Today’s motion picture is a crime drama film with a scene that happens on December 14. Watch and enjoy this film tonight.
HELTER SKELTER
Early one summer morning the maid arrives to discover five people have been brutally murdered at the home of film director Roman Polanski, including his wife, actress Sharon Tate. The caretaker William Garrison is arrested, but later released. Two detectives investigating the Hinman case point out that there ‘political piggie’ was written in blood and ‘pig’ was written in blood at the Polanski house. First mention of Charles Manson. Then Nino and Rosemary LaBianca are found murdered. Police id the murder weapon as a .22 buntline revolver. Investigating auto thefts, police raid Spahn ‘ranch’ where Bobby Bozelay, who’s been arrested for killing Hinman stayed. The police arrest ‘the family’. Kid finds revolver and turns it over to police. Family released due to insufficient evidence. Detectives on the Hinman murder suggest LaBianca investigators talk to ‘Shorty’ Shea, who works at Spahn ranch, but he’s vanished. The family moves to the Barker ranch in Inyo County and get arrested for arson. Two girls from the family say Sadie Glutz (Susie Adkins) helped Bozelay kill Hinman. Sadie confesses. In jail Sadie tells Ronnie Howard that she killed Sharon Tate. De Carlo arrested and says Manson ordered Hinman killed. Decarlo says the .22 revolver was Manson’s gun. Ronnie Howard calls the police to make a deal. Bugliosi goes to the Barker Ranch, searching for physical evidence and has the family moved to LA. DeCarlo tells Bugliosi that Manson wanted the killings to be blamed on African-Americans in order to start a race war that whites would lose, but when African-Americans discovered they couldn’t run the world they’d turn to Manson. Sadie says she, Tex Watson, Katie Krenilwith, and Linda Casabian went to the Polanski house and while Linda stayed in car they killed everyone. The police find prints of Tex and Katie at the crime scene. Sadie testifies to the grand jury about the murders at Polanski’s house and that Manson tied up the LaBiancas and then left with Linda. Then Sadie, Tex, Katie and Leslie killed the LaBiancas. On December 14, 1969 Bugliosi is upset to read the details of Sadie’s grand jury testimony in the papers. [1:27:41 to 1:28:18] A news crew finds the clothes the killers dumped after leaving the Polanski house. Leslie Van Houten, Sadie, Tex, Katie, Linda and Manson are indicted. The man who found gun calls police and the gun is tested and found to be the weapon. Manson moves to represent himself and the DA bluffs Manson into requesting a continuance. When Sadie renounces her testimony the DA makes deal with Linda Casabian. Judge Ohler takes over. Scoville becomes Manson’s attorney. The DA subpoenas the whole family so they can be excluded from court as potential witnesses. Linda Casabian testifies as to what happened in the Tate-LaBianca murders. Manson threatens the Judge and Bugliosi. Manson tries to cause a mistrial and to attack judge. Defendants barred from the courtroom. The defense wants to present no evidence. They are convicted and sentenced to death.
A good docudrama. Shows the dark side of the “Age of Aquarius”, where lack of self-control causes big problems. Too bad Manson couldn’t have been tried where I live. We’d have run up a power bill and taken care of him, instead of letting him lounge around for forty years. .
Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi (W. W. Norton & Company, New York, 1974) p.262 and in film at 1:28: 09 –12
Producer - Tom Gries
Director - Tom Gries
Screenplay - Vincent Bugliosi, Curt Gentry and J.P. Miller
Awards - Nominated for 1977 Emmy Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Special. Outstanding Directing in a Special Program and Outstanding Film Editing for a Special
Runtime - 3 hours 14 minutes
Released - April 1, 1976
Starring -
George DiCenzo as Vincent Bugliosi
Steve Railsback as Charles Manson
Nancy Wolfe as Susan Atkins
Marilyn Burns as Linda Kasabian
Christina Hart as Patricia Krenwinkel
Cathey Paine as Leslie Van Houten
Alan Oppenheimer as Aaron Stovitz
Rudy Ramos as Danny DeCarlo
Jon Gries as William Garretson
Marc Alaimo as Phil Cohen
Paul Mantee as Sergeant O'Neal
David Clennon as Harry Jones
Eileen Dietz as Family Girl
Carole Ita White as Big Sal
Larry Pennell as Sergeant White
Bruce French as Officer Ocher
Howard Caine as Everett Scoville
Adam Williams as Terrence Milik
Jonathan Goldsmith as Hank Charter
Robert Ito as Drees Darrin
Bart Braverman as George Brewer
Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2015
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