For almost five decades, Leslie Louise Van Houten (prisoner W-I3378 at the California Institution for Women in Chino) has appeared, with relentless regularity, before the California parole board in pursuit of her freedom. Along with Susan Atkins and Patricia Krenwinkel, Van Houten was convicted of murder in the two-day killing spree orchestrated by Charles Manson […]
After the Manson Murders, Los Angeles Magazine Blamed the “Age of ‘Freaky’ Crime”
Fifty years ago, the followers of Charles Manson murdered seven people and forever changed the character of the City of Los Angeles. When the October 1969 issue of Los Angeles magazine went to press (just a few weeks after the crimes), the perpetrators were still unknown and on the loose. It took four months before […]
These Images of L.A. in 1969 Capture a Mythical Moment in History
No other American city was so utterly remade by the 1960s as Los Angeles. Famously cavalier about torpedoing its past to make way for a fuzzily conceived future, L.A. was the perfect conquest for thousands of rampaging baby boomers wresting the cultural agenda through sheer preemption. During its golden rock and roll era of the […]
Quentin Tarantino Fields Questions About Roman Polanski, Violence Against Women at Cannes
Although Quentin Tarantino’s latest film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, opened to rave reviews at Cannes on Monday, things got a bit tense during yesterday’s follow-up press conference when questions touched on Tarantino’s feelings toward fellow director Roman Polanski, as well as the topic of “violence against women.” The film takes place during the […]