1 00:00:01,890 --> 00:00:04,370 Speaker 1: Hey guys, it's Seth Lundy, good doctor here at Double 2 00:00:04,450 --> 00:00:07,970 Speaker 1: Elvis and co-host of the Hollywood Land Podcast. And welcome 3 00:00:07,990 --> 00:00:10,040 Speaker 1: to The Working Week. We've got you covered here as 4 00:00:10,070 --> 00:00:12,560 Speaker 1: we do every week with another dip into our archive 5 00:00:12,580 --> 00:00:15,680 Speaker 1: of stories that take place at the intersection of Hollywood 6 00:00:15,760 --> 00:00:18,959 Speaker 1: and true crime. Today, we're bringing you our episode on 7 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:22,300 Speaker 1: the late, great Phil Hartman, who may be the greatest 8 00:00:22,380 --> 00:00:25,920 Speaker 1: cast member in Saturday Night Live's storied history. I know 9 00:00:25,940 --> 00:00:29,030 Speaker 1: that your favorite SNL cast and your favorite SNL era 10 00:00:29,370 --> 00:00:31,370 Speaker 1: tend to coincide with the time that you were young 11 00:00:31,390 --> 00:00:34,180 Speaker 1: and young. and falling in love with great music, great movies, 12 00:00:34,240 --> 00:00:36,479 Speaker 1: the stuff that would stay with you forever and come 13 00:00:36,520 --> 00:00:39,599 Speaker 1: to define your own unique personality. And so I make 14 00:00:39,640 --> 00:00:42,780 Speaker 1: that statement about Phil Hartman with some bias because I 15 00:00:42,840 --> 00:00:45,060 Speaker 1: was in junior high school and then high school when 16 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:51,050 Speaker 1: Phil Hartman was an SNL cast member from 1986 to 1994. 17 00:00:51,050 --> 00:00:53,830 Speaker 1: But during his tenure, he became known as The Glue 18 00:00:54,130 --> 00:00:57,870 Speaker 1: because he held that motley cast together. He wasn't a 19 00:00:57,910 --> 00:01:01,529 Speaker 1: breakout comedic star like Adam Sandler, He didn't parlay his 20 00:01:01,610 --> 00:01:04,810 Speaker 1: late night gig into box office gold like Mike Myers 21 00:01:04,910 --> 00:01:08,090 Speaker 1: and Dana Carvey. But those casts were all grounded by 22 00:01:08,170 --> 00:01:11,250 Speaker 1: Phil Hartman, a man who turned a kind of supportive 23 00:01:11,390 --> 00:01:14,670 Speaker 1: stability into a kind of art. I hope you guys 24 00:01:14,730 --> 00:01:17,039 Speaker 1: dig this episode on Phil Hartman. And I hope you 25 00:01:17,060 --> 00:01:19,580 Speaker 1: join me again on Wednesday for the wrap party where 26 00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:22,000 Speaker 1: I'll answer your calls and your texts. And again on 27 00:01:22,120 --> 00:01:25,220 Speaker 1: Friday for a new installment of The Screening Room in 28 00:01:25,240 --> 00:01:27,860 Speaker 1: which I'll take a deep dive into the 1993 film 29 00:01:28,020 --> 00:01:29,260 Speaker 1: So I Married an Axe Murderer. 30 00:01:31,120 --> 00:01:34,300 Speaker 2: This episode contains content that may be disturbing to some listeners. 31 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:39,050 Speaker 2: Please check the show notes for more information. Hollywoodland is 32 00:01:39,090 --> 00:01:40,470 Speaker 2: a production of Double Elvis. 33 00:01:41,630 --> 00:01:45,510 Speaker 1: Did you ever sit and ponder, sit and wonder, sit 34 00:01:45,569 --> 00:01:49,210 Speaker 1: and think why we're here and what this life is 35 00:01:49,370 --> 00:01:50,030 Speaker 1: all about? 36 00:01:51,610 --> 00:01:56,260 Speaker 3: It's a problem that has driven many brainy men to drink. 37 00:01:56,840 --> 00:01:59,820 Speaker 4: It's the weirdest thing they've tried to figure out. 38 00:02:00,450 --> 00:02:04,809 Speaker 2: The stories about Phil Hartman are insane. He once held 39 00:02:04,890 --> 00:02:08,290 Speaker 2: Buddy Miles' kick drum pedal together with his bare hands 40 00:02:08,770 --> 00:02:11,510 Speaker 2: in the middle of a Jimi Hendrix set. He designed 41 00:02:11,690 --> 00:02:15,180 Speaker 2: album covers for the bands Poco and America, as well 42 00:02:15,220 --> 00:02:18,460 Speaker 2: as the logo for Crosby, Stills, and Nash. And he 43 00:02:18,520 --> 00:02:21,500 Speaker 2: did those things as a card-carrying member of the Peace 44 00:02:21,580 --> 00:02:25,400 Speaker 2: and Love movement, a movement that was so infamously disrupted 45 00:02:25,500 --> 00:02:28,820 Speaker 2: by the Manson family that A ragtag group of hippies 46 00:02:28,910 --> 00:02:32,390 Speaker 2: gone evil that just so happened to include one of 47 00:02:32,470 --> 00:02:36,430 Speaker 2: Phil Hartman's former friends from high school. A friend who 48 00:02:36,470 --> 00:02:40,530 Speaker 2: would later attempt to assassinate an American president. A friend 49 00:02:40,590 --> 00:02:44,310 Speaker 2: who helped steer sunny California into an age of darkness. 50 00:02:45,110 --> 00:02:50,600 Speaker 2: A darkness that for Phil Hartman led to secrets, blackmail, guns, 51 00:02:51,020 --> 00:02:56,690 Speaker 2: and ultimately a murder-suicide. But before his tragic death at 52 00:02:56,730 --> 00:03:01,910 Speaker 2: the age of 49, Phil Hartman made great television and films. 53 00:03:03,070 --> 00:03:05,090 Speaker 2: Unlike that clip I played for you at the top 54 00:03:05,130 --> 00:03:08,510 Speaker 2: of the show, that wasn't from a great film. That 55 00:03:08,550 --> 00:03:11,410 Speaker 2: was a fair use sample from the Library of Congress 56 00:03:11,470 --> 00:03:15,870 Speaker 2: of George M. Cohen performing Life's a Funny Proposition After 57 00:03:16,030 --> 00:03:20,600 Speaker 2: All in 1911. I played you that clip because I 58 00:03:20,620 --> 00:03:24,040 Speaker 2: can't afford the rights to a clip from Roland Emmerich's Godzilla. 59 00:03:25,020 --> 00:03:28,220 Speaker 2: And why would I play you that specific slice of 60 00:03:28,340 --> 00:03:33,309 Speaker 2: Lizard King cheese? Could I afford it? Because that was 61 00:03:33,370 --> 00:03:38,690 Speaker 2: the number one movie in America on May 28th, 1998. 62 00:03:38,690 --> 00:03:41,970 Speaker 2: And that was the day that the darkness finally caught 63 00:03:42,050 --> 00:03:44,630 Speaker 2: up to Phil Hartman in the master bedroom of his 64 00:03:44,710 --> 00:03:50,830 Speaker 2: sunny California home. On this episode, peace and love, darkness 65 00:03:50,910 --> 00:03:56,660 Speaker 2: and light, secrets, blackmail, and Phil Hartman. I'm Jake Brennan, 66 00:03:57,220 --> 00:04:35,870 Speaker 2: and this is Hollywoodland. May 28th, 1998. Ron Douglas noted 67 00:04:35,910 --> 00:04:39,489 Speaker 2: the time, just after midnight, the hour when the sun 68 00:04:39,589 --> 00:04:44,250 Speaker 2: is farthest below the horizon, the darkest hour, pitchiest of 69 00:04:44,450 --> 00:04:48,800 Speaker 2: pitch black. Ron's friend, Bryn Hartman, had been hanging out 70 00:04:48,860 --> 00:04:51,300 Speaker 2: in his Studio City home for about two hours now, 71 00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:54,140 Speaker 2: and they had a few beers, and they shot the shit. 72 00:04:54,839 --> 00:04:57,200 Speaker 2: But it was a weeknight, and it was late, and 73 00:04:57,260 --> 00:05:01,560 Speaker 2: Ron worried it was too late. Bryn's husband, Phil Hartman, 74 00:05:02,279 --> 00:05:05,070 Speaker 2: asked only two things of Ron whenever Brynn dropped by 75 00:05:05,150 --> 00:05:08,710 Speaker 2: for a visit. One, don't let her stay out too late, 76 00:05:08,750 --> 00:05:11,830 Speaker 2: and two, if she asks for cocaine, don't give it 77 00:05:11,850 --> 00:05:15,730 Speaker 2: to her. The second request was easy enough. These days, 78 00:05:15,930 --> 00:05:19,560 Speaker 2: Ron was cleaned up. It had been 15 years since 79 00:05:19,620 --> 00:05:22,520 Speaker 2: he and Brynn were drug buddies, bouncing around from one 80 00:05:22,560 --> 00:05:25,539 Speaker 2: Hollywood audition to the next. He knew it was different 81 00:05:25,560 --> 00:05:28,600 Speaker 2: for Brynn. He knew that she struggled. Not just to 82 00:05:28,640 --> 00:05:31,140 Speaker 2: stay on the wagon and stay off the hard stuff, 83 00:05:31,240 --> 00:05:34,159 Speaker 2: but she struggled with the hard truth that her acting 84 00:05:34,220 --> 00:05:38,180 Speaker 2: career was never going to take off. That's a hard struggle. 