THANK GOD FOR GIRLFRIENDS
On the night of August 8, 1969, Steve McQueen was invited to a party at 10050 Cielo Drive in the exclusive Benedict Canyon area of Los Angeles.
But McQueen’s mistress at the time — he was still married to actress Neile Adams — said she would rather spend an intimate evening at home. So Steve blew off the party.
The house on Cielo Drive was being leased by actress Sharon Tate and her husband, director Roman Polanski.
Polanski was away in Europe working on a film.
SLAUGHTERHOUSE SEVEN
With Sharon in the house were Hollywood hair stylist and former lover Jay Sebring, Polanski’s friend and aspiring screenwriter Wojciech Frykowski and his lover Abigail Folger, heiress to the Folgers coffee fortune, and an 18-year-old student, Steven Parent, who was visiting the property caretaker.
Sharon was eight months pregnant.
Just after midnight on August 9, three armed maniacs burst through the door and Sharon Tate’s home became a slaughterhouse.
A SCENE FROM HELL
Everyone was butchered. The murders had been ordered by Charles Manson. He did not attend the event. His cultists that night were Tex Watson, Susan Atkins and Patricia Krenwinkel.
Manson chose that house for his “devil’s business” to instill fear in the previous renter, record producer Terry Melcher, who was Doris Day’s son. Melcher had lived in the house with his girlfriend, actress Candice Bergen and musician Mark Lindsay, and had given would-be musician Manson the brush-off. In other words, Sharon Tate and her friends became scapegoats. And they were sacrificed as such.
The bloodshed at the house was a scene from hell.
But Manson wasn’t done yet.
NEXT STOP WAVERLY DRIVE
In the early morning hours of August 10, Manson, Watson, Atkins, Krenwinkel, plus Leslie Van Houton and Steve Grogan drove to a house at 3301 Waverly Drive. It was next door to a house where Manson and friends had attended a party the previous year.
It was the home of supermarket executive Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary.
The “Manson Family” butchered them both.
MCQUEEN ON HIT LIST
It turned out that Steve McQueen was already on Manson’s celebrity hit list along with stars like Frank Sinatra and Elizabeth Taylor.
He made the list after be got into a fight with Manson months earlier when Manson confronted him with a movie script he wanted him to read and McQueen refused.
When McQueen found out about the hit list he wrote a letter to his attorney wanting assurance that all the Manson family members had been captured. He also asked to have his gun permit re-instated.
From that day on on, McQueen always carried a loaded revolver with him everywhere he went, including Jay Sebring’s funeral.
Actress Valerie Perrine also escaped death that night
Yeah I remember that story. Seen some Manson interviews from prison as well. He’s a strange one for sure. Didn’t know about the hit list on McQueen though. Seems to me he’d hold his own if confronted if given have a chance. Tough dude that one. And wasn’t Polanski up on charges for underage sex at one time? What a group!
That’s Hollywood for ya! I’m just catching up on your posts — been on a protracted bender, and now I’m paying for it.
The house on Waverley Drive that Manson wanted to go was where Phil Kaufman had resided.
Kaufman and Manson met in prison where the former referred him to Terry Melcher as a contact for recording music.
Thanks for the added info.
Hence why I believe in the second amendment and right to protect oneself. Though Roman Polanski as someone said above was a rapist and although what happened to Sharon and the others was horrible, I believe Polanski should also be in jail for what he did to underage girl. Except for the murder part he wasn’t much better then mason- just wasn’t as murderous and appeared alot more charming on the outside even if like mason is a scumbag on the inside..
I totally agree with you about the 2nd Amendment, it is a Constitutional right. As for the Polanski case, the victim long ago more or less ‘forgave’ Polanski, noting that the judge at the time blew the incident way out of proportion to politically further his own career. Polanski is now 89, let’s move on.
I’d not compare Polanski with Manson. Otherwise he would be in jail forever. It was not the case for his crime (he’s been to jail twice). He raped Samantha, yes. But he was forgiven by her as Mich remembered above. Most people do not care to know how judge Rittenband treated Geimer and Polanski at the time. Polanski is 90 now. This is history!!
Agreed.