Netflix’s latest drama Woman Of The Hour, stars Anna Kendrick as Cheryl Bradshaw – and it’s also the actor’s directorial debut. The chilling story is set in California 1978, following Cheryl, an aspiring actress, as she looks for love on TV show The Dating Game.
Faced with a choice of three men, Cheryl eventually picks bachelor number three, Rodney Alcala, who describes himself as a successful photographer and amateur skydiver. But it turns out Rodney’s creative passion was a lot more sinister than it first seemed – as he was in fact a prolific serial killer who photographed his victims after murdering them.
In the audience, a woman recognises Rodney as one of the last known people to be seen with her friend before she was killed. As she desperately tries to speak to someone in charge, the movie follows what happens as Cheryl senses that something is very, very wrong with her match.
So what really happened on set, and where is Cheryl Bradshaw now? Here’s everything we know.
Is Woman of the Hour based on a true story?
Woman of the Hour is based on a true story – while the movie doesn’t stick to the facts 100%, the main storyline is terrifyingly accurate.
Just like in the movie, Cheryl Bradshaw appeared on TV show The Dating Game in 1978, which ran on and off from 1973 to 2021. She quizzed three bachelors who were shielded with a screen so she couldn’t see what they looked like. Cheryl picked Rodney Alcala as her winner, who was actually bachelor number one, not number three like he is in Woman of the Hour.
In the movie, Anna Kendrick’s portrayal of Cheryl is bold, ditching the innuendo-based questions on her cue cards for questions like “what are girls for?” In real life, Cheryl asked the men, “I’m serving you for dinner. What are you called and what do you look like?” Rodney’s creepy answer? “I’m called the banana and I look good,” adding “peel me.” When Cheryl asked “what’s your best time?” he answered “because that’s the only time there is… night time is when it gets really good,” which could have been a dark reference to his crimes.
An image of the real Rodney Alcala
Rodney had reportedly already been linked to several murder cases before his appearance on the show, even serving time in prison for sexually assaulting and beating two people, including an eight-year-old girl in 1972. Rodney was later convicted of crimes that killed at least five people before the show’s filming.
While only convicted of killing six women and a 12-year-old girl, Rodney is suggested to be responsible for up to 130 deaths, with the true number perhaps impossible to know.
Called into custody in 1979, Rodney was convicted of several crimes and sentenced to death, before his first conviction was overturned. His second death sentence was also thrown out in 2003, before new DNA evidence connected Rodney to other murders. In 2010, he was convicted of five counts of first degree murder and re-sentenced to death. He continued to be charged with further murders until 2016, dying of unspecified natural causes in prison in 2021.
Who is Cheryl Bradshaw?
Cheryl Bradshaw was an aspiring actress living in LA in 1978, working as a drama teacher. She was chosen by producers to take part in the show, but luckily called off her date with Rodney after the filmed portion of The Dating Game.
After meeting Rodney, Cheryl called contestant coordinator Ellen Metzger to say she didn’t want to go through with the date, a tennis match the following day. Ellen told American news show 20/20 that Cheryl told her “I can’t go out with this guy, there’s weird vibes that are coming off of him. He’s very strange. I am not comfortable.”
Her instinct most likely saved her life.
Where is Cheryl Bradshaw now?
We don’t know much about where Cheryl is now, just that she possibly narrowly avoided a grim fate.
Woman of the Hour is available to stream on Netflix on 18 October
Isabella is a freelance journalist who has written on young women’s issues, entertainment, TV and film, South Asian representation, mental health, dating and so much more. She has bylines in ELLE, Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, Prima, Digital Spy, Women’s Health, and Harper’s Bazaar, and was named 30 Under 30 by MediaWeek, PPA and We Are The City. She was also shortlisted for Workplace Hero at the Investing In Ethnicity Awards and Hero of the Year at the European Diversity Awards. Follow Isabella on Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.