Sharp-tongued and versatile in acting, Anna Kendrick recently immersed herself into a very realistic and unearthly true crime saga with notorious serial killer Rodney Alcala. In her latest film, The Dating Game, Kendrick plays the part of game show contestant Cheryl Bradshaw, who unwittingly went on a date with Alcala after he appeared on The Dating Game way back in 1978. Such an outrageous episode was given light on the screen, by how Alcala’s charm masked his dark criminal history. Recently, Kendrick revealed in an interview what happened during the disturbing episode and what eventually became of the original footage of this show when Alcala first appeared.
For the unindoctrinated, Rodney Alcala was a convicted murderer and rapist who committed his atrocious crimes during the 1970s. What’s even more bizarre to the tale, however, is that he was participating in a popular dating show while actively committing the murders. Though his sinister past had nothing to do with his selection as Bradshaw’s winning bachelor on the show, she did refuse to accompany him for the actual date based on his “creepy” behavior during the show.
Kendrick answered one of the questions that everyone who loves those true crime stories have been asking: what happened to Alcala’s actual footage on The Dating Game? The original episode has essentially become a dark part of television history, because of Alcala’s criminal background, and is fascinatingly riveting. According to Kendrick, it has been archived but remains an inaccessible piece for public perusal because of its chilling connection to Alcala’s crimes. It is really hard for networks and producers to bring up the episode since they fear sensationalization of the tragic reality of those cases.
“The video exists but, I think people are right to be circumspect about sharing that footage again, that it should not be romanticized or sensationalized,” she concluded as she emphasized that true crime stories ought to be taken very seriously and handled with care when actual people and their traumas are involved.
While the film The Dating Game will focus on the experience that Bradshaw went through with Alcala, Kendrick has also expressed hope that the film could serve as a warning about dangers such as charm and the façade of normalcy in which some predators use to manipulate those around them. As the film itself moves closer to its release, interest in the true story remains but Kendrick’s message is clear: some things, like the real Dating Game episode, are better left in the past.
