Snark if you choose, but my passion for game shows is justified every time someone takes a hard look at the economic realities of entertainment these days. In a world of seemingly endless choices of expensive scripted content, the fact that few can now actually reach the level of popularity to justify their production is a harsh reality that “prestige” lovers are grudgingly being forced to admit. And I can’t imagine those cultural elites are feeling much better about the fact that game shows are now becoming launching points for movies that are actually resonating.
For one thing, using pre-existing IP as a jumping off point is a template which nervous studio executives are increasingly defaulting to–there’s that much less heavy lifting necessary to explain the setting or storyline. And the fact is in at least two cases that are now being rolled out there are juicy enough tales worthy of being made into a longform work.
The multi-talented (and, dare I say, stunningly beautiful) Anna Kendrick made her directorial debut with the story of the “Dating Game” killer in Netflix’s WOMAN OF THE HOUR, which dropped on the platform earlier this month to strong critical acclaim and viewership, as CINEMA BLEND’s Carly Levy gushed in her story dropped over the past weekend:
Woman of the Hour made a very strong debut on Netflix. As soon as the streaming movie premiered last week, it had a 91% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 69% from audiences. Critics also raved about Anna Kendrick’s “unsettling” directorial debut in successfully creating tension and its strong statement on sexism. According to Netflix Tudum, the TIFF-premiered film is currently #1 for the Top 10 Netflix films in the US.
I’ll confess that my intrigue was due to the fact that I have long known about the saga of Rodney Alcala, the demented sex offender and serial killer who somehow managed to charm his way through the Chuck Barris Productions staff when the hugely successful showcasing of bachelors and bachelorettes was rebooted for a second time in 1978, with a mandate to be even dirtier and tawdrier in a first-run syndicated version designed for late night viewing versus its earlier incarnations which aimed for a somewhat more family-appeal approach with episodes that aired in mid-afternoon and early prime time. I knew the episode existed during my time at Game Show Network; given my “training” with the likes of FOX executives who knew what was red meat for ratings I actually considered airing it. When I was informed that there was still pending litigation against him, a dogged pursuit that began with his 1979 arrest and continued through three death sentences and an eventual 2013 sentencing of an additional 25 years to life for the murders of two of his victims, I wisely chose to bury that foolish thought.
But in using it as the foundation for a true crime story and casting herself in the role of a contestant, Kendrick tapped into a zeitgeist and a core issue with the young female audience she has had a grip on for decades. as explained by Levy’s colleague Riley Utley:
When I used my Netflix subscription to watch Woman of the Hour, I knew what I was getting into, to an extent. I knew it was a true crime film about a serial killer who went on an episode of The Dating Game. However, I wasn’t expecting it to be such an effective and terrifying commentary on just how scary it is to be a woman. So, let’s break down why that’s the case.
I’ve been raised to always watch my back, be alert and have my hands on my keys or pepper spray, especially when I’m going somewhere alone. I’ve taken self-defense classes, and I’m always on edge that someone could take me. And I’m not the only one, it’s common for women to feel this way.
We’re taught from a young age that we could be used and abused easily. Sadly, there are too many examples of men kidnapping, murdering or sexually assaulting women that affirm that worry. Woman of the Hour addresses all that fear in abundance, and in turn terrifies me.
In the film, Rodney, the killer played by Daniel Zovatto, befriends women, makes them feel comfortable and then kills them. He actively uses these women’s kindness and trust against them, and then brutally murders them. The film doesn’t shy away from showing all of this too, and hearing the women scream reignites this constant fear I feel about my own safety.
And when one considers Kendrick’s own self-confessed history, as she shared last week in an interview which PEOPLE’s Becca Longmire reported on, there’s additional back story that served as motivation:
Anna Kendrick is opening up about getting out of a seven-year abusive relationship.
On the Wednesday, Oct. 23 episode of Alex Cooper‘s Call Her Daddy podcast, Kendrick, 39 — who didn’t name the ex she was referring to — admitted she found it “difficult to identify” that she was in an abusive relationship at first because “it didn’t follow the traditional pattern.”
So when one considers these jumping-off points, I’m willing to overlook the minute details that despite the presence of empirical evidence to the contrary, they still couldn’t (or wouldn’t) accurately duplicate the actual set from the show. Although they sure did give Tony Hale the same sort of cheesy tux that Jim Lange was forced to wear throughout these episodes. Might be one reason this was the last time he hosted any version of the show.
And in a soon-to-be theatrical release, another tortured soul/game show contestant’s story is told in THE LUCKIEST MAN IN AMERICA. Game Show Network did indeed air the episodes of the classic PRESS YOUR LUCK which saw ice cream delivery man Michael Larson figure out how to beat what producers believed was a foolproof system of randomized flashing lights to the tune of more than $110,000. Indeed, Larson’s record-breaking run was played out over two half-hours even though the shows were constructed to be self-contained. When they aired those episodes for the first time, my esteemed predecessor in programming Bob Boden was able to secure the funds to use those episodes as the core of a two-hour documentary special called BIG BUCKS, which was far and away the most-viewed program of any sort in the history of the network when it originally aired in 2003 and remained so for nearly a decade.
I’m told the movie, which Boden was among the lucky invitees to see in a special screening this weekend, takes some dramatic license of its own. But it does find a chilling doppelganger for Larson in the talented Paul Walter Houser, who has a strong history of playing other complicated leads, including the murderer in the well-watched 2022 Netflix miniseries BLACK BIRD where he won both a Golden Globe and a Primetime Emmy Award. And with the likes of the wonderful Walton Goggins as show emcee Peter Tomarken–a complicated man in his own right–to support him, it’s no surprise to me that the accolade of those who saw its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival in September has been strong and vociferous.
And it’s not like there isn’t a history of the genre providing filmmakers fodder for captivating content. This year we’ve been celebrating the 30th anniversary of Robert Redford’s storytelling of the lives of Charles Van Doren and Herbert Stempel, the star-crossed competitors on NBC’s rigged TWENTY-ONE. That film took home several Golden Globes and a Best Picture Oscar nomination.
So take that, prestige junkie creators. There’s gold in them thar hills if you know where to mine. I’m aware SUPER PASSWORD had its own incident with a contestant whose appearance resulted in his eventual arrest. If you’re so inspired, start your spec script. I’ll be happy to help you with details for a small fee. How small, you ask? At least enough so that I could afford to see THE LUCKIEST MAN IN AMERICA.
Until next time…