Once Upon a Time in Hollywood References guide

Welcome to the movie and pop culture references guide and trivia resource for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. As is the tradition at The Quentin Tarantino Archives, our international network of movie geeks is compiling a guide of pop cultural references that will make enjoying Tarantino's latest a special delight for geeks and aspiring cinephiles.

1969

The movie (also though set in the "Realer than Real World") takes place in 1969 Hollywood, with a Tarantino twist to it. The movie will feature a mix of real and fictional characters. To get a sense of the cinematic era of the time, also check out the Furious Cinema article: 1969: Entering New Hollywood.

Brands

• A new Tarantino Universe brand "Hot Waxx" Record Shop appears.
• An ad for Red Apple cigarettes appears on a bus billboard
• An ad for Big Kahuna Burger appears on a bus billboard

Movies (Advertised or Referenced)

• Sweet Charity (Dir: Bob Fosse) - Theater billboard for the 1969 musical comedy starring Shirley Maclaine and Ricardo Montalban.
• The Sergeant (Dir: John Flynn) - Theater billboard for the 1968 drama starring Rod Steiger.
• 3 in the Attic (Dir: Richard Wilson) - Theater marquee for the 1968 bedroom farce starring Christopher Jones and Yvette Mimeux.
• Ice Station Zebra (Dir: John Sturges) - Theater billboard for the 1968 espionage action-adventure film starring Rock Hudson.
• 2001: A Space Odyssey (Dir: Stanley Kubrick) - Theater billboard for the 1969 space adventure classic.
• Hells Angels '69 (Dir: Lee Madden) - Theater billboard for the 1969 biker exploitation classic. Learn more about it at the GCDb
• Romeo & Juliet (Dir: Franco Zefferelli) - Theater marquee/poster for the 1968 Shakespeare romantic drama starring Olivia Hussey.
• The Wrecking Crew (Dir: Phil Karlson) - Theater Marquee/Billboard poster for the 1968 spy comedy starring Dean Martin, Elke Sommer and Sharon Tate
• Candy (Dir: Christian Marquand) - Billboard for the 1968 psychedelic sex comedy starring Ewa Aulin.
• Funny Girl (Dir: William Wyler) - Billboard poster for the 1968 musical comedy starring Barbara Streisand.
• Oliver! (Dir: Carol Reed) - Billboard poster for the 1968 musical starring Ron Moody and Oliver Reed
• Pendulum (Dir: George Schaefer) - Billboard poster for the 1969 crime thriller starring George Peppard and Jean Seberg.
• Mackenna's Gold (Dir: J. Lee Thompson) - Billboard poster for the 1969 Western adventure starring Gregory Peck and Telly Savalas
• Sam Whiskey (Dir: Arnold Laven): Theatrical poster for the 1969 comedy western starring Burt Reynolds and Angie Dickinson.
• They Came To Rob Las Vegas (Dir: Antonio Isasi-Isasmendi): Billboard poster for the 1968 crime film starring Gary Lockwood, Lee J. Cobb and Elke Sommer. Learn more about it at the GCDb
• The Boston Strangler (Dir: Richard Fleischer)- Billboard for the 1968 crime-thriller film starring Tony Curtis.
• The Night They Raided Minsky's (Dir: William Friedkin) - playing at the Vogue theater in the Summer of 1969

• Krakatoa: East of Java (Dir: Bernard L. Kowalski) - playing at the Hollywood Cinerama Dome in the Summer of 1969
• Babette & The Turn On! playing at The Pussycat Theater (a now defunct adult theater located on Hollywood Boulevard)

Restaraunts, Stores and Night Clubs

• Pandora's Box: A popular Night Club & Coffee House on the Sunset Strip.
• Musso & Frank Grill: Popular restarant known as "the genesis of Hollywood."
• Taco Bell: Popular Tex-Mex fast food chain

• Peaches Records & Tapes: A now defunct record store in Hollywood

TV Shows (Advertised or Referenced)

Like Inglourious Basterds, Once Upon A Time in Hollywood blends fictional and real characters as well as possible true events that are altered. This becomes especially intriguing with more than one instance of a series within the film.

• Bounty Law is a fictional western TV series that is featured in the film.
• Lancer (Update: January 14, unconfirmed) is an existing western TV series that is also featured in the movie. QT bought the rights to it which triggered rumors that the film is a possible starting point for something that could almost be like a reboot. There is a character in the film named Scott Lancer, so the TV series features heavily in the film, which aired long after Bounty Law's supposed run (1968-1970). Scott Lancer was one of the lead characters in Lancer, played by actor Wayne Maunder. In the movie, Luke Perry is credited as "Wayne Maunder/Scott Lancer", so he is playing the actor playing the other character. Nicholas Hammond is credited as Sam Wanamaker in the movie, who was one of the series directors, but for only one episode ("The High Riders"), so it might be possible to pinpoint exactly what is being filmed possibly in the scenes of the movie that feature Lancer. Bruce Dern, who will play George Spahn in the movie, also appeared in two episodes of the original Lancer. Other actors who appeared in the original Lancer are Bo Svenson, who appeared in Kill Bill and Inglourious Basterds, LQ Jones, Tom Selleck, Tom Skerritt and Joe Don Baker.

Others:

• The F.B.I.: A crime show that aired from 1965-1974. Rick Dalton guest stars.
• Hullabaloo: A 60s pop music variety show, similar to American Band Stand or Shindig. The character Rick Dalton is a guest. (Dance choreography by Toni Basil dancer/actress/musician)
• Dark Shadows - A horror themed TV series (1966-71). Bus Stop Ad.
• The Invaders - A sci-fi themed TV Show (1967-68) starring Roy Thinnes. Created by Larry Cohen (Black Caesar, The Stuff)
• Honey West- A TV series (1965-66) starring Anne Francis. A bus billboard ad. Also mentioned in Reservoir Dogs.
• The Rosie Grier Show: A talk show (1966) starring the football player/actor. A bus stop billboard ad.
• Fright Night with Seymour: A billboard ad for LA TV late night horror movies show.

People

The movie features a lot of real-life characters, some of them are:

• Sharon Tate: Actress and late wife of Roman Polanski- murdered by Manson followers
• Roman Polanski: Actor/Director- husband of Sharon Tate
• George Spahn: Owner of Spahn Ranch. Home of the Manson family (Also, check out this thread in our forums "Who is George Spahn?")
• Charles Manson: Leader of the Manson family
• Steve McQueen: Actor known as The "King of Cool"
• Jay Sebring: Hairdresser to the stars. murdered by Manson family members.
• Voytek Frykowski: Friend of Polanski/Tate - murdered by Manson followers
• Abigail Folger: Friend of Polanski/Tate/Frykowski - murdered by Manson followers
• Bruce Lee: Martial Arts icon/Actor/Fight choreographer. Friend of Polanski/Tate/McQueen
• Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme: Member of the Manson family.
• Catherine "Gypsy" Share: Member of the Manson family
• Charles "Tex" Watson: Member of the Manson family
• Sam Wanamaker: Actor and Director
• Connie Stevens: Singer/Actress
• Joanna Pettet: Actress
• Mama Cass - Singer