85 00:05:39,060 --> 00:05:40,920 Speaker 2: Then she struggled with the fact that her lot in 86 00:05:40,980 --> 00:05:43,940 Speaker 2: life was to be the wife of a universally loved 87 00:05:44,020 --> 00:05:47,320 Speaker 2: comedian and the mother of his two children, and never 88 00:05:47,380 --> 00:05:51,520 Speaker 2: anything more. Rod also knew that Brynn and Phil's relationship 89 00:05:51,600 --> 00:05:55,240 Speaker 2: wasn't the hunky-dory, squeaky-clean kind that played out in the press. 90 00:05:56,320 --> 00:06:00,839 Speaker 2: He knew, like all people in all relationships, Brynn and Phil... 91 00:06:01,180 --> 00:06:05,580 Speaker 2: had their ups and downs. And Ron was sympathetic. He 92 00:06:05,640 --> 00:06:07,750 Speaker 2: knew what it was like to watch your dreams fade away. 93 00:06:08,370 --> 00:06:10,730 Speaker 2: His own acting career hadn't panned out like he thought 94 00:06:10,770 --> 00:06:14,230 Speaker 2: it would. His current life as a stuntman was neither 95 00:06:14,330 --> 00:06:18,790 Speaker 2: glitzy nor glamorous. But although he was sympathetic, he was 96 00:06:18,850 --> 00:06:21,940 Speaker 2: also tired. And to be honest, he didn't want to 97 00:06:21,980 --> 00:06:25,600 Speaker 2: piss off Phil. So, it was time for Bryn Hartman 98 00:06:26,040 --> 00:06:31,740 Speaker 2: to go home. At around 12.45 a.m., Brynn left Ron's 99 00:06:31,779 --> 00:06:34,620 Speaker 2: place and drove her Jeep Cherokee back to the Encino 100 00:06:34,690 --> 00:06:39,730 Speaker 2: Ranch-style house she shared with her husband. A few hours later, 101 00:06:40,210 --> 00:06:44,010 Speaker 2: at 3.25 a.m., Ron's phone rang, and it was Brynn. 102 00:06:44,570 --> 00:06:46,870 Speaker 2: She said Phil wasn't home, that he left her a 103 00:06:46,990 --> 00:06:49,630 Speaker 2: note that she found when she arrived home, a note 104 00:06:49,670 --> 00:06:52,270 Speaker 2: which read, I'm going out for the night. I'll be back. 105 00:06:52,730 --> 00:06:53,050 Speaker 5: Love you. 106 00:06:53,910 --> 00:06:56,310 Speaker 2: Brynn didn't want to be alone. She wanted to go 107 00:06:56,350 --> 00:07:00,010 Speaker 2: back to Ron's. Ron dismissed the idea outright, It was 108 00:07:00,050 --> 00:07:02,729 Speaker 2: the middle of the night. Her nine-year-old son and six-year-old 109 00:07:02,770 --> 00:07:05,390 Speaker 2: daughter were sleeping in their beds. This wasn't even up 110 00:07:05,410 --> 00:07:10,650 Speaker 2: for discussion. Hang up the phone. Go to sleep. Ron 111 00:07:10,680 --> 00:07:15,520 Speaker 2: took his own advice. Or he tried to. Barely twenty 112 00:07:15,540 --> 00:07:19,320 Speaker 2: minutes passed when suddenly his doorbell was ringing non-stop and 113 00:07:19,380 --> 00:07:22,300 Speaker 2: it was banging at the front door. Ron stumbled out 114 00:07:22,360 --> 00:07:26,340 Speaker 2: of bed, more irritated than frightened. He walked downstairs and 115 00:07:26,360 --> 00:07:31,090 Speaker 2: looked through the front window. Brynn was standing outside. Long-sleeved t-shirt, 116 00:07:31,390 --> 00:07:36,220 Speaker 2: pajama pants, socks, but no shoes. Prada purse in her hands. 117 00:07:37,060 --> 00:07:39,380 Speaker 2: Ron opened the door. What the hell was she doing? 118 00:07:39,760 --> 00:07:42,940 Speaker 2: What was she thinking? And where were the kids? He 119 00:07:42,980 --> 00:07:45,760 Speaker 2: could smell the booze on her breath. She was drunk. 120 00:07:46,230 --> 00:07:49,130 Speaker 2: Maybe high, not weed. Weed was Phil's bag, but not hers. 121 00:07:49,890 --> 00:07:54,390 Speaker 2: Maybe she took some pills. Maybe something stronger. Ron was pissed, 122 00:07:54,470 --> 00:07:59,750 Speaker 2: but he brought her inside. She was crying. Her words 123 00:07:59,850 --> 00:08:03,650 Speaker 2: came out slurred and frantic. It sounded to Ron like 124 00:08:04,070 --> 00:08:08,040 Speaker 2: she said something about killing Phil? He paid it no mind. 125 00:08:08,620 --> 00:08:12,300 Speaker 2: Brynn wasn't the killing kind. She and Phil probably got 126 00:08:12,340 --> 00:08:15,700 Speaker 2: into another fight, and maybe it got a little physical. Plus, 127 00:08:16,180 --> 00:08:19,760 Speaker 2: she was clearly out of it. She kept rambling. Then 128 00:08:19,880 --> 00:08:22,700 Speaker 2: she started to rummage. Her hands stuck around in her 129 00:08:22,740 --> 00:08:26,520 Speaker 2: Prada purse for something. Ron didn't know what. And then 130 00:08:26,620 --> 00:08:29,350 Speaker 2: she pulled it out. She bobbled it between her fingers 131 00:08:29,410 --> 00:08:31,130 Speaker 2: and quickly lost her grip and it fell to the 132 00:08:31,170 --> 00:08:36,290 Speaker 2: ground and Ron's eyes went wide. A Smith & Wesson, 38. 133 00:08:36,290 --> 00:08:39,330 Speaker 2: What the hell was this? I told you, she said, 134 00:08:39,809 --> 00:08:43,150 Speaker 2: desperate now for Ron to believe her. I killed Phil. 135 00:08:46,390 --> 00:08:50,339 Speaker 2: Two decades earlier, in the mid-1960s, no one carried a 136 00:08:50,360 --> 00:08:53,219 Speaker 2: gun in their purse. No one even carried a purse. 137 00:08:53,940 --> 00:08:55,900 Speaker 2: At least not the hippies for whom love was free 138 00:08:55,960 --> 00:09:01,470 Speaker 2: and peace was plentiful. California would provide. California was sun, surf, 139 00:09:01,520 --> 00:09:07,230 Speaker 2: and S-E-X-X. Salty waves, sweet leaf. Rock and roll crackling 140 00:09:07,270 --> 00:09:09,570 Speaker 2: through a shitty AM radio while you bawled in the 141 00:09:09,590 --> 00:09:12,429 Speaker 2: back of a Woody. If being a hippie or a 142 00:09:12,490 --> 00:09:15,310 Speaker 2: peacenik or whatever you called it meant girls and drugs 143 00:09:15,350 --> 00:09:18,250 Speaker 2: and music and freedom, then Phil Hartman was on board. 