Frankenheimer
By ice rivers
- 558 reads
The original Manchurian Candidate starring Frank Sinatra and Laurence Harvey was on teevee last night. I've seen it a couple of times so I skipped it.
John Frankenheimer directed the movie and it was taken off the market soon after the assasination of JFK. Some folks insisted the reason it disappeared was that it was too close to the bone others contend that the film had just stopped making money.
Frankenheimer, in the meanwhile decided to make a documentary of RFK's run for the Presidency. He spent 102 days on the effort. The director and the candidate became friends
One day, Frankenheimer and Kennedy were at the director's home when the subject of the Manchrian Candidate came up in conversation. Frankenheimer asked Kennedy if he thought that a scenario in which a brainwashed person might be capable of executing an assasination. Kennedy believed that it was very possible.
After that discussion, Kennedy went swimming in the ocean with his children, one of whom got caught up in an undertow and was nearly drowned. Kennedy saved his son's life at the risk of his own.
The next day, RFK left his bathing trunks at Frankenheimer's house and proceeded to the Ambassador Hotel to give a victory speech. Frankenheimer parked in front of the Ambassador. He was Kennedy's ride back to Frankenehimer's beach house.
Kennedy gave his speech and left the stage. He was supposed to zig his exit but instead zagged it, a change in direction that noone had expected. Kennedy entered the kitchen area where he was shot in the back of his head by a pistol fired six inches away from his ear and behind him by Sirhan Sirhan who was standing in front of Kennedy and three feet away.
Kennedy fell to the ground and asked "is everybody allright."
Somebody gave him a rosary.
Four other people were shot. Kennedy was the only one whose wounds proved fatal.
Frankenheimer waited outside.
Kennedy was taken away in an ambulance. He died shortly afterwards.
Frankenheimer and his wife after recieving the horrific news drove home alone. The next day, someone came to their house and picked up RFK's bathing suit.
Today, Sirhan Sirhan is still alive and in prison
He has very little memory of the event.
He doesn't remember shooting ot not shooting Kennedy. He only recalls meeting a woman in a polka dot dress who led him to the kitchen.
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Comments
Interesting, matter of factly
Interesting, matter of factly. Eg. " Kennedy was taken away in an ambulance. He died shortly afterwards" The "undertow" part is scary. Better than all this sentionalism all the time. Nice story.
Tom Brown
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