The Dating Game later admitted that some people on staff thought he was creepy. Mike Metzger, the executive producer, famously said Alcala had a "mystique" that made him uncomfortable. But they needed a bachelor, and Alcala was "charismatic" enough to fill the slot.
It’s a chilling reminder that "charm" is often just a tool for predators. Alcala was a Mensa-level genius. He was articulate. He was "normal." That's the scariest part of Woman of the Hour—the realization that the monster doesn't always look like a monster.
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Why the Story Resonates Now
There’s a reason this story is blowing up in 2026. We’re in an era where we’re finally talking about "the gift of fear," a concept popularized by Gavin de Becker. It’s that idea that your intuition is a sophisticated survival mechanism. Cheryl Bradshaw didn't have proof. She didn't know he was a killer. She just knew he made her feel unsafe.
The movie emphasizes this by showing how women often feel pressured to be "nice" even when they’re scared. We laugh at the bad joke. We stay for the drink because we don't want to cause a scene. Kendrick’s film is less about a serial killer and more about the "calculus" women have to do every single day to stay safe.
Actionable Takeaways from the Alcala Case
If you're looking for the "point" of diving back into this dark chapter of history, it's not just true crime voyeurism. There are real lessons here:
- Trust the "Ick": If someone makes you feel uncomfortable, you don't owe them an explanation. Cheryl Bradshaw survived because she was willing to be "difficult" and cancel a date.
- Charm is a Performance: Being likable and being a good person are not the same thing. Predators often rely on being "the nice guy" or "the successful professional" to disarm their targets.
- Verify Everything: We live in a world where we actually can check backgrounds. If you're meeting someone from an app or a professional setting that feels off, use the tools available to you.
- Speak Up: One of the most heartbreaking parts of the Alcala story is the people who saw something but didn't think they'd be believed. If you see something that looks like predatory behavior, report it. Even if you're wrong, it's better than the alternative.
Rodney Alcala died in prison in 2021 at the age of 77. He never confessed to the full scope of his crimes, though police found over 1,000 photos of unidentified women and children in his possession. Some of those women are still missing today. Cheryl Bradshaw, on the other hand, largely dropped out of the public eye. She didn't want to be "the girl who almost dated a killer." She just wanted to live her life. And because she listened to that small voice in her head, she got to do exactly that.
To dig deeper into the actual evidence used to convict Alcala, you should look into the Robin Samsoe case files or the 1,000 photos released by the Huntington Beach Police Department in 2010. Many of those women have still never been identified.