144 00:09:19,130 --> 00:09:22,070 Speaker 2: Literally on board. When he was out riding a breaker 145 00:09:22,110 --> 00:09:25,350 Speaker 2: in the Pacific. And when he wasn't, getting baked in 146 00:09:25,390 --> 00:09:29,550 Speaker 2: a two-room cabana in Malibu previously occupied, allegedly, by Beach 147 00:09:29,610 --> 00:09:32,929 Speaker 2: Boy Brian Wilson while praying to God that Uncle Sam 148 00:09:32,950 --> 00:09:36,970 Speaker 2: didn't call his number would do just fine. These amenities 149 00:09:37,030 --> 00:09:41,510 Speaker 2: came courtesy of Phil's brother, John, who managed Rockin' Fu, 150 00:09:42,050 --> 00:09:46,610 Speaker 2: a local band that mined the psychedelic-slash-garage-slash-country-rock vibe that was 151 00:09:46,690 --> 00:09:50,809 Speaker 2: quickly becoming the Golden State's calling card. The roadie gig 152 00:09:50,850 --> 00:09:54,820 Speaker 2: that John provided meant more sex, more drugs, and more 153 00:09:54,880 --> 00:09:59,670 Speaker 2: rock and roll for brother Phil. He carried things like amplifiers, guitars, 154 00:09:59,740 --> 00:10:03,120 Speaker 2: and road cases. And he also held shit together. He 155 00:10:03,160 --> 00:10:06,920 Speaker 2: was The Glue. Long before that nickname was bestowed upon 156 00:10:06,960 --> 00:10:09,420 Speaker 2: him by his fellow castmates in the hallowed halls of 157 00:10:09,480 --> 00:10:14,300 Speaker 2: Studio 8H. To a kid from ho-hum Brantford, Ontario, the 158 00:10:14,340 --> 00:10:16,740 Speaker 2: middle child of eight who had to hustle to be 159 00:10:16,800 --> 00:10:20,429 Speaker 2: heard or even to eat, California was an easy trip. 160 00:10:21,130 --> 00:10:24,150 Speaker 2: It was ground zero for the movement. And the movement 161 00:10:24,170 --> 00:10:28,660 Speaker 2: didn't just provide. It blew Phil's mind. Or maybe it 162 00:10:28,700 --> 00:10:32,339 Speaker 2: just rattled his skull. Phil experienced the latter at a 163 00:10:32,380 --> 00:10:35,160 Speaker 2: Jimi Hendrix gig when he watched from the sidelines as 164 00:10:35,260 --> 00:10:38,680 Speaker 2: Buddy Miles' kick pedal kept getting separated from the kick drum. 165 00:10:39,540 --> 00:10:43,760 Speaker 2: Phil's roadie instincts kicked in. He was the glue personified. 166 00:10:44,460 --> 00:10:47,580 Speaker 2: Within seconds, Phil was on stage, on his knees, sandwiched 167 00:10:47,620 --> 00:10:50,410 Speaker 2: between the drumstool and the kick drum, holding the pedal 168 00:10:50,450 --> 00:10:53,510 Speaker 2: in place while Buddy bashed away on the kit. It 169 00:10:53,530 --> 00:10:56,950 Speaker 2: was bliss. All of it. The ringing in his ears 170 00:10:57,050 --> 00:11:00,250 Speaker 2: after that Hendrix gig, and the brushes with Eric Burden 171 00:11:00,270 --> 00:11:02,809 Speaker 2: at the Fillmore, and with Janis Joplin at the Palm 172 00:11:02,850 --> 00:11:07,660 Speaker 2: Beach International Raceway. The music, the grass, the pussy. It 173 00:11:07,720 --> 00:11:11,500 Speaker 2: seemed like it would never end. And then, it didn't. 174 00:11:13,750 --> 00:11:16,830 Speaker 5: We have a weird homicide. 175 00:11:18,090 --> 00:11:20,950 Speaker 6: Late last night, another bizarre murder in Los Angeles, the 176 00:11:21,010 --> 00:11:22,070 Speaker 6: second in two days. 177 00:11:23,010 --> 00:11:26,350 Speaker 4: Roman Polanski, the film director and husband of Sharon Tate, 178 00:11:27,130 --> 00:11:29,709 Speaker 4: called newsmen to a hotel in Hollywood today, and there 179 00:11:29,730 --> 00:11:32,770 Speaker 4: he made a long, emotional statement. Told a good deal 180 00:11:32,809 --> 00:11:34,849 Speaker 4: of what had been on his mind since his pregnant 181 00:11:34,910 --> 00:11:37,030 Speaker 4: wife and four others were killed at their home on 182 00:11:37,150 --> 00:11:40,850 Speaker 4: August 8th. 21-year-old Susan Atkins. 183 00:11:40,870 --> 00:11:44,300 Speaker 2: Is involved in still another murder case. She appeared in 184 00:11:44,320 --> 00:11:47,400 Speaker 2: the Santa Monica City courtroom this morning to enter a 185 00:11:47,460 --> 00:11:50,610 Speaker 2: plea in a trial stemming from the July. 186 00:11:50,270 --> 00:11:53,350 Speaker 5: 31st murder of 34-year-old Gary Hinman. 187 00:11:54,110 --> 00:11:57,550 Speaker 4: Los Angeles police have placed Miss Atkins, also known as 188 00:11:57,590 --> 00:11:58,990 Speaker 4: Sadie Glutz, at the. 189 00:11:58,970 --> 00:12:01,010 Speaker 5: Scene of the Tate murder. 190 00:12:01,270 --> 00:12:04,699 Speaker 6: Taking into account the published report in the Los Angeles Times, 191 00:12:04,760 --> 00:12:08,700 Speaker 6: the story that Susan Atkins told about what allegedly happened 192 00:12:08,740 --> 00:12:11,400 Speaker 6: that night after the murder at the Tate house, we 193 00:12:11,470 --> 00:12:15,030 Speaker 6: drove from Cielo Drive at the base of Benedict Canyon 194 00:12:15,350 --> 00:12:15,730 Speaker 6: up here. 195 00:12:16,980 --> 00:12:21,250 Speaker 4: We found some trousers and some shirts, appeared to be 196 00:12:21,390 --> 00:12:24,390 Speaker 4: turtleneck shirts or something, dark in color. 197 00:12:24,890 --> 00:12:26,570 Speaker 6: Did they appear to have any stains on them? 198 00:12:27,610 --> 00:12:28,470 Speaker 3: This is where they. 199 00:12:28,370 --> 00:12:32,469 Speaker 7: Live, among the stables, barns, and phony buildings of an 200 00:12:32,490 --> 00:12:35,189 Speaker 7: old rundown movie location. 201 00:12:34,350 --> 00:12:35,530 Speaker 5: 20 miles from Los Angeles. 202 00:12:36,270 --> 00:12:40,520 Speaker 7: They call themselves The Family. Five members are now in 203 00:12:40,580 --> 00:12:43,880 Speaker 7: jail on other charges in the desert town of Independence. 204 00:12:44,440 --> 00:12:46,380 Speaker 7: The family's leader, Charles Manson. 205 00:12:46,580 --> 00:12:47,420 Speaker 2: Is jailed here. 206 00:12:47,860 --> 00:12:50,060 Speaker 4: It is expected that he will be charged in the 207 00:12:50,080 --> 00:12:50,800 Speaker 4: tape murders. 208 00:12:51,260 --> 00:12:53,010 Speaker 5: A weird homicide. 209 00:13:01,540 --> 00:13:04,840 Speaker 2: In June of 1970, Charlie Manson and three of his 210 00:13:04,900 --> 00:13:08,740 Speaker 2: family members went on trial, charged with first-degree murder and 211 00:13:08,780 --> 00:13:12,880 Speaker 2: conspiracy to commit murder. Phil Hartman watched the local news 212 00:13:12,940 --> 00:13:16,790 Speaker 2: coverage on TV, but not coverage of the actual trial. 213 00:13:17,650 --> 00:13:20,370 Speaker 2: He watched coverage of the protests that was happening outside 214 00:13:20,410 --> 00:13:24,170 Speaker 2: the courthouse, which is how he saw her. It had 215 00:13:24,190 --> 00:13:27,870 Speaker 2: been years, but he recognized his former Westchester High classmate 216 00:13:27,910 --> 00:13:31,230 Speaker 2: and fellow drama geek right away. He knew that face. 217 00:13:31,970 --> 00:13:34,880 Speaker 2: They were calling her Squeaky now, but Phil knew her 218 00:13:34,920 --> 00:13:39,939 Speaker 2: by her given name, Lynette Frome. Lynette Frome was now Squeaky, 219 00:13:40,300 --> 00:13:42,580 Speaker 2: a name given to her by her new friends, the 220 00:13:42,620 --> 00:13:47,660 Speaker 2: friends she was defending now. Friends united by something unspeakable, 221 00:13:48,230 --> 00:13:52,189 Speaker 2: something so depraved and so wicked it could hardly be comprehended. 