It was April 1976, and Beatles expert David Hellington was livid. The co-host of a weekly Beatles trivia radio show on WOW-AM in Omaha, Nebraska, he had three complaints about the recently aired made-for-television movie Helter Skelter.
The first was that instead of using the original Beatles recordings, Helter Skelter instead used vastly inferior soundalike versions by somebody named Billy Goldenberg. The second was that a cop points out that "Piggies" and "Helter Skelter" were on the same side of the 'White Album' LP. In fact, they weren't even on the same record, as the 'White Album' was a double album and the two songs were on different disks.
Minor points indeed. But what really made Mr. Hellington upset was that the film implied that the Beatles were in some way responsible for the Manson murders. Instead, Charlie Manson was insane, and heard things in the Beatles music that wasn't really there.
But Helter Skelter is told from the Establishment's point of view. In particular, it is told from the perspective of prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi (remember, the 'g' is silent). In their view, the Beatles were covertly encouraging revolution, while murderous megalomaniac Manson played the Pied Piper to an army of dirty, free-loving, acid-dropping, unemployed hippies.
So it is no surprise that Manson as played by Steve Railsback is an unkempt, wild-eyed, half-lunatic monster, while his lead attorney is an abrasive, contemptible jerk. Meanwhile, Bugliosi (George di Cenzo) is a perfect hero, with a remarkable resemblance to Jack Lord's detective character from the long running television series "Hawaii Five-O". There is some speculation about how and why Manson was able to order to kill. In typical, unconsciously closed-minded 'establishment' thinking, the impact of the Vietnam War is never even considered.
The murders and the resulting trial were a media sensation during 1969 and 1970. Over two nights, Manson and his followers killed seven wealthy residents of Beverly Hills, including actress Sharon Tate, the pregnant wife of Rosemary's Baby director Roman Polanski. Eventually, the self-destructive antics of the Manson family proves their undoing. Facing trial with Manson are Tex Watson (Bill Durkin), Susan Atkins (Nancy Wolfe), Linda Kasabian (Marilyn Burns) and Leslie Van Houten (Cathey Paine).
We don't see Bugliosi do the things that we know real prosecutors do, such as rehearse testimony with witnesses, and screen out or deliberately misinterpret any evidence that would otherwise imply the defendant's innocence. It is clear that the defense's case is crippled by having all the defendants tried at once, as this prevents one defendant from accusing another. Also, Manson is denied the right to defend himself or to face his accusers, although it can be argued that his bizarre behavior forfeited those rights.
Don't get me wrong. I have little doubt that Manson and his brainwashed followers were guilty of murder, and deserve lifetime incarceration. And, not knowing Bugliosi personally, he may be as perfect as he is portrayed, although this strains credibility.
The surprise is that it all works so well. The exaggerated depictions of Manson, his murderous groupies, and Bugliosi makes for entertaining drama. The content is graphic for a two part, CBS television movie. There is even suspense about whether Manson's guilt can be established, although Bugliosi has no reason to worry. Any juror that took one look at Charlie Mason (at least as presented here) would convict him of anything, including starting the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. (80/100)
This made-for-television graphic docu-drama of the grisly Tate-La Bianca murders in Hollywood California was based on Vince Bugliosi's novel. Over the...More at Family Video
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