Is Ed Burke from Woman of the Hour based on a real person? Explained

Netflix's new crime drama Woman of the Hour is based on the serial killer, Rodney Alcala, also known as The Dating Game killer. The show features Ed Burke (Tony Hale) taking the stage as the host of the fictional version of The Dating Game. He introduces Alcala as one of the participants on the game show.

Although Woman of the Hour has some fictional elements, it is based on Rodney Alcala's real story. Similarly, the character of Ed Burke is a fictionalized version of the American game show host, Jim Lange. Ian McDonald wrote the character for Woman of the Hour.

The American crime thriller premiered on Netflix on October 11, 2024, and is available for streaming. The official synopsis reads:

"In 1970s Los Angeles, as a wave of murders makes headlines, a young woman aspiring to become an actress and a serial killer cross paths during an episode of a dating show."

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Who was Jim Lange? Details explored

The American radio and television personality Jim Lange was born on August 15, 1932, in St. Paul, Minnesota, and began his career in the Twin Cities. He inclined towards broadcasting since he was a kid and appeared as a local disk jockey on WMIN-TV's children's show, Captain 11.

Before he gained recognition as the host of The Dating Game, Lange served in the U.S. Marines after graduating from the University of Minnesota. He then relocated to San Francisco, where he began his journey as a jockey.

Jim Lange had begun work in the industry alongside Tennessee Ernie Ford in The Ford Show in 1962. He worked as the original host of The Dating Game between the years of 1965 and 1980.

He also appeared on multiple other shows, including Oh My Word (1965–1969), $100,000 Name That Tune (1984–1985), and Hollywood Connection, Bullseye (1980–1982).

Lange was also a part of The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime, Bowling for Dollars (1976–1977 Los Angeles/Orange County Version), The New Newlywed Game, Spin-Off (1975), Triple Threat (1988–1989), and Give-n-Take (1975).

It was ABC’s The Dating Game that shot Jim Lange, and it was in 1978 that Lange presented Rodney Alcala as one of the participants on the show.

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Is Woman of the Hour's Ed Burke based on Jim Lange?

Ian McDonald based the fictional character Ed Burke on Jim Lange in an attempt to explore the theme of misogyny showcased on-screen during that time.

During an interview with Deadline, Ian claimed that he wanted to portray an entire spectrum of sexism in Woman of the Hour. He added that this was one of the reasons he added some grey aspects to the other characters as well. He noted that the world had a "lot of sh*tty guys" who weren't serial killers, and he wanted to explore Rodney as well as the other men who were on the spectrum.

Jim Lange was reportedly aware of the practices in Hollywood, as he shared in an interview with Bay Area Radio Digest in 1992. He said that the period was "very sexist" and wanted a boy and a girl. He claimed that the people would want the "boy to do sports" while the girl was expected to "do the dances."

“They wanted a boy and a girl. They wanted the boy to do sports and the girl to do the dances and stuff that was going on in the Twin Cities — very sexist — and play music once a week.”

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Watch Anna Kendrick's Woman of the Hour on Netflix as it streams for viewers worldwide.