222 00:13:52,990 --> 00:13:55,970 Speaker 2: Phil couldn't believe what he was seeing. His old friend, 223 00:13:56,510 --> 00:14:01,770 Speaker 2: Lynette Frome, protesting in defense of that monster. and to 224 00:14:01,830 --> 00:14:04,030 Speaker 2: think that they had once been on the same path together, 225 00:14:04,610 --> 00:14:07,130 Speaker 2: fellow actors and artists, and now, at the dawn of 226 00:14:07,150 --> 00:14:11,200 Speaker 2: the 1970s, that path diverged somewhere in the woods, and 227 00:14:11,640 --> 00:14:16,079 Speaker 2: Lynette Fromme, a.k.a. Squeaky, took the path less traveled, a 228 00:14:16,140 --> 00:14:20,060 Speaker 2: path painted with blood and pulsing with evil. As he 229 00:14:20,120 --> 00:14:24,000 Speaker 2: watched Lynette defend Crazy Charlie for all to see, Phil 230 00:14:24,020 --> 00:14:27,990 Speaker 2: had one thought in his head. Darkness is descending on 231 00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:33,820 Speaker 2: the movement. And that darkness never went away. It settled in. 232 00:14:34,420 --> 00:14:38,320 Speaker 2: It took root. And 20 years later, it was still there, 233 00:14:39,100 --> 00:14:42,480 Speaker 2: casting its shadow from Spahn Ranch all the way out 234 00:14:42,520 --> 00:14:45,840 Speaker 2: into Mammoth Mountain and the halls of Westchester High up 235 00:14:45,900 --> 00:14:51,550 Speaker 2: to the sleepy suburbs of Encino. And on May 28, 1998, 236 00:14:51,550 --> 00:14:54,130 Speaker 2: as the sun began to rise in the west, the 237 00:14:54,170 --> 00:14:58,530 Speaker 2: Pacific lapping the soft shores, surfers scanning the horizon for 238 00:14:58,550 --> 00:15:02,770 Speaker 2: the big one But the darkness did what darkness does. 239 00:15:03,840 --> 00:15:39,060 Speaker 2: It descended. Manson changed everything. Los Angeles locked its doors 240 00:15:39,120 --> 00:15:42,620 Speaker 2: and left the lights on at night. Social circles tightened up. 241 00:15:43,220 --> 00:15:47,120 Speaker 2: Baseball bats next to beds. Hammers hidden beneath pillows. And 242 00:15:47,900 --> 00:15:51,950 Speaker 2: everyone got guns. Even Phil Hartman. It was like a 243 00:15:52,020 --> 00:15:55,610 Speaker 2: window had been left open and for days, months, years even, 244 00:15:55,620 --> 00:15:59,530 Speaker 2: it had been fine. Nothing happened. But then one day, 245 00:16:00,250 --> 00:16:02,870 Speaker 2: evil slipped through that crack between the sill and the sash. 246 00:16:03,470 --> 00:16:06,550 Speaker 2: From one world into another. An evil that had been 247 00:16:06,590 --> 00:16:13,950 Speaker 2: there all along. Unsuspected, undetected, unseen by everyone. And now 248 00:16:14,010 --> 00:16:16,970 Speaker 2: that it was here, it was here to stay. It 249 00:16:16,990 --> 00:16:20,340 Speaker 2: was inside your head. But you carried on with life. 250 00:16:21,120 --> 00:16:25,600 Speaker 2: What else could you do? For Phil Hartman, that meant work. 251 00:16:26,420 --> 00:16:29,800 Speaker 2: And in the early to mid-70s, that work was briefly 252 00:16:29,940 --> 00:16:34,520 Speaker 2: graphic design at a Santa Monica ad agency. But advertising 253 00:16:34,560 --> 00:16:38,540 Speaker 2: was too stuffy, too corporate. Phil was rock and roll 254 00:16:38,600 --> 00:16:41,100 Speaker 2: to his core. He was a better fit at his 255 00:16:41,160 --> 00:16:45,150 Speaker 2: brother's music agency on Sunset, working out of Alfred Hitchcock's 256 00:16:45,270 --> 00:16:50,570 Speaker 2: former offices where he designed album covers. Yes, the Phil 257 00:16:50,610 --> 00:16:54,330 Speaker 2: Hartman was the artist behind many album covers in the 258 00:16:54,410 --> 00:16:58,370 Speaker 2: 1970s for major records by bands like Poco and America. 259 00:16:59,270 --> 00:17:02,520 Speaker 2: You know, a horse with no name? Those dudes. He 260 00:17:02,540 --> 00:17:04,900 Speaker 2: even designed the logo that Crosby, Stills, and Nash used 261 00:17:04,940 --> 00:17:09,140 Speaker 2: for decades. No shit. Work didn't have to feel like work. 262 00:17:09,619 --> 00:17:13,180 Speaker 2: Work could lead to peace and to love. Phil tried 263 00:17:13,200 --> 00:17:16,399 Speaker 2: to find love in a post-Manson California. He fell in 264 00:17:16,440 --> 00:17:19,590 Speaker 2: love fast and hard, but it was the part after 265 00:17:19,630 --> 00:17:23,869 Speaker 2: the falling that he struggled with. His first marriage barely 266 00:17:23,930 --> 00:17:29,270 Speaker 2: lasted two years. Love, peace, both so fleeting, so elusive. 267 00:17:30,150 --> 00:17:32,629 Speaker 2: It was hard to tell if the peaceful, easy feeling 268 00:17:32,670 --> 00:17:35,270 Speaker 2: that the Eagles were singing about on the radio had 269 00:17:35,330 --> 00:17:38,149 Speaker 2: actually been there at all in the first place, before 270 00:17:38,190 --> 00:17:41,190 Speaker 2: the darkness came crashing down, or if it was just 271 00:17:41,270 --> 00:17:45,280 Speaker 2: a product of his imagination. Peace wasn't just physically getting 272 00:17:45,320 --> 00:17:48,619 Speaker 2: away from everything, although in his later years Phil reveled 273 00:17:48,660 --> 00:17:52,020 Speaker 2: in the serenity and silence of solo trips to Catalina Island. 274 00:17:53,200 --> 00:17:57,280 Speaker 2: Peace was putting on a mask. Peace was playing a character. 275 00:17:57,980 --> 00:18:01,520 Speaker 2: And not just playing a character, but being buried in 276 00:18:01,540 --> 00:18:05,460 Speaker 2: a character. The deeper the burial, the better. There was 277 00:18:05,500 --> 00:18:08,580 Speaker 2: no vulnerability when you were someone else. You didn't have 278 00:18:08,619 --> 00:18:10,740 Speaker 2: to reveal who you really were or what you were 279 00:18:10,760 --> 00:18:14,870 Speaker 2: really feeling. You didn't have to reveal shit. Playing characters 280 00:18:14,960 --> 00:18:18,389 Speaker 2: was what Phil did. As a kid doing Shakespeare and 281 00:18:18,410 --> 00:18:21,970 Speaker 2: Moliere in school, and now as an adult, picking up 282 00:18:22,030 --> 00:18:24,210 Speaker 2: roles where he could, like a local production of The 283 00:18:24,250 --> 00:18:28,190 Speaker 2: Music Man. His discovery, by chance, of a new improv 284 00:18:28,230 --> 00:18:30,750 Speaker 2: group called the Groundlings at a small theater in East 285 00:18:30,790 --> 00:18:36,300 Speaker 2: Hollywood was kismet. The Groundlings meant more roles, more characters, 286 00:18:36,420 --> 00:18:40,360 Speaker 2: and therefore more peace. He helped others with their characters, too, 287 00:18:41,119 --> 00:18:44,600 Speaker 2: like this skinny kid named Paul Rubens, who transformed into 288 00:18:44,640 --> 00:18:51,399 Speaker 2: the bowtie-wearing man-child Pee-wee Herman. Phil pushed forward, onward, upward, 289 00:18:51,840 --> 00:18:57,020 Speaker 2: deeper into character. It was 1975. Everything was about to change. 290 00:19:04,840 --> 00:19:08,260 Speaker 2: Lynette Squeaky Fromme stood out. She was wearing all red. 291 00:19:08,900 --> 00:19:12,859 Speaker 2: Red like high alert. Red like blood. She was out 292 00:19:12,900 --> 00:19:16,280 Speaker 2: for blood. And justice. Justice for what they had done 293 00:19:16,320 --> 00:19:18,379 Speaker 2: to Charlie. Or for what they were now doing to 294 00:19:18,400 --> 00:19:21,380 Speaker 2: the environment. Something like that. Didn't matter. She just felt 295 00:19:21,420 --> 00:19:24,179 Speaker 2: in her bones that justice could be exacted by spilling 296 00:19:24,220 --> 00:19:25,929 Speaker 2: the blood of the leader of the free world. 