"Helter Skelter" 1976

Were there two versions of this movie? I know it was a highly-praised 3-hour, two-part made-for-tv American movie that aired in Spring 1976, but I just saw a trailer for it that included nudity. And I certainly know that no boobs were being shown on American television in 1976.

 

As far as I know, only the standard TV version exists... I own it on DVD, and what I own is what would have been on the network back in '76... It'd be interesting if there was a longer/alternate cut of it out there...

There was another made for TV version from, I want to say 2003 or thereabouts, and I'm sure they release it on DVD as a "director's cut", with footage not shown on TV but to the best of my memory, that one didn't contain nudity either...

 

How long is your dvd? The one on Amazon Prime is 3 hrs. 4 min

 

As already said, there was a remake around 2004. The guy playing Manson in that one basically did a Jack Nicholson impression.

 

AND THEN I SEE YOU AGAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIINN! YEAYEAYEAAAAUUUGHHHH!

 

Right now, most all of my DVDs are boxed up in storage so I don't have immediate access to it, so I can't give you a running time, sorry...

That said, the running time of 3 hours, 4 minutes sounds about right... I know that probably doesn't help though...

 

I meant two versions of the 1976 movie.

 

Is this the one with Steve Railsback playing Manson?

 

There are two versions...…...one made for tv, and the other was a theatrical release (with nudity).
I can remember the television series being advertised, and scaring the poop out of me (I was 8 years old). My parents told me a little bit about Charles Manson, but held off till I was older, and they did not let me watch the mini series on tv. It was many years later I caught it on cable.

 

I don't see any mention of a theatrical release on the Wikipedia page. But I answered my own question: it is the one with Steve Railsback.

 

Yes...….I believe it mentions two versions at the very beginning of the Wiki Page (film).

 

Wikipedia states "In some countries it was shown in cinemas, with additional footage including nudity, language and more violence" I guess that is considered a theatrical release? I'm not sure. @GodShifter

 

Steve Railsback wasn't much of an actor but he made a pretty good Manson.

 

I haven't seen this one ('76 tv movie) in ages but I remember it being quite good. Not sure how well its held up over the years.

 

It's held up quite well, it still manages to creep one out

 

That movie actually kicked off my Beatle fandom. It was the talk of my junior high after the first showing; I caught the rerun months later and had to get the album with that Piggies song on it. It went from there.

I imagine the Beatle music would be gone if there ever was a modern release of this film.

 

I'm pretty sure everything within the film was a cover version. Even back in the 1980's during reruns on local tv, it wasn't the actual Beatles recordings. I have always wondered who did the music and if their versions were released.

 

Ha, well they were good enough music to make me go get the record. That does make sense, though.

 

Something I remembered and just checked out: Enid Wistrich's book I Don't Mind The Sex It's The Violence: Film Censorship Explored says the 1976 version was given a certificate by the BBFC, so it was presumably shown in British cinemas.

 

I recall radio ads in the 70s for midnight movie showings in theaters including warnings about "footage too shocking for TV". I was too young for those midnight movies, but I definitely remember ads for an "uncensored" movie version.

 

I'm surprised then that we haven't seen a version combining the extended tv version with the uncensored theatrical version. Only the tv version seems to exist. It was an unprecedented ratings success, with I think 60% of televisions tuning in. Now 10% would be huge haha.

 

I liked him in Lifeforce. He’s always been kind of a weird, quirky actor. The Stuntman was good, too. I haven’t a lot of his filmography though.

 

Hahaha - I was thinking of Lifeforce when I mentioned his lack of acting ability. He was intense though, and that counts for a lot. Plus when you have Mathilda May running around naked, it's easy to overlook other flaws...

 

The "Beatles" songs in both the 1976 and the 2004 made for TV movies of "Helter Skelter" used cover versions of the songs... Original Beatles cuts were never in either one...