Dennis in the new Manson doc.

[MBE]

The History Channel showed a two hour docudrama on the Manson murders tonight. The guy who played Dennis wasn't as good looking as the one who played Charles. He looked and acted a little like Stiffler in American Pie. Anyhow they show Manson met Terry Melcher (who looks 45) and also have him give Stan Shapiro a bullet for Dennis. Manson almost cries when Dennis on the phone tells him about Melcher notwanting to work with him. Then he begins banging the phone over and over. Really bad reenactment of the situations I thought.

[Alex]

The History Channel showed a two hour docudrama on the Manson murders tonight. The guy who played Dennis wasn't as good looking as the one who played Charles. He looked and acted a little like Stiffler in American Pie. Anyhow they show Manson met Terry Melcher (who looks 45) and also have him give Stan Shapiro a bullet for Dennis. Manson almost cries when Dennis on the phone tells him about Melcher notwanting to work with him. Then he begins banging the phone over and over. Really bad reenactment of the situations I thought.

Was it produced by the same people who did the 1999 BBs mini-series?!

[Ed Roach]

from the LA Times:

'Manson' on History channel

By MARY McNAMARA
 
Television Critic
 
September 7, 2009

The term "crime of the century" has been worn thin by overuse, but the slaughter of seven people in two days by members of the Manson family in August 1969 still requires its hyperbolic ring. The Tate-LaBianca murders scared Los Angeles witless and horrified an already deeply unsettled nation. Forty years later, Charles Manson remains our homegrown image of Satan and, as the recent denial of the dying Susan Atkins' request for early release proves, the senselessly brutal deaths, particularly that of the pregnant Sharon Tate, are a still vivid American nightmare..........

.....Although Bugliosi is on hand to explain Manson's famous plans to start a race war, the narrative dwells instead on Manson's failed attempts to become a music star. Tate's house had previously been occupied by Terry Melcher, a record producer Manson met through Beach Boy Dennis Wilson. Melcher had made some noise about a record deal; when that turned out to be a typical Hollywood runaround, Manson went ballistic. That Roman Polanski and his wife now lived in the house didn't matter at all..........

The mystery at the heart of the crimes was never Manson's motivations -- he's a psychopath -- but the infectious nature of his insanity. That darkness remains undisturbed by what little is revealed here.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-manson7-2009sep07,0,3911671.story

[Dave in KC]

When I watched, it reminded me of that crummy mini-series the poster above alluded to. Dennis is portrayed as a dolt in this thing and this was the worst attack yet and perpetrates the idea that the Beach Boys, in particular Dennis, pushed Manson over the edge and set him on the murderous rampage. I wish it would stop already.

[Dave in KC]

I forgot to mention that they used the sound for the intro to NLNTL during the broadcast. At one point, they stretched it out for minutes, but it was that intro alright. Nice.