297 00:19:27,730 --> 00:19:28,070 Speaker 5: Free. 298 00:19:29,550 --> 00:19:33,030 Speaker 2: What a crock. Lynette knew there was no free anymore, 299 00:19:33,330 --> 00:19:37,710 Speaker 2: and there never had been. Just darkness. Darkness was her, 300 00:19:37,859 --> 00:19:41,560 Speaker 2: and she was it. She hid it well, cloaked beneath 301 00:19:41,600 --> 00:19:45,399 Speaker 2: her bright red dress. She felt for the Colt. 45 302 00:19:45,400 --> 00:19:48,560 Speaker 2: strapped to her thigh, cold against her skin, but temperatures 303 00:19:48,619 --> 00:19:49,680 Speaker 2: in Sacramento were warm. 304 00:19:50,260 --> 00:19:50,820 Speaker 1: Mid-80s. 305 00:19:51,580 --> 00:19:53,540 Speaker 2: Was she walking with the gun or was the gun 306 00:19:53,600 --> 00:19:56,970 Speaker 2: walking with her? She couldn't tell. Was she going to 307 00:19:57,090 --> 00:20:00,450 Speaker 2: use it? She wasn't sure. Could she do it? Would 308 00:20:00,490 --> 00:20:03,530 Speaker 2: she do it? She had no answers to these questions. 309 00:20:04,350 --> 00:20:07,439 Speaker 2: She just had to go ahead and find out. She 310 00:20:07,500 --> 00:20:09,820 Speaker 2: pushed her way through the crowd and watched as President 311 00:20:09,859 --> 00:20:13,280 Speaker 2: Gerald Ford made his way out of his hotel and 312 00:20:13,300 --> 00:20:17,119 Speaker 2: across Capitol Park toward the State Capitol building. Flanked by 313 00:20:17,220 --> 00:20:20,980 Speaker 2: Secret Service, surrounded by regular people, but not people like her. 314 00:20:21,450 --> 00:20:25,150 Speaker 2: These people were sheep. Sheep that wanted to shake the hand. 315 00:20:24,910 --> 00:20:25,430 Speaker 5: Of a wolf. 316 00:20:25,930 --> 00:20:29,010 Speaker 2: Lemmings, desperate to rub elbows with a charlatan, an actor, 317 00:20:29,490 --> 00:20:32,600 Speaker 2: a man who didn't care about anything besides himself. He 318 00:20:32,630 --> 00:20:34,890 Speaker 2: didn't care about the air of the trees. He didn't 319 00:20:35,020 --> 00:20:39,320 Speaker 2: care about Charlie, that once-in-a-lifetime soul. And for a moment, 320 00:20:39,840 --> 00:20:43,300 Speaker 2: Lynette's thoughts drifted back to that soul. To her guru. 321 00:20:43,740 --> 00:20:47,540 Speaker 2: To her saint. To her Charlie. She felt such an 322 00:20:47,780 --> 00:20:51,100 Speaker 2: overpowering connection to him. She shook it off. 323 00:20:51,920 --> 00:20:52,300 Speaker 5: Focus. 324 00:20:53,040 --> 00:20:57,140 Speaker 2: She got closer. Look at him. Gerald Ford wasn't even 325 00:20:57,200 --> 00:21:01,800 Speaker 2: a person. Fucking smile. And that posture. He looked like 326 00:21:01,820 --> 00:21:04,880 Speaker 2: a cardboard cutout of what a person should look like. 327 00:21:05,600 --> 00:21:08,340 Speaker 2: I had to do this, Lynette thought. This is the time. 328 00:21:09,080 --> 00:21:12,820 Speaker 2: This was for the Redwoods and for Charlie, sitting alone 329 00:21:12,859 --> 00:21:15,040 Speaker 2: in some dank prison cell for the rest of his 330 00:21:15,119 --> 00:21:18,399 Speaker 2: natural life. This was what the fucking president and his 331 00:21:18,500 --> 00:21:23,100 Speaker 2: minions and blind followers all chose to ignore. Lynette pushed 332 00:21:23,140 --> 00:21:26,760 Speaker 2: people aside and got closer. She reached down to remove 333 00:21:26,780 --> 00:21:30,100 Speaker 2: the Colt. 45 from the holster. She raised it. And 334 00:21:30,180 --> 00:21:33,679 Speaker 2: just as she was about to pull the trigger, she 335 00:21:33,720 --> 00:21:36,200 Speaker 2: was clocked by a Secret Service agent who leapt at 336 00:21:36,220 --> 00:21:40,480 Speaker 2: her with full force. Within seconds, she was on the ground, tackled, 337 00:21:40,500 --> 00:21:43,800 Speaker 2: and the gun was wrestled from her hand. President Ford 338 00:21:43,840 --> 00:21:47,350 Speaker 2: was rushed away to safety. To the darkness, it was 339 00:21:47,440 --> 00:21:53,350 Speaker 2: nothing but a momentary interruption. Lynette Squeaky Fromm's second appearance 340 00:21:53,410 --> 00:21:56,970 Speaker 2: on national television for the attempted assassination of President Ford 341 00:21:57,010 --> 00:22:00,780 Speaker 2: in September of 1975 happened the same year as her 342 00:22:00,840 --> 00:22:04,340 Speaker 2: former friend Phil Hartman's induction into the Groundlings and over 343 00:22:04,380 --> 00:22:07,820 Speaker 2: a decade before Phil made his debut on Saturday Night Live. 344 00:22:08,580 --> 00:22:12,660 Speaker 2: And by that time, the 1986-1987 season in which Phil 345 00:22:12,700 --> 00:22:15,689 Speaker 2: became an SNL cast member, Lynette was back in the 346 00:22:15,750 --> 00:22:19,010 Speaker 2: news again. This time because she broke out of the 347 00:22:19,050 --> 00:22:21,890 Speaker 2: West Virginia women's prison where she was serving a life sentence. 348 00:22:22,609 --> 00:22:25,020 Speaker 2: She said she was trying to get to Charlie Manson. 349 00:22:26,050 --> 00:22:28,469 Speaker 2: and Lynette was quickly captured and her search for her 350 00:22:28,590 --> 00:22:33,900 Speaker 2: one-time guru came to an end. Phil Hartman, meanwhile, found 351 00:22:33,920 --> 00:22:34,840 Speaker 2: what he was looking for. 352 00:22:35,800 --> 00:22:36,080 Speaker 5: Peace. 353 00:22:37,480 --> 00:22:42,770 Speaker 2: He found it inside countless characters at SNL. Unfrozen caveman lawyer, 354 00:22:43,070 --> 00:22:49,070 Speaker 2: the anal retentive chef, Sinatra, Iacocca, McMahon, Reagan, Clinton, and Trump. 355 00:22:50,109 --> 00:22:53,030 Speaker 2: For eight seasons, he was a Clydesdale, He was the 356 00:22:53,090 --> 00:22:55,970 Speaker 2: greatest utility player in the show's history, and I say 357 00:22:56,030 --> 00:23:00,590 Speaker 2: that as an extreme compliment. He held everything together. To 358 00:23:00,630 --> 00:23:03,320 Speaker 2: the rest of the cast, he wasn't Phil. He was 359 00:23:03,410 --> 00:23:08,140 Speaker 2: the glue. The other not-ready-for-prime-time players chanted for him like 360 00:23:08,200 --> 00:23:09,699 Speaker 2: cheerleaders at the big game. 361 00:23:10,100 --> 00:23:10,419 Speaker 5: Glue. 362 00:23:10,960 --> 00:23:11,340 Speaker 2: Glue. 363 00:23:11,820 --> 00:23:13,140 Speaker 5: Glue. Glue. 364 00:23:14,180 --> 00:23:18,210 Speaker 2: SNL's creator and executive producer, Lorne Michaels, once said that, quote, 365 00:23:18,630 --> 00:23:22,010 Speaker 2: Phil has done more work that's touched greatness than probably 366 00:23:22,130 --> 00:23:25,450 Speaker 2: anybody else who's ever been here, unquote. And it wasn't 367 00:23:25,490 --> 00:23:28,810 Speaker 2: just SNL. Phil continued to be the glue on shows 368 00:23:28,850 --> 00:23:32,710 Speaker 2: like The Simpsons and News Radio, and in movies with 369 00:23:32,730 --> 00:23:38,540 Speaker 2: Steve Martin and Arnold Schwarzenegger. But the success was bittersweet. 