# Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (SPOILER THREAD)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-spoiler-thread/837646>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [July 25, 2019, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-spoiler-thread/837646 "2019-07-25T23:57:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\
**Post date:** [July 27, 2019, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-spoiler-thread/837646/21 "2019-07-27T23:55:53Z")

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I didn’t even recognize Luke Perry as Wayne Maunder. I had to look up which character he played. Loved the way they spliced Leo into **The Great Escape**. I wonder why, if they used real people’s names, and real scenes from real movies, they fudged the “Lancer” pilot.

Kind of irritating that they didn’t bother to include Steven Parent. That’s disrespectful.

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**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2019, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-spoiler-thread/837646/22 "2019-07-28T00:59:28Z")

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> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#):
>
> Kind of irritating that they didn’t bother to include Steven Parent. That’s disrespectful.

Agreed. He didn’t exist in this timeline, probably because he was such a random part of the encounter (Parent had been visiting the caretaker’s house trying to sell him a radio. It was just coincidence that he would be driving out while the killers were driving in).

Also, did they include Squeaky as one of the murderers (the redhead)? She wasn’t one of the people who went to Tate’s house.

In this alternate universe, I also wonder what became of the rest of the Manson clan, who in our world went on to commit another horrific murder the next night. In “Once Upon a Time”, Manson is still plotting his war.

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**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2019, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-spoiler-thread/837646/23 "2019-07-28T01:08:51Z")

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I think that the police descended on Spahn ranch pretty quickly, maybe even before the Family had an idea something was wrong. Pitt was still lucid, after all.

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**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2019, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-spoiler-thread/837646/24 "2019-07-28T01:16:08Z")

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> [@Moriarty](#):
>
> Agreed. He didn’t exist in this timeline, probably because he was such a random part of the encounter (Parent had been visiting the caretaker’s house trying to sell him a radio. It was just coincidence that he would be driving out while the killers were driving in).
> 
> Also, did they include Squeaky as one of the murderers (the redhead)? She wasn’t one of the people who went to Tate’s house.
> 
> In this alternate universe, I also wonder what became of the rest of the Manson clan, who in our world went on to commit another horrific murder the next night. In “Once Upon a Time”, Manson is still plotting his war.

Was that Squeaky in the car? It didn’t look like her.

Also, in this timeline the Labiancas apparently would survive.

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**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2019, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-spoiler-thread/837646/25 "2019-07-28T01:43:10Z")

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The movie should have had Steve McQueen at the Tate house that night, since he nearly went in real life.

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**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2019, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-spoiler-thread/837646/26 "2019-07-28T02:00:04Z")

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Really enjoyed it. Probably my favorite Tarantino film. It was a hoot seeing Olyphant as the star of the western and man, did Bruce Lee put a dent in that car or what?

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**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2019, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-spoiler-thread/837646/27 "2019-07-28T03:26:33Z")

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> [@Stephe96](#):
>
> The movie should have had Steve McQueen at the Tate house that night, since he nearly went in real life.

Also Quincy Jones.

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**Author:** ![Mike\_Mabes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mike_mabes/32/1782_2.png) [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2019, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-spoiler-thread/837646/28 "2019-07-28T09:01:44Z")

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Had high hopes. The first 2/3rds were OK, and the final scenes were exactly what I feared they would be - alternate history with cartoon violence.

He is better than this.

Or maybe he is not. He is so talented and he keeps making the same movie over and over.

The “homage” to classic movies/TV shows I found uninteresting. It was OK. There was none of the great dialog we’ve come to expect -except for the 8 year old “method actor”- loved that.

We got 2 scenes of Brad driving around with “cool” music of the era playing.

I had hopes with this movie and the Manson murders, a significient event in our history. It changed the way people felt about being secure in their homes. Much like In Cold Blood.

But in his world, it never happened. Some stupid alternate universe where the good guys slaughter the bad guys.

Tarantino is still a teenager. I would like to see an adult flim from him.

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**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2019, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-spoiler-thread/837646/29 "2019-07-28T10:28:37Z")

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So…does Rick Walton get a role in _ **Chinatown** _?

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**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2019, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-spoiler-thread/837646/30 "2019-07-28T10:34:25Z")

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\*Dalton, rather

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**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2019, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-spoiler-thread/837646/31 "2019-07-28T13:23:00Z")

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I actually enjoyed it. Despite its length, I was never bored. It’s exactly what Tarantino is good at, a pastiche of nostalgia and character moments and a convoluted plot. He’s never been good at story or theme.

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**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2019, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-spoiler-thread/837646/32 "2019-07-28T16:07:57Z")

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> [@Mike\_Mabes](#):
>
> He is better than this.
> 
> Or maybe he is not.