370 00:23:39,220 --> 00:23:43,260 Speaker 2: He wasn't a breakout star like Carvey or Farley or Sandler. 371 00:23:43,859 --> 00:23:47,800 Speaker 2: He was the everyman capable of anything. The everyday Eddie. 372 00:23:48,550 --> 00:23:50,510 Speaker 2: It was easy to take him for granted because he 373 00:23:50,550 --> 00:23:54,190 Speaker 2: was always there and was always solid. And that said, 374 00:23:54,609 --> 00:23:57,109 Speaker 2: his level of success was greater than most in the 375 00:23:57,170 --> 00:24:01,709 Speaker 2: entertainment industry. Greater than most ever achieved. It afforded him 376 00:24:01,770 --> 00:24:04,320 Speaker 2: cars and boats and the things he used to chase 377 00:24:04,380 --> 00:24:07,660 Speaker 2: down moments of peace. And it bought him the house 378 00:24:07,740 --> 00:24:10,940 Speaker 2: in Encino that he shared with his third wife, Bryn. 379 00:24:11,660 --> 00:24:15,239 Speaker 2: Phil called it the Ponderosa on account of the Ponderosa 380 00:24:15,280 --> 00:24:19,640 Speaker 2: pine ceiling beams inside. The master bedroom alone was bigger 381 00:24:19,680 --> 00:24:22,219 Speaker 2: than the place he'd lived in before. It looked like 382 00:24:22,260 --> 00:24:26,070 Speaker 2: a sanctuary hiding in plain sight, an oasis of calm 383 00:24:26,140 --> 00:24:30,790 Speaker 2: lined with sycamores, oaks, redwoods, and Chinese alms. But it 384 00:24:30,830 --> 00:24:33,689 Speaker 2: was more than a sanctuary. It was a place to 385 00:24:33,750 --> 00:24:37,609 Speaker 2: keep secrets, like the one tucked safely away in the 386 00:24:37,650 --> 00:24:42,170 Speaker 2: metal lockbox on a closet shelf inside that sprawling master bedroom. 387 00:24:43,010 --> 00:24:46,410 Speaker 2: A secret that was supposed to help guard against the darkness. 388 00:24:47,109 --> 00:24:55,980 Speaker 2: but instead welcomed it inside. We'll be right back after this. 389 00:24:55,940 --> 00:24:57,440 Speaker 5: Word, word, word. 390 00:25:06,310 --> 00:25:08,949 Speaker 2: Phil and Brynn Hartman saw it as soon as they 391 00:25:08,990 --> 00:25:12,550 Speaker 2: pulled into their driveway. A manila envelope nailed to the 392 00:25:12,590 --> 00:25:16,350 Speaker 2: garage door. Not taped, not left in the mailbox or 393 00:25:16,410 --> 00:25:20,189 Speaker 2: on the ground near the front door. Nailed to the 394 00:25:20,230 --> 00:25:24,630 Speaker 2: garage door. It was bulky and awkward. It was meant 395 00:25:24,670 --> 00:25:27,710 Speaker 2: to be. It was meant to stick out. Like Squeaky 396 00:25:27,750 --> 00:25:30,859 Speaker 2: Fromm dressed in all red amid the throng at Capitol Park. 397 00:25:32,100 --> 00:25:35,260 Speaker 2: Phil took the envelope down and opened it. Inside was 398 00:25:35,300 --> 00:25:39,920 Speaker 2: a videocassette and a note. And the note demanded $ 25, 000 399 00:25:38,960 --> 00:25:42,619 Speaker 2: ASAP or the contents of the tape would be released 400 00:25:42,640 --> 00:25:45,359 Speaker 2: to the public. A public that had come to love 401 00:25:45,400 --> 00:25:48,159 Speaker 2: Phil Hartman for what they perceived him to be. A 402 00:25:48,200 --> 00:25:51,780 Speaker 2: team player. A solid guy. A loving husband of nearly 403 00:25:51,840 --> 00:25:55,109 Speaker 2: ten years to his gorgeous third wife. And a dependable 404 00:25:55,170 --> 00:25:58,290 Speaker 2: father who doted on his two small children. You know, 405 00:25:58,890 --> 00:26:02,010 Speaker 2: the glue. The people who planted the envelope wanted the 406 00:26:02,070 --> 00:26:05,370 Speaker 2: public to watch as the glue came apart at the seams. 407 00:26:06,250 --> 00:26:08,620 Speaker 2: Not because Phil Hartman wasn't who he said he was. 408 00:26:09,260 --> 00:26:11,790 Speaker 2: And not because he deserved it. but simply because the 409 00:26:11,850 --> 00:26:14,600 Speaker 2: blackmailer saw a way to exploit a celebrity in order 410 00:26:14,640 --> 00:26:17,680 Speaker 2: to get what they wanted. Because the darkness can't help 411 00:26:17,700 --> 00:26:20,420 Speaker 2: but see light and want to smother it in shadows. 412 00:26:21,859 --> 00:26:24,200 Speaker 2: Phil and Brynn took the tape inside and popped it 413 00:26:24,240 --> 00:26:28,320 Speaker 2: into the VCR. Phil hit play. The TV fluttered with 414 00:26:28,380 --> 00:26:31,980 Speaker 2: black and white static as the tape started up. And then, 415 00:26:32,460 --> 00:26:35,629 Speaker 2: on the screen, they watched as footage from what seemed 416 00:26:35,670 --> 00:26:39,140 Speaker 2: to be a hidden camera played. Very clearly, they could 417 00:26:39,240 --> 00:26:43,320 Speaker 2: see Phil sitting inside the Body Shop, a notorious strip 418 00:26:43,359 --> 00:26:47,179 Speaker 2: club on Sunset Boulevard, as a nude dancer writhed on 419 00:26:47,220 --> 00:26:50,800 Speaker 2: his lap. Sitting next to him was another blonde bombshell. 420 00:26:51,619 --> 00:26:55,020 Speaker 2: The blackmailer's intent was to expose Phil Hartman as a cheater, 421 00:26:55,480 --> 00:26:59,330 Speaker 2: an unfaithful pussyhound, a man who in reality bore zero 422 00:26:59,369 --> 00:27:03,430 Speaker 2: resemblance to the clean-cut family man persona he so effortlessly represented. 423 00:27:04,570 --> 00:27:07,250 Speaker 2: But there was one big problem with the blackmailer's intent. 424 00:27:08,090 --> 00:27:10,379 Speaker 2: The blonde smoke show sitting next to Phil at the 425 00:27:10,440 --> 00:27:16,350 Speaker 2: club was Bryn, his wife. This wasn't a gotcha moment. 426 00:27:16,910 --> 00:27:20,670 Speaker 2: Phil wasn't cheating. Phil was at the club with his wife. 427 00:27:21,450 --> 00:27:25,409 Speaker 2: And with another couple that he thought he could trust. Acquaintances. Friends. 428 00:27:26,330 --> 00:27:29,170 Speaker 2: And now those so-called friends were taking advantage of Phil 429 00:27:29,210 --> 00:27:35,050 Speaker 2: for a stupid opportunistic cash grab. Unbelievable. Phil picked up 430 00:27:35,070 --> 00:27:38,500 Speaker 2: the phone. He dialed the blackmailer's number. Before they answered, 431 00:27:38,560 --> 00:27:41,560 Speaker 2: Phil found some peace. He put on a mask, and 432 00:27:41,580 --> 00:27:44,580 Speaker 2: he buried himself in a character. The character was a 433 00:27:44,619 --> 00:27:47,119 Speaker 2: man who would do whatever the blackmailer wanted, and he'd 434 00:27:47,160 --> 00:27:50,429 Speaker 2: do it happily. Sure, sure, no problem. I'll get you 435 00:27:50,450 --> 00:27:52,090 Speaker 2: the money, friendo. Where did you say you want it 436 00:27:52,109 --> 00:27:55,550 Speaker 2: delivered to? What time? Of course, of course. See you there. 437 00:27:56,670 --> 00:28:00,270 Speaker 2: Then Phil hung up and dialed another number. This call 438 00:28:00,310 --> 00:28:04,650 Speaker 2: was made to a, let's say, persuasive type. Capable, even. 439 00:28:05,350 --> 00:28:07,630 Speaker 2: A guy that one of Phil's friends said looked just 440 00:28:07,670 --> 00:28:11,490 Speaker 2: like Luca Brasi from The Godfather. A guy that Joe Rogan, 441 00:28:11,770 --> 00:28:15,270 Speaker 2: Phil's former co-star on news radio, said was a quote-unquote 442 00:28:15,710 --> 00:28:20,679 Speaker 2: dangerous person. Whoever that guy was, a private eye or 443 00:28:20,760 --> 00:28:24,300 Speaker 2: muscle for hire, he went and met with Phil's blackmailer 444 00:28:24,520 --> 00:28:27,700 Speaker 2: in Phil's place and told him in no uncertain terms 445 00:28:27,720 --> 00:28:30,760 Speaker 2: that very bad things would happen to them if he 446 00:28:31,020 --> 00:28:39,040 Speaker 2: ever fucked with the Hartmans again. The Hartmans had their 447 00:28:39,100 --> 00:28:42,370 Speaker 2: own problems to worry about. Phil wanted Brynn to get 448 00:28:42,420 --> 00:28:46,710 Speaker 2: help for her on-again, off-again cocaine and alcohol habit. Brynn 449 00:28:46,750 --> 00:28:49,330 Speaker 2: wanted Phil to stop smoking weed alone in his office 450 00:28:49,410 --> 00:28:51,290 Speaker 2: and instead focus on how he was going to help 451 00:28:51,370 --> 00:28:54,990 Speaker 2: her with her own acting career. He said he'd make introductions, 452 00:28:55,330 --> 00:28:55,950 Speaker 2: ask around. 453 00:28:56,470 --> 00:28:56,790 Speaker 5: He didn't. 454 00:28:57,510 --> 00:29:00,470 Speaker 2: She started taking Zoloft, but it didn't keep the resentment 455 00:29:00,550 --> 00:29:04,380 Speaker 2: from rising. And it didn't stop the fights. Fights that 456 00:29:04,400 --> 00:29:07,660 Speaker 2: Phil told his friends about. Fights that frequently got nasty. 457 00:29:08,280 --> 00:29:10,810 Speaker 2: And when they got nasty, Phil smoked a joint and 458 00:29:10,830 --> 00:29:13,750 Speaker 2: took a nap. Brynn, on the other hand, did a 459 00:29:13,790 --> 00:29:17,209 Speaker 2: line and got more worked up. She got pissed. She 460 00:29:17,250 --> 00:29:19,930 Speaker 2: got pissed when Phil's second wife sent them a card 461 00:29:19,970 --> 00:29:22,730 Speaker 2: to congratulate them on the birth of their son. She 462 00:29:22,770 --> 00:29:26,270 Speaker 2: got pissed when Phil received fan mail. She got pissed 463 00:29:26,290 --> 00:29:29,330 Speaker 2: when Phil tooled around Catalina on his boat. What was 464 00:29:29,370 --> 00:29:31,570 Speaker 2: he really doing? And who was he really with? And 465 00:29:31,610 --> 00:29:34,760 Speaker 2: where was her piece? Where could she go to disappear? 466 00:29:36,130 --> 00:29:39,970 Speaker 2: The drugs, the jealousy, the resentment, the attention Phil received 467 00:29:40,020 --> 00:29:43,480 Speaker 2: for his work, the patronizing attention Bryn received merely for 468 00:29:43,500 --> 00:29:46,620 Speaker 2: looking attractive on Phil's arm and nothing else, it all 469 00:29:46,800 --> 00:29:51,650 Speaker 2: built up and it calcified. Phil buried himself in other people, 470 00:29:52,010 --> 00:29:54,610 Speaker 2: and when that didn't work, he turned onto his side 471 00:29:54,650 --> 00:29:58,070 Speaker 2: and went to sleep. Until the day when he didn't 472 00:29:58,110 --> 00:30:07,610 Speaker 2: wake up. May 28th, 1998, 6 a.m. Ron Douglas, the 473 00:30:07,670 --> 00:30:11,450 Speaker 2: Studio City stuntman and former drug buddy of Brynn Hartman, 474 00:30:11,730 --> 00:30:14,810 Speaker 2: put Brynn's. 38 Smith & Wesson, the one that spilled 475 00:30:14,870 --> 00:30:17,990 Speaker 2: out of her Prada bag, into a plastic bag for safekeeping. 476 00:30:19,070 --> 00:30:20,969 Speaker 2: It had been a few hours since she showed up 477 00:30:21,030 --> 00:30:25,370 Speaker 2: at Ron's unannounced in a frantic and inebriated state. She 478 00:30:25,430 --> 00:30:27,770 Speaker 2: said she now felt sober enough to drive back to 479 00:30:27,810 --> 00:30:30,940 Speaker 2: her house in Encino. but only if he followed her 480 00:30:31,000 --> 00:30:33,840 Speaker 2: back in his car. She wanted to prove to him 481 00:30:33,880 --> 00:30:35,979 Speaker 2: that it was true, that she had really done what 482 00:30:36,030 --> 00:30:40,190 Speaker 2: she said she did, that she killed Phil. Ron still 483 00:30:40,330 --> 00:30:43,070 Speaker 2: didn't fully believe her, but he agreed to caravan back 484 00:30:43,130 --> 00:30:47,070 Speaker 2: to her place. A few minutes later, Ron pulled his 485 00:30:47,130 --> 00:30:49,450 Speaker 2: car up to the Hartman's home and put it in park. 486 00:30:50,150 --> 00:30:52,860 Speaker 2: The neighborhood was quiet. He stepped out of the car, 487 00:30:52,980 --> 00:30:56,680 Speaker 2: carrying Brin's. 38 in the plastic bag. He followed her inside, 488 00:30:57,160 --> 00:30:59,650 Speaker 2: and they entered through the garage. The house was just 489 00:30:59,710 --> 00:31:03,160 Speaker 2: as quiet as outside. Ron assumed the kids were still sleeping. 490 00:31:03,860 --> 00:31:05,760 Speaker 2: They made their way down a long hallway and into 491 00:31:05,780 --> 00:31:09,980 Speaker 2: the master bedroom. There, lying on the bed, was Phil, 492 00:31:10,580 --> 00:31:14,480 Speaker 2: bullet hole in his head. Brynn began to scream. Ron 493 00:31:14,520 --> 00:31:18,240 Speaker 2: started to fully process what he was seeing. Though in shock, 494 00:31:18,280 --> 00:31:21,219 Speaker 2: he went into action mode. He stepped out of the bedroom, 495 00:31:21,560 --> 00:31:25,910 Speaker 2: found the nearest phone, and dialed 911. From inside the bedroom, 496 00:31:25,950 --> 00:31:28,890 Speaker 2: Brynn shut the double doors and locked them. Ron yelled 497 00:31:28,930 --> 00:31:31,930 Speaker 2: to her to come out. She didn't. Ron still had 498 00:31:31,970 --> 00:31:35,330 Speaker 2: her gun safely in his hands. But he didn't think 499 00:31:35,370 --> 00:31:37,050 Speaker 2: it was a good idea for her to be locked 500 00:31:37,090 --> 00:31:38,950 Speaker 2: in a room with her dead husband all the same. 501 00:31:39,770 --> 00:31:42,830 Speaker 2: He tried to handle, but no luck. He couldn't get 502 00:31:42,870 --> 00:31:46,130 Speaker 2: the doors to budge. He listened as Brynn continued to 503 00:31:46,210 --> 00:31:49,810 Speaker 2: cry hysterically. And he watched as the first rays of 504 00:31:49,830 --> 00:31:52,230 Speaker 2: the morning sun started to creep from the bottom of 505 00:31:52,250 --> 00:31:55,470 Speaker 2: the double doors, struggling in vain to usher out the darkness. 506 00:32:16,630 --> 00:32:18,830 Speaker 2: We begin with a murder investigation that has stunned the 507 00:32:18,890 --> 00:32:19,730 Speaker 2: entertainment world. 508 00:32:20,170 --> 00:32:24,300 Speaker 5: Murder investigation. Stunned the entertainment world. 509 00:32:25,270 --> 00:32:27,730 Speaker 3: Phil Hartman, who rose to fame on Saturday Night Live, 510 00:32:27,770 --> 00:32:29,130 Speaker 3: was found shot to death today. 511 00:32:29,210 --> 00:32:30,360 Speaker 5: Shot to death today. 512 00:32:30,410 --> 00:32:33,260 Speaker 3: Shot to death today inside his home in Southern California. 513 00:32:33,700 --> 00:32:36,080 Speaker 3: But the story was still unfolding when police arrived on 514 00:32:36,120 --> 00:32:39,060 Speaker 3: the scene. As the couple's children were being removed from 515 00:32:39,080 --> 00:32:41,490 Speaker 3: the home, Hartman's wife shot herself. 516 00:32:41,710 --> 00:32:44,090 Speaker 5: Hartman's wife shot herself. 517 00:32:44,290 --> 00:32:46,570 Speaker 3: In what is looking now more and more like a murder-suicide. 