I’m not convinced. Is QT the brilliant filmmaker of Pulp Fiction who tried new things and came ups with some duds (Hateful8)? Or is he a hack director of crap ass films like Hateful8 who got lucky once or twice despite his innate failings (Pulp Fiction)?

I tend to think he’s more M. Night Shyamalan than Steven Spielberg.

Some people obviously like his films, so enjoy away. But thanks for these threads, so I know to avoid the film. I wish someone had told me about H8 before I wasted my time.

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**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2019, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-spoiler-thread/837646/33 "2019-07-28T16:08:55Z")

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> [@Mike\_Mabes](#):
>
> I would like to see an adult flim from him.

Remake of Deep Throat, with Samuel Jackson quoting old testament scripture?

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**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2019, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-spoiler-thread/837646/34 "2019-07-28T16:11:53Z")

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Wolfie’s Tooth Rat and Racoon flavor!

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**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2019, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-spoiler-thread/837646/35 "2019-07-28T16:14:53Z")

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Coming out of the theater, my wife said, “So if you didn’t know about Charlie Manson, you wouldn’t have any idea what that was about.”

I was born in 60, but don’t recall any awareness of the murders when they occurred. Read Helter Skelter as a young adult, was aware of Squeaky’s attempt on Ford, and Manson’s periodic parole reviews…

But several of the posts in this thread suggest a quite detailed familiarity with the history - and of movie/TV history, that I wonder if the average viewer shares.

The movie has a ridiculously huge credited cast. I tired looking up who played who, but was put off when I realized I didn’t know most of the characters’ names. Wayne Maunder? Kasabian?

I don’t think Squeaky was in the final scene. I thought Squeaky was the character running things in Spahn’s house. Unless she frizzed her hair, the redhead in the car looked different.

And why did they go into Dalton’s house instead of Tate’s as Charlie told them? Just because Dalton yelled at them?

The movie encouraged me to read up some more about the clan, but I chose to pretty much just experience this movie, rather than view it as a historical research exercise.

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**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2019, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-spoiler-thread/837646/36 "2019-07-28T16:26:21Z")

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> [@Dinsdale](#):
>
> I don’t think Squeaky was in the final scene. I thought Squeaky was the character running things in Spahn’s house. Unless she frizzed her hair, the redhead in the car looked different.

Yes it was her. Cliff recognized her and mentioned her as the redhead that was with George.

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**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2019, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-spoiler-thread/837646/37 "2019-07-28T16:52:57Z")

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I’m pretty sure that the four family members at the end were Tex (played by Austin Butler), Susan Atkins (Mikey Madison), Patricia Krenwinkel (Madisen Beaty), and Linda Kasabian (Maya Hawke), just like in real life.

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**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2019, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-spoiler-thread/837646/38 "2019-07-28T17:33:03Z")

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> [@Dinsdale](#):
>
> Coming out of the theater, my wife said, “So if you didn’t know about Charlie Manson, you wouldn’t have any idea what that was about.”
> 
> I was born in 60, but don’t recall any awareness of the murders when they occurred. Read Helter Skelter as a young adult, was aware of Squeaky’s attempt on Ford, and Manson’s periodic parole reviews…
> 
> But several of the posts in this thread suggest a quite detailed familiarity with the history - and of movie/TV history, that I wonder if the average viewer shares.
> 
> The movie has a ridiculously huge credited cast. I tired looking up who played who, but was put off when I realized I didn’t know most of the characters’ names. Wayne Maunder? Kasabian?
> 
> I don’t think Squeaky was in the final scene. I thought Squeaky was the character running things in Spahn’s house. Unless she frizzed her hair, the redhead in the car looked different.
> 
> And why did they go into Dalton’s house instead of Tate’s as Charlie told them? Just because Dalton yelled at them?
> 
> The movie encouraged me to read up some more about the clan, but I chose to pretty much just experience this movie, rather than view it as a historical research exercise.

I thought this too. Younger viewers who are only vaguely aware of Manson will probably not get why the ending is such a big deal. If you don’t appreciate the savagery the Family visited upon Sharon Tate et al., you’ll probably think their comeuppance in the movie is way too violent. I’m guessing the movie won’t really work for anyone under, say, 40 or 50.

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**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2019, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-spoiler-thread/837646/39 "2019-07-28T17:38:43Z")

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Well, it worked for my 17yo daughter, but admittedly, she wants to get into the industry _and_ likes the late-60s/early-70s period.

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**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2019, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-spoiler-thread/837646/40 "2019-07-28T17:43:32Z")

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One thing I hadn’t thought of that I just heard on a podcast is the theory that the whole Cliff-killed-his-wife backstory was all just part of his daydream when he was fixing the TV antenna and that might not have “actually” happened.

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