518 00:32:49,020 --> 00:32:52,960 Speaker 5: At 6.20 this morning, residents of this upscale Encino neighborhood 519 00:32:53,040 --> 00:32:56,740 Speaker 5: called police to report gunshots coming from the Hartman's gated estate. 520 00:32:57,320 --> 00:33:00,420 Speaker 5: Officers arrived to find a nine-year-old boy and a six-year-old 521 00:33:00,480 --> 00:33:03,410 Speaker 5: girl by the front door. As they were taking the 522 00:33:03,430 --> 00:33:06,910 Speaker 5: children out of the house, officers heard a gunshot in 523 00:33:06,950 --> 00:33:10,990 Speaker 5: the master bedroom. There they discovered comedian Phil Hartman dead. 524 00:33:11,470 --> 00:33:14,740 Speaker 5: Authorities say it appears his wife Brynn shot him, then 525 00:33:14,760 --> 00:33:25,640 Speaker 5: turned the gun on herself. Turned the gun on herself. Mr. 526 00:33:25,680 --> 00:33:27,380 Speaker 7: Hartman had been dead for a while. 527 00:33:27,540 --> 00:33:32,280 Speaker 4: He did not die at the same time that Mrs. 528 00:33:32,300 --> 00:33:33,940 Speaker 4: Hartman apparently killed herself. 529 00:33:34,060 --> 00:33:37,370 Speaker 5: But certainly any time our officers enter a location, if 530 00:33:37,410 --> 00:33:41,450 Speaker 5: there are children present, they are our first consideration, removing 531 00:33:41,470 --> 00:33:43,810 Speaker 5: children from potentially dangerous situations. 532 00:33:43,850 --> 00:33:45,410 Speaker 3: And that's what the officers did. 533 00:33:48,150 --> 00:33:51,430 Speaker 2: Brynn Hartman wasn't listening to her friend Ron Douglas yell 534 00:33:51,450 --> 00:33:53,729 Speaker 2: at her from the other side of the locked double doors. 535 00:33:54,370 --> 00:33:57,280 Speaker 2: She was busy removing the metal lockbox from the shelf 536 00:33:57,360 --> 00:34:01,000 Speaker 2: inside the master bedroom's closet once more. She opened it 537 00:34:01,260 --> 00:34:06,360 Speaker 2: and pulled out the other gun, her Charter Arms. 38. 538 00:34:06,360 --> 00:34:09,890 Speaker 2: While LAPD were busy safely removing her two young children 539 00:34:09,930 --> 00:34:13,620 Speaker 2: from the house... Brynn crawled into her kink-sized bed right 540 00:34:13,680 --> 00:34:16,060 Speaker 2: next to her dead husband, whom she had shot in 541 00:34:16,100 --> 00:34:19,239 Speaker 2: the neck, the chest, and the head some three hours ago. 542 00:34:20,030 --> 00:34:22,650 Speaker 2: She propped herself up with a pillow, and then she 543 00:34:22,770 --> 00:34:25,190 Speaker 2: stuck the barrel of the charter arms in her mouth 544 00:34:25,790 --> 00:34:31,410 Speaker 2: and pulled the trigger. According to the coroner's report, Brynn 545 00:34:31,430 --> 00:34:35,070 Speaker 2: Hartman's blood contained traces of cocaine and therapeutic levels of 546 00:34:35,140 --> 00:34:40,279 Speaker 2: Zoloft and a blood alcohol content of 0.11%. well over 547 00:34:40,320 --> 00:34:45,319 Speaker 2: California's legal limit of 0.08%. No drugs were found in 548 00:34:45,390 --> 00:34:49,930 Speaker 2: Phil's system. Some blamed Bryn's actions on the combination of 549 00:34:50,030 --> 00:34:54,049 Speaker 2: coke and Zoloft, and some blamed coke and alcohol. Some 550 00:34:54,110 --> 00:34:56,730 Speaker 2: just wanted something or someone to blame for such a 551 00:34:56,810 --> 00:35:01,970 Speaker 2: senseless tragedy. Bryn's brother blamed Pfizer. He brought a wrongful 552 00:35:02,030 --> 00:35:05,330 Speaker 2: death lawsuit on behalf of the Hartman's children and their parents' 553 00:35:05,410 --> 00:35:08,790 Speaker 2: estates against the maker of Zoloft along with the doctor 554 00:35:08,830 --> 00:35:12,480 Speaker 2: who prescribed it, arguing that Brynn did not have major 555 00:35:12,540 --> 00:35:15,920 Speaker 2: clinical depression and therefore the drug did her more harm 556 00:35:15,980 --> 00:35:20,780 Speaker 2: than good. Pfizer settled privately out of court. John Lovitz, 557 00:35:21,120 --> 00:35:25,560 Speaker 2: Phil's close friend and former SNL classmate, blamed Andy Dick, 558 00:35:26,120 --> 00:35:30,430 Speaker 2: one of Phil's co-stars on news radio. Lovitz thought Dick 559 00:35:30,760 --> 00:35:33,670 Speaker 2: was an enabler. He once gave Brynn cocaine at a 560 00:35:33,730 --> 00:35:36,270 Speaker 2: party at Phil's house at a crucial moment when she 561 00:35:36,310 --> 00:35:39,210 Speaker 2: was trying to stay clean. And Andy Dick claimed he 562 00:35:39,250 --> 00:35:42,109 Speaker 2: had no idea that she struggled with addiction, but John 563 00:35:42,150 --> 00:35:45,549 Speaker 2: Lovitz didn't buy it. And years later, still mourning the 564 00:35:45,590 --> 00:35:48,790 Speaker 2: loss of his friend, John Lovitz grabbed Andy Dick by 565 00:35:48,810 --> 00:35:50,989 Speaker 2: his shirt and slammed his head into the bar at 566 00:35:51,030 --> 00:35:55,000 Speaker 2: the Laugh Factory. Did kicking Andy Dick's ass make John 567 00:35:55,040 --> 00:35:55,739 Speaker 2: Lovitz feel better? 568 00:35:56,500 --> 00:35:56,920 Speaker 6: Probably. 569 00:35:57,480 --> 00:35:59,799 Speaker 2: But it didn't dull the pain of losing Phil Hartman. 570 00:36:00,469 --> 00:36:03,710 Speaker 2: And it didn't bring him or his wife back. It 571 00:36:03,770 --> 00:36:06,410 Speaker 2: also didn't restore peace and love to a world that 572 00:36:06,430 --> 00:36:11,450 Speaker 2: had long before slipped into shadow. 11 years after Phil's death, 573 00:36:11,850 --> 00:36:15,049 Speaker 2: Lynette's squeaky phone slipped past the razor wire fences of 574 00:36:15,110 --> 00:36:17,489 Speaker 2: a federal prison and into a car waiting for her 575 00:36:17,550 --> 00:36:21,830 Speaker 2: on the outside. But she wasn't escaping again. This time, 576 00:36:22,430 --> 00:36:26,469 Speaker 2: she left legally. After serving more than three decades of 577 00:36:26,510 --> 00:36:31,950 Speaker 2: her life sentence, the one-time Manson family member, would-be presidential assassin, 578 00:36:32,390 --> 00:36:37,950 Speaker 2: and former friend of Phil Hartman, was released on parole. 579 00:36:38,070 --> 00:36:41,650 Speaker 2: In 2019, during an interview with ABC's Nightline, Squeaky was 580 00:36:41,790 --> 00:36:45,610 Speaker 2: asked if she was in love with Charlie Manson. Oh yeah, 581 00:36:45,690 --> 00:36:49,570 Speaker 2: she responded. I still am. I don't think you fall 582 00:36:49,680 --> 00:36:56,440 Speaker 2: out of love. I'm Jake Brennan, and this is Hollywoodland. 583 00:37:04,840 --> 00:37:07,980 Speaker 2: Hollywoodland was created by Years Truly and is produced in 584 00:37:08,020 --> 00:37:12,400 Speaker 2: partnership with Double Elvis. Follow, like, rate, and review Hollywoodland 585 00:37:12,440 --> 00:37:14,390 Speaker 2: wherever you get your podcasts and get in touch with 586 00:37:14,450 --> 00:37:18,290 Speaker 2: us on social media at Double Elvis. If you like Hollywoodland, 587 00:37:18,310 --> 00:37:21,410 Speaker 2: check out my other show, the award-winning Disgraceland, which looks 588 00:37:21,450 --> 00:37:23,570 Speaker 2: at the world of music through the lens of true crime. 589 00:37:23,610 --> 00:37:26,450 Speaker 2: Just search for Disgraceland wherever you get